UCLA Bruins: A Legacy at the College World Series

The UCLA Bruins baseball team is striving to secure their second NCAA national championship at the College World Series (CWS). With a rich history and a recent resurgence, the Bruins are once again a force to be reckoned with in college baseball. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference since starting to play in 1920. Its home games are played at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

UCLA's College World Series Appearances and National Championships

UCLA has made six appearances at the College World Series, tying them for fifth-most appearances alongside Louisville. This places them behind LSU (20 appearances) and Arizona (19 appearances). Murray State and Coastal Carolina have fewer CWS appearances than UCLA. Murray State versus UCLA marked Murray’s first-ever College World Series game.

Of the teams competing in the 2025 College World Series, UCLA is one of five with at least one national championship. If UCLA triumphs in the 2025 College World Series, it would mark their second national championship victory. UCLA and Coastal Carolina each have one national title.

The 2013 National Championship Run

UCLA's journey to their first national title in 2013 was a testament to their teamwork, pitching prowess, and timely hitting. The Bruins finished the NCAA postseason with a 44-14 record against their opponents. The Bruins had some outstanding role players. Starting pitchers Adam Plutko, Nick Vander Tuig and Grant Watson put together a total effort, not only in the regular season, but especially here in Omaha with the trio being dominant. Meanwhile, in the field, shortstop Pat Valaika's defensive prowess here at TD Ameritrade Park will forever be remembered, while the uncanny ability, or so it seemed, of leadoff hitter Brian Carroll to get on base was impressive. Last, but certainly not least, there's second baseman Cody Regis.

Dominant Pitching

The 2013 College World Series showcased the Bruins' exceptional pitching staff. After fellow junior right-handed pitcher Adam Plutko tossed a gem in the series opener against Mississippi State, the Bruins looked to Vander Tuig, who dominated North Carolina State his last time out in Omaha. N.C. Vander Tuig didn't disappoint with the national title on the line. The outstanding righty struck out six, walked just one batter and allowed just five hits in eight shutout innings. Vander Tuig had his usual steady diet of pitches. He commanded an 89-92 fastball very well, along with his outstanding 78-80 changeup and mid-to-upper 70s downer curveball. The team's pitching staff, including starters Adam Plutko, Nick Vander Tuig, and Grant Watson, and relievers James Kaprielian, Zack Weiss, and David Berg, allowed only four runs in five games at the World Series.

Clutch Performances

Key players stepped up throughout the 2013 CWS. In the title clincher, the Bruins started the game offensively on a high note with a sacrifice fly in the first inning by hot-hitting outfielder Eric Filia, who finished the postseason with a .444 batting average, including two hits and five RBIs in the win over the Bulldogs. Shortstop Pat Valaika's defensive prowess at TD Ameritrade Park was a key factor, while leadoff hitter Brian Carroll consistently found ways to get on base. Second baseman Cody Regis, a senior, also played a crucial role, showcasing strong defense and a high on-base percentage.

A Unique Offensive Approach

UCLA's offensive performance in the 2013 CWS was unconventional but effective. Amazingly, UCLA finished the CWS with 19 total runs, the lowest run total for a national championship team in the history of college baseball, while also having the most sacrifice bunts (12) since Santa Clara in 1962.

Savage's Perspective

UCLA coach John Savage emphasized the team's collective effort and resilience. "There's a lot of heart on the mound, on the field, and with a lot of pieces with this team. This wasn't one guy, or a lot of star power. This was a group of guys."

Key Moments

The Bruins took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but things really turned for the worse for the Bulldogs in the third and fourth innings. The Bruins got a sacrifice fly from Eric Filia and an RBI single from Pat Valaika in the third inning, before scoring a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Kramer, and an RBI single from Cody Regis.

Other Notable Seasons

1969: UCLA's First CWS Appearance

Chris Chambliss led the Bruins to the 1969 CWS, UCLA's first. The team defeated Santa Clara at the NCAA Regional and finished in 7th place, after losing to Tulsa, 6-5 in 10 innings, and to Arizona State, 2-1 in 12 innings. Chambliss, who went on to play for Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves between 1971 and 1986, had a team-high .340 batting average and 15 home runs.

