Key Pitching Staff Member Unavailable for UCLA's Baseball Regional
UCLA junior pitcher Logan Reddemann emerged as the ace of the Bruins' starting rotation this spring, dominating opponents as the team's go-to Friday night starter and winning every outing with a decision.
His season was so good that he had risen into first-round projections in recent MLB mock drafts for 2026, but he hasn't pitched in over a month due to arm soreness, and the Bruins will now be without his services as they host the Los Angeles Regional in the NCAA Tournament this weekend.
"Logan looks like he's still a week away," head coach John Savage told the media during a press conference on Thursday. "Looks like he'll get one more bullpen and a live session, if we can get to the Super Regional. But he will not be available this weekend."
It's a crucial blow for the Bruins, although not unexpected. A similar decision was made during last week's Big Ten Tournament, which UCLA went on to win without its ace. There was some hope he would pitch out of the bullpen earlier in the week, but he's simply not ready, according to Savage.
What It Means for UCLA
UCLA will now play the first weekend of the tournament with the same rotation it had been using to end the season, with former All-Big Ten reliever Wylan Moss taking the mound to start on Friday afternoon against Saint Mary's. Moss has been lights out all season, and even though only five of his 16 appearances have been starts, Savage has seen enough to keep faith in him with the pressure mounting.
"He's done a good job," Savage remarked. "He's got very, very good numbers -- strikeouts, walks, hits, WHIP, the whole operation -- but we need him to step up this weekend."
Replacing a guy like Logan Reddemann, with his 2.87 ERA, 8-0 record, and a team-high 84 strikeouts is no easy task. But if anyone can, it's Wylan Moss. The sophomore has the closest numbers to Reddeman's and actually has a better ERA and opposing batting average on the year. He also made nine good starts a year ago.
Anatomy of a Rotation Change
The decision to move Moss into the Friday night role came down to logistics. Michael Barnett had been pitching Saturdays, with Landon Stump taking the hill on Sundays and freshman Angel Cervantes getting the call for midweek games. Not wanting to mess with the schedules of each starter, Savage simply put Moss right into the open hole.
"He piggy-backed Michael [Barnett] all year on Saturdays, and Moss is a legitimate starter," Savage said. "... We have several guys, certainly young guys, that can be starting pitchers. I just didn't want to rock the boat with Barnett on Saturday, Stump on Sunday, and Angel on Tuesday. I wanted to keep that intact, so we just moved Moss into the Friday night starter role."
As the postseason continues, each guy's role seems to have been altered, but the plan for the Tournament's first weekend is pretty solidified. Stump will remain in the bullpen after finishing the regular season there, with Barnett making his regularly scheduled Saturday start, and Cervantes stepping up on Sunday.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as Key Pitching Staff Member Unavailable for UCLA's Baseball Regional.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 8:00 AM.