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Saturday, April 23
#15/#14 UCLA at #17/#16 Arizona
2 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Sunday, April 24
#15/#14 UCLA at #17/#16 Arizona
2 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Monday, April 25
#15/#14 UCLA at #17/#16 Arizona
7 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Network National, Los Angeles and Arizona
RIVALRY RENEWED AS #14 UCLA TRAVELS TO #16 ARIZONA
The 14th-ranked UCLA Bruins and the 16th-ranked Arizona Wildcats rekindle one of the top rivalries in all of college softball with a wraparound weekend series in Tucson. Saturday and Sunday's contests will both start at 2 p.m. and air on ESPN2, while Monday's game will begin at 7 p.m. and be televised on Pac-12 Network National, Los Angeles and Arizona. All three games will also feature live stats on UCLABruins.com and Twitter updates @UCLASoftball.
BENNETT FINALIST FOR USA SOFTBALL NATIONAL POY
Senior Allexis Bennett was named a Top 25 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, as announced by ASA/USA Softball on Wednesday. It is the second-straight season that Bennett has earned a spot as a finalist.
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.
This year's Top 25 is comprised of nine seniors, 11 juniors and five sophomores. The student-athletes selected represent 20 NCAA Division I universities and nine athletic conferences. Just prior to the start of postseason play, the list will be narrowed to the Top 10 finalists on May 11.
The Top 3 finalists will be announced May 25, while the winner of the 2016 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be revealed on May 31 prior to the start of the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
$2-MILLION GIFT RECEIVED FROM JIM AND PHYLLIS EASTON
The UCLA Athletics Department is pleased to announce a generous commitment of $2,000,000 from longtime university benefactors Jim and Phyllis Easton that will be used to support improvements, including a new scoreboard, to Easton Stadium, the home of 11-time NCAA National Champion UCLA Softball.
In appreciation of the Eastons' generosity, the new scoreboard at Easton Stadium will also prominently display the Easton name.
“Few people have had more of an impact upon both the athletic and campus communities here at UCLA than Jim and Phyllis Easton,” said Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. “From the building of Easton Sports into an athletic equipment empire to their tireless dedication to philanthropy, the scope of the Eastons' contributions reaches well beyond school and department walls. The Eastons have had a direct impact on individual lives, and their generosity and leadership is quite simply an inspiration. I would like to thank both of them for their continued dedication to UCLA and, more specifically, our historic softball program.”
Jim, a UCLA graduate with a degree in engineering, and his wife, Phyllis, have been generous supporters of UCLA Athletics and entities across the university for many years, including the David Geffen School of Medicine, Anderson School of Management, and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.
In 2014, Jim, who has the distinction of serving on the International Olympic Committee and was mayor of the Olympic Athletes Village at UCLA during the 1984 L.A. Olympic Games, was awarded the UCLA Medal of Honor – the university's highest honor bestowed on an individual for extraordinary achievement.
“It is an honor and pleasure to continue our support of UCLA Athletics with a new scoreboard and improvements at Easton Stadium…home of the top softball program in the country,” said Jim Easton. “We celebrate their success. Go Bruins!”
“Easton Stadium, tucked away on the UCLA campus and enjoyed by fans and players for over 20 years, is a jewel steeped in the tradition of excellence,” said Phyllis Easton. “We are excited and proud to support women's softball with this gift to UCLA Athletics.”
This transformative gift from the Eastons represents significant support for UCLA Softball. Upon securing this gift, UCLA has partnered with Daktronics to design, manufacture and install an integrated video display for Easton Stadium.
The new LED video display will feature 15HD pixel layout and measure nearly 14.5 feet high and more than 26.5 feet wide. It will incorporate excellent image clarity and contrast with wide angle visibility to appeal to every seat in the stadium.
“Jim and Phyllis Easton have supported UCLA Softball throughout the history of our program,” said UCLA Softball head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “It was the Easton family that provided the funding to transform a field into a stadium in the mid-90's. Today, we thank Jim and Phyllis for another generous donation. The video scoreboard will allow us to share our tradition and keep us in the forefront of college softball.”
