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2026 Fall College Baseball Reset: UCLA

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated Oct 28, 2026 2:31 PM ET

For three months, it appeared that UCLA was on a glide back to Omaha. The Bruins were the consensus top team for nearly the entire 2026 regular season. However, the team hit their first roadblock in the Big 10 tourney, nearly losing to Purdue in the quarters before coming back to win that game and, ultimately, the conference title. But after two losses to Saint Mary’s in the Regional, UCLA’s season ended on a sour note. Now, the chance for redemption begins.

The Returnees

We’ll get more into it in the next section but the bottom line is this: the 2027 UCLA lineup will look significantly different. However, there are some well-known returnees.

The headlining returning hitter is first baseman Dominic Cadiz, who played 39 games as a freshman after he spurned the Brewers in the 2025 MLB Draft. Cadiz hit .256/.364/.378 in his first season with UCLA, and then proceeded to explode in the Cape Cod League. The now-sophomore batted .331 and cracked 14 extra-base hits for Orleans, six of which were home runs.

Cadiz made consistent contact and was more than willing to be aggressive when need be at the plate.

Sophomore infielder Aiden Aguayo is also back after he played 38 games for the club last season. He didn’t play much in March, yet did post respectable numbers as a freshman. Aguayo slashed .243/.339/.355 with two home runs and seven extra-base hits.

Other notables back are sophomore Trey Gudoy, redshirt junior Aidan Espinoza, and outfielder Phoenix Call.

As for the pitching staff, the Bruins brought back three core pieces.

The 2026 USA collegiate national team had two Bruins pitchers on it: Wylan Moss and Easton Hawk. Moss finished second on the Bruins in total innings, and second in strikeouts (76 over 65 innings). Back-spinning fastball that largely sat in the low-90s but can touch 96-97 MPH, along with a changeup and cut-slider.

The sinkers listed above are more four-seamer than two-seamer, with higher RPM and IVB.

Hawk worked as a reliever, part of what was a dominant UCLA bullpen. The junior right-hander struck out 52 over 42, walked 19, and posted a stellar 1.93 ERA last season. Hard fastball that can run into the mid-90s, plus a split-change, slider, and curveball.

(via New Baseball Media)

Angel Cervantes, who didn’t sign as a Pirates second-round pick in July 2025, wound up being a key piece of the Bruins’ pitching staff down the stretch. Cervantes struck out 37 over 49 innings, and like Cadiz, had a great summer in the Cape Cod League. He averaged almost a strikeout per inning, and a near-30% Whiff%.

Those three aren’t the only notable pitchers back in Los Angeles. Zach Strickland, a sophomore, was lights-out as a freshman out of the bullpen. Strickland struck out 52 over 38 frames in 2026. CJ Bott, Elai Iwanaga, Mack Edwards, and Jake Swenson are also back.

The Newcomers

The Bruins’ newcomers will have to replace a lot of punch in that lineup from 2026.

Roch Cholowsky, Dean West, Mulivai Levu, Roman Martin, and Will Gasparino all went pro after last season. Catcher Cashel Dugger is also gone. Add in the pitching losses, which included Logan Reddemann, Cal Randall, Michael Barrett, and Ian May, and you get the idea.

So, who will fill out the rest of the 2027 roster?

Starting with the offense, the Bruins brought in grad student outfielder Isaac Wachsmann from Creighton. During his senior season with the Bluejays in 2026, Wachsmann hit a team-best 14 home runs and 26 total extra-base hits.

Sophomore infielder Tyler Peshke batted .400 with 72 total hits for Cerritos College in Norwalk. The other big infield addition was Taylor Kirk from Fordham University in The Bronx. Kirk batted .327 in two seasons with the Rams and showed a keen penchant for putting the ball in play.

Kirk had one of the lower swing-and-miss rates (21.8%) in the Cape Cod League this past summer. Overall, it wasn’t a great summer, though, as he slashed .228/.285/.289 for Hyannis. A root problem there was that Kirk was pick-pocketed significantly with called strikes (40.5% CS/Take%).

UCLA also had a good recruiting class, with CJ Weinstein, Jaden Jackson, and Hamilton Friedberg among the big gets. Weinstein hit for a lot of pop on the showcase circuit as a high school ballplayer.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

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