Regardless of how any UCLA football season may or may not be going, one of the usual highlights occurs at halftime of the home game before the Bruins take on crosstown rival Southern Cal. That’s because the UCLA Marching Band usually re-creates the Battle of Troy.

Of course, any self-respecting Bruin fan knows how that battle went. After a prolonged war, the Greeks decided to offer the Trojans a giant horse as a gift, and the Trojans just welcomed it into their city. When night fell and the Trojans were asleep, the Greeks came out from the wooden horse and destroyed the city.

In the aftermath of that battle, Odysseus went on a long, ten-year journey back home to Greece and the story of that journey was told by Homer in The Odyssey.

Well, Christopher Nolan’s latest film is an adaptation of Odysseus’ tale and it is expected to be one of this summer’s biggest movies. How big is the hype?

Apparently, it’s big enough that the Southern Cal athletic department decided to try to capitalize on today’s release of the film to promote their college football season. Today, they posted to X: “Our Odyssey begins Aug. 29.” That’s when the Trojans face, ironically, the San Jose State Spartans.

While SJSU’s Spartans might not stand much of a chance against Southern Cal, it didn’t keep users on X.com from skewering the Trojans.

Of course, here at The Mighty Bruin, we are committed to being fair and balanced. So, we also have a response from the Trojans, courtesy of former Ohio State QB Cardale Jones:

For one of the best laughs you will have today, be sure to check out the Trojans’ post on X just so you can read all of the replies. Amazingly enough, Southern Cal still has not deleted the post.

As a side note, the Bruin resurgence under new head coach Bob Chesney begins soon!


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

Happy 250th Independence Day from TheMightyBruin.com!

Regardless of your political opinion, we are fortunate to live in a country where we may not all agree, but we are free to disagree. We are fortunate to live in a nation where there is a marketplace of ideas. At the same time, we find ourselves more divided as a nation than we have been, at least in our lifetimes.

We have extremists on both sides of the political spectrum who refuse to listen to fellow citizens whose opinion they may disagree with. These individuals are quick to call political opponents names rather than listen and find common ground with them.

How would the Founders have created our great nation—perhaps even the greatest nation ever, if they couldn’t unite around common principles of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?”

We need to return to common sense and civility in our public conversation. We need to use reason and evidence to support our opinions. We need to start disagreeing agreeably again.

That’s a principle we’ve tried to emphasize both here at TheMightyBruin as well as the old site: Present your opinion, based on evidence, and don’t personally attack the person who disagrees with you.

It seems simple, but that’s easier said than done. When I took over the old site, it was a lot more common that someone would blow in with the intention of getting banned like it was a badge of honor or something, but we changed that by following clearly established Community Guidelines while encouraging spirited debate. So, it can be done.

For anyone interested in promoting more civil discourse in civic life, I highly recommend downloading and reading The Civility Handbook: A Guide for All Americans. This was recently published by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation’s Center on Civility and Democracy. It’s available as a free download. Hard copies can also be ordered or picked up at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.

That said, TMB is proud to continue our tradition of republishing the Declaration of Independence.

250 years ago today, the Continental Congress put their lives and liberty on the line to stand against the oppression of King George III when they passed a document, which became known as the Declaration of Independence. The new nation became a grand experiment in self-rule and continues to be an example for nations around the world.

It was then that a group of colonists declared their independence from England. Back at that time, the Declaration of Independence would have been read aloud in the public square by the town crier.

While town criers no longer exist, the internet is one media form which is the virtual successor to that long lost profession.

That’s why we continue out tradition of republishing the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July as we have every year here at The Mighty Bruin and going back to our days on the old site.

We encourage you to take a few moments to read it due to its historical significance for our nation. We even encourage you to read it aloud to your family (especially your children) and friends today.

So, without further ado, here is the Declaration of Independence. Let freedom ring!

Happy 250, America!

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock

Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple

Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott

New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

Hello everyone! Long time no see.

Look, there are plenty of reasons we haven’t posted a lot over the past month - some of which I might even tell you later this year - but at the end of the day, the summer months represent a great time for Joe and me to take a step back and rest up and relax (something that will be even more important given how intriguing Bob Chesney’s first season in charge of football is looking at the moment).

The summer is also the time when we typically write about things that, given our size and the fact that this isn’t a full-time job for either of us, we put on the back burner throughout the year. In this case, I’ve been reading and listening to plenty of conversation about how college athletics, in particular college football, is broken and in desperate need of a fix. In light of everything going on with Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby, this conversation has returned to the forefront, so I’m dragging this out of my Notes app and posting some general ideas of how I would go about fixing college athletics.

A note to start: most of these changes will be focused around football, and with good reason. Football is the straw that stirs the drink, so to speak, so many of these ideas are designed to fix that specific sport. Some of these ideas can be applied in other places, of course, but football comes first here.

Fix One: Five for Five

This one already seems well on its way to being implemented, which is a good, common-sense change to the system.

Essentially, we are clarifying the eligibility rules in the future to make things as simple as possible. Going forward, all players will have five years to play five seasons of their sport. The clock would start for you when you first enroll in college or the first academic year following your 19th birthday (which would then account for junior college players). Redshirting will be a thing of the past, including the medical redshirt, which has gotten abused in recent years to get players 6th and 7th years of eligibility. There are a few exceptions to this rule, for things like religious missions, pregnancies, and active military service, but considering you would not be actively participating in your sport during those activities, that feels like a fine line to draw.

There are going to be plenty of critics of this rule, and the current iteration being discussed by the NCAA is already getting legal challenges lined up, but of everything I’m going to write out here, this one feels like the least objectionable. College athletics should be limited to your college years, and seeing guys still playing college sports into their mid-20s defeats the purpose while taking away college spots for incoming freshmen.

Fix Two: Salary Cap and Players’ Union

I’m combining these two things because they have to go hand-in-hand.

Let’s start with that first point: college athletics needs a salary cap of some kind to rein in some unsustainable spending. The reason that NIL spending has continually increased each year is that schools are only held in check by how much money they can raise, and as schools like Texas Tech and Indiana have shown, your program is no longer limited by its historic place in the college athletics pecking order if you are willing to spend the money to change it. This is great for players, who have historically been taken advantage of by the economics of college sports, but it is an unsustainable system for both schools and fans. Throw in how shady NIL can still be at this point, and you’re left with a system in drastic need of reform.

That’s why we’re going to take the current House payment model and improve on it. Instead of limiting schools to a set amount across the board, however, the schools would have a percentage amount of what the conference is getting from its media contracts, similar to what salary cap leagues like the NFL and NBA have in place. We’re limiting this to conference media contracts because these are the most static numbers we have (trying to do this off of all revenue that schools get from things like donations and ticket sales seems like a fool’s errand) and because these are the most publicly reported numbers, so private schools like Stanford and Southern Cal can’t circumvent the rules.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of what the salary cap should be set at, but let’s use the NFL salary cap and Big Ten media deal as an example. The current NFL collective bargaining agreement sets up the players to receive around 48% of league revenue. The Big Ten’s media deal, meanwhile, is a seven-year, $7 billion deal that is currently estimated to bring in $1.2 billion in revenue to the conference each year (if you want the math, the Big Ten signed that deal before UCLA and Southern Cal officially joined the conference, so the first year was a much lower payout). Given those numbers, let’s say the Big Ten has to shift 48% of its media revenue to players, which equals out to around $576,000,000, and divided up by all 16 teams, would be a salary cap of around $36,000,000 per school. Yes, that number is well above the $20.5 million of the House settlement, but most serious Big Ten schools are spending that much already between their House money and NIL collectives. The SEC, the country’s other big-spending conference, is close to that number, while the Big 12 and ACC would be around $21-24 million. Now, if they went this route, I think schools would go with a higher percentage to cover more sports (as reference, just bumping up to 56% would add an extra $6 million per school for the Big Ten, so I could see a 60% or even 70% of media revenue given other sources of revenue like donations and ticket sales would be untouched by this system).

Now, in order for this to work, the players need representation, and that’s where a players’ union comes into play. This is honestly one of the hardest things I have here to implement, as the membership in a college athletes’ union would be in constant flux, as players would only have one to five years of membership in total, compared to what we see in unions for professional sports. Union management would be a particular problem point given the constant turnover, and you’d almost need to give agents more power in helping on this front (which isn’t all that different than what we see in other leagues, to be fair), but for a salary cap to exist, it needs to be collectively bargained. And yes, this means that the schools will have to acknowledge athletes as employees, but that has been a long time coming at this point.

