Big Ten Network
UCLA baseball star Will Gasparino was ejected from the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game on Sunday vs. rival Oregon. He will not be allowed to play in the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament opener.
The outfielder was tossed for “malicious contact” while running the bases in the fourth inning. He has a history of involvement in ugly collisions.
His antics will cost him 1.5 games of postseason action. Gasparino has not yet learned from past mistakes.
Who is Will Gasparino?
The Los Angeles native is back home after spending his first two college seasons at the University of Texas. With the Longhorns, he hit .247 with 25 homers. He’s now skyrocketing up MLB Draft boards as a junior.
The centerfielder is playing his best ball with the Bruins following his recent transfer. He’s recorded career-highs in average (.313), homers (19), and RBIs (62) through 55 games. He’s also cut down on strikeouts while making more consistent contact.
Gasparino is a right-handed hitter with power to all fields. MLB.com currently ranks him as a Top 100 prospect. He may very well end up a first-round pick this summer.
His on-field abilities are evident. His propensity to create hostile situations out of frustration is an issue.
The outfielder was ejected from UCLA’s last baseball game.
The Bruins faced Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament Championship. They’d win the league crown with a 3-2 extra inning walk-off.
Unfortunately, Will Gasparino watched the dramatics from the clubhouse. He was ejected in the fourth frame following a violent collision.
After getting caught in a pickle down the third base line, Gasparino lowered his shoulder into a defender while being tagged out. Both players fell to the ground. The Ducks challenged the play to review for unnecessary contact.
Umpires deemed the collision malicious, ending Gasparino’s day early. He will also be barred from playing in UCLA’s first NCAA Tournament matchup.
The Bruins will host a Regional in Los Angeles. They will be without one of their top hitters for Game 1.
The play mirrored one seen from Gasparino’s freshman year at Texas. In that instance, he was thrown out while trying to beat out a groundball to first base.
Wow
Could have never seen this coming
🙄 pic.twitter.com/unPKwpyVro https://t.co/1R1Fd3opAH
— Tim England (@tengland_150) May 24, 2026
That collision would later lead to another ejection situation the following year during a game between Texas and Texas A&M. Gasparino was involved in a verbal altercation that got an opponent kicked out the contest.
In both incidents, one could argue that contact was unavoidable. The defenders were in the base line. Still, both scenarios were escalated with unnecessary contact.
Will Gasparino was not shown grace for his latest run-in. He will be on the bench when the Bruins begin the NCAA Tournament.