This post was updated April 16 at 11:58 p.m.

For the first time since February, the Bruins are looking to bounce back.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (33-3, 18-0 Big Ten) will face Minnesota (22-14, 5-10) in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The squad is coming off its first loss in nearly two months after suffering a 4-0 shutout to UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday that ended their program-high 27-game win streak – just seven games shy of the all-time Division I record.

The team has been otherwise dominant since its two early-season losses.

The Bruins’ most recent weekend series against Rutgers was a success fueled by consistency on the mound and offensive firepower that left the Scarlet Knights without an answer.

Junior right-hander Logan Reddemann led the way in the series opener with a season-high 18 strikeouts, giving up just two hits in the eight innings he pitched. Named to the All-WCC First Team twice during his time at San Diego, Reddemann has posted an ERA of 2.85 and gone 7-0 so far in his first season donning blue and gold.

“It’s been a long trial-and-error process since my freshman year to see what works and gets me clicking in the most efficient way,” Reddemann said after completing the sweep of Rutgers on April 12. “My body felt really good – I definitely felt that rhythm more, and I was able to feed off my teammates too.”

On the other end of the ball, the Bruins tallied double-digit hits in all three games against the Scarlet Knights, with at least seven players hearing the crack of the bat in each matchup.

Junior catcher Cashel Dugger recorded a season-high three hits in the final game of the series, blasting a single to right field in the top of the fourth inning to fuel a four-run frame and set up a 5-0 lead for the Bruins en route to a 9-2 victory.

UCLA currently leads the Big Ten with 302 total RBIs this season, being the only team in the conference to surpass 300. The squad ranks second with 384 total hits, trailing only Nebraska.

Yet coach John Savage saw glimpses of complacency in his team throughout its historic win streak, which may have contributed to its end Tuesday night.

“It looked like we were playing expecting to win,” Savage said after a five-run victory over Maryland on March 21. “Our pitching got us out of massive problems, but we didn’t really have quality at-bats in the last few innings.”

And, just as Savage pointed out, the Bruin offense went completely stagnant against the Gauchos.

The squad tallied just one hit through the opening five frames – a first-inning single by junior left fielder Dean West. UCLA did not record another hit until the sixth, by which point UC Santa Barbara had already taken a 2-0 lead.

No amount of good pitching could get the Bruins out of the hole they dug themselves into with a string of poor at-bats. By the end of the game, which was the Bruins’ first shutout loss since a May 2025 matchup against Nebraska, nine runners had been left on base.

Despite the loss, West is focused on remaining consistent with his effort.

“I try to keep it simple and always stick to my approach,” the junior said after the loss. “I know what I’m going to get, and then I just have to execute.”

The Bruins now have the chance to earn redemption in the series against the Golden Gophers, continuing Jackie Robinson Week to honor the legacy of the baseball and civil rights legend.

Minnesota is fresh off a dominant 24-2 run-rule victory over St. Thomas that featured two innings with at least eight runs scored. Shortstop Jack Spanier, who contributed two hits, currently leads the team with 46 total on a .341 batting average.

“If you lose a streak, you want to lose it out of conference,” Savage said after the loss to the Gauchos. “We’re 18-0 in the league, and now we can learn from this and get back to it this weekend.”