This post was updated July 21 at 9:50 p.m.

Many former Bruins are competing in professional sporting leagues as UCLA Athletics takes a break for the summer. Each week during the summer, Daily Bruin Sports will take a look at recent standout performances of former UCLA greats as fall inches closer.

Baseball: Michael Toglia

It was one home run after the other for the Colorado Rockies.

On Sunday afternoon, Michael Toglia made history as the first Colorado Rockies switch-hitter to smash three home runs in a single game. His performance propelled the team to an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets at Citi Field.

With his three home runs this afternoon, Michael Toglia becomes the first ever Rockies switch hitter with three home runs in a game.

Toglia also becomes the sixth Rockie (eighth time overall) to hit three home runs in a road game (last: Charlie Blackmon, Aug. 12 2016 at…

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) July 14, 2024

 

Toglia hit the first homer in the fifth inning, leading off with a 432-foot strike off Mets pitcher José Quintana. The first baseman/infielder repeated this feat once more in the sixth and tallied a third in the eighth inning off to left-center. His three tallies were part of six homers he has accumulated over the past six games.

Following this feat, Toglia became the seventh Rockie to hit three home runs in a road game. The last time the milestone was reached was nearly eight years ago by Charlie Blackmon.

Toglia has emerged as a power hitter in Colorado, leading the team with 16 home runs this season in just 173 at-bats. Heading into the All-Star break, he holds a .197 batting average, just .003 shy of crossing the “Mendoza Line” batting average of .200.

Men’s basketball: Jaylen Clark, Minnesota Timberwolves; Aday Mara, Spain men’s national team

Jaylen Clark is coming in hot.

After earning three Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same year – the first Bruin to achieve the feat since Russell Westbrook in 2008 – as part of UCLA men’s basketball, Clark joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023. But after spending a year recovering from an Achilles injury sustained during his final season with the Bruins, Clark made his NBA debut in the Summer League.

Prior to his Sunday duel against the Indiana Pacers, Clark placed a bet with one of his assistant coaches that he would snag five steals. Not only did Clark achieve this feat, he surpassed it, racking up six steals to showcase his defensive prowess.

Jaylen Clark (New nickname) “The Minnesota menace” making his presence felt in SL with 6 steals today being a heavy ball disrupter, baiting ball handlers into quick passes and getting his hand in the cookie jar.

There’s a way to make Minnesota’s roster, PLAY DEFENSE!! pic.twitter.com/mfcbJvzFuK

— BKS (@BKSecretsports) July 14, 2024

However, Clark was not the only Bruin to make his mark in the professional ranks.

Aday Mara made waves in the Eurobasket U-20 Tournament, competing for the Spain men’s national team in Poland.

As a member of Spain’s U-20 team in the EuroBasket – the quadrennial European Basketball Championship – Mara has maintained an average of 8.2 points and five rebounds per game. In Sunday’s matchup against Belgium, the rising junior notched seven points and five rebounds, all while dishing out two assists in just 15 minutes as a starter.

Representing 𝑺𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 at FIBA U20 EuroBasket. 🇪🇸🏀

Wishing all the best to rising sophomore 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚, as he competes for Spain’s U20 team this month in Poland. Spain tips-off on Saturday morning against North Macedonia.

𝘋𝘌𝘛𝘈𝘐𝘓𝘚: https://t.co/ITgQS9fVsN pic.twitter.com/wCwlUi6Hs5

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) July 10, 2024

Even before taking to UCLA, the 7-foot-3 center showcased his talents on the global stage, representing Spain in FIBA World Cup and European Championships for the U-17 and U-18 teams, respectively. As a pivotal member of the U-18 team, Mara averaged 14 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.7 blocks in seven games to lead his team to the FIBA U-18 finals.

Women’s tennis: Tian Fangran

UCLA women’s tennis repeatedly proves its aptness to produce pro tour players – including 2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady and 2022 Roland Garros mixed doubles winner Ena Shibahara.

But now, the latest talent out of Westwood has emerged.

Tian Fangran is no stranger to the international stage. Just as she did last summer, she is competing in the ITF World Tour in women’s singles and doubles.

After reaching the singles semifinals in Spain at the ITF Spain 26A and doubles semifinals in Portugal at the ITF Portugal 04A, she is now competing in this week’s ITF USA 31A.

Tian started the week with a straight-set victory against Fiona Crawley 6-2, 6-0. This would carry on to the round of 16, where Tian’s competitive prowess shone through her second straight-set victory over Liv Hovde 6-3, 6-2, propelling her to the quarterfinal round against Hanna Chang set to commence at 11:25 a.m.

Tian has been playing on the ITF World Tour since 2019 and currently holds three ITF singles titles to her name.