Roch Cholowsky, a projected first-rounder in the 2026 MLB Draft with a top-10 OPS in the Big Ten this year, may be the face of the Bruins.

But when the sophomore shortstop, who boasts the fifth best OBP in the conference at .515, gets on base, it’s up to the next batter to drive him in.

And with Cholowsky batting second, that’s often sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu, who bats third.

Behind a 8-for-13 weekend from Levu, who added eight RBIs to his team-leading 40 on the season – tied for third most in the Big Ten – No. 14 UCLA baseball (22-5, 10-2 Big Ten) swept Purdue (20-7, 2-6) at Alexander Field in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Bruins clinched the series after a 8-5 win in the series opener Friday, edging past the Boilermakers 13-12 Saturday and trouncing them 16-3 in run-rule fashion Sunday.

“Just really proud of the guys on their approach, their mindset and their attention to detail,” said coach John Savage. “We finished the weekend the right way.”

The Bruins have had their best start through 27 games since they were 24-3 in 2010, when they appeared in the College World Series finals for the first time in program history. Notably, UCLA hasn’t made it back to the CWS since 2013 and hasn’t qualified for the NCAA regionals since 2022.

UCLA got on the scoreboard first for just the 10th time this season Sunday, tagging Purdue starting right-hander Cole Van Assen for three runs in the first inning. By the end of the fourth, the Bruins led by double digits and didn’t score again until posting a six spot in the top of the eighth. With the Boilermakers able to score just once in the bottom half of the inning, the game was called because of the conference’s 10-run rule.

Sophomore right-hander Landon Stump put together the Bruins’ best start of the weekend Sunday, tossing five innings while giving up just two runs and earning his third win of the season. UCLA remains undefeated across Stump’s seven starts this season.

“He’s thrown more consistent strikes with his fastball and he’s showing a mix of several breaking balls that he can feel for strikes,” Savage said. “Our model right now is (if) we can get five innings out of our starter, we feel pretty comfortable turning it over to our bullpen.”

Stump said his fastball command and use of an inside cutter helped him pitch effectively. The sophomore added that back troubles slowed him down at the tail end of his freshman campaign, but the strength he’s built up over the summer has helped him recover this season.

The Bruins scored first on Saturday, too, charging Boilermaker southpaw Easton Storey – who entered the weekend with the 15th best ERA in the conference – with five runs. UCLA would win the slugfest by the skin of its teeth – blowing a 5-0 and 7-5 lead before Jack O’Connor limited the damage in the ninth.

Entering in the final frame, the junior right-hander came in with a two-run lead and the winning run at the plate, but garnered three straight outs for his first collegiate save.

“We don’t ever feel like we’re out of a game, whether it’s the bullpen coming in clutch or the hitters giving us run support when we need it,” Stump said. “We keep the momentum going.”

Game two of the series could’ve easily gotten away from the Bruins. Junior right-hander Michael Barnett had his worst start of the season, surrendering five earned runs across just two innings, while closer sophomore right-hander Justin Lee allowed all four hitters he faced to reach base. UCLA also committed three fielding errors – its most since committing three against Utah on April 26.

In the series opener, UCLA recorded its 12th comeback win of the campaign, trailing by both 3-1 and 4-2 before a three-run fifth inning gave them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish – and earned junior right-hander Cody Delvecchio, who allowed four runs across five innings, his first win as a starter.

“The guys are playing together – they like each other, they play for one another,” Savage said. “At the end of the day, that’s half the battle.”

The Bruins tagged some of the Boilermakers best pitchers over the weekend, scoring five against ace right-hander Carter Doorn on Friday – who entered the series with a 2.54 ERA – and driving home five right-hander Avery Cook, who had yet to give up a run all season before the series opener.

Levu recorded back-to-back four-hit days between Saturday and Sunday, hitting a home run and a double in the series finale. Meanwhile, senior right fielder AJ Salgado went 8-for-12 with a double, a triple and a homer spread across the weekend. Both left handed sluggers left the Midwest with an OPS north of 1.000.

“Just trying to hunt elevation, get a pitch that I know I can drive,” Levu said. “Anything above the knees.”

Not to be left out, Cholowsky went 7-for-16 against Purdue with a double and long ball on Saturday, maintaining an OPS above 1.200. And sophomore third baseman Roman Martin went 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles Saturday.

All in, UCLA combined for 37 runs, its most since scoring 37 against Cal Poly over Opening Weekend, and 45 hits – its most in a three game stretch since May 27 through May 28 during the 2022 Pac-12 tournament.

“It puts pressure on the pitcher, pressure on the defense guys being on base a lot,” Savage said. “People can make mistakes when there’s people on base, and we’ve been doing a good job of taking advantage of those.”

At 10-2, UCLA has already won more conference games than it did all of last season – and has yet to drop a weekend series – remaining tied atop the Big Ten standings with Iowa.