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA maintained its spot at 14th in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings for the second week in a row, but fell two positions to 15th in the latest USA Today/NFCA poll. The Bruins were ranked second in the Pac-12 preseason poll.
TEAM NOTES
Last season, UCLA set a school record with 28 double plays turned. With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Bruins have already surpassed that total after turning their 30th last Saturday against Oregon State. UCLA continues to lead the nation in twin killings, as of stats released by the NCAA on Monday ... the Bruins' victory against Oregon was their first series win versus the Ducks since 2010 ... UCLA came back from a four-run deficit (9-5) against Stanford on April 9 to record its biggest comeback of the season. The Bruins also have three-run comebacks versus Colorado State (Feb. 12), CS Fullerton (March 29) and OSU (April 16) ... a total of 26 of UCLA's 28 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 16-0 when leading after the fifth and the sixth innings ... UCLA is 19-3 when hitting at least one home run ... the Bruins are 16-2 when not committing an error ... UCLA is 20-3 when out-hitting its opponent.
PLAYER NOTES
Senior Allexis Bennett has hits in seven of her last eight games, posting a .522 (12-for-23) average during that stretch with six RBI, seven runs and six walks. Four of those contests have been multiple-hit games, including a three-hit affair last Friday against Oregon State, as Bennett leads the squad with 17 multiple-hit games. She also has been driving in runs, with RBI in five of her last seven games ... junior Jelly Felix has reached base in four of her six starts, collecting four singles and three walks ... sophomore Johanna Grauer has lowered her ERA from 4.53 to 3.95 over her last five appearances, posting a 1.59 ERA, three wins and a save in those handful of outings. Three of her last four starts have been complete-game shutouts, as she blanked Stanford (April 10 - three strikeouts, five-hitter), CSUN (April 13 - seven strikeouts, four-hitter) and Oregon State (three-hitter) ... freshman Paige Halstead has reached base in four straight games, posting her 11th multiple-hit contest on April 16 versus OSU ... sophomore Madeline Jelenicki has equaled her home run output of her freshman season after belting her ninth bomb last Saturday against OSU. She drove in four, tying the game twice on a two-run homer in the fourth and a two-run double in the fifth. Defensively, Jelenicki has just one error in 167 chances (.994 fielding percentage) to go with only four passed balls ... junior Gabrielle Maurice has hits in five straight, driving in five runs in her last two games. She had the go-ahead, two-run double in the fifth inning last Saturday against Oregon State and added a three-run homer on Sunday. Maurice is batting .462 (6-for-13) over her last five contests ... redshirt junior Paige McDuffee earned her third win of the season on Saturday against Oregon State. All three of her victories have been in relief ... sophomore Kylee Perez has hits in 13 of her last 14 games, batting .458 (22-for-48) during that stretch with 12 RBI and 10 runs. Perez, who has separate hitting streaks of a career-high 14 and 10 this season, is second on the team with 16 multiple-hit games and 10 multi-hit contests, having reached base in 20 in a row. She is batting .447 during Pac-12 play, owning a 12-game hitting streak in conference action ... senior Mysha Sataraka already has 19 more walks than she had last year, with her 45 ranking second in the nation. She drew walks in seven straight games from April 3-16. Against Stanford on April 9, Sataraka tied a career high with five RBI on a three-run double and a two-run single ... freshman Zoe Shaw came off the bench to post a two-run double against CSUN on April 13 ... junior Delaney Spaulding reached double figures in home runs for the second-straight season when she hit her 10th on Sunday versus OSU. She has left the yard in three-straight, Pac-12 series'. Spaulding leads the team with 17 multiple-RBI contests ... sophomore Selina Ta'amilo tossed a complete-game, five-hitter against Stanford on April 11, fanning five to pick up her 12th win of the season ... freshman Brianna Tautalafua has reached base in 12 of her last 13 contests, batting .323 (10-for-31) during that stretch with three homers, nine RBI and eight walks.
