Bruins Players Eager to Make it to Omaha

Just two wins away from their first trip to Omaha in 12 years, coach John Savage and the UCLA Bruins are eager and believe they have what it takes to take down UTSA in Super Regionals.

The Bruins cruised their way through regional bracket play, beating Fresno State, Arizona State and UC Irvine in the Los Angeles Regional in Westwood.

In a stroke of luck, UTSA upset the No. 2 ranked Texas Longhorns in their Austin Regional to advance to the program's first ever supers appearance, meaning the Bruins are hosting next round of the postseason at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

"It definitely is beneficial," UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky said Wednesday. "But we've been good on the road (too). Just as good as we've been at home. But, it is a luxury to be at home and it is definitely a benefit to play in our park, under our lights and have our fans here."

UTSA might have been able to host the supers round if it had filed a request to get approved by the NCAA Baseball committee. The Roadrunners not only upset Texas twice (and another time in the regular season), they dominated the entire regional round. The higher seed hosts supers and defeating the 2nd seed may have warranted a try.

Nevertheless, No. 15 UCLA will be hosting the regional.

The Bruins outscored all three opponents of the Los Angeles Regional 38-14. A huge component of their offensive success, according to Cholowsky, has been attacking the opposing starting pitcher early and often.

"Our offense has done a good job of scoring first," the sophomore shortstop said. "That's probably one of the biggest things we talk about as the offense, is scoring first and winning innings."

Bruins players don't view UTSA as some unranked opponent that is on a Cinderella run. They are a 40-win team and cruised through one of the toughest regionals in the country.

UCLA hasn't made it to the College World Series since 2013, which is when it won its only CWS title. To players, winning two games against the Roadrunners and advancing would mean everything.

"It'd mean the world," Cholowsky added. "That's the goal. That's all we talk about in the offseason and that's all that we practice for, is to get there and get a chance to win a national championship."

Game one of the best-of-3 series in Westwood starts on Saturday, June 7, at 4 p.m. PT on ESPNU.