The Bruins appeared in D1Baseball’s rankings for the first time in over a year March 24, slotting in as the No. 24 team in the nation after an 18-5 start.

While coach John Savage said he doesn’t care too much for rankings in March, something did bother him.

“I was surprised, clearly, that it took so long for us to get in there,” Savage said March 25. “They don’t believe in the West, right? We all know that.”

But after a trip East that extended the Bruins’ win streak to six, it seems like they’re too good to ignore.

Jumping 10 spots in Monday’s rankings after sweeping Purdue over the weekend, No. 14 UCLA baseball (22-5, 10-2 Big Ten) will have a chance to make itself winners in 16 of its last 18 when it battles Pepperdine (6-21, 2-4 WCC) on Tuesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins boast their highest ranking since March 2023 and are tied with the Hawkeyes for first place in the Big Ten.

“It was a really good trip (to Purdue),” Savage said. “Whenever you head out on the league path, it’s nice to pick up the series win, and it’s even better to come home with three wins.”

UCLA is fourth in RPI per D1Baseball, behind only Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee – teams that sit at third, second and first in its top-25 rankings, respectively. The closest Big Ten competitors to the Bruins are the Trojans, who slot in at 47th in RPI.

A significant catalyst for UCLA appears to be its performance away from home. After going 4-22 away from Jackie Robinson Stadium in 2024, the Bruins are 7-2 this season and 5-1 on the road in conference play.

But that’s not to say the Bruins have struggled in their Brentwood home, where they are 15-3 after going 15-11 last season.

One of those 11 home losses came at the hands of the Waves, who downed the Bruins 10-2 before the latter returned the favor with a 16-2 thumping in Malibu.

Pepperdine will enter Tuesday’s affair – the only one between the two squads in 2025 – having dropped 13 of its last 16 contests. The Waves are scoring a mere 2.8 runs per game – the fewest in the nation by 0.4 runs.

At the same time, the Waves’ pitching staff has a 7.06 ERA – good for only 207th in the country.

UCLA, meanwhile, has scored nearly 10 runs per game during its win streak, featuring five qualified batters hitting above .300 – and three with an OPS north of 1.000 – on the season.

“In midweeks, we’re just looking for the win,” said sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu, whose .357 batting average leads the Bruins. “Playing how we’ve been playing, coming out ready to play and just laying it on the other team.”

Redshirt junior southpaw Ian May will make the midweek start for the Bruins, squaring off against Waves’ right-hander Jackson Pace, a UCLA Athletics spokesperson said.

May began the season as UCLA’s Saturday starter but has made his last six appearances out of the bullpen. Tuesday will be the California transfer’s first start since allowing five earned over 2.1 innings against Maryland on March 8.

Pace, meanwhile, will be making just his second start for the Waves. The Oregon transfer has a 13.50 ERA across six appearances this year.

However, if Tuesday is anything like UCLA’s last two midweek affairs, where it ran eight and seven pitchers to the mound, Pepperdine should expect a bullpen game.

Pitching depth has emerged as one of the Bruins’ strengths this season, with UCLA’s exclusive relievers posting a 4.52 ERA – a mark better than the team ERA of 14 Big Ten squads.

“We’re looking to throw a lot of arms, maybe some dudes who haven’t pitched in a while,” said sophomore right-hander Landon Stump. “We’ll hopefully just keep the offensive momentum rolling on Tuesday and then into the weekend.”