Back to the salary cap before I move on. The salary cap is intended to cover payments above and beyond scholarships, so schools would still be on the hook for scholarship costs (this is done to take the cost of attending variable out of the equation). The big benefit here is that by putting everything back in the hands of the schools instead of third-party NIL collectives, you should theoretically get more donations to schools, as those are tax-deductible instead of the shady grey area that the collectives live in. I think the schools would cry poor, but this system should ultimately lead to them ending up with more money than they are currently getting, thanks to donors being split between schools and collectives.

Fix Three: A New College Football Calendar

We’re focusing on college football specifically here because, for the most part, the other sports have a pretty solid calendar in place. I think you could move back the transfer portal window in all of them to be in the summer once school ends, but otherwise, they’re all generally in a good spot.

Football, meanwhile, is an absolute mess.

There are a lot of factors here, from the length of the playoffs to the transfer portal and recruiting to when schools are in session, that lead to a calendar that makes no real sense, so we’re going to simplify things as much as possible. Here’s what the new calendar should look like:

The season now starts in the traditional “Week zero”, with schools getting the first full week of August to start preseason practice.

We’re moving the start of the season up a week for a few reasons, mostly to fix things with the playoffs schedule on the back end, while allowing for conference championship games to still exist if they so choose. Those games would take place on Thanksgiving Day weekend, marking the end of the regular season, though I would lean towards those games going away in general for reasons you’ll see.

Playoffs start the week after the regular season, with the first two rounds hosted on-campus.

For the purposes of this exercise, I’m going to assume the 24-team playoff model backed by the Big Ten is going to carry the day (it has support from the Big 12 and ACC currently, with the SEC alone on a 16-team island), but if it ends up being 16, then it makes things a bit cleaner.

In the 24 team model, then teams 9-24 would be in the first round, while the top eight would have a bye. If conference championships continue, then the top five conference champions (Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC, and top G6 conference champion) would be guaranteed a spot in that top 8, which would give them a break and more incentive to make and win those games; that would also mean losing opens you up to potentially playing again in the next week, so I’d expect the SEC and Big Ten to be the only conferences still running a championship going forward.

9-16 would host the first round at home, and then 1-8 would host the second round, again at home. Notably, the bracket would be reseeded after each round, similar to what happens in the NFL; thus, if you get an upset and the #21 team is the lowest seed that advances, then they would instead go play the #1 overall seed instead of the #5 seed as they would in a bracket-style playoff. Another scheduling change would be that those first two rounds take place in consecutive weeks, after which there is a one-week break while games shift to neutral sites for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship. The quarterfinals and semifinals would happen one week apart, and then there is another week's break before the championship. Thus, the schedule would look like this:

• First round (9-24), held on campus one week after the season ends

• Second round (1-8 hosting), one week later

• One week break

• Quarterfinal (4 games), hosted at the Fiesta, Peach, Sugar, and Indianapolis

• Semifinal (2 games), one week later, hosted at Cotton and Orange

• One week break

• Championship, hosted at the Rose Bowl

If you applied that schedule to this current year, then we’d get the first two rounds done by December 12, with the quarterfinals taking place around Christmas and semifinals around New Year’s. The championship would take place on January 18, which is a week earlier than it will actually happen this year. This schedule also puts the majority of the neutral-site games right in the middle of a traditional winter break, making it easier for fans to justify trips. I’m not married to the locations for those games, but this would keep the semblance of the major bowl games in place.

And yes, I snuck the Rose Bowl back and made it the national championship location each year. It’s the best environment for a college bowl game around.

Early Signing Day is moved to August, National Signing Day for prep prospects remains in February

We’re trying to incentivize schools to slow down with their coaching changes by removing one of the reasons that those changes take place so soon after the season. The impetus for this change comes from talking to a few recruiting experts, who pointed out to me that the prep recruiting landscape has changed significantly in the NIL era. Teams typically have their recruiting classes wrapped up during the summer, with maybe a few spots left open for any rising senior prospects. On top of that, the era of the late flip is long gone, as these commitments also include NIL deals that do a better job of securing a decision than the handshakes of previous eras ever could.

So we’re considering that by moving Early Signing Day up to the end of August, freeing up more of the season to focus on the actual game on the field rather than the talent acquisition off of it. To protect prep players, if the school they committed to fires its head coach at any point before National Signing Day, those players can get out of their commitment without penalty. Early enrollees can still exist, but the calendar is changing to lower the need for that.

This won’t stop schools from firing coaches early in the season - and frankly, I think the number of players who would change commitments in these scenarios is minimal enough that we can live with it - but this should help schools slow down in their hiring process. Also to that end:

Only one Transfer Portal window in May

Here’s a big one, but let me explain.

Right now, we have a transfer portal window right in the middle of the CFP, with schools scrambling to have their coaching hires in place for this window. That creates miserable situations like we saw this past year with Lane Kiffin, where LSU hired a coach of a team that made the semifinals early because they needed him on-campus building his new staff. The realities of school schedules, with winter semesters beginning in January, also demand that these new team members be on campus and with their new schools as soon as possible.

We’re going to take some of the pressure off schools by moving the transfer portal back to June for a few reasons. One, this gives schools plenty of time to hire a coach and get their ducks in order. These new coaches would also have plenty of time to meet the existing roster and figure out who is staying and going, while it gives players time to determine if they want to stick around with a new staff or not. Players could transfer in June and immediately join summer classes instead of having to quickly transfer and slot into whatever courses are available in winter, which helps with the academic mission of the schools. These transfers would be able to finish out their school semester and change schools at the same time as other students. Plus, transfers don’t tend to have official visits in the same way that prep recruits do, so they should be able to sneak those trips or Zoom calls in while finishing up their classes.

Now, you may be saying that this hurts transfers by limiting how much time they can practice with their new teams, but we have one more big change to the calendar.

Spring practice system is going away, instead moving towards more of the OTA model of the NFL.

Spring practices have already lost their luster to some extent, and the days of the Spring Game feel like they are fading away. The schools seem to recognize this already, and are already proposing the shift I’m mentioning here.

Instead of a spring practice, schools have seven weeks in the offseason to hold 21 on-field practices. They can split those weeks up however they choose, but they cannot go more than five weeks in a row on these practices. This is similar to the NFL’s OTA (Organized Team Activity) model, where players and coaches have organized practices for a few weeks at a time in the offseason while allowing for rest time for the players.

My theory here is that schools would use this model and the new calendar changes with the transfer portal to shift their practices around. You’d see 2-3 weeks in April from most schools for existing players and any early enrollees, but schools would do more of their OTA weeks in June and the beginning of July, allowing new transfers and prep recruits to join and get real work in with the team. To accommodate many schools that exist in warmer climates, you can also host your summer OTAs wherever you choose, so schools in the south can go north if they so choose.

Fix Four: Bringing in a player transfer system from soccer

Ok, this one will take some explaining, so bear with me.

One concern I do have with my fixes and the salary cap is that this will leave a lot of schools behind financially, especially at the G6 level, so I’m cribbing an idea I heard from Split Zone Duo and bringing in the player transfer system from soccer to college football.

The idea here is simple: players can still transfer at any point of their college career, but we want to incentivize players to stick with their schools for the first few years whenever possible. Thus, if you enter the transfer portal before your fourth season (aka, during your first three years), then the school that wants to bring you in needs to pay a set fee to the original school to bring you in. This fee would be outside of the salary cap, and schools can choose to waive a fee if they so choose (for example, if a player is encouraged to transfer out, they can waive the fee to make them more attractive to other schools).

This system would give a ton of protection to smaller schools, as they can recoup some costs through this system while ensuring that they’ll have more of their players for a longer period of time. The system would also have higher fees for players moving up from the G5 to the P4 than it would for players moving down a level. For the schools with more money, like Ohio State, these fees would be negligible, but for a smaller school, these fees can help pay for more sports and scholarships, acting in tandem with buy games to support these athletic departments.

I do think this change would be subject to some lawsuits, as it could be seen as limiting athletes’ ability to make money, but this is something that a players’ union can solve as well.

Of course, these changes are all fine and good, but what if we want to be really radical?

