OMAHA – My first Big Ten Baseball Tournament started with a brisk 9 a.m. game on Tuesday that saw 12-seed Michigan State, who needed quite a bit of help just to make the tournament, blitz 5-seed Purdue, leading by seven runs after two innings. The weekend ended when Phoenix Call had a pitch clip him with the bases loaded. A walk-off hit by pitch was a very unclimactic way of ending the week, but it was fitting with how much chaos I witnessed over six days.
I wanted to cover the Big Ten Tournament for Sox Machine mainly to get another in-person look at Roch Cholowsky before the draft. Since we relaunched the site in 2018, I’ve been on the MLB Draft and college baseball beats, and I’ve picked up some important lessons. The biggest one is that nothing is guaranteed in the college baseball postseason. Even if UCLA has been the best college team in the last ten years, that doesn’t mean they’ll make it to the College World Series two years in a row. So I had to choose between watching UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament or flying to Los Angeles to see their Regional bracket.
I’ve wanted to visit Charles Schwab Field in Omaha for years. With more teams, more players, and top talent at the Big Ten Tournament, choosing Omaha was an easy decision. I’m glad I went. Omaha turned out to be a charming city, and the tournament brought six days of nonstop baseball action. I enjoyed every minute, and couldn’t do this without our loyal Sox Machine subscribers. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Here’s what I learned from Omaha.
The power of friendship propels UCLA
UCLA was losing in each of its three Big Ten Tournament games heading into the seventh inning. They won each game by walking off their opponent. They demonstrated that they are not invincible, and yet, they are very resilient as a team. The pressure of being behind late does not faze UCLA.
“We’ve been doing it all year, but to do it in this environment, I think it’s really big,” said UCLA outfielder Payton Brennan. “And against a really good team in Oregon, that’s huge for us moving forward.
After their 3-2 victory in 11 innings on Sunday, the Bruins are now 51-6 on the season, and enter NCAA Regionals as the No. 1 overall seed. They are not at 100%, although who really is at this stage of the college season? But coach John Savage is without his Friday ace, Logan Reddermann, and it’s still unclear if he will be available in Regionals.
“We really need him back,” said coach Savage. “He had a really good bullpen yesterday, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’ll be up and going this weekend. But it’s not going to be a lot. It’s just not. He’s not ramped up to be that five or six-inning guy. We’re hoping to get a couple of innings out of him.”
Will Gasparino started the scoring by roping a triple down the left field line with an exit velocity of 112 mph for a 1-0 lead. But a hard hit grounder to third base got Gasparino caught in a rundown, and as he was buying time for his teammate to reach second base, Gasparino made a hard sprint back to third base. Upon reaching the base, Gasparino trucked Oregon’s Drew Smith.
After review, the umpires deemed that Gasparino made malicious contact and was ejected from the game. Per NCAA rules, Gasparino will be ineligible for UCLA’s first game of Regionals.
Will Gasparino was just ejected for malicious contact after Oregon challenged the ruling
Gasparino will be miss UCLA’s first game of regionals next weekend. pic.twitter.com/wQ3EDt13fQ
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 24, 2026
“The play at third base with Will Gasparino, it was kind of an unfortunate play,” said Savage. “We talked to the team about let’s make sure that we understand the big picture here and keep good sportsmanship.”
“I really hope that the NCAA takes a really hard look at some of these things. They’re putting umpires in a really bad spot with trying to police the game of baseball,” said Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski.
“I don’t want to see anybody suspended for postseason play, and I’d be extremely disappointed if he [Gasparino] was suspended for postseason play by just coming out and playing a game really hard. I really hope the NCAA can have perspective because these guys only get a chance to play this college baseball game one time. The Gasparino kid is a really hard-nosed player, and I respect that. The umpires are stuck in one heck of a spot, so they have to make judgments on what they’re told to make judgments on and when they follow the letter of the law. You can’t fault them, but it really needs to be looked at from higher up.”
With Gasparino not available, UCLA lost a key power hitter in their lineup, but Oregon was held scoreless through five innings thanks to freshman starter Angel Cervantes.
UCLA right-handed pitcher Angel Cervantes against Oregon in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament championship (Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
Cervantes, who was drafted 50th overall by Pittsburgh Pirates last year but didn’t sign, pitched five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks, but striking out five batters. The ability to pitch in Omaha in a setting like the Big Ten Tournament championship game is a big reason why Cervantes opted for the college route.
