West Squad's Roch Cholowsky, of Hamilton High School in Chandler, gets a walk during the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Chase Field on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Uscp 7mie951qzwmgm1s31rk2 Original Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

UCLA's Cholowsky Showing Elite Talent Early

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Feb 25, 2025 12:03 PM ET

The UCLA Bruins (6-1) are off to an incredible start to the 2025 season, as they have won five of their first six games to kick off their first year in the Big Ten. They faced their first conference opponent this past weekend, and sophomore infielder Roch Cholowsky is putting the conference on notice.

The Bruins earned a come-from-behind, 15-9 win over the Michigan State Spartans (6-1) on Sunday afternoon, handing them their first loss of the year. Cholowksy was a monster at the plate, going 2-5 with five RBIs, two runs scored and a pair of mega home runs in back-to-back innings.

Trailing 6-3 in the fourth inning, Cholowsky hit a go-ahead grand slam for his first bomb of the year. The very next inning, he added to a 10-9 lead with a solo home run for his second of the game. He hit eight home runs in 52 games last season and is already a fourth of the way to his freshman year total.

In his first 25 at-bats this year, Cholowsky is hitting an absurd .440 batting average with 11 hits, 11 runs scored, nine walks, two doubles, and a pair of homers. He is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in total hits, seventh in RBIs and fourth in runs scored.

Another important piece of Cholowsky's offensive game is his lack of strike outs. He has walked nine times while only striking out five, earning a 1.80 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He is either putting the ball in play and finding gaps or earning a way on base via the walk.

Prior to the season, the Chandler, Ariz. native was named the ninth-ranked shortstop in the country by D1Baseball and a member of the Big Ten Preseason Watchlist. He has certainly lived up to expectations so far and will be hungry to maintain the success he has gained in the first few games.

If this type of consistent success continues for Cholowsky, he will have a legitimate shot for the Big Ten Player of the Year Award or possibly a batting title. He has already proven to be a strong leader for this Bruins team in his second season of college baseball and has found immense success early on.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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