Secret Fix Five: Break Away Football, Realign other sports back to regional conferences

The last fix, which I’m sure many of you would love, is to break football away from the other sports and put everything else back in more regional athletic conferences.

The reason UCLA is in the Big Ten, or UC Berkeley is in the Atlantic Coast Conference, or the Big 12 now stretches from Arizona and Utah to Florida and West Virginia, is because football rules all, and these conferences are trying to maximize their media revenue by gobbling up as many brands as possible. This is fine in football, when teams play once a week and can afford that travel, but it starts to break down when you consider a sport like basketball; UCLA had multiple week-long road trips to the midwest in the middle of the school year for both the men’s and women’s teams, that were more expensive when you factor in flights and hotels for an extended period of time. This math breaks down even more when you consider non-revenue sports like softball, which are now forced to take expensive cross-country flights multiple times a season. UCLA is not alone here, and while it has some ways to mitigate those costs (like being in the MPSF for a few sports) it is unsustainable over the long term for many schools.

Then throw in how stratified football is between the haves and the have-nots. There is a common joke that Alabama and UAB are playing a very different game, and while the parameters of football are the same, everything surrounding it is so different for these two programs that the joke has more than a hint of truth to it. Trying to create a unified set of rules to govern both the Michigans and the Fresno States of the world is a fool’s errand, and instead of trying to make it work, maybe it makes more sense to make a drastic shift.

So let’s imagine a world where we don’t have to deal with those constraints, where we can just snap our fingers and split the monster that is college football away from the rest of college athletics.

The first question is: why would we do this in the first place? And it’s a fair question to ask! Splitting college football, or at the very least the top 60 or so programs in the sport, away from the rest of it would not only feel wrong spiritually but would potentially put the rest of the college athletics world in jeopardy. A lot of smaller programs rely on the revenue they generate from football, especially from things like buy games, to help fund their athletic departments, and removing that money from the system could be a major problem. Similarly, figuring out which programs would get to be part of this Super League would be difficult - you could assume most, if not all, of the Big Ten and SEC would be a part of it, but what other programs would make the cut here? A Clemson or Miami, sure, but what about a new money school like a Texas Tech, or a Power Two hanger-on like Rutgers or Mississippi State? It’s a legitimate question, one that I am going to choose not to answer because this article is already long enough.

That said, let’s set this initial group at 60 members just for fun. We can divide this into six different divisions of 10 teams each, and each division would play each other in a round-robin style format. Throw in two cross-divisional games and one “preseason” game against a team outside of the Super League (done so that these schools can still have buy games and get some revenue into their programs), and you have a 12-game schedule. Then do a playoff however you so choose; it’s all fine.

The important thing here is that this only applies to college football and would allow the schools to reorganize themselves back into more geographically appropriate conferences in the other sports. Gone would be the current megaconferences that make up the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and ACC, and you could realign back into groupings like the original Pac-10, Southwestern Conference, Big Eight, and Big East now that football is no longer driving the bus. Schools would save money on more localized travel, while fans would get a return to the rivalries they grew up on. What’s not to love?

But how about you? What changes would you make to fix college athletics? Sound off in the comments!

(And feel free to use this article to talk about anything UCLA in the meantime. Hopefully I have a few more articles done before we rev things up again in August.)

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

There was a moment early in the game where it felt like UCLA was about to run away with things.

In the fifth inning, holding a 3-2 lead, Dean West hit a home run over the right field fence to give UCLA a little insurance. The middle of the order - Roch Cholowsky, Mulivai Levu, and Roman Martin - got on base in rapid succession, and Will Gasparino was hit by the first pitch he saw to drive in a second run to give the Bruins a 5-2 lead with the bases still loaded and only one out. For all intents and purposes, UCLA was on the doorstep of blowing the doors open and setting themselves up for a second game.

Unfortunately, that isn’t what happened.

Cashel Duggar and Aiden Aguayo both struck out to leave the bases loaded, and the Bruins would proceed to let Saint Mary’s back into the game little by little until a two-out hit from Ian Armstrong in the 9th inning got over the outstretched glove of Levu at first to tie the game, and at that point it felt academic that UCLA was destined to lose the game. The Bruins went down in order in the top of the 10th inning, then watched closer Easton Hawk give up his third run of the regional, putting two runners on base before giving up a single through the left side of the infield to Makoa Sniffen, letting the Gaels pull off their second upset in three days and eliminating the Bruins from the postseason by a final score of 6-5.

This sort of result has felt inevitable for the last few weeks. UCLA had an excellent season by any metrics, but the team has struggled ever since the Rutgers series back in April, losing a handful of games down the stretch and not looking like the world-beaters they had seemed like back in February and March. Three comeback victories to win the Big Ten Tournament may have buoyed belief that this team was never going to be out of the game, but it has been evident that guys were tired and struggling these last few weeks, and coach John Savage’s decisions to keep playing the same group of players down the stretch instead of giving guys rest seemingly came back to bite him. In particular, Roch Cholowsky looked like a guy who is going to fall down some MLB draft boards, going a combined 2-12 over the course of the regional and only driving in a single run across 28 innings of baseball. Cholowsky had a poor College World Series outing last year, and when you combine it with this performance, he’ll be looking to answer plenty of questions about his ability to perform when the lights get brightest. The rest of the team was not much better in key moments, and looked for all the world like a team that was struggling to handle the pressure of the moment.

Obviously, injuries late in the season have hurt this team. The loss of Logan Redderman robbed the team of a potential first-round pitcher down the stretch, though I would note that UCLA’s starting pitching generally held up in the regional, with Angel Cervantes having a heroic effort today in going 5.1 innings, with a 4th run only getting tagged on thanks to a poor effort out of the bullpen from Chris Grothues. The loss of Peyton Brennan in the first game clearly had a bigger effect, as it caused a scramble throughout the lineup that led to some seldom-playing bench pieces thrust into a larger role. The insertion of Aiden Aguayo at second base, a spot he was going to play on Friday before injuring his ankle pregame, and shifting Phoenix Call to right field did not seem to pay off; Call was able to hold his own in the outfield, including making one spectacular catch in the 8th inning to preserve the Bruin lead, but Aguayo had a miserable day, going 1-5 at the plate and making more than his fair share of fielding mistakes. One wonders if sticking with senior Jarrod Hocking in right field, where he had plenty of starting experience and went 2-3 in the win over Virginia Tech, might have been the more correct call. But it also might have helped to get those players more playing time throughout the season and rest the starters more often as well, especially once the team had wrapped up the Big Ten regular season championship and were seemingly clear as the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Baseball is a grind, and even in college where you aren’t playing every single day, guys need rest.

That said, it’s also hard for me to blame any one thing. Coach John Savage continued making some questionable calls, including his choice not to start Easton Hawk in the 9th inning and instead going to him once Cal Randall had given up a leadoff single, but I also understand the decisions he made; as Savage stated in the postgame press conference, he was hoping Randall could handle the 9th inning and save Hawk for the night game. It’s also hard for me to blame the players too much, as it is hard enough to win 53 games in a season and go 28-2 in conference, no matter how good or seemingly subpar that conference is. If the Bruins had gotten just one more clutch hit like they got last night against Virginia Tech, I wouldn’t be writing this postgame.

But the sad truth is that despite all of their regular season accolades, none of it matters now. The UCLA Bruins entered the NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed, and were eliminated after a 1-2 performance. That regular season performance is going to be reevaluated after a regional performance where the team constantly failed to rise to the occasion, and Savage’s coaching performance in the regular season is going to be ignored in favor of a regional where every button he pressed failed to pass muster.

Baseball is a game of failure. We celebrate guys who can hit above .300 over the course of their career, but that just means that they managed to not get out in three out of every 10 at-bats. The UCLA Bruins did a great job this season in managing their failures to maximize their successes.

Unfortunately, they came up short in the end.

Go Bruins.

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

Hopefully, the UCLA baseball team has Game 1 easily in hand by the time the UCLA softball begins play against Texas Tech this afternoon so that Bruin fans can break away from baseball to watch the women play. First pitch for today’s UCLA WCWS softball game is set for 4 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Last Time Out

On Friday, the Bruin bats exploded for eleven runs against the Arkansas Razorbacks. UCLA shortstop Aleena Garcia got the party started with a solo homer when she parked the first pitch of the second inning over the centerfield wall. Four batters later Soo-Jin Berry one-upped Garcia by hitting a three-run homer with just one out. A pair of walks to Jolyna Lamar and Rylee Slimp brought Megan Grant to the plate, and, like Garcia, she put the first pitch she saw over the wall for the Bruins’ second three-run homer of the inning. It was Grant’s 42nd homer of the year and it allowed her to pass Stacey Nuveman for first place on UCLA’s career home run list with 91.