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1997: A Pac-10 Title and CWS Return

The 1997 team won the Pac-10 title with a 43-18 record (21-9 Pac-10) and reached in the CWS. The team was led by head coach Gary Adams and included future Major League Baseball players Troy Glaus, Jim Parque, and Eric Byrnes. Jon Heinrichs, Tom Jacquez, Eric Valent, and Peter Zamora also played on the team.

2010: National Runner-Up

The Bruins finished the 2010 season with a 43-13 record and were selected to host the Los Angeles Regional of the 2010 NCAA tournament at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The team won the regional by defeating its other three teams, UC Irvine (39-17), Kent State (39-23), and defending national champions LSU (40-20). The Bruins lost both games to South Carolina in the CWS Championship Series to finish as national runners-up. The team was ranked No. 1 in an April Baseball America poll. Cody Regis, Beau Amaral, and Trevor Bauer were named to the All-College World Series Team.

The Road to Omaha in 2025

UCLA hasn’t been to the College World Series since winning it all in 2013. The Bruins were the No. 1 national seed in 2015 and 2018. Neither team survived the regional and super regional gauntlet to be one of the last eight teams standing.

Savage felt good about his team in 2020 before the pandemic shut down the season. He liked their resilience in the following seasons. Then came the Bruins’ 19-win campaign last year. It was a humbling experience for their touted sophomore class that’s led a drastic turnaround.

“It’s really special,” Cholowsky said. “We’ve got a special group of guys. We’ve dealt with a lot of adversity through the year. Just getting back to Omaha, where the Bruins should be, is special to us.”

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No team in this year’s CWS field played in last year’s tournament - the first time that’s happened since 1957. But the Bruins set themselves apart from the field because they have played at Charles Schwab Field this year.

Omaha hosted last month’s Big Ten tournament. The Bruins won their first three games in the tournament before falling 5-0 to Nebraska in the conference title game.

“Coach made a good point after the game that we can use this game and that weekend out in Omaha in the Big Ten tournament, and it’s only going to be useful if we make it useful,” Cholowsky said. “So just understanding the park, getting a taste for what Omaha is and just being hungry to get back here was the main thing.”

Savage believes that week-long tournament helped the Bruins get a feel for the ballpark. They know the downtown streets, the hotels and the practice schedule. But he doesn’t want the team to get too comfortable. He wants them to keep the edge they’ve developed since being shutout.

That loss is the team’s only blemish in the last 14 games. The Bruins composed themselves to sweep their regional and super regional to win something that had eluded them for more than a decade.

Savage knew months ago that this team could be the one to get back to Omaha. The Bruins were locked out of Jackie Robinson Field on Sept. 26, forcing them to scramble to different high school fields in L.A. traffic. On Thursday, Savage equated it to the Colts leaving Baltimore in Mayflower trucks over 40 years ago. District Judge David O. Carter has since restored access to the team’s access to its home stadium, providing stability they needed during the season.

“It felt, at the end of the fall, I knew we potentially had something special,” Savage said. “I was just hoping … that we had enough talent. The makeup was there, the character, the loyalty, the toughness. That’s great to have all that, but you’ve got to have talent at this level.”

This talented team will likely play its CWS opener in a hostile environment. Fans at Omaha typically cling to underdog stories and regional fourth seed Murray State certainly fits that bill. Savage assured everyone that he’s taking the Racers seriously because of their path. They’ve won 44 games with regional wins over Ole Miss and Georgia Tech before taking two games off Duke.

Helping the Bruins go forward in the tournament is a boost to its pitching staff. Cody Delvecchio is with the team in Omaha and academically eligible to play. Delvecchio has pitched simulated games and live at bats recently, but Savage acknowledged the situation is like calling someone up from triple-A to the MLB playoff roster.

The right hander bolsters the Bruins’ bullpen going into a two-week stretch every college player dreams about. And something everyone in the program has longed for.

“We want to come back here, put our name back out there on the map and show everyone what West Coast baseball has to offer,” West said.

Western Powerhouses

UCLA is one of three Western programs in the 2025 College World Series, alongside Arizona and Oregon State. The U of A has four national titles, Oregon State three. Only LSU has more national titles than Arizona among the eight schools gathered in Omaha for this event.

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