No. 1 UCLA baseball (48-6, 28-2 Big Ten) became the first team to ever spend every week of the regular season at the very top of the top 25. But even the Bruins aren’t perfect, and if something is to go wrong – whether it be the Big Ten Tournament this week in Omaha or the NCAA tournament soon after – Daily Bruin Sports senior staff Kai Dizon shares five possible culprits.

Big Ten but big competition?

You know what’s not No. 1 about the Bruins?

Their regular season schedule.

Warren Nolan has UCLA’s strength of schedule ranked No. 34 in the nation.

D1Baseball has the Bruins’ schedule ranked No. 36.

Save for Nebraska – which UCLA didn’t play – the Big Ten has been run by its former Pac-12 programs.

There’s no doubting UCLA is a good team.

UCLA is more than capable of winning the Big Ten Tournament and walking into the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

And yes, UCLA swept the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas, against then-No. 20 Tennessee, then-No. 23 Texas A&M and then-No. 4 Mississippi State – but that was in late February.

UCLA didn’t lose two games in a row all season.

But the Bruins may have also avoided any big tests these past couple months.

And now, they approach a point where losing two games ends their season.

Starting rotation

Logan Reddemann had been stellar – a 2.87 ERA and 0.972 WHIP over 59.2 innings pitched. But it will have been five weeks since his last start come Friday.

The junior right-hander is expected to be available out of the bullpen this weekend, the California Post reported Wednesday, but the Bruins desperately need an ace. Preferably, one who’s moved past a bout of arm fatigue.

Michael Barnett, the Bruins’ only four-year starting pitcher, has averaged just 4.3 innings pitched per start this year and put up a 4.03 ERA to go along with a career-worst 1.89 K/BB and career-worst 1.34 HR/9.

Landon Stump seems to have been moved out of the rotation after failing to make it through at least five innings in his four previous starts before making a relief appearance Friday.

And Angel Cervantes – the highly touted 2025 MLB Draft second-rounder – made his first weekend start Saturday, walking four and allowing a run over three innings.

The freshman right-hander is also just one of 25 pitchers with a K/9 worse than Stump’s in at least 30 innings pitched.

Redshirt senior Ian May has 32 starts under his belt, and has a 2.27 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 1.77 B/9 – all career bests if you exclude a 2023 season where May made just three starts before injury ended his season – but he’s also one of just two southpaws coach John Savage regularly turns to.

If May moves back to a starter’s role, redshirt junior Chris Grothues would be the Bruins’ primary left-hander – and he has a 6.08 ERA and 5.4 BB/9.

The only other Bruin southpaw with any experience this season is freshman Mack Edwards – who’s tossed an inning over two appearances.

If you rule out May, the only other Bruin with collegiate starting experience is freshman right-hander Zach Strickland – who’s been impressive with a 2.91 ERA.

But this is the end of May and nearly June.

The margin of error is quickly falling to zero.

The feathers of a hawk and leaves of moss

I failed to mention the right-hander who’s picked up Reddemann in his absence – right-handed sophomore Wylan Moss.

But after a career-high seven innings pitched on May 8, Moss allowed four runs in 4.1 innings pitched on May 14.

Moss certainly has more in the tank this year than he did last, having pitched most of the year out of the bullpen and adding a year of collegiate experience to his belt – but we’re nearing the part of the year where the Moss mobile lost steam.

Sophomore right-hander Easton Hawk has been as good as a closer can get: 1.62 ERA, 14 saves.

But just how many times can Savage pull the fire alarm and call his flamethrowing right-hander before he’s simply out of gas?

Rise in the East and sets in the… Where’s West?

Dean West got pulled from Thursday’s game after flying out to end the top of the seventh and didn’t reappear for the rest of the series.

The junior left fielder has been the Bruins’ leadoff man for his entire collegiate career, barring his health, and is slashing .280/.422/.408 this season. Last season, his numbers were even higher, putting up a slash line of .320/.470/.425.

Friday, redshirt junior right fielder Payton Brennan took the leadoff spot and went 0-for-5.

Saturday, the Bruins’ gave freshman second baseman Aidan Aguayo a go and he went 0-for-4.

West’s injury may be insignificant, and he’s back and will be playing in Omaha, come Friday. But if it’s more than that, UCLA may be out its only true leadoff hitter.

The next prototypical option the Bruins have seems to be freshman outfielder Trey Gudoy. But while Gudoy has put together a .443 on-base percentage, he’s only had 71 plate appearances – and the conference and NCAA tournaments aren’t exactly the best places for a team with national title-aspirations to get its freshmen playing time.

Gaspari-no, don’t Roch the boat

Junior center fielder Will Gasparino finished the season slashing .305/.405/.645 with 19 homers – not bad.

But over his past 35 games, he hit .248.

Over his last 14, his slashline dropped to .164/.246/.364 and he’s struck out 32.8% of the time.

It’s hard to criticize junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky – .330/.465/.684 slash line, 21 homers and a never-ending highlight reel on defense.

But if there was ever a weakness to the probable No. 1 overall pick’s game, it was his performance in last year’s NCAA tournament – nine games, 39 plate appearances, nine hits and none for extra bases.

Come crunch time, the Bruins are going to need the player they’ve lived and died with the past three seasons.