Since coming to Westwood, Roch Cholowsky has had Omaha on his mind.
The Big Ten Player of the Year — a projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB draft by some analysts — turned Charles Schwab Field in Omaha into a playground during the Big Ten tournament, winning player of the tournament honors despite UCLA not claiming the championship.
So far, in the NCAA tournament, Cholowsky had been uncharacteristically quiet for his standards. He still made hard plays look easy as a “premium shortstop” — as UCLA coach John Savage glowed about his defensive skills — but his bat wasn’t making its usual noise.
Lagging behind for Cholowsky isn’t the same for the rest of Division I baseball. The Arizona-raised team captain was still hitting .333 through the regionals and super regionals entering Sunday. A big swing, however, had yet to come — Cholowsky flying out to the deep outfield on numerous occasions across the last two weeks.
“He’s just trying to do too much, probably,” Savage reasoned after Game 1 of the Los Angeles super regional on Saturday. “All he cares about is winning. That’s all what these guys all care about. We like an average Roch. Average Roch is pretty good.”
Cholowsky finally had his moment Sunday. He did a little too much, as Savage said, trying to catch Texas San Antonio’s defense sleeping and got picked off at third base in the fifth. But his big swing finally arrived — a swing that helped deliver the Bruins to Omaha.
“I ran out and told [starting pitcher Conor Myles] not to throw a strike to Roch,” said Pat Hallmark, Texas San Antonio coach. “He threw him a strike.”
Cholowsky’s RBI single off that strike in the fifth, a part of his two-for-five day, clinched UCLA’s spot in the Men’s College World Series with a 7-0 victory over Texas San Antonio . The two-game sweep of the Roadrunners gave the Bruins their sixth berth to Omaha and first since 2013, when they won it all.
UCLA players celebrate after defeating Texas San Antonio to win the L.A. Super Regional on Sunday to advance to the Men’s College World Series.
(Ross Turteltaub / UCLA Athletics)
“It’s not easy, but I think we have the right cast of characters in terms of just people, great people on this team, people that want to represent UCLA,” Savage said.
Cholowsky, whose trip to Omaha as a high school senior convinced him of going to UCLA rather than becoming a likely first-round MLB draft selection, will now get his wish. The shortstop fell to the ground as Phoenix Call caught the final out in shallow right field, holding his head to the dirt. Cholowsky then leapt up, his teammates already celebrating at the center of the diamond. He joined them, jumping in glee; his dreams, realized.
“This is surreal to me,” Cholowsky said. “It’s just something that I’ve dreamed of for as long as I can remember, and then just getting back there and getting to go experience that a couple years ago just added that much more fire to the dream. I haven’t wrapped my head around it.”
Savage said UCLA being able to live a full week in Omaha during the Big Ten tournament last month gave the Bruins an idea of what the College World Series environment will be like.
“I think it’s huge for us,” Cholowsky said. “Using that next week I feel like going to help us. Same ballpark, same everything.”
Whereas Cholowsky may be one of the most well-known Bruins baseball players in recent memory, it was a little-playing junior who broke a scoreless game. Outfielder Toussaint Bythewood, a Harvard-Westlake alumnus, dunk a soft line drive into right field for a two-out RBI single against Myles.
UCLA sophomore infielder Roman Martin follows through on a hit against Texas San Antonio on Sunday.
(Ross Turteltaub / UCLA Athletics)
Bythewood, who had started twice all season and taken just 12 at bats entering the game, provided the Bruins with their winning swing. UCLA added two insurance runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to build enough distance for its arms to pitch a little more comfortably as the Roadrunners ran out of outs.
“Toussaint’s been really consistent in practice,” Savage said. “He should have had more opportunities at the end of the day. He was ready for that opportunity — hadn’t come up with a huge hit. So happy for Toussaint.”
A UTSA offense that was dominant in an Austin Regional sweep a week ago, exited with a whimper, rallying just four hits against UCLA’s pitching staff. Starting pitcher Landon Stump couldn’t get through the fifth, but the Bruins’ relief pitchers carried the brunt of the battle to shut out the Roadrunners.
Left-hander Chris Grothues tied a career high with 2 ⅔ scoreless innings, striking out two and making a nifty play to catch a popped-up bunt to end the sixth. Righties Cal Randall and August Souza bridged the gap to the ninth, where freshman closer Easton Hawk shut the door.
“They pounded a zone pretty good,” Savage said. “We walked two guys in two games, and it just seemed like we were very competitive. … Today, just a lot of contributions from a lot of different guys.”
Across the final five innings, the Bruins’ bullpen no-hit the Roadrunners.
Savage, who is in the 12th and final year of the contract extension that UCLA rewarded him with after winning the 2013 national championship, will get his long-awaited chance to revisit old memories and create new ones as the Bruins attempt to win their second national championship beginning next weekend in Omaha.
“It just tells you one thing — how difficult it is to get there,” Savage said about finally returning to Omaha after 12 years. “It’s great to be back and looking forward to the challenge.”
What advice does Savage have for his team at the Men’s College World Series?
“Enjoy the moment, enjoy the process, enjoy the journey,” he said.