“As a kid, I’ve always seen colleges play here, and this was a dream to play here,” said Cervantes. “This was a dream to play here, and to be able to pitch here.”
Helping Cervantes concentrate on the mound is an unlikely source: a plastic dinosaur named Jerry.
“He’s just my little guy who’s hanging out with me. Sometimes when I look down, I put my hand on my lid, and I like to take two deep breaths. That’s who I’m looking at the whole time. He calms me down,” said Cervantes.
“I know it might sound childish, but I mean, whatever works for you, and that’s what works for me. So he’s gonna be here for a long time.”
“There’s a reason why he [Cervantes] was the 50th pick in the country last year,” said Savage. “He showed his youth in the first four or five months of the year. You’re talking about dealing with a bunch of strong and experienced hitters. He wasn’t quite ready for that, and we brought him along slowly. Cervantes is going to be a very good pitcher, but it’s taken a little time, and he’s got three years to develop. I told the staff that talent comes to the top at the end. You’ve got to have pitchability, but you’ve got to have talent. When you combine those things, that’s when you see something special.”
In the sixth inning, Oregon struck back when Burke-Lee Mabeaus and Naulivou Lauaki hit back-to-back home runs. Their ninth and 10th home runs as a team over the weekend gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead.
It came down to a battle of the bullpens, and UCLA might have the best reliever unit in the country. Ian May and Landon Stump kept the mighty Oregon offense scoreless for three innings, and that bought enough time for the UCLA offense to mount a rally in the ninth inning.
Brennan reached a fifth time when drawing a leadoff walk to start the ninth. After a sacrifice bunt by Jarrod Hocking allowed Brennan to reach second base, the game came down to Aidan Espinoza. With two outs, Espinoza lined a single to right field, scoring Brennan and tying the game at 2.
“We’ve done it before, so we always know we can do it again,” said Brennan. “I think it’s just not one person. It’s a team game. We get one guy on, and someone’s going to do a job. You just trust the other guy to keep doing their job.”
Savage turned the game over to his closer, Easton Hawk. Pitching for a third consecutive day, Hawk was electric, consistently hitting 97 mph with his four-seamer and reaching 99 mph. Hawk threw 42 pitches over three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, and striking out five batters.
“For the Hawk kid to come out there and throw another 45 pitches after he threw the first two days shows the kind of toughness to wheel his way to a championship,” said Wasikowski.
In the 11th inning, Brennan once again got the rally started with a leadoff single. Roman Martin followed that with a base knock himself to put runners on first and second. After another bunt dropped by Hocking, Oregon pitcher Devin Bell opted to get the force out at third base. His throw was a tad late, and instant replay confirmed the safe call. Now the bases were loaded with no outs.
Bell almost pulled off an El Duque. He struck out Cashel Duggar and Espinoza, and was just one more out away from getting out of the dangerous jam. Now batting was Phoenix Call, who had a batting average of .198 on the season. On the very first pitch, Bell’s two-seamer sailed wayward towards Call’s head. The home plate umpire initially called a hit by pitch. After a lengthy review, Bell’s fastball did clip Call’s helmet. A tremendous game was decided on a bases-loaded walk-off hit by pitch.
UCLA’s 3-2 victory completes its Big Ten dominance, winning both the regular season title and conference tournament. They will be the No. 1 overall seed in Regionals and wear a large bullseye on their back entering postseason play. But they are not unfamiliar with pressure. The relationships they have built in the clubhouse help them break through.
“What I told the guys before, I said, ‘Let’s bring it home,” said Cervantes. “I know they lost last year in the championship against Nebraska. So I wanted to bring some energy for them before the game. Just like Mulivai [Levu] has been saying, the power of friendship. That’s really been the biggest thing this past weekend.”
Mulivai Levu delivers in the clutch
UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu celebrates with his teammates after hitting the game-winning sacrifice fly against Purdue in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament (Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
A college team doesn’t win 50 games in a season without surviving nailbiters. UCLA has needed clutch hits from its talented lineup, but when the moment arrives, first baseman Mulivai Levu is who his teammates trust at the plate.
“If we could put nine hitters up there all the time, we’d just put him up there every single at-bat. He’s awesome,” said UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino
Levu’s clutch performances have stood out during tight games with Big Ten opponents. For example, against Ohio State in March, the Bruins trailed 6-5 in the eighth inning until Levu connected on a two-run homer to give them the lead. Similarly, on April 18, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers threatened an upset leading 3-2 in the sixth inning, Levu hit a two-run double to right field. Then, when Michigan State looked poised for an improbable win, shutting out UCLA for seven innings, Levu’s two-run homer in the eighth inning changed the momentum.