UCLA would add two more runs when Kaniya Bragg doubled to right, scoring Jordan Woolery and Bri Alejandre. All told, the Bruins sent 14 batters to the plate. They scored nine runs on six hits and left two runners on base in the inning.

UCLA added another run in the third when Slimp scored from third on a wild pitch, and they added one more in the fifth when Lamar hit UCLA’s fourth homer of the game.

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Yesterday, Texas Tech lost to Tennessee, 2-1 in nine innings. NiJaree Canaday, pitching in relief of former Bruin Kaitlyn Terry, gave up a homer to Tennessee’s Taelyn Holley in the fifth inning, but the Red Raiders tied the game in the top of the seventh to force extra innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, Terry, who had returned to the circle in the bottom of the seventh, gave up a 1-0 walk-off home run to the Vols’ Emma Clarke to end it and set up today’s matchup.

Here’s the full schedule for the 2026 WCWS:

Thursday, May 28

Game 1: #3 Texas Tech 8, #5 Mississippi State 0
Game 2: #2 Tennessee 6, #1 Texas 3
Game 3: #1 Alabama 6, #2 UCLA 3
Game 4: #1 Nebraska 5, #2 Arkansas 3 (10 innings)

Friday, May 29

Game 5: #1 Texas 4, #5 Mississippi State 0
Game 6: #2 UCLA 11, #2 Arkansas 0

Saturday, May 30

Game 7: #2 Tennessee 2, #3 Texas Tech 1
Game 8: #1 Alabama 5, #1 Nebraska 1

Sunday, May 31

Game 9: #1 Texas vs. #1 Nebraska at Noon PT on ABC
Game 10: #2 UCLA vs. #3 Texas Tech at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN

Monday, June 1

Game 11: #2 Tennessee vs. Game 9 Winner at 9:00 am PT on ESPN
Game 12: Game 11 teams (if necessary), 11:30 am PT on ESPN
Game 13: #1 Alabama vs. Game 10 Winner at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN2
Game 14: Game 12 teams (if necessary), 6:30 pm PT on ESPN2

Championship Finals

Game 1: 5:00 pm PT, Wednesday, June 3 on ESPN
Game 2: 5:00 pm PT, Thursday, June 4 on ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): 5:00 pm PT, Friday, June 5 on ESPN

Women’s College World Series

Game 6

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (53-9) vs. #3 seed Texas Tech (58-8)
When: 4:00 pm PT, Sunday, May 31, 2026
Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: ESPN with Kevin Brown and Amanda Scarborough
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

NCAA.com

Game Notes:
UCLA
Texas Tech

NCAA WCWS Bracket

This is your UCLA Bruins vs. Texas Tech WCWS open thread.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

On Friday, UCLA began this weekend’s Los Angeles Regional with a loss to St. Mary’s. Today, the Bruins will pay the price for that loss. That’s because UCLA is now faced with the daunting task of winning two games today in order to remain in the NCAA Baseball tournament.

In the first game, the Bruins will have to face St. Mary’s again. If UCLA can win that game, the Cal Poly Mustangs await in the nitecap.

First pitch for Game 1 is set for 1 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU. First pitch for Game 2 is set for 6 pm PT and that game will likely be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2.

Last Time Out

In case you missed yesterday’s postgame article, here’s how the Bruins survived yesterday’s elimination game against Virginia Tech.

With the Bruins two runs down and just three outs left, Mulivai Levu and Roman Martin hit back-to-back homers to tie the game. A pair of hits by Will Gasparino and Dominic Cadiz gave the Bruins runners on the corners with just one out.

Of course, Gasparino was the only runner which really mattered. It’s why the Hokies moved an outfielder into the infield, but Phoenix Call got the ball into left to score Gasparino and win the game.

St. Mary’s vs. Cal Poly

The nitecap started off well for the Gaels. They got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second on an RBI single by Friday’s hero Jacob Johnson, and then things fell apart.

Cal Poly tied the game in the bottom of the second on a homer by catcher Ryan Tayman. The Mustangs took the lead for good in the fourth when Cam Holland hit a two-run homer to right-center. Cal Poly went on to score four more runs in the inning and the Mustangs led 7-1.

Just in case that wasn’t enough, Cal Poly tacked on five more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to win the game by a final score of 14-1.

2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament Los Angeles Regional

Game 5

Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (52-7) vs. #4 seed St. Mary’s Gaels (30-26)
When: 1:00pm PT, Sunday, May 31, 2026
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Audio: uclabruins.com with Nick Koop and Sid Iyler
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
UCLA - Angel Cervantes, RHP, Fr. (4-1, 3.86 ERA)
SMC – Sam Kretch, RHP, So. (5-2, 6.55 ERA)

Regional Notes:
UCLA
SMC

Game 6

Teams: Winner of Game 5 vs. #3 seed Cal Poly Mustangs (38-22)
When: 6:00pm PT, Sunday, May 31, 2026
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN or ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
TBD
CP – TBD

Regional Notes:
Cal Poly

This is your NCAA Baseball Tournament Los Angeles Regional Day 3 open thread.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

After eight and a half innings, the UCLA Bruins were just three outs away from being eliminated on the second day of the 2026 NCAA Baseball tournament after being the overall number seed.

Then, the Bruin magic happened.

Mulivai Levu got the inning started by taking a 2-2 pitch and putting it over the right field wall. Roman Martin went to back-to-back to left to tie the game, 5-5. Will Gasperino beat out a grounder for an infield hit.

After Cash Dugger struck out on a bunt attempt, Dominic Cadiz came in to pinch hit for David Mysza, who had entered the game in the eighth as a pinch runner for DH Trey Gudoy. Cadiz got the ball through the left side of the infield and moved Gasparino to third.

With the winning run now just 90 feet away, the Hokies moved one of their outfielders into the infield to guard against a grounder costing them the game. It didn’t matter. Phoenix Call stepped to the plate and drove a 2-2 pitch into left field, scoring Gasparino and winning the game for the Bruins.

Earlier in the game, the Hokies got on the board first with a run in the third, but the Bruins responded with a crooked number in the bottom of the fourth. Catcher Cash Dugger got things going for UCLA with a homer to right. Call doubled to right with one out and he scored when Jarrod Hocking also doubled, giving the Bruins a 2-1 lead.

Each teams added a run in the fifth. Owen Petrich hit a two-out solo shot to tie the game, while Gasparino hit one out to right to make it 3-2, UCLA.

After the game, UCLA head coach John Savage apologized to the media for arriving at the postgame press conference late. “I had to see my cardiologist,” Savage joked. On a more serious note, Savage credited his players for being resilient. “We’ve ad several games like that,” he said. “We really don’t want to play games like that at this time of year. You’re flirting with fire.”

Savage also praised UCLA starter Michael Bennett. Bennett went 6+ innings, allowing just three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out five. While he took the mound to start the seventh, he gave up a lead-off homer to the Hokies’ Ethan Gibson which tied the game, 3-3, and that was all for Bennett. Savage went to the bullpen for Cal Randall and he held Virginia Tech scoreless for the rest of the inning.

In the eighth, Savage brought in Zach Strickland. After getting the first two batters out, he gave up a homer to Ethan Bell, giving the Hokies the lead. Then, in the ninth, Savage went to his beleaguered closer Easton Hawk, who has given up runs in three of his last four outings.

This time, Hawk gave up a leadoff double to Gibson, who scored when Hudson Lutterman singled down the right field line.

It left UCLA needing two to tie and three to win in their final at-bat. Once again, the Bruins came up big.

If today’s game was tough for the Bruins, things are about to get even tougher. Tomorrow, UCLA will play the loser of tonight’s game between Cal Poly and St. Mary’s at 1 pm PT. If the Bruins can win that game, they will move on to play the winner of tonight’s game in the nitecap at approximately 6 pm PT.

