UCLA Softball Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Friday, April 1
#16/#18 UCLA at #4/#5 Oregon
6 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network Los Angeles and Oregon
Saturday, April 2
#16/#18 UCLA at #4/#5 Oregon
7:30 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
Sunday, April 3
#16/#18 UCLA at #4/#5 Oregon
2 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network Los Angeles and Oregon
#16 UCLA HEADS TO EUGENE FOR SERIES AT #4 OREGON
The 16th-ranked Bruins travel to Eugene for a three-game weekend series at fourth-ranked Oregon. The series starts on Friday at 6 p.m., continues on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and wraps up on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Friday and Sunday contests will air on Pac-12 Network Los Angeles and Oregon, while the Saturday affair will be televised on ESPNU. All three games will also feature live stats on UCLABruins.com and Twitter updates @UCLASoftball.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA dropped two spots in both national polls, falling to 16th in this week's USA Today/NFCA poll and to 18th in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings. The Bruins were ranked second in the Pac-12 preseason poll.
TEAM NOTES
UCLA came back from a three-run deficit (4-1) at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, tying for its biggest comeback of the season. The Bruins trailed 3-0 in the season opener against Colorado State on Feb. 12 before coming back to post a 6-5 win ... a total of 19 of UCLA's 20 wins have come when it scores at least three runs ... the Bruins' tie against California on March 21 was just the fifth in school history, the first-ever draw in a conference contest for UCLA and the first tie since Feb. 18, 2000 versus Michigan ... the Bruins are 11-0 this season when leading after both five and six innings ... UCLA is 14-2 when hitting at least one home run ... the Bruins are 12-2 when not committing an error ... UCLA is 14-2 when out-hitting its opponent.
PLAYER NOTES
Junior Gabrielle Maurice has reached base in five straight games, collecting hits in four of them. In the other contest, the junior was hit by a pitch, something she has been used to in her career. Maurice is sixth in school history in hit by pitches with 30 ... sophomore Kylee Perez has hits in 11 of her last 14 games, producing four multi-hit contests during that span. Two of those have come in her last three games. On Tuesday, Perez laid down two bunt hits, including one in the seventh, as she came around to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch ... senior Mysha Sataraka leads the nation with 34 walks, which is already eight more free passes than she had all of last season. Her 119 walks are sixth in school history. She has also matched her home run total of a year ago with seven ... sophomore Johanna Grauer tossed six innings of relief against #10 Washington on March 26 to record her 10th victory of the season. Her 10 wins match last year's total, while her 49 strikeouts are two off her freshman campaign ... sophomore Selina Ta'amilo was brilliant in Tuesday's relief appearance, striking out five in 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball. It was her 10th game this season in which she has struck out at least five and her sixth outing pitching at least two innings and giving up no runs ... freshman Paige Halstead has driven in runs in each of her first two Pac-12 series', including a game-tying sacrifice fly on March 19 at California. The out was the hardest-hit ball she had in the game, as she also recorded a pair of singles ... freshman Brianna Tautalafua has reached in three straight games, scoring the tying run at Cal State Fullerton and driving in a pair on a single versus #10 Washington on March 26. She has been spotless in the field with no errors in 70 opportunities ... freshman Zoe Shaw has reached base in five in a row, drawing five walks and recording a pair of singles. She has scored multiple runs in a game four times, including two against Washington on March 25 ... senior Allexis Bennett tied up Tuesday's game with an RBI single to give her hits in three in a row. She has gone hitless in only seven games this season and has been without a hit in back-to-back contests just once. She stole a pair of bases on March 26 against Washington to give her 10 swipes on the year ... redshirt junior Paige McDuffee has allowed just one run in nine innings this season. She picked up the win in relief on March 19 at Cal when she tossed five scoreless innings, retiring the last 11 of the game ... sophomore Madeline Jelenicki has been the hottest Bruin at the plate, posting hits in five straight and eight of her last 10. She is hitting .400 (12-for-30) during that stretch with six homers, 13 RBI and eight runs. She has homered in back-to-back games, including a three-run, go-ahead shot in the fifth inning in the March 26 win versus Washington ... junior Delaney Spaulding extended her consecutive games streak reaching base to 16 thanks to a two-run homer at Fullerton. She is batting .375 during that stretch with four homers, 23 RBI and 12 runs.
BRUINS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
The Bruins enter this week's action ranked first in the nation in double plays turned with 22, and are also in the Top 40 in six other categories, including 18th in on base percentage (.423), tied for 26th in triples (8), 29th in fielding percentage (.971), 30th in runs per game (6.17), 34th in batting average (.321) and 37th in slugging percentage (.487). Individually, senior Mysha Sataraka is tops in the nation in walks with 33, tied for first with four sacrifice flies and 16th in on base percentage (.557). Senior Allexis Bennett ranks tied for 14th with 36 runs scored and 39th in batting average (.443). Junior Gabrielle Maurice is tied for 18th with 10 hit by pitches, sophomore Madeline Jelenicki is tied for 19th with three sacrifice flies, sophomore Kylee Perez is tied for 32nd with seven sacrifice hits and junior Delaney Spaulding is tied for 50th with 32 runs batted in.
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
The Bruins lead the Pac-12 in walks (127) and are tied for first in triples (8) and hit by pitches (23), also ranking tied for second in sacrifice hits (22) and third in on base percentage (.424) and sacrifice flies (11). Individually, senior Mysha Sataraka is tops among Pac-12 players in walks (34) and sacrifice flies (4), while junior Gabrielle Maurice is first with 10 hit by pitches. Senior Allexis Bennett is tied for second in runs scored (36) and hits (44), while sophomore Madeline Jelenicki is tied for second with three sacrifice flies. A full list of the Bruins in the Pac-12 rankings can be found on page four of this release.
THE MATCHUP: UCLA VS. OREGON
The Bruins lead the all-time series against Oregon, 76-22. The Ducks won the Pac-12 series (2-1) at Easton Stadium on April 3-5, 2015, but UCLA got its revenge in Oklahoma City on May 28 with a 7-1 victory in the first game of the Women's College World Series. The Bruins won 15 straight from 2006 to 2010, but the Ducks have claimed 10 of the 16 since then, winning each of the last five series' (all 2-1). UCLA is 36-11 all-time in Eugene.