Report: UCLA pitcher Cody Delvecchio academically eligible for College World Series

The UCLA Bruins just received some good news ahead of the College World Series. According to a new report, pitcher Cody Delvecchio is now academically eligible to compete in Omaha.

A right-handed pitcher, Delvecchio made seven starts this season for the Bruins. Now, he’s going to be available for the College World Series roster. In his junior season, he has pitched 33 innings, has a 6.82 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and 12 walks allowed.

Coming out of high school at Mission Hills in San Marcos, California, he was a four-year varsity letter winner. Perfect Game rated him as the 500th-best prospect overall and the 206th-ranked right-handed pitcher. On top of that, in the state of California, he was the 72nd-ranked player overall and the 27th-ranked right-handed pitcher. He’s spent all three seasons of his career with the Bruins.

Along with his time at UCLA, Delvecchio has pitched in multiple summer leagues. That includes the West Coast League and the famed Cape Cod Summer League. In 8.2 innings playing in the CCSL, he had a 4.15 ERA and five strikeouts.

An All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2023, Delvecchio hasn’t pitched in a game for UCLA since March 28th against Purdue. In the time since then, he’s been working on an academic-eligibility issue. However, the exact nature of that issue isn’t clear.

For UCLA, getting Delvecchio back is a major boost. That’s partly because of the pitcher he’s capable of being on the mound when he’s at his best. It’s also because of the depth he is going to bring to the pitching staff. The College World Series is often won by the teams that have the most pitchers capable of performing at a high level, given the unique schedule they face in Omaha.

College World Series games are set to begin on Friday, June 13th, but UCLA won’t start until Saturday, June 14th. Assuming they keep winning, the Bruins play a game every other day through Wednesday. There’s then the potential for a game on Thursday. After that comes the finals, which start on Saturday, June 21st. Those take place over back-to-back-to-back days for a three-game series. So, in just 10 days, UCLA could be looking at playing seven games. Pitching depth is a necessity.

To get here, UCLA has been a powerhouse throughout the season, winning the Big Ten in the regular season. The Bruins would then host the Regional and Super Regional, cruising through both without losing a single game so far in the postseason. The Bruins will hope to keep that up on Saturday against Murray State.