Now in the Big Ten Tournament, Levu once again delivered. With Purdue’s postseason hopes on the line, Levu stepped up after the Boilermakers intentionally walked Roch Cholowsky to load the bases. Purdue hoped for a ground ball, but Levu produced a deep fly to right field for the walk-off sacrifice fly.
The drama continued the following day. After UCLA’s arch rival USC scored two runs in the ninth inning to retake the lead, it was Levu who blasted a no-doubter into the right field bleachers at Charles Schwab Field for a walk-off three-run homer.
“Just trying to hunt for a fastball over the plate, and the pitch ended up being middle-in,” said Levu postgame. “Kind of got a little jammed on it, but found the barrel.”
Levu’s ability to hit a fastball 430 feet at 105 mph, even when jammed, reveals his exceptional power. His flat swing stays in the zone, and quick hands enable adjustments pitch to pitch.
“It feels like he’s almost swinging a paddle,” said UCLA coach John Savage.
“Just a real special swing. Special hand-eye coordination, and he’s got power from foul pole to foul pole. That’s what you’re looking for in a player, a Gold Glove first baseman who hits for average and power.”
“He’s got really good hands,” said USC coach Andy Stankiewicz. “He stays inside the baseball really well, and he’s got length through the hitting zone. When you’ve got length, it helps you. You can stay on off-speed pitches, and he does that really well, too. He’s a heck of a hitter.”
After hitting .320/.389/.522 with 12 home runs and 85 RBIs as a sophomore, Levu improved in 2026, batting .350/.446/.633 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs. With a Gold Glove at first base last year and likely another coming, Levu’s outstanding play and infectious energy bind UCLA’s roster together.
“It’s the power of friendship. We’re all really well-connected and super close. I have 40 best friends on this team. Our chemistry is through the roof,” said Levu.
UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu skips towards home plate after hitting a walk-off three-run homer against USC in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament (Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
When watching Levu in action, there are a lot of similarities to Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor, who has made a living as an all-around first baseman. Whoever selects Levu will be receiving one heck of a ballplayer, and someone who can help energize any team.
Savage, reflecting on his 23 years at UCLA, has seen many special players go on to have successful major league careers. He believes Levu’s best attribute is one that can’t be measured by what he does on the field.
“His temperament is special. Whatever he does, he’s got complete confidence in himself. He’s the same guy day in and day out,” said Savage. “It’s a true baseball pedigree. The true baseball player doesn’t get too high or too low.”
Roch Report: He sprints hard to first base
UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky against Purdue in the 2026 Big Ten Championshp Tournament (Photo by Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
Through the first two games in Omaha, Roch Cholowsky’s mini-slump from Washington continued. A good sign was that more balls were hit in the air with exit velocities greater than 94 mph, but with how big Charles Schwab Field plays, that wasn’t enough power to merit any base hits as Cholowsky flied out to each outfield position. In his first game against Purdue, Cholowsky went 1-for-4 with an infield single and an intentional walk.
Entering Saturday’s semifinal against USC, Cholowsky had previously gone 5-for-16 with a homer and four RBIs against the Trojans in the regular season. However, this time, he was held hitless in five at-bats. Additionally, he had a tough defensive fifth inning: A ball bounced underneath his glove (ruled a hit), and he didn’t keep his foot on second base long enough during a double play attempt, which, after review, was ruled safe. Overall, it wasn’t Cholowsky’s best game of the season.
Moving to the championship game against Oregon, Cholowsky’s first at-bat resulted in an infield single. It may have been too early in the game for Oregon to challenge the call at first, but in the majors, a staff member could have reviewed it. Still, the inning ended without UCLA scoring, so from Oregon’s perspective, there was no harm.
UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky gets ready to take his next at-bat against Oregon in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament (Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
In Cholowsky’s second plate appearance, he hit another slow infield roller for a single, making him 2-for-2. He then grounded out in his third plate appearance and walked back to the dugout gingerly. It appeared he was grabbing his left hamstring, but it was pretty hot on the field. Cholowsky might have been dealing with cramps. I watched him drink three cups of Gatorade before returning to his defensive position. He played the rest of the game without issue.