Should UCLA win both games, it will force a regional-deciding seventh game on Monday. At this point, the broadcast schedule remains to be determined.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

The Bruins dropped yesterday’s game after closer Easton Hawk gave up a ninth-inning homer to St. Mary’s designated hitter Jacob Johnson, and as a result, UCLA now finds itself in a win-or-go-home situation for the remainder of the Los Angeles Regional. Meanwhile, the Virginia Tech Hokies, the number two seed in the region, lost their game to Cal Poly, 6-2, setting up this afternoon’s elimination game. First pitch is set for 1 pm PT and today’s Bruin game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Last Time Out

In case you missed Dimitri’s postgame from yesterday, UCLA’s game against the Gaels was a lot like dinner at Olive Garden: lots of breadsticks. St. Mary’s drew first blood in the top of the fourth when Johnson took a 3-1 pitch from Wylan Moss and sent it over the wall in right.

UCLA got it back in the bottom half of the inning when Roman Martin homered to deep center, and the bottom of the fifth saw Trey Gudoy lead off with a double. Phoenix Call laid down a bunt to move Gudoy to third and, after a walk to Dean Martin, Roch Cholowsky scored Gudoy on a sacrifice fly to left, giving UCLA a 2-1 lead.

But that lead was short-lived as the Gaels tied it back up in the top of the sixth on an RBI double by Makoa Sniffen, which scored Tanner Griffith who led off with a walk.

The game remained tied heading into the ninth, and John Savage turned to closer Easton Hawk for the final three outs. Unfortunately, he gave Johnson a pitch that went over the right field wall.

The Bruins had Call on first with Cholowsky at the plate, but the probable MLB top draft pick didn’t get enough and he ended up flying out to center to end the game.

Virginia Tech Hokies

In the nitecap, the Hokies gave up a pair of runs to Cal Poly in the top of the second and could never recover.

After Virginia Tech cut the Mustangs’ lead in half in the bottom of the second, Cal Poly went on to add an insurance run in each of the next four innings to go up 6-1.

The Hokies cut the deficit to four runs in the seventh, following a leadoff double by Pete Daniel, and he took third on an error by Cal Poly rightfielder Dylan Kordic. With runners on the corners and still no outs, Owen Petrich ground into double play which scored Daniel from third. That was the last run Virginia Tech could muster and the Mustangs took the game, 6-2.

2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament Los Angeles Regional

Game 3

Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (51-7) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (30-25)
When: 1:00pm PT, Saturday, May 30, 2026
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Audio: uclabruins.com with Nick Koop and Sid Iyler
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
UCLA - Michael Barnett, RHP, Sr., (6-0, 4.15 ERA)
VT - Brett Renfrow, RHP, Jr., (5-4, 4.65 ERA)

Regional Notes:
UCLA
Virginia Tech

Game 4

Teams: St. Mary’s Gaels (35-25) vs. Cal Poly Mustangs (37-22)
When: 6:00pm PT, Friday, May 29, 2026
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN+ with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
SMC – Sam Kretch, RHP, So. (4-2, 6.55 ERA)
CP – Carson Turnquist, RHP, R.Jr. (8-2, 3.50 ERA)

Regional Notes:
SMC
Cal Poly

This is your NCAA Baseball Tournament Los Angeles Regional Day 2 open thread.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

Live by the long ball. Die by the long ball.

That pretty much sums up yesterday’s game for the UCLA Bruins at the WCWS in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, due to two late inning homers by the Crimson Tide, the Bruins fell 6-3, and, now, UCLA faces itself on the verge of elimination.

Tonight, the Bruins will face the Arkansas Razorbacks in an elimination game at 6:30 pm PT. Tonight’s game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Last Time Out

Alabama got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first when Marlie Giles singled to left to score Bama’s leadoff batter Jena Young, who had reached on a single to center.

The score remained 1-0 until the Bruin bats came alive in the top of the third. With one out, Kaniya Bragg singled to right and Mia Phillips pinch-ran for Bragg.

Rylee Slimp came to the plate with two outs and she took a 3-2 pitch and put it over the fence in left-center. Megan Grant followed and made it back-to-back homers with a shot to right and UCLA had a 3-1 lead.

Unfortunately, that was all the offense the Bruins would be able to muster. In fact, Alabama pitcher Jocelyn Briski would allow just three more baserunners in the final four innings, and none of them even made it into scoring position.

Meanwhile, Taylor Tinsley got tagged for five more runs. In the bottom of the fifth, she gave up a lead-off walk to Young and gave up a one-out, two-run homer to Alexis Pupillo, which proved to be the game-winner.

In the sixth, the Crimson Tide would pick up a few insurance runs on a three-run homer to center by Brooke Wells.

With a comfortable 6-3 lead, Briski was able to finish the game in the seventh despite hitting Bragg with a pitch.

Arkansas Razorbacks

In Game 4, the Razorbacks got on the board first with a two-out home run from Kailey Wyckoff which gave Arkansas a 2-0 lead.

Nebraska tied the game in the fourth with some small ball. A bloop single by Samantha Bland scored Jesse Farrell and an RBI fielder’s choice by Bella Bacon scored Kacie Hoffman to tie the game.

With the score still tied after seven, the game moved into extras. Each team added a run in the eighth. Reagan Johnson gave Arkansas a 3-2 lead by scoring on an RBI single to left by Ella McDowell. The Huskers tied the game again in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by Hannah Coor.

In the tenth, Ava Kuszak hit a two-out, two-run walk-off homer over the centerfield wall to give Nebraska the win and send the Razorbacks into tonight’s elimination game.

Here’s the full schedule for the 2026 WCWS:

Thursday, May 28

Game 1: #3 Texas Tech 8, #5 Mississippi State 0
Game 2: #2 Tennessee 6, #1 Texas 3
Game 3: #1 Alabama 6, #2 UCLA 3
Game 4: #1 Nebraska 5, #2 Arkansas 3 (10 innings)

Friday, May 29

Game 5: #5 Mississippi State vs. #1 Texas at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN
Game 6: #2 UCLA vs. #2 Arkansas at 6:30 pm PT on ESPN

Saturday, May 30

Game 7: #3 Texas Tech vs. #2 Tennessee at 12 Noon PT on ABC
Game 8: #1 Alabama vs. #1 Nebraska at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN

Sunday, May 31

Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser at Noon PT on ABC
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN

Monday, June 1

Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner at 9:00 am PT on ESPN
Game 12: Game 11 teams (if necessary), 11:30 am PT on ESPN
Game 13: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN2
Game 14: Game 12 teams (if necessary), 6:30 pm PT on ESPN2

Championship Finals

Game 1: 5:00 pm PT, Wednesday, June 3 on ESPN
Game 2: 5:00 pm PT, Thursday, June 4 on ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): 5:00 pm PT, Friday, June 5 on ESPN

Women’s College World Series

Game #6

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (52-9) vs. #2 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (47-12)
When: 6:30 pm PT, Friday, May 29, 2026
Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: ESPN with Kevin Brown and Amanda Scarborough
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
NCAA.com

Game Notes:
UCLA
Arkansas

NCAA WCWS Bracket

This is your UCLA Bruins vs. Arkansas Razorbacks open thread.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

The UCLA Bruins have made a bad habit in recent weeks of needing to stage a late-inning comeback, and it only makes sense that it finally caught up to them.

There are a few ways to break down UCLA’s 3-2 regional opening loss to the Saint Mary’s Gaels, starting with the UCLA offense. The Bruins have been very streaky at the plate in recent weeks, and that was evident against the Gaels. UCLA managed only six hits and three walks against a Gaels pitching staff that came into the weekend with an ERA over five. The UCLA offense is built around the idea of having a strong top six in the order, and with normal center fielder Will Gasparino out serving a suspension for an ejection during the Big Ten Championship game, and with outfielder Peyton Brennan leaving the game early with an injury, that left UCLA’s lineup particularly vulnerable. The Bruins stranded nine runners throughout the game, as the team failed to do the little things offensively.

Obviously, not having Gasparino and Brennan in the lineup hurt, but I’d also point out that UCLA was relying on a few players in the game who have seen little to no action this year. Credit to guys like Jarrod Hocking and David Mysza, but these players have not seen anywhere near consistent at-bats this year (Mysza had his third at-bat of the season in this game), and asking them to make big contributions when they’ve sparingly played does not seem like great coaching. In the process of chasing regular-season greatness, the regular players also seem more run-down, with none more so than Big Ten Player of the Year Roch Cholowsky; the potential #1 pick was a miserable 0-4 from the plate, and while he did drive in one of the two UCLA runs with a sac fly, he also struggled to see the fastball and consistently found himself behind in counts.

