This post was updated April 10 at 9:04 p.m.

The Bruins had lost five of their last eight weekend series – and were on the verge of a sixth – as they headed to Seattle this time last year.

But fast forward to this season, the Bruins have won all eight of their weekends, and the Huskies are en route to Westwood.

And that’s not the only difference.

In the teams’ first meeting as Big Ten members, No. 10 UCLA baseball (26-6, 10-2 Big Ten) can stretch its streak to nine weekends against Washington (17-17, 8-4) in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Bruins lead the all-time series 59-34 and are 35-24 against the Huskies under coach John Savage.

“Everybody’s familiar with each other,” Savage said. “At the end of the day, it will kind of feel like the Pac-12, but we’re in the Big Ten.”

Despite not playing a conference game since March 30, the Bruins sit alone atop the Big Ten standings. And while UCLA’s nine-game win streak ended Sunday, it has won 19 of its last 22, most recently run ruling Long Beach State 12-1 in seven innings Tuesday.

The team’s .427 OBP – a 61-point increase from 2024’s mark – ranks third in the conference, while the Bruins’ 4.23 staff ERA – 1.27 runs better than last year – slots in at second.

Sunday will be the Bruins’ 26th home game of the 2025 campaign – matching the total number of contests played at Jackie Robinson Stadium throughout the entire 2024 season. It’ll be the eighth of UCLA’s current nine-game homestand, which ultimately concludes Tuesday against former conference rival Oregon State.

“Every time we get to play at home it’s a great time,” said junior outfielder Jarrod Hocking.

Coming off of his second consecutive Tuesday start, redshirt junior southpaw Ian May has settled into his new role as a midweek starter and weekend bullpen arm. Dubbed a “tone-setter” by Savage, the former Saturday starter tossed three perfect frames in Tuesday’s win, punching out four batters on 41 pitches thrown. May’s next appearance against the Huskies will be the fourth of his career.

“It’s exciting for us,” May said. “I played them a lot at Cal so it’s definitely an opponent that we’ve seen before.”

Victorious in their last five consecutive contests, the Huskies check in at No. 4 in the Big Ten. Slashing .326/.429/.500 this season across 86 at-bats, first baseman Casen Taggart leads a Washington offense that is third-to-last in the Big Ten in team OPS and tied for the most strikeouts in the conference.

Across a team-leading 37.1 innings pitched, Husky right-hander Jackson Thomas owns a 3.62 ERA this season, good enough for sixth best in the Big Ten, while Friday night starter right-hander Max Banks has a 1.80 ERA in conference play – a big contributor to Washington’s 3.86 ERA against Big Ten teams.

“They got really good players, are well coached,” Savage said. “We’re certainly going to have a challenge ahead of us, and really good opportunity for us to get back into conference (play).”

UCLA could also see Malakhi Knight man center field for Washington. Knight – the No. 26 player in his class according to Perfect Game – headlined the Bruins’ No. 1 recruiting class in 2021, but never quite lived up to expectations, slashing .260/.344/.341 across 91 games in his three-year UCLA career.

The Marysville, Washington, local returned to his home state for his senior campaign and is slashing .265/.368/.388 as an everyday player for the Huskies.

The series is set to get underway Friday at 6 p.m.

“It’s exciting for us to get that West Coast baseball back,” May said. “We’re ready to play good weekend baseball again.”