Aztecs Prep for Tuesday Night Challenge at No. 1 UCLA

SAN DIEGO – In another highly anticipated game of the early season, San Diego State will travel up the freeway on Tuesday, Feb. 24 to face No. 1 UCLA, starting at 5 p.m. PT.

The Aztecs-Bruins clash from Jackie Robinson Stadium will air live via subscription basis on Big Ten Network+, with a link available on GoAztecs.com.

SDSU (4-3) dropped the two final games of the Tony Gwynn Legacy this past weekend, falling to Utah (7-0) and San Diego (15-4) after opening with a 3-0 whitewash of Brigham Young.

Against the Cougars, the Aztecs received stellar pitching performances from Rohan Lettow and Aidan Russell, who combined on a three-hitter, while Jake Jackson drove in all three runs with a fourth-inning double.

Lettow earned his first collegiate victory after posting a career-high 10 strikeouts for the second straight start, while Russell notched his second save in a Scarlet and Black uniform.

For his efforts, Lettow was named Mountain West Pitcher of the Week on Monday, giving SDSU three weekly conference award winners this season after Carson Johnson (pitcher) and Max Farrell (freshman) were recognized on Feb. 16.

Tuesday’s contest will mark the Aztecs’ first encounter with a ranked opponent since early in the 2025 campaign when SDSU dropped a 7-5 decision to then-No. 21 UC Santa Barbara in its third game of the Tony Gwynn Legacy.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Alec Belardes, RHP (SDSU, 0-1) vs. Angel Cervantes, RHP (UCLA, 0-0)

Both hurlers will be making their second starts of the season on Tuesday.

A redshirt sophomore from Arizona State, Belardes struck out a career-high eight batters in his first collegiate start at UC Irvine on Feb. 18 but was stuck with the hard-luck loss after allowing four runs on six hits and one walk in five innings of a 5-2 Aztec defeat.

A standout at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, California, Belardes compiled a 15-4 record during his prep career, posting a 2.27 ERA with 139 strikeouts against 63 walks in 132 2/3 innings, according to MaxPreps.

Meanwhile, Cervantes earned his first career start against Tulane on Feb. 17, surrendering four runs on five hits and one walk in 2 1/3 innings but did not factor in the decision, as the Bruins surged past the Green Wave, 13-5.

The UCLA freshman made his first collegiate appearance three days earlier in a relief role against UC San Diego, yielding one run on two hits and two walks in one inning of work.

Cervantes graduated in 2025 from Warren High School in Downey, California, where he garnered all-CIF Southern Section accolades as a sophomore and junior.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UCLA
The Bruins lead the all-time series 49-33-2 dating back to 1948.

The teams have not met since the 2017 campaign when the Aztecs rallied for a pair of exciting victories. Alan Trejo doubled home two runs in the bottom of the sixth to provide the winning margin in a 5-4 triumph at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, California.

The Scarlet and Black also claimed an 8-6 decision later that same season at Jackie Robinson Stadium, as SDSU overcame a 6-5 deficit with a pair of home runs in the ninth inning, a solo shot by Chase Calabuig and a two-run blast by Andrew Martinez.

UCLA is one of three Big Ten teams the Aztecs will face in 2026. Following Tuesday’s clash, SDSU will travel to the Evergreen State for a four-game series at Washington, Feb. 27-March 2. In addition, the Aztecs will return to Los Angeles for a midweek encounter with USC on March 17.

AZTEC NOTES
Entering the week, San Diego State ranks fourth in the Mountain West with a .254 team batting average and nine stolen bases while occupying the fifth spot in RBIs (36) and runs scored (39).

On the mound, Aztec pitchers are slotted second in the conference with 91 strikeouts and rank third with a .235 opponent batting average while occupying the sixth position in ERA (6.10).

In addition, SDSU hurlers recorded double-digit strikeouts in the first six games of the season before their streak was snapped against San Diego on Sunday when the staff combined for nine punchouts.

Previously, Aztec pitchers enjoyed a dominating performance with a combined 46 strikeouts in their season-opening series against LIU, marking the team’s highest total for a three-game set since posting 47 in a sweep of San Francisco in 2019.

Since 2019, SDSU is 82-68 in their last 150 games when striking out 10 or more batters.

At the plate, shortstop Jabin Trosky leads the Aztecs with 12 hits, which is tied for second in the conference as of Feb. 23, while his team-high four doubles is tied for third in the league. Additionally, the SDSU junior tops the squad among qualifiers with a .429 batting average, which is slotted fifth in the MW.

Trosky has also hit safely in all seven games this year and leads the Aztecs with multiple hits on four occasions, including three in SDSU’s season-opening victory over LIU on Feb. 13.

Second baseman Dawson Santana and outfielder Adam Magpoc share the team lead with two or more RBIs in two contests.

Despite missing two games, Magpoc is tied for eighth in the MW with a team-best eight  RBIs, including four in the season opener vs. LIU.

The Aztecs are 183-75 over the last eight seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

Legendary San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg was formally inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in a special ceremony on Feb. 12 in Overland Park, Kansas.

Strasburg returned to the Aztec program last fall when he was named the team’s special assistant to head coach Kevin Vance.

UCLA AT GLANCE
The Bruins, who maintained a No. 1 ranking by Baseball America and D1Baseball.com this week, will wrap up their season-opening eight-game homestand on Tuesday vs. the Aztecs.

UCLA (6-1) is coming off a sweep of No. 7 TCU this past weekend when it outscored the Horned Frogs 30-8 in a three-game series.

Outfielder Will Gasparino garnered Big Ten Player of the Week accolades after hitting .538 (7-for-13) with five home runs, 13 RBIs and seven runs scored vs. TCU. With his performance, Gasparino and teammate Roch Cholowsky are tied for the national lead with six homers apiece.

Not to be outdone, Wylan Moss received Big Ten Pitcher of the Week recognition after fanning 10 hitters in four innings of relief in the Bruins’ 5-1 triumph over the Horned Frogs on Saturday, earning his first save of the season.

First baseman Mulivai Levu leads UCLA with a .467 batting average and 14 hits, adding one home run, 10 RBIs and five runs scored.

As a staff, Bruin pitchers rank fourth in the Big Ten in opponent batting average (.222), fifth in strikeouts (66) and sixth in ERA (3.92).

Offensively, UCLA leads the conference with 17 home runs and a .607 slugging percentage and is slotted third in both RBIs (62) and runs scored (65) while occupying the fifth position in batting average (.316).

Cholowsky was a prep teammate of Aztec pitchers Rohan Lettow and Carson Johnson at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, helping the Huskies capture the 2023 Arizona Interscholastic Association Class 6A state championship.

UP NEXT
Following Tuesday's clash, San Diego State will head to the Pacific Northwest for a four-game series against the Washington Huskies, Feb. 27-March 2.