The Bruins have proven they can come back all season.

In conference tournament pool play alone, UCLA was down two runs to Illinois on Tuesday and a run to Michigan on Wednesday before winning both games.

But in Saturday’s Big Ten tournament semifinal, No. 2 seed UCLA baseball (42-15, 22-8 Big Ten) cut the dramatics, improving to 22-1 when scoring first with a 9-3 rout of No. 3 seed Iowa (33-22-1, 21-9) at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. With the Bruins defeating the Hawkeyes in the programs’ first-ever meeting, UCLA advances to Sunday’s Big Ten tournament championship.

“It was a complete win,” said coach John Savage. “Even though we didn’t get a lot early, we kept on continuing our mindset. … It was a late-May type of game if you want to keep playing in this thing.”

Sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky set the table with his first-ever bunt double in the bottom of the third, putting runners on second and third with nobody out after pushing a ball against the shift to extend his hitting streak to 21 games.

“First one of my life,” Cholowsky said. “Perfect time to do it during the pull shift, expected I was getting a heater after seeing seven sliders last at-bat. … Just waiting for the right opportunity.”

Sophomores first baseman Mulivai Levu and third baseman Roman Martin drove home Cholowsky and sophomore left fielder Dean West before the Bruins added five more in the fourth – largely thanks to the Big Ten’s Player of the Year.

Cholowsky homered for a third straight game Saturday, sending a three-run shot to left center. With his 23rd long ball of the season, the sophomore cracks the program’s top 10 for most homers in a single season, one shy of Torey Lovullo.

Cholowsky finished Saturday 3-for-5 with four RBIs, but the Bruin offense was far from a one-man machine. West went 3-for-4 with a walk, and three other Bruins collected multiple hits, including redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan, who went 2-for-2 with two walks.

“He (West) is just a big tone setter,” said Cholowsky, who bats directly after the left fielder. “He doesn’t strike out very much, works a lot of counts, … just puts the ball in play hard and makes stuff happen.”

Not to be outdone by the offense, UCLA’s pitching staff kept Iowa’s bats at bay.

Michael Barnett proved capable in his first career postseason start, securing the win after throwing 100 pitches or more for the first time this season. The junior right-hander tossed five innings of two-run ball, striking out four and walking a pair, with his only blemish being a two-run homer by Iowa outfielder Andy Nelson.

“I knew the top of their lineup was very strong, so I prioritized getting them out, working my way through the order,” Barnett said.

But that spark in the Hawkeyes’ offense would not ignite a comeback, as Savage summoned four pitchers from his bullpen – including setup man junior right-hander Jack O’Connor and closer freshman right-hander Easton Hawk – for four innings of one-run ball.

No more sharing

UCLA, which won a share of the Big Ten regular season crown alongside Oregon, will play No. 8 seed Nebraska (31-27, 15-15) in the conference tournament championship game Sunday.

“Obviously this tournament is a big deal to us, and we want to keep on playing well going into the regionals,” Savage said.

Nebraska, which won the Big Ten tournament in 2024, swept its incidental double-header, upsetting No. 1 seed Oregon 7-3 after their Friday pool game was postponed to Saturday morning because of weather and defeating No. 9 seed Penn State 6-3 later that evening in its semifinal matchup.

The Bruins swept the Cornhuskers in a three-game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium in March, but sophomore right-hander Landon Stump – who will get the start Sunday – struggled, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in just four innings of work.

Still, with the top-seeded Ducks out of the picture, the conference crown – plus an automatic NCAA tournament berth and an all-but-guaranteed bid to host a regional – seems to be the Bruins’ to lose.

First pitch is slated for noon.