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Saturday, March 19
#14/#17 UCLA at California
3:30 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles and Bay Area
Sunday, March 20
#14/#17 UCLA at California
3 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks National, Los Angeles and Bay Area
Monday, March 21
#14/#17 UCLA at California
4 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks National, Los Angeles and Bay Area
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA remained at 14th in this week's USA Today/NFCA poll for the second straight week, but dropped one spot to 17th in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings. The Bruins were ranked second in the Pac-12 preseason poll.
NEWS AND NOTES
Sophomore Gabrielle Maurice hit her first homer of the season on March 13 against Princeton, a two-run shot. She leads the team with eight hit by pitches and has been plunked 28 times in her career, which is sixth in school history ... sophomore Kylee Perez opened the year on a 14-game hitting streak and has just kept on hitting, ranking second on the team with a .434 batting average and nine multiple-hit games. Perez had six hits in 14 at-bats last weekend, including a three-hit contest against Iowa State and a two-hit game versus Princeton. She is also third on the team with four steals ... senior Mysha Sataraka has reached base in 23 of 25 games this season, including 18 in a row from Feb. 12-March 5. She is tops on the squad with seven multiple-RBI games, driving in three against Princeton on a two-run double and a sacrifice fly. Later in that game, she recorded the first triple of her career ... sophomore Johanna Grauer leads the Bruins with nine victories, producing three in each of the last two weekends. Last weekend in Lakewood, she limited the competition to two earned runs and eight hits over 14 innings in three victories. She has lowered her ERA from 6.21 on Feb. 27 to 3.89 entering Pac-12 play ... sophomore Selina Ta'amilo leads the Bruins with 75 strikeouts and has produced nine outings with at least five strikeouts this season. Her career high came on Feb. 19 against UCF when she fanned 10. She has a 1.55 ERA in her last five appearances ... freshman Paige Halstead has four double-figure hit contests in her last seven games, including the first three-hit performance of her career against Princeton. She has played four different positions this season, catcher, first base, right field and designated player ... freshman Brianna Tautalafua made her season debut (right knee) against Utah Valley on March 12 and recorded an RBI single in her first career at-bat. She would reach base in all four plate appearances vs. UVU thanks to three walks, and also hit her first collegiate homer, a two-run shot, later that afternoon against Iowa State ... freshman Zoe Shaw has hits in six straight games to raise her batting average from .173 to .258. She posted a pair of two-hit games on March 13 and also threw out a runner at home from right field against Iowa State ... senior Allexis Bennett leads the Bruins with 12 multiple-hit games, having posted seven two-hit contests, three three-hit affairs and a pair of games with four hits. She has reached base in 24 of 25 games and has hits in 20, including a 12-game hitting streak from Feb. 12-26 ... redshirt junior Paige McDuffee (left leg) made her season debut on March 12 against Iowa State, tossing three shutout innings and giving up just one hit along with three walks ... sophomore Madeline Jelenicki recorded the first two-homer game of her career against Utah Valley on March 12 and set a new personal best with five RBI. She hit four homers last weekend in Lakewood, leaving the yard with solo shots in both ends of the March 13 doubleheader against Princeton and Long Beach State. Like Halstead, Jelenicki has played four spots (C, 1B, RF, DP) ... junior Delaney Spaulding has 11 hits in her last 18 at-bats (.611) with three homers and 13 RBI, producing a great weekend in Lakewood to earn her Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. She hit her second grand slam of the season against Princeton, going 3-for-3, while a day earlier, Spaulding tied a career high with five RBI thanks to another game with a homer. She has a current streak of 10 straight games reaching base and six in a row with a hit.
BRUINS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
The Bruins enter this week's action ranked first in the nation in double plays turned with 17, and are also in the Top 50 in eight other categories, including tied for 17th in triples (7), 18th in on base percentage (.433), 23rd in batting average (.335) and 24th in slugging (.516). Individually, senior Mysha Sataraka is tied for first in the country with four sacrifice flies, second in walks (27) and 17th in on base percentage (.580). Senior Allexis Bennett is tied for sixth with 32 runs scored and 24th with a .481 batting average, while sophomore Madeline Jelenicki is tied for seventh with three sacrifice flies. Junior Gabrielle Maurice comes in at tied for 13th with eight by pitches, sophomore Kylee Perez is tied for 20th with six sacrifice hits and junior Delaney Spaulding is tied for 25th in runs batted in (29). A full list of the Bruins in the NCAA rankings can be found on page one of this release.
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
The Bruins are first among Pac-12 teams in triples (7), second in hit by pitches (18) and sacrifice hits (15), tied for second in walks (99) and sacrifice flies (9), third in fielding percentage (.972) and fourth in on base percentage (.433). Individually, five Bruins are either first or tied for first atop the Pac-12 rankings. Senior Mysha Sataraka leads the league in walks (27) and sacrifice flies (4) and is also second in on base percentage (.580). Senior Allexis Bennett is tops with 39 hits, to go with second in runs scored (32) and tied for third in walks (15). Junior Gabrielle Maurice is first in hit by pitches (8), sophomore Kylee Perez is tops with six sacrifice hits and sophomore Madeline Jelenicki is tied for first with two triples. A full list of the Bruins in the Pac-12 rankings can be found on page four of this release.
DELANEY SPAULDING NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Delaney Spaulding was named Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week for the second time in her career on Monday after posting a great offensive showing at last weekend's Long Beach State Louisville Slugger Invitational.
Spaulding was 9-for-16 (.563) with 11 runs batted in, three home runs, seven runs scored and two stolen bases in four Bruin victories. She opened the weekend on Saturday versus Utah Valley by tying career highs with five RBI and three hits. The junior recorded a two-run double in the second inning, a two-run homer in the third and an RBI single in the fourth. Later that afternoon against Iowa State, Spaulding picked up two more hits on a first-inning single and an RBI single in the sixth.
The junior homered in both ends of Sunday's doubleheader. She reached in all four plate appearances against Princeton, singling and scoring in the first, walking and stealing a base in the second, singling and swiping a bag in the third and belting her second grand slam of the season in the fourth. Spaulding's lone hit in the weekend finale versus Long Beach State proved to be the game-winning run, a solo homer in the fifth inning.
Spaulding currently leads the team with 29 RBI and is tied for first with five home runs and fourth with a .355 batting average. She is also tied for first with six doubles, second with 21 runs scored and five stolen bases and third with a .632 slugging and 11 walks.
It is Spaulding's second career POW award after receiving the honor last March 9. The accolade is the 76th Pac-10/12 Player of the Week award for UCLA and the second this season after sophomore Kylee Perez picked up the nod on Feb. 23.
KYLEE PEREZ NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Kylee Perez was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Feb. 23 after her outstanding offensive display at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic I.
Perez had hits in all five games in Cathedral City, going 11-for-16 (.688) with seven runs batted in, five runs scored, two home runs, two walks and a stolen base. She had multiple hits in four of the five contests and at least three RBI in two games.
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.
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 MATCHUP: UCLA VS. CALIFORNIA
The Bruins lead the all-time series with Cal, 86-29, and have won six in a row after three-game sweeps in 2014 (Berkeley) and 2015 (Easton Stadium). The Golden Bears had won seven in a row (2010-2012) before the Bruins' current stretch of 8-1 in the last nine meetings. UCLA is 30-19 all-time in Berkeley. Last season in Westwood, the Bruins claimed 8-0 (5 innings), 5-3 and 8-5 victories. Kylee Perez, who is from nearby Danville, and Allexis Bennett each went 4-for-8 (.500) last year, while Delaney Spaulding hit a pair of home runs.