UCLA’s pitching was generally up to stuff, with Wylan Moss looking very good for five innings, while Cal Randall and Zach Strickland had impressive outings. Unfortunately, coach John Savage’s bullpen moves did prove costly. In the sixth inning, after Moss walked the first batter of the inning, Savage turned to Landon Stump. Stump was the Sunday starter for much of the year, but that did not mean much - he tended to only pitch a few innings and give up plenty of runs, and sure enough, Stump gave up a double to the first batter he faced to tie the game. He did well to battle back and exit the inning without any more damage, but at that point Saint Mary’s was back in the game.

Savage’s turn to Easton Hawk will be a bit more controversial. Hawk has had a tremendous year, leading the country in saves, but he’s also been prone to blowing up. Last weekend during the Big Ten tournament was a great example of this, as Hawk gave up two runs to let Southern Cal retake the lead in the ninth, only to follow that up with three scoreless innings to help UCLA get the win over Oregon in the championship game. Today we got the bad version of Hawk, as he gave up a home run that fell just out of the reach of Hocking in right field and generally struggled with his command through the inning. In both cases, Savage seemingly stuck to a script rather than let the flow of the game dictate his decisions, and in a game of fine margins, it ended up costing the Bruins.

Full credit here should go to the Gaels, who played a tremendous game. Starting pitcher John Damozonio was sensational, pitching seven strong innings and only giving up two runs, while the Gaels infield kept making excellent defensive plays. Sometimes, that’s just how baseball happens, and you tip your cap as much as you can. Saint Mary’s played some mostly mistake-free baseball, and that proved to be the difference.

Still, for a UCLA team that entered this year with so much promise and had a regular season to remember, this was as bad an opening outing as you could have. The Bruins are not out of things yet, but as ESPN pointed out, 93% of regional winners started by winning their opening game. There is no longer a margin for error.

Go Bruins.

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

It’s a gorgeous Spring Quarter day in Westwood and the weather should be perfect for some daytime baseball when the top-seeded UCLA Bruins take their first step on the Road to Omaha when they face the St. Mary’s Gaels.

Today’s game is scheduled to begin at Noon PT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2. You’ll note that is a change from earlier this week when today’s game was originally scheduled to be ESPNU. Of course, that won’t matter if you’re streaming today’s game.

The Bruins enter today’s game as the top seed in the tournament after they won the Big Ten tournament title on Sunday on a dramatic walk-off hit-by-pitch in extra innings over the Oregon Ducks. Despite that, the Bruins finished the regular season as the wire-to-wire top team in the nation. Now, they just need to execute to earn their way back to Omaha for the College World Series.

Today’s opponent is the Gaels of St. Mary’s College. The Gaels earned their tournament bid by defeating the USF Dons after being the #5 seed in the WCC tournament.

While today’s game should result in a Bruin win, the fact remains that you just can’t predict baseball. So, grab some food and a cold drink and settle in for nine innings of Bruin baseball.

2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament Los Angeles Regional

Game 1

Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (51-6) vs. St. Mary’s Gaels (34-25)
When: 12:00 Noon PT, Friday, May 29, 2026
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Audio: uclabruins.com with Nick Koop and Sid Iyler
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
UCLA - Wylan Moss, RHP, So. (5-1, 2.40 ERA)
SMC – John Damozonio, RHP, Sr. (7-2, 2.71 ERA)

Regional Notes:
UCLA
SMC

Game 2

Teams: Virginia Tech Hokies (51-6) vs. Cal Poly Mustangs (34-25)
When: 5:00pm PT, Friday, May 29, 2026
Where: Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN+ with Roxy Bernstein and Wes Clements
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
VT - TBD
CP – TBD

Regional Notes:
Virginia Tech
Cal Poly

This is your NCAA Baseball Tournament Los Angeles Regional Day 1 open thread.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

This evening, the UCLA softball team opens the Women’s College World Series with a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Bruins have an all-time record of 13-1 against the Tide, and their last WCWS meeting came in the first game of the 2024 WCWS. UCLA won that game by a score of 4-1.

The last meeting between the schools came last year at the Clearwater Invitational, which UCLA also won. The final score in that game was 6-3.

Here’s the full schedule for the 2026 WCWS:

Thursday, May 28

Game 1: #3 Texas Tech 8, #5 Mississippi State 0
Game 2: #2 Tennessee 6, #1 Texas 3
Game 3: #1 Alabama vs. #2 UCLA at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN
Game 4: #2 Arkansas vs. #1 Nebraska at 6:30 pm PT on ESPN

Friday, May 29

Game 5: #5 Mississippi State vs. #1 Texas at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN
Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser at 6:30 pm PT on ESPN

Saturday, May 30

Game 7: #3 Texas Tech vs. #2 Tennessee at 12 Noon PT on ABC
Game 8: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN

Sunday, May 31

Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser at Noon PT on ABC
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Loser at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN

Monday, June 1

Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner at 9:00 am PT on ESPN
Game 12: Game 11 teams (if necessary), 11:30 am PT on ESPN
Game 13: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner at 4:00 pm PT on ESPN2
Game 14: Game 12 teams (if necessary), 6:30 pm PT on ESPN2

Championship Finals

Game 1: 5:00 pm PT, Wednesday, June 3 on ESPN
Game 2: 5:00 pm PT, Thursday, June 4 on ESPN
Game 3 (if necessary): 5:00 pm PT, Friday, June 5 on ESPN

This is your UCLA vs. Alabama game thread.

Women’s College World Series

Game #3

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (52-8) vs. #1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (54-7)
When: 4:00 pm PT, Thursday, May 28, 2026
Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

NCAA.com

Game Notes:
UCLA
Alabama

NCAA WCWS Bracket


Go Bruins!!!

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It’s a Memorial Day tradition. I’m not talking about your afternoon barbecue. I’m talking about the reveal of the 64-team field for the NCAA Baseball Tournament, and if you tuned in late because of the shift from ESPN2 to ESPN, you might have missed the big news: UCLA is the top overall seed for the tournament.

Now, that doesn’t mean the Bruins will have a cakewalk to Omaha. It really just means that UCLA has been rewarded for being the number one team in the country all season long.

It also means that the Bruins will host the Los Angeles Regional this coming weekend, along with a Super Regional next weekend if they are able to advance.

So, who will the Bruins be facing?

UCLA will take on St. Mary’s on Friday at 12 Noon PT. The game is currently scheduled to air on ESPNU. The Gaels earned their bid by winning the West Coast Conference tournament when they defeated the USF Dons in the tournament’s if-necessary game by a score of 7-6. St. Mary’s was the #5 seed in the WCC tournament.

The other two teams playing in the LA Regional will be the Cal Poly Mustangs and the Virginia Tech Hokies. They will play in Game 2 on Friday at 5 pm PT. This game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Should the Bruins advance, they will host the winner of the Morgantown Regional which will be hosted by West Virginia. The Mountaineers will play the Binghampton University Bearcats. The other two teams in the Morgantown Regional will be Wake Forest and Kentucky.

You may now return to your previously scheduled holiday festivities, just don’t forget to take a moment to remember everyone who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.


Go Bruins!!! Bring home the Natty!!!

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The replay looked…questionable. But, following the video review, the call on the field stood and the UCLA Bruins have won their first Big Ten Baseball Tournament Championship.

Today’s game proved to be a real pitchers’ duel. In fact, the game remained scoreless through the first three and a half innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Payton Brennan walked with one out and Will Gasparino followed with a triple to left which scored Brennan and gave UCLA a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Gasparino was called out at third on a fielder’s choice by Cashel Dugger. It went from bad to worse when Gasparino was ejected following the play for malicious contact on the play.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Oregon’s Burke-Lee Mabius and Naulivou Lauaki hit a pair of back-to-back homers off Bruin reliever Justin Lee to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead. They would be the only two batters Lee would face in this game as John Savage quickly went to the pen for Ian May. May, Landon Stump and Easton Hawk would go on to hold Oregon scoreless over six innings total.

In the bottom of the sixth, Brennan tripled to left with one out, but he was stranded there. The tying run would get on again in the eighth inning when Roch Cholowsky was hit by a pitch, but after Mulivai Levu struck out, Roman Martin hit into an inning-ending double play. And, the Bruins were running out of outs.