During Cholowsky’s fourth plate appearance, he was hit by a pitch. In his final plate appearance of the tournament, similar to what I saw in Arlington, Cholowsky had his hardest hit ball of the weekend — a 113 mph grounder resulting in a single.
Cholowsky finished the tourney hitting 4-for-13 with three infield singles, a regular single, an HBP, and an IBB. He did not strike out in the three games, and produced one batted ball in play with an exit velocity greater than 100 mph over the weekend.
Michigan, Purdue sweating together on Selection Monday
Michigan’s Brayden Jefferies steps on home plate after hitting a home run in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament (Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
NCAA announced Regional hosts on Sunday night. UCLA, Nebraska, and Oregon all received regionals. USC missed the cut, but they will be a dangerous No. 2 seed with postseason games starting on Friday. The drama on selection Monday is watching to see if Michigan and Purdue make the postseason.
Heading into the Big Ten Tournament, it appeared that Michigan was standing on firm ground to make the NCAA postseason. After a very convincing 10-0 win over Rutgers, the Wolverines were on track to cement their case. But as is typical in college tournaments, chaos reigned and doubt was sown. Michigan stumbled against Washington, losing 7-1. The Huskies had been playing better baseball of late, but with an RPI ranking of 152, that loss for Michigan was quite painful.
They bounced back in an elimination game against Ohio State, posting their second shutout of the tournament, 3-0. In a very late quarterfinal start past 11 p.m. Central time, Michigan gave Nebraska everything it could handle, but ultimately fell short, losing 6-4.
Now, the Wolverines’ RPI is at 54, and they will be sweating it out Monday morning when final selections are made.
Joining Michigan in the sauna bubble is Purdue. The Boilermakers were predicted to finish 16th in the conference, but they put together a surprising run in conference play to finish fifth. As good as that might have been, being the fifth seed entering Big Ten Tournament play has one disadvantage: They are the first game on Tuesday at 9 a.m. local time, whereas the fourth seed doesn’t play until Friday. Despite the closeness in standing, having to use three starting pitchers before the top four seeds play can significantly raise the difficulty level.
It also didn’t help matters that the last team in, Michigan State, blitzed Purdue early, scoring seven runs in the first two innings and eventually holding on for an 8-4 upset. Already behind the eight ball, the Boilermakers were in boiling water when they were down 1-0 against Illinois. With a season on the line, Purdue broke through against freshman pitcher Aidan Flinn to win 3-1.
In the final double-elimination game against Iowa, Purdue put together a complete game with a resounding 8-1 victory. Their reward? Having to play No. 1 UCLA in the Quarterfinals. In a surprising twist, it was Purdue that had control for most of a tight contest. When outfielder Brandon Rogers hit a solo home run to push the lead 3-1, the chances of upsetting the top team in the country were becoming real. But ultimately, the Bruins crawled back and walked off Purdue, 4-3.
The Boilermakers’ performance against UCLA impressed Savage, who then campaigned on their behalf to make Regionals.
“I think they are a Regional team,” said Savage. “I truly believe that. I hope the committee looks at how they played us, and how they almost won 40 games.”
Purdue baseball coach Greg Goff at the 2026 Big Ten Tournament (Josh Nelson / Sox Machine)
In the postgame loss to UCLA, Purdue coach Greg Goff made his case to the selection committee as his team had a RPI ranking of 53 prior to the Big Ten Tournament championship.
“I hope they watched that game against UCLA. I hope they see exactly how our team is. We played 14 weekends, and we won 11 of the 14 weekends this year. It’s pretty impressive. Won 18 games in the fourth-best league in the country. I’m very proud to finish fifth in this league,” said Goff.
“To me, that’s a no-brainer,” said Washington coach Eddie Smith about Michigan and Purdue making the postseason. “It’s the Big Ten. Michigan is a good, strong team. Purdue, man, what a season they had.”
“What I love is the Big Ten Conference, to me, is one of the best conferences in the country in baseball,” said Michigan coach Tracy Smith.
“I get asked all the time, ‘Hey, what about the addition of the West Coast schools?’ I love it. It’s absolutely fantastic because it elevated the brand of the league. You’re probably having three, maybe four hosts. That should tell you a little bit about the league. But my hope is that people, specifically the committee, recognize how good this league is. It isn’t just a three or four-bid league anymore. It’s a multi-bid league because if you’re going out and winning seven weekends on the year in a competitive conference like we did, that ought to mean something.”