Landon Stump’s job was in jeopardy before Sunday.

Coach John Savage said on Feb. 22 that he needed better Sunday starts and that a change in the rotation was on the table after the junior right-hander failed to get through the third inning.

In Stump’s two starts following his coach’s comments, he allowed two runs in a 3.1-inning start and five runs while pitching just 2.1 frames.

But against the Wolverines, Stump’s 33rd collegiate start was arguably his best.

The junior’s five innings of one-hit ball earned him his first win in eight starts and secured No. 1 UCLA baseball’s (17-2, 6-0 Big Ten) sweep of Michigan (9-9, 0-3) at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins beat the Wolverines 10-5 Friday, 2-0 Saturday and 7-2 Sunday.

“We need him,” Savage said. “To his credit, he kind of found himself today. … He was 94 to 96 (mph), he wasn’t 90 to 93, 92. So he had a lot more conviction. … Mentally, he believes in himself and attacked hitters pretty good.”

Stump made it through five innings for the first time since May 17, and his seven strikeouts was just one short of his career high, which he set against Long Beach State in his freshman year.

“It felt good to get back on track today,” Stump said. “What helped me is a ton of prayer, a ton of talking to people, meeting with some people here and meeting with coaches back home. … Just tried to have fun today, and it was fun.”

Stump wasn’t the only Bruin starter to enjoy success.

The Bruins enjoyed a six-inning, two-run start from junior right-hander Logan Reddemann on Friday and five shutout innings from senior right-hander Michael Barnett, who, like Stump, surrendered just one hit.

Reddemann, in contrast to long-time Bruins Barnett and Stump, was an offseason addition and a rare non-graduate student transfer for Savage.

The coach said Friday he knew the team needed a front-of-the-line arm and went to meet Reddemann and see him pitch in the Cape Cod League last summer.

“I wish I would’ve had him more than one year,” Savage said. “But we’re trying to make it count. Clearly, we got the right guy.”

Reddemann said despite multiple programs expressing interest, growing up playing baseball in Southern California meant UCLA was the holy grail.

Though the offense scored 19 runs throughout the three-game series, 10 came in Friday’s first four innings and three came in Sunday’s seventh inning. The Bruins left 26 runners on base across the intervening 18 innings.

UCLA had just one run to show after loading the bases three separate times Sunday. Finally, on the fourth, junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky – who previously struck out looking with the bags full – plated two with his seventh-inning single.

While the junior was charged with an error Friday and two errors Saturday after having just a single ruled miscue through his first 16 games of the season, the shortstop’s bat didn’t miss a beat. Cholowsky went 7-for-11 with a home run – his 10th of the year – and five RBIs against Michigan.

Though the Bruins won Saturday by a slim margin, they entered the ninth inning up eight runs Friday and seven runs Sunday.

Yet, Savage brought in sophomore closer Easton Hawk to finish each contest.

Junior right-hander Jake Swenson and senior right-hander Jack O’Connor were charged with three runs while only recording a single out Friday. And freshman right-hander Elai Iwanaga was pulled after walking the leadoff man in the ninth Sunday.

Hawk shut the door both times, inducing a game-ending double play in the series opener before striking out two of the three he faced in the finale – not to mention the strikeout that earned him a five-pitch save Saturday.

“What really helps me is just trusting my team, my defense – knowing they have my back, and I have theirs,” Hawk said. “Trusting everything that’s going on, the calling and defense, and just going for it.”

An eye for an eye

Hawk emerged from the bullpen wearing glasses Friday but not Sunday.

Though a flame-throwing closer with glasses elicits the image of Ricky Vaughn from the “Major League” films, it’s a decision born out of necessity, Hawk said, with the right-hander struggling to see in low light.

Similarly, junior third baseman Roman Martin didn’t wear glasses on the field his freshman year but began wearing them for night games as a sophomore – copying the team’s closer, Hawk added – before wearing them full time as a junior.

“I noticed I couldn’t really see the ball as well at night, especially here (Jackie Robinson Stadium),” Martin said. “This past summer in Chatham (Cape Cod League’s Chatham Anglers), I used them everyday and … Now, they’re just my eyes.”

The cleanup hitter went 4-for-12 against the Wolverines and boasts a .968 OPS this season.

Martin has also stuck with Cholowsky’s freshman-year glove – from when the latter served as the Bruins’ everyday third baseman – for a second-straight season.

“It’s like old reliable, man,” Martin said. “I take care of her. I put the leather conditioner on it every day. So I mean, I’m trying to keep it in good form.”

Riding the wave

Many mainstays of UCLA’s pitching staff were thrown into the fire as freshmen to earn their stripes.

Stump has been the Sunday starter since earning the role in the middle of his freshman campaign. Hawk similarly landed the closing job last year and has yet to give it up.

Wylan Moss did everything from closing games to starting Friday nights last season. And the right-hander hasn’t slowed down as a sophomore – pitching 3.2 shutout innings and recording six strikeouts Saturday to lower his season ERA to 0.48 across 18.2 innings.

But Savage has remained conservative with his current crop of first-year arms, including midweek tandem and right-handers Angel Cervantes and Zach Strickland.

“Two years ago, we didn’t have that luxury (of not rushing them),” Savage said Tuesday. “These freshmen have a perfect situation. They’re in an ideal culture. … Strickland and Cervantes are weekend-type guys, but they may not be weekend guys until their sophomore year – maybe this year down the road.”

Savage asked Strickland to get two outs in the sixth Sunday, but after doing so on just six pitches, it likely won’t prevent him from pitching Tuesday when UCLA hosts Pepperdine (4-15).

The bout against the Waves comes during finals week of UCLA’s winter quarter. A year ago, Savage elected not to play a midweek affair to let his athletes prioritize being students but still lost three players to academic ineligibility, including then-Friday night starter Cody Delvecchio.

While Savage admitted he was on the fence about flipping his decision this season, he ultimately wanted to play as many games with the 2026 Bruins as possible.

“We’ve been on the road for the last two weeks,” Savage said. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we can do okay over the next week.”