In the bottom of the ninth, Brennan led off the inning with a walk and Jarrod Hocking, who had replaced Gasparino following his ejection, moved Brennan to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Dugger struck out, Aidan Espinoza drove a single to right which scored Brennan to tie the game up, 2-2, but Espinoza was stranded and the game went into extra innings.

Thankfully, there’s no silly “ghost runner” in college baseball.

In the bottom of the 11th, Martin and Brennan both singled and Hocking reached on a fielder’s choice sacrifice bunt. The throw went to third but Martin was called safe and replay allowed the call to stand. With the bases now loaded, Dugger and Espinoza both struck out and the winning run still just 90 feet away.

That brought Phoenix Call to the plate, and the first pitch was high and tight. Call told the umpire it hit him. Meanwhile, home plate umpire Rick Allen said, “I got it.” and sent Call to first base. Oregon challenged the call and, after a lengthy review, the call on the field stood. The HBP scored Martin and the Bruins are your 2026 Big Ten baseball regular season and tournament champs.

Of course, the last time a Bruin team won both a Big Ten regular season and tournament title, UCLA went on to win the national championship. That was the women’s basketball team.

Next up for these Bruins will be the NCAA Baseball tournament selection show which should see the #1 team in the nation be named the top seed for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show will air tomorrow morning, May 25th at 9 am PT on ESPN2.


Go Bruins!!! Bring home NC #128 (or 129 if softball wins the natty too)!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

It’s been quite the season for the UCLA Bruins. The team only lost two conference games all season. They lost to the Oregon Ducks, 9-6, 15 days ago and they lost the opener of the final regular season series to Washington, 8-0, ten days ago. They have only lost six games, including those two, all season, and they were undefeated in March. They became the the first team in college baseball history to go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country for the entire regular season.

But, now, they need to deliver championships, specifically the Big Ten tournament title and, of course, the CWS title.

Today, they face the same Oregon Ducks, who were one of the two Big Ten teams to beat them in the regular season, with the Big Ten tournament title on the line. First pitch is scheduled for Noon PT and the game will be broadcast on BTN and streamed on Fox.com and the Fox One app.

Last Time Out

On Friday, the Bruins overcame a 3-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the eighth to tie Purdue and, with the bases loaded and just one out, Mulivai Levu hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to right which scored pinch runner Jarrod Hocking from third to win the game, 4-3.

Yesterday, the Bruin magic was there again when they met crosstown rival and number 4 seed Southern Cal.

UCLA fell behind in the first when the Trojans put a breadstick up on the scoreboard. Southern Cal added a crooked number in the third, giving them a 3-0 lead, but the Bruins cut the lead to 3-2 on an RBI single to right from Levu in the bottom of the third and one to center from Dominic Cadiz in the fourth.

The score stayed that way until the seventh when Dean West homered to right with Aidan Espinoza on first to give UCLA their first lead of the game.

Unfortunately, Southern Cal didn’t just roll over to the Big Ten regular season champs. The Trojans re-took the lead in the top of the ninth when they scored a pair of runs, and the good guys went into their last licks down 5-4.

Espinoza got things started with an infield hit and Hocking came in to run for him like Friday. Phoenix Call moved Hocking to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Dean West walked on five pitches, Roch Cholowsky came to the plate, but the Bruin shortstop fouled out to first, leaving UCLA still needing a run to tie with two outs. That brought Friday’s hero to the plate and Levu stepped up to the occasion by sending the first pitch over the wall in right-center for a 7-5 win over their rivals.

Oregon Ducks

Meanwhile, Oregon had a little easier path to today’s title game. They defeated Washington, 9-4, on Friday after they scored nine of their runs before finally giving up four to the Huskies in the top of the ninth.

Then, yesterday, the Ducks easily defeated number two seed and last season’s Big Ten tournament champ Nebraska, 8-0.

2026 Big Ten Baseball Championship Game

Teams: #1 seed UCLA Bruins (50-6, 28-2) vs. #3 seed Oregon Ducks (40-15. 20-10)
When: 12:00 Noon PT, Sunday, May 24, 2026
Where: Charles Schwab Field Omaha, Omaha, NE
TV: BTN with Connor Onion and Scott Pose
Live Stream: Fox.com and the Fox One app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
UCLA - Angel Cervantes, RHP, Fr. (4-1, 4.35 ERA)
Oregon - Miles Gosztola, LHP, Jr. (2-3, 4.03 ERA)

Championship Notes:
UCLA
Oregon

This is your UCLA baseball vs. Oregon Big Ten Championship Game open thread.


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

Aubrey Evans led off the game by sending the third pitch from UCLA pitcher Taylor Tinsley over the centerfield fence. Unfortunately for UCF, the rest of the game went downhill from there.

Soo-Jin Berry led off the third inning for the Bruins with a single. Jolyna Lamar and Rylee Slimp both walked to load the bases for Megan Grant, whose fly ball to left didn’t have enough power behind it to clear the bases, but it was deep enough to score Berry for UCLA’s first run of the game. Then, with two outs, Aleena Garcia singled Lamar home to put the Bruins up, 2-1. They would never trail again in this game.

They scored again in the fourth when Alexis Ramirez hit a solo homer to left.

The Bruins doubled their run tally in the fifth inning. Grant and Garcia walked and, in between them, Jordan Woolery singled. With the bases now loaded, Bri Alejandre came to the plate looking to set the Big Ten freshman home run record. It didn’t happen though as she was hit by a pitch to score Riley Pinedo, who had pinch-run for Grant. With one out, Ramirez doubled to left, scoring both Garcia and Alejandre. That would prove to be the game- and series-winning hit as the Bruins now led 6-1.

The bottom half of the inning saw the Knights get the three runs back and UCLA’s lead was cut to 6-4 after five. The runs UCF scored were good enough to ensure that this game would go a full seven innings, and if they hadn’t scored them, the game would have been over after the sixth inning.

That’s because the Bruins tacked on three more runs when Garcia homered to right with Grant on second and Woolery on first, taking a 9-4 lead into the final frame.

With two on and one out in the seventh, Woolery hit an RBI double to right which scored Lamar. Garcia followed with a three-run homer to make the score 13-4. Meanwhile, Alejandre went yard for a back-to-back homer as the Bruins made it a ten-run margin.

The bottom of the seventh saw Tinsley allow a one-out hit before she closed the door on the Knights with the final two outs.

She allowed just four runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out 11 in a complete game for the win.

UCLA now heads to Oklahoma City where the Bruins will face top-seeded Alabama on Thursday. Game time has not yet been announcd.

Go Bruins!!! Bring home NC #128!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

After defeating UCF last night by a score of 9-1 in a run-rule shortened game, the UCLA softball team is on the brink of earning a berth in the Women’s College World Series. Tonight, the teams will meet at 7 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Last Time Out

What is it about the announcers who call some of the earlier rounds of NCAA tournaments? Last night, we had to listen to ESPN’s Matt Schumacker talk about a “pitcher’s duel” for almost the entire game. It was as if he didn’t know that the Bruin offense could explode at any minute.

As for the game itself, Bri Alejandre got UCLA on the board first with a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning.

It was Alejandre who got the next Bruin rally started in the fourth inning with a leadoff walk. After Kaniya Bragg was hit by a pitch, UCF starter Ava Stuewe was done and Knights head coach Cindy Ball-Malone turned to her ace Isabella Vega. So much for the “pitcher’s duel” Schumacker kept insisting was happening.

Alexis Ramirez laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners and a grounder to second from Soo-Jin Berry scored Alejandre and moved Bragg to third. When Ramsey Suarez came to the plate as a pinch-hitter for Jolyna Lamar, she ripped a double down the left field line which scored Bragg and gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead. Rylee Slimp and Megan Grant both walked to load the bases, but Jordan Woolery lined out to second to end the inning.

The Knights finally got on the board when Sierra Humphreys hit a solo shot to left in the top of the fifth, but the Bruin Bashers finally arrived in the bottom half of the inning. Aleena Garcia and Alejandre set up the Bruins’ big inning when they were both hit by pitches to start the rally. Bragg followed with a three-run homer and UCLA now led 6-1. After Ramirez made the first out of the inning, Berry singled but made it all the way to third on a throwing error.

