2025 NCAA Baseball Super Regional Preview: UTSA vs. UCLA

Series Overview

#25 UTSA Roadrunners

• Overall: 47-13
• Conference: 23-4
• RPI: 18
• SOS: 100

#16 UCLA Bruins

• Overall: 45-16
• Conference: 22-8
• RPI: 11
• SOS: 29

Wow. Not a super regional any of us predicted. I think if you polled 10 people, they all would’ve thought the #2 overall seed Texas Longhorns would be hosting a super against UCLA, but UTSA shocked the world and took care of business in the Austin Regional. 

As for UCLA, I can speak for myself when I say I overlooked this team after seeing them play against Maryland in the regular season, but they showcased how good they really are in the Los Angeles Regional. 

Team Strengths & Weaknesses

UTSA Roadrunners

Do you love contact and scrappy baseball? Look no further than the UTSA Roadrunners. This team can’t hit the long ball, but they are still 13th in the nation in runs scored per game and are in the top 10 in both batting average and on-base percentage. 

Guys like Mason Lytle, James Tuassig, and Norris McClure lead their relentless approach. All three of these batters are hitting over .350. Then Jordan Ballin is hitting .347 and has an OBP over .500, which are video-game contact-type numbers. 

On the mound is where things are more questionable for the Roadrunners. They don’t have a ton of depth and have a team ERA of nearly five. The good news for them is that they live in the strike zone and rank 11th in the nation in walk percentage. The Bruins are going to have to find ways to do damage instead of looking for the walk.

Overall, this is just a scrappy team. A team that is likely going to pester you and likely make you very angry, given their relentlessness. They showcased they aren’t afraid to go on the road into enemy territory and put in work, either. They can handle the pressure. 

UCLA Bruins

The biggest strength for this UCLA team is how well-balanced it is. I had a lot of questions about the pitching staff after I saw them against Maryland, but they’ve pulled it together since then.

They are quite impressive on the offensive side of the ball, as they have hit .297  as a team with a team on-base percentage (OBP) of .413. They were also scoring 7.9 runs per game (49th in the nation) prior to the regional. This is also a team that doesn’t strike out a ton and finds ways to get on base.

On top of that, they have one of the best, if not the best, college baseball players in the entire country at the top of their lineup in shortstop Roch Cholowsky. He’s a guy we’ve talked about as a potential 1.1 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, and he’s been a huge piece to this team’s success. 

It’s a young offense, highlighted by other guys like Dean West, Roman Martin, and Cashel Dugger, but they find ways to get it done. 

Regardless of my questions about their pitching staff, they were one of the best in the country in runs allowed per game, averaging 4.8 runs per game. They also rank in the top 50 in WHIP of 1.38 (40th in the country) and a team ERA of 4.54 (30th in the country). 

The starting rotation hasn’t been fantastic, but Michael Barnett has emerged as an arm they can consistently rely on. The bullpen has been lights out as well. They have a few guys like Luke Rodriguez, Jack O’Connor, and others, who they can turn the ball over to. 

Recent Regional Performance

UTSA Roadrunners

UTSA made history by winning the Austin Regional and advancing to their first-ever NCAA Super Regional. 

The Roadrunners opened with a 10–2 win over Kansas State and followed it up with two impressive victories over No. 2 national seed Texas, including a 7–4 clincher. 

Norris McClure’s early two-run homer and Ty Hodge’s bases-clearing double helped fuel the offense, while Gunnar Brown and Robert Orloski anchored a strong pitching staff that struck out double digits in every game. Head coach Pat Hallmark praised his team’s belief and resilience as they improved to 47–13.

UCLA Bruins 

UCLA dominated the Los Angeles Regional, sweeping all three games to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time since 2019. The Bruins opened with a commanding 19–4 victory over Fresno State, followed by an 11–5 win against Arizona State, highlighted by Roman Martin’s grand slam in a seven-run second inning. 

In the regional final, UCLA built an early 8–0 lead over UC Irvine, with Mulivai Levu delivering a pivotal three-run homer, and held on for an 8–5 win to clinch the regional title. Solid pitching performances matched the Bruins’ offensive breakout. 

Freshman Wylan Moss set the tone in the final, pitching 3⅓ innings and striking out four, while the bullpen combined for 5⅔ innings to secure the victory.

MLB Draft Players to Watch

UCLA Bruins

SS Roch Cholowsky

Roch Cholowsky has emerged as a standout for UCLA, slashing .369/.507/.775 with 23 home runs and elite plate discipline through 32 games. He’s showcasing real power development with a 114.1 mph max exit velocity and a 96th percentile hard-hit rate, all while maintaining a polished approach at the plate.

Defensively, Cholowsky’s smooth actions, plus arm, and quick reactions make him one of the most complete shortstops in the 2026 MLB Draft class.

UTSA Roadrunners

RHP Zach Royse

Royse took a big step forward in 2025, showing improved command and a nasty slider that’s helped boost his draft stock.

While his fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s with decent life, it lacks standout shape and doesn’t miss a ton of bats. The slider is his go-to pitch, flashing plus potential, and if he can squeeze more out of the fastball and refine the changeup, there’s a real chance he sticks as a starter long term.

OF Drew Detlesfen

Detlesfen feels like a player we rarely talk about. He was our American Athletic Conference player of the year after slashing .318/.425/.571 with 18 doubles, 13 home runs, and 70 RBI.

Detlefsen has big-time raw power and serious bat speed, with the strength to drive the ball to all fields, but he’s struggled with some swing-and-miss to his game, which may cap his ceiling at the next level. Overall, it is hard to overlook his performance as a significant part of this UTSA lineup. 

Predictions

As much as I want to ride the UTSA wave, the UCLA Bruins will take this series in… just kidding! Give me the Roadrunners! I know, I know… I just spent paragraph upon paragraph talking about how well-balanced this UCLA Bruins team is. Still, you could make the same argument about the Texas Longhorns, who UTSA just faced and completely dominated. 

It’s hard to stop a team when they are red-hot and running some all-time high team chemistry under a great coach—roadrunners in three.