Responding to adversity is a key characteristic of any great team.

But responding to success may be even more important.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (30-2, 15-0 Big Ten) will hit the road for a three-game weekend series against Rutgers (17-15, 5-7) beginning on Friday afternoon at Bainton Field in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Bruins are riding a program-high 24-game winning streak, breaking the previous record of 22 set in 2010.

“The team’s confidence has grown quite a bit,” said junior first baseman Mulivai Levu after defeating crosstown rival USC on April 5. “But we don’t really try to focus on the streaks we have. We’ve just got to keep it going.”

A mix of offensive production and consistency on the mound has defined the win streak. On the hitting end, Levu has sustained his upward trajectory each season since arriving in Westwood.

One of only two players to start in all 66 games last season, Levu finished second in the nation with 85 RBIs. His hitting approach has continued to develop this year, and his team-high 50 total hits is fifth in the Big Ten. Levu was named a Third Team Perfect Game All-American this season and earned himself a spot on the Golden Spikes Award Watch List.

“It feels like he (Levu) is sometimes swinging a paddle up there,” coach John Savage said after the win against USC on Sunday. “He’s got plenty of arm and moves so well in the batter’s box. I cannot say enough about him.”

That win – like the majority this season for UCLA – featured a deep lineup that mounted the pressure on the Trojans. Eight different Bruins recorded hits, including three each from Levu and fellow juniors shortstop Roch Cholowsky and left fielder Dean West.

And the pitching has been just as deep.

Savage has remained experimental with his midweek pitching rotations, giving freshman right-hander Angel Cervantes the start and following with a rotating group of relievers.

Cervantes pitched a season-high three innings in the Bruins’ win against Cal State Fullerton, but his outing came to an end after giving up five hits and three runs across that span.

Junior right-hander Jake Swenson took the mound for 1.1 frames against the Titans and made the most of his time, posting a swift three strikeouts. The Camas, Washington local attended Linfield University – a Division III university – for two years before arriving in Westwood and was named the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year last season.

And he is prepared for the upcoming trip to the East.

“We love competing on the road,” Swenson said after Tuesday night’s victory. “For us, it’s all about taking it over. Our goal each game on the road is to play better than them at their park, and we’ve really embraced that this year.”

Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights come into this weekend series sitting in the bottom half of the conference. Despite advancing to the Big Ten tournament championship game in 2022, coach Steve Owens’ squad has hovered around a .500 win percentage for the last few campaigns.

Center fielder Peyton Bonds leads the group with 49 hits on a .366 average, and catcher Trey Wells, along with middle infielder Yomar Carreras, support him on the offensive end.

Right-hander Zack Konstantinovsky has started on the mound on Fridays and Saturdays eight times this season, going 3-3 while posting a 5.60 ERA.

Yet despite the Bruins’ sustained success throughout their historic streak, Savage knows that the season is far from over.

“We’ve got a weekend series in the (Big Ten) ahead, and we’re only about halfway through conference play,” Savage said. “There’s a lot of baseball left to play.”