Bruins Ousted After Gritty College World Series Run
The No. 15-seeded UCLA baseball team saw its 2025 postseason come to an end with a 7-3 loss to No. 3-seeded Arkansas in a Men’s College World Series elimination game at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The No. 15-seeded UCLA baseball team saw its 2025 postseason come to an end with a 7-3 loss to No. 3-seeded Arkansas in a Men’s College World Series elimination game at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
The Razorbacks (51-14) jumped ahead early with two runs in the first inning and never looked back, extending their lead to 7-0 by the eighth. UCLA (48-18) rallied for three runs in the ninth to avoid the shutout. The Bruins were playing their second game of the day after their winner’s bracket contest against LSU—suspended due to weather Monday night—was completed Tuesday morning.
Despite the early exit, the Bruins wrapped up their season with 48 wins, the fifth-most in program history, and made their sixth all-time appearance in Omaha—first since winning the national title in 2013.
Late Rally Shows Heart
In the loss to Arkansas, sophomore outfielders Dean West and Peyton Brennan each collected two hits. Sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu sparked the ninth-inning rally with a leadoff triple. AJ Salgado followed with a sharply hit ball down the third base line, scoring Levu when Arkansas third baseman Brent Iredale failed to make the play.
UCLA added two more runs on a swinging bunt single from Brennan and a wild pitch that allowed Brennan to come home.
The Bruins used seven pitchers in the game. Starter Cody Delvecchio, making his first appearance since March 28, allowed just three runs over four innings. Reliever Cal Randall stood out with 1.1 hitless innings and two strikeouts.
Arkansas starter Zach Root earned the win with five scoreless innings, while Aidan Jimenez followed with three shutout frames in relief.
Cal Randall struck out three batters looking
Tournament Journey
UCLA began its College World Series campaign with a gritty 6-4 win over Murray State. West led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. He also drew his team-leading 49th walk of the season and made a diving grab in the fifth to save a run.
The Bruins then faced LSU in a game that spanned two days. UCLA started strong, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but LSU responded with four runs in the bottom half. The Tigers went on to outscore UCLA 5-2 over the remainder, securing a 9-5 win.
“We were swimming upstream most of the continuation game,” said UCLA head coach John Savage. “It was hard fought and we stayed in the game, but we couldn’t contain them enough.”
Third baseman Roman Martin opened the scoring with a two-run double, and Salgado added an RBI infield single. Brennan contributed an RBI groundout. The game resumed the next morning at 8 a.m. PT.
Eight Bruins pitchers saw action, with Landon Stump taking the loss. Notable performances came from Chris Grothuers (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R) and Randall (1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 K).
“They competed,” said catcher Cashel Dugger. “Some days you have good stuff, some days you don’t. But this is the World Series, and they gave it their all.”
LSU’s Jared Jones powered his team with a three-run homer in the first and an RBI single in the ninth.
UCLA finishes the season 75-53 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and 10-10 in College World Series games. The matchup with Arkansas marked their first postseason meeting.
