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Friday, Feb. 12
Colorado State vs. #7/#7 UCLA - 10:15 a.m. PT
#7/#7 UCLA at RV/#24 Texas A&M - 1 p.m. PT
Saturday, Feb. 13
Wichita State vs. #7/#7 UCLA - 10:15 a.m. PT
#7/#7 UCLA at RV/#24 Texas A&M - 3:15 p.m. PT
Sunday, Feb. 14
Colorado State vs. #7/#7 UCLA - 8 a.m. PT
Live Video (UCLA-TAMU games only)
Live Audio (UCLA-TAMU games only)
Live Stats
Twitter Updates
#7 UCLA OPENS SEASON AT AGGIE CLASSIC
The seventh-ranked Bruins begin their 2016 season in College Station, Texas, taking part in this weekend's Aggie Classic at the Aggie Softball Complex. UCLA will play five times in three days, starting with a Friday doubleheader against Colorado State (10:15 a.m. PT) and #24 Texas A&M (1 p.m. PT). On Saturday, the Bruins face Wichita State at 10:15 a.m. PT and a rematch with the host Aggies at 3:15 p.m. PT. The weekend ends on Sunday with another contest versus Colorado State at 8 a.m. PT.
BRUINS ON THE NET
All five games this weekend will feature live stats on UCLABruins.com and Twitter updates on twitter.com/UCLASoftball. The two matchups between the Bruins and Texas A&M will have live audio and live video.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA came in seventh in both national rankings and second in the Pac-12 preseason poll. The conference poll saw the Bruins earn 51 points and one first-place vote. In the preseason national rankings, UCLA earned 625 points in the NFCA poll and 368 points in the USA Softball rankings. Seven of the nine Pac-12 teams are ranked in either or both of the polls.
BENNETT, SPAULDING ON PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Senior Allexis Bennett and junior Delaney Spaulding have been named to the 2016 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, as announced by ASA/USA Softball on Feb. 3.
In its 15th year, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, given by the National Governing Body for softball in the United States, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. Previous recipients of the award include former Bruin Stacey Nuveman, the winner of the inaugural accolade in 2002.
The pre-season Watch List includes 25 seniors, 15 juniors and 10 sophomores. Freshmen can be considered for the award once they have competed at the collegiate level. The Top 25 finalists for the award will be announced on April 13. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 finalists.
The Top 10 finalists will be announced on May 11 and the Top Three finalists will be announced on May 25. On May 31, prior to the start of the 2016 NCAA Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed.
Bennett, who was a Top 10 finalist for this award last year, was an NFCA First Team All-American, NFCA West All-Region First Team and All-Pac-12 First Team honoree a season ago, leading the Bruins and ranking fourth in the nation with a .492 batting average. She was also first with 27 multiple-hit games, 21 stolen bases and a .529 on base percentage, second with 61 runs scored and tied for third with two triples, adding six sacrifice hits, 12 doubles, 28 runs batted in and a .577 slugging. Bennett ranked first among Pac-12 players in average and hits (93), second in stolen bases, fourth in runs scored and fifth in on base percentage. She had hits in 55 of 63 games, including 30 of the last 33, and added a pair of 11-game hitting streaks.
Spaulding, who was named NFCA Second Team All-American, NFCA West All-Region First Team and All-Pac-12 First Team, led the Bruins with 72 runs batted in and tied for the team lead with 20 home runs, placing second with a .397 batting average. She was also first with an .852 slugging, 69 runs scored, 20 doubles, six sacrifice flies and 12 sacrifice hits. Spaulding was second with 19 multiple-RBI games, 37 walks and three triples and third with 20 multi-hit contests and seven stolen bases, adding a .487 on base percentage. She ranked tied for 12th in the nation in sacrifice flies, 13th in RBI, tied for 19th in homers, 20th in runs per game and 21st in slugging, and among Pac-12 players, was first in slugging, runs and total bases (161), third in doubles, tied for third in homers and fourth in RBI.
MILESTONE WIN AHEAD
Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez enters her 10th season just two victories away from 400 for her career. Inouye-Perez has a record of 398-128 (.757) through nine campaigns.
LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD
Coming off back-to-back, 50-win seasons for the first time since 2002-2003, the Bruins return 14 letterwinners, six starters and three pitchers from last year's team which went 51-12, placed second in the Pac-12 and advanced to the Women's College World Series. UCLA, which led all NCAA Tournament teams in home runs last postseason, was tops in the country in 2015 in batting average (.367), second in on base percentage (.467), tied for second in doubles (107), fourth in runs scored (7.92) and slugging (.608) and 11th in homers (89).
Two of the Bruins' four All-Americans from a year ago are back in 2016 in senior Allexis Bennett and junior Delaney Spaulding. Bennett, a Top 10 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, as well as NFCA First Team All-American, West All-Region First Team and All-Pac-12 First Team, led the Bruins and was fourth in the nation with a .492 batting average. She also ranked first on the team with 27 multiple-hit games, 21 stolen bases and a .529 on base percentage.
Spaulding, who was Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region and All-Pac-12, led the Bruins with 72 runs batted in, an .852 slugging, 69 runs scored, 20 doubles, six sacrifice flies and 12 sacrifice hits and tied for the team lead with 20 home runs, placing second with a .397 batting average.
Also back on offense are junior Gabrielle Maurice, an NFCA West All-Region and All-Pac-12 Second Team selection a year ago and sophomore Kylee Perez, who earned West All-Region Third Team and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades during her freshman campaign.
SCOUTING THE AGGIE CLASSIC FIELD
The Bruins have never lost to Colorado State in seven previous meetings. The last matchup came on Feb. 26, 2010 in Cathedral City, as UCLA eked out a 4-3 victory ... the Bruins have split the 20 meetings with Texas A&M. UCLA snapped a two-game losing streak to Texas A&M with a 13-0, five-inning win at Easton Stadium last Feb. 6. The Aggies came back a day later to defeat the Bruins by a score of 6-4. The Bruins won the only matchup between the two teams in College Station, a 2-1 triumph on April 10, 1981 ... the Bruins have won both matchups with Wichita State, which includes an 11-0, five-inning victory in Lakewood last Feb. 27.