Bruins Freshman Reliever Impresses in Season-Opening Win

UCLA freshman reliever Wylan Moss made quite the impression in his college debut, closing out Friday night's win over Cal Poly at home. He is going to be a key piece of the pitching staff to watch for as the season develops.

UCLA Bruins outfielder Carson Yates (18) celebrates after hitting a home run as Florida State Seminoles take on UCLA Bruins during the NCAA regional baseball tournament at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala., on Friday, June 3, 2022. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

The UCLA Bruins (1-0) opened up the season with a 3-2 win over the Cal Poly Mustangs at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday night. True freshman right-handed reliever Wylan Moss made quite the impression, earning a five-out save featuring five strikeouts to help the Bruins to their first win.

Moss entered the game in the eighth inning with the Bruins clutching to a one-run lead. In six batters faced, Moss struck out five while allowing just one hit. In his first collegiate appearance, Moss made quite the impression and will be a major asset for the team in late-game situations.

The Tustin, Calif. native was the 16th-ranked player in the state coming out of high school at Mater Dei and was the 40th-ranked pitcher in the country by Perfect Game. He was award by 10-grade which is given to player that is a "potential very high draft pick and/or elite level college prospect".

In his senior year of high school, Moss repped a 0.90 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 60 innings of work. He was named a two-time preseason All-American entering his first year of college baseball. There are few pitchers in the state that had more success than Moss.

At 6-3, 185 pounds, Moss provides a steep downward plane on his fastball while mixing in nasty off-speed to keep hitters off balance. He chose UCLA because it was "close to home and located in the best part of the country" and possesses "great program history, especially for pitchers," per UCLA Athletics.

UCLA has a fairly veteran pitching staff this year, specifically on the right side, possessing three seniors, five juniors, four sophomores, and four freshman right-handers. From what Moss displayed in his first outing, he will be thrust into an expanded role in his first collegiate season.

The Bruins will wrap up the three-game series with the Mustangs on Sunday afternoon and host the BYU Cougars next Tuesday. Moss will surely have more opportunities to throw over the next several days and continue to prove why he is one of the more dangerous pitchers in the conference.

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