That would be all for Vega and Ball-Malone handed the ball to Macy Miles. She wasn’t much better than Stuewe or Vega. She walked Lamar on four pitches and then gave up the Bruins’ second three-run homer of the inning to Slimp that ended the game since UCLA was now up 9-1.

Los Angeles Super Regional

Game #2

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (51-8) vs. #6 seed UCF Knights (41-18-1)
When: 7:00 pm PT, Saturday, May 23, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
NCAA.com

Game #3 (If necessary)

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (51-8) vs. #6 seed UC Knights (41-18-1)
When: TBD, Sunday, May 24, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN Family of Networks
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
NCAA.com

Series Notes:
UCLA
UCF


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

Tonight, the UCLA Bruins resume their Quest for 128 when they host the UCF Knights in Game 1 of the Los Angeles Super Regional at 6 pm PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Last Time Out

On Sunday, the Bruins crushed South Carolina, 15-1 in 6 innings, to advance to this weekend’s Super Regionals.

When UCLA drew first blood in the top of the third, it was a Bruin homer that let them put up a crooked number. Jolyna Lamar got things going when she reached on an error by South Carolina’s Shae Anderson. Rylee Slimp followed and put a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence to put the Bruins ahead for good.

The fifth saw Megan Grant hit her 40th homer of the season. This one was a grand slam which gave UCLA a 6-0 lead. The Gamecocks scored their lone run in the bottom of the fifth.

In the sixth, the Bruins sent 12 batters to the plate as they scored 9 runs which included a pair of two-run homers from Kaniya Bragg and Soo-Jin Berry.

The game ended after South Carolina failed to score in the bottom half of the inning and UCLA advanced to tonight’s game.

UCF Knights

The UCF Knights’ path to the Supers wasn’t quite as easy as the Bruins. After beating Jacksonville State, 2-1, on Friday, they beat Stetson, 10-1, in five innings on Saturday.

On Sunday, the sixth-seeded Knights faced #3 seed Florida State. The Seminoles took the first game 2-1 to force another game which the Knights won, 4-2, to send them to the Super Regionals.

Los Angeles Super Regional

Game #1

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (50-8) vs. #6 seed UCF Knights (41-17-1)
When: 6:00 pm PT, Friday, May 22, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPNU
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
NCAA.com

Game #2

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (50-8) vs. #6 seed UCF Knights (41-17-1)
When: 7:00 pm PT, Saturday, May 23, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
NCAA.com

Game #3 (If necessary)

Teams: #2 seed UCLA Bruins (50-8) vs. #6 seed UC Knights (41-17-1)
When: TBD, Sunday, May 24, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN Family of Networks
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
NCAA.com

Series Notes:
UCLA
UCF


Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

The UCLA Bruins softball team advanced to the Los Angeles Regional Finals yesterday by defeating South Carolina, 7-2. Later in the day, the Gamecocks defeated Cal State Fullerton, 4-2, to set up today’s regional finals. First pitch of Game 6 is scheduled for 4:30 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. If South Carolina wins Game 6, Game 7 will be played to determine who advances because the regionals are a double elimination event and UCLA hasn’t lost yet this weekend.

Last Time Out

Yesterday, the Gamecocks got on the board first in the top of the second when Jamie Mackay homered to lead off the inning.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Bruin Bashers came out in force. Aleena Garcia led off with a walk and Bri Alejandre homered to give UCLA a 2-1 lead. Kaniya Bragg singled to center and a pair of doubles by Alexis Ramirez and Soo-Jin Berry scored both Bragg and Berry to increase the lead to 4-1. Berry’s double would prove to be the game-winner. Megan Grant’s 39th homer of the season scored Berry and gave the Bruins a 6-1 lead.

Quincee Lilio added a homer for the Gamecocks in the third, but Taylor Tinsley would shut down the South Carolina offense after that.

Garcia added another insurance run for the Bruins in the fifth inning with a solo homer.

Los Angeles Regional Finals

Game #6

Teams: #7 seed South Carolina Gamecocks (32-27) vs. #2 seed UCLA Bruins (49-8)
When: 4:30 pm PT, Sunday, May 17, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes
UCLA

Game #7 (if necessary)

Teams: #7 seed South Carolina Gamecocks (32-27) vs. #2 seed UCLA Bruins (49-8)
When: approx. 7:00 pm PT, Sunday, May 17, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TBD
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Tournament Bracket
Regional Central

Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.

After a dramatic comeback win last night, the Bruins will play the South Carolina Gamecocks this afternoon at 2 pm PT. At press time, the game is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+ with no TV broadcast available, but it is possible that the game could air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. So, you will have to grab your remote and check for yourself, especially since last night’s game was slated for ESPN2 and ended up airing on ESPN.

Last Time Out

Through the first four innings of last night’s game against California Baptist, the UCLA softball team looked like a team which would end the game early with a run-rule win.

Jordan Wooley’s 34th homer of the year gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

While the Lancers got a run back in the second, UCLA tacked on five more runs in the third. After Megan Grant walked for the second time and Woolery singled, shortstop Aleena Garcia hit a three-run homer to make it 5-1. With just one out, Kaniya Bragg reached on an error and Soo-Jin Berry hit a two-run homer as the Bruins took a 7-1 lead.

But in the top of the fifth, CBU sent 14 batters to the dish and scored 10 runs in the inning to take an 11-7 lead.

In the bottom half of the fifth, the Bruins had the bases loaded with two outs when Bruin head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez got in her team’s way, like she has done so frequently through the years, by overmanaging. She pinch-hit for centerfielder Jolyna Lamar. Nevermind that Lamar is hitting .336 on the season with 13 homers or that she already had a hit and 2 RBIs in this game.

Instead, she sent Ramsey Suarez, who trails Lamar in most offensive categories, to the plate. She struck out swinging, leaving the Bruins just six outs to score four runs to tie the game.

In the bottom of the sixth, Rylee Slimp walked to lead off the inning. After Grant fouled out, Woolery doubled to give the Bruins runners on second and third. Jaela Ann Mercado pinch-ran for Woolery as Garcia came to bat. She walked to load the bases. Bri Alejandre hit into a fielder’s choice with Garcia out at second, but it was enough to score Slimp from third and move Mercado to third. Bragg hit a slow roller towards first that was just far enough from the bag for her to run it out and for Mercado to score, but then Alejandre was caught in a rundown trying to get back to second base after overrunning the bag. The result was out number three and a potential game-tying rally was shut down after just two runs and the Lancers now led 11-9, leaving UCLA with just three outs to score two more runs to tie it.

Sofia Mujica led off the seventh with a strike out. Berry singled to bring the tying run to the plate for the third time in two innings, and it was Lamar’s spot in the order. This time, Inoye-Perez allowed Lamar to hit. As if to emphasize Inouye-Perez’s bad decision in the fifth, Lamar sent the ball over the right field fence to tie the game. Slimp grounded to short but beat it out for an infield hit, giving UCLA the winning run on first with the NCAA Home Run Queen coming up.

But Grant walked on six pitches to move Slimp to second, and Woolery followed with four straight balls to load the bases. That brought up Garcia with still just one out. She hit a fly ball deep enough to right to allow Slimp to tag and score from third for the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly.

South Carolina Gamecocks

The Bruins are no strangers to the other SC. UCLA beat the Gamecocks, 5-4, on February 21st in Cathedral City as part of the Mary Nutter Classic.

Yesterday, South Carolina trailed Cal State Fullerton, 4-3, heading into the bottom of the sixth. With one out, the Gamecocks tied the game on an error by center fielder Kate Verhoef. With runners on second and third and two outs, Quincee Lilio hit a three-run homer to right, which proved to be the game-winner.

Los Angeles Regional

Game #3

Teams: #7 seed South Carolina Gamecocks (31-26) vs. #2 seed UCLA Bruins (48-8)
When: 2:00 pm PT, Saturday, May 16, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: None
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes
UCLA

Game #4

Teams: Cal State Fullerton Titans (43-18) vs. California Baptist Lancers (43-18)
When: 4:30 pm PT, Saturday, May 16, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TBD
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Game #5

Teams: Game #3 Loser vs. Game #4 Winner
When: 7:00 pm PT, Saturday, May 16, 2026
Where: Easton Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
TV: TBD
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Tournament Bracket
Regional Central

Go Bruins!!!

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.