BRUINS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
The Bruins continue to lead the nation in double plays turned with 30 in stats released by the NCAA on Monday. UCLA is also in the Top 35 in five other categories, ranking 14th in on base percentage (.424), 22nd in runs per game (6.37), 25th in fielding (.971), 29th in batting average (.322) and 35th in slugging (.498). Senior Mysha Sataraka is second in the nation with 45 walks, 12th in on base percentage (.549) and tied for ninth with sophomore Madeline Jelenicki with four sacrifice flies. Senior Allexis Bennett is tied for 17th in runs scored (45) and 29th in both average (.442) and on base percentage (.535), while sophomore Kylee Perez is tied for 34th with nine sacrifice hits and 35th in batting average (.434). Junior Gabrielle Maurice is tied for 20th in hit by pitches with 12 and junior Delaney Spaulding ranks tied for 27th with 44 RBI.
BRUINS IN THE PAC-12 RANKINGS
UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams (through 4/18) in walks with 167 and also ranks second in hit by pitches (28) and sacrifice hits (29), tied for second in sacrifice flies (14), third in on base percentage (.424), runs scored (261) and runs batted in (236) and fourth in triples (8). Individually, senior Mysha Sataraka is first in on base percentage (.549) and walks (45) and tied for second in sacrifice flies (4), junior Gabrielle Maurice is first in hit by pitches (12) and senior Allexis Bennett is tied for first in hits (57) and third in batting average (.442), on base percentage (.535) and runs scored (45). Sophomore Kylee Perez is tied for second in sacrifice hits (9) and tied for third in hits (56), sophomore Madeline Jelenicki is tied for second in sacrifice flies (4) and tied for third in triples (2), sophomore Johanna Grauer is tied for second in saves (2) and freshman Paige Halstead is tied for third in triples (2) and tied for seventh in sacrifice flies (2). A full list of the Bruins in the Pac-12 rankings can be found on page four of this release.
THE MATCHUP: UCLA VS. ARIZONA
The Bruins lead the all-time series against Arizona, 81-55, and have won eight in a row. The last six matchups, which all came at Easton Stadium, saw UCLA outscore Arizona, 41-15, with two mercy-rule wins. During the eight-game streak, the Bruins hold a 63-19 scoring advantage (three run-rules), which included a 2-1 series victory in Tucson in 2013. The Bruins have won the last four series against Arizona. UCLA is 31-26 all-time in Tucson.
McDUFFEE, TAUTALAFUA EARN PAC-12 WEEKLY HONORS
The Bruins received a pair of weekly honors from the Pac-12 Conference on April 4, as redshirt junior Paige McDuffee was named Pitcher of the Week and Brianna Tautalafua earned league Freshman of the Week accolades. The duo helped the Bruins to their first series win against Oregon since 2010 and handed the Ducks their first Pac-12 series loss since 2013.
McDuffee was stellar in two appearances in Eugene, picking up a win on April 3 and posting a 0.72 earned run average and four strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. Tautalafua's hit total rose throughout the weekend at Oregon, recording one hit on April 1, two on April 2 and three on April 3. Including a midweek win at Cal State Fullerton, Tautalafua batted .500 with six hits in 12 at-bats, adding three home runs, six runs batted in and five runs scored.
UCLA earned its third and fourth Pac-12 weekly honors of the season, having now won one of each. Junior Delaney Spaulding (March 14) and sophomore Kylee Perez (Feb. 23) each received conference Player of the Week accolades. McDuffee's award is the first of her career and the 63rd Pac-10/12 Pitcher of the Week award for UCLA, while Tautalafua's nod was the first league Freshman of the Week plaudit for the Bruins in just the second year of the award's existence.
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 March 14 after posting a great offensive showing at the 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. It was 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.