#3 Bruins Back in the Desert for Mary Nutter II

Friday, February 23

Cathedral City, CA

5:30 PM

UCLA

Nebraska

Junior Taylor Pack has 10 hits in 16 at-bats (.625) this season.

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

#3 Bruins Back in the Desert for Mary Nutter II

February 22, 2018 | Softball

Game Notes

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Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II
Games in Cathedral City, Calif. at Big League Dreams Sports Park
Friday, February 23
RV/#23 Nebraska vs. #3/#4 UCLA
5:30 p.m.

Liberty vs. #3/#4 UCLA
8 p.m.

Saturday, February 24
#7/#8 LSU vs. #3/#4 UCLA
5 p.m.

Sunday, February 25
NR/RV Missouri vs. #3/#4 UCLA
9 a.m.

Fresno State vs. #3/#4 UCLA
11:30 a.m.

Live Stats - All Games

THIRD-RANKED BRUINS BACK IN CATHEDRAL CITY
The third-ranked Bruins return to Cathedral City this weekend, bringing their perfect record to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II. UCLA will face #23 Nebraska (5:30 p.m.) and Liberty (8 p.m.) on Friday, #7 LSU (5 p.m.) on Saturday and Missouri (9 a.m.) and Fresno State (11:30 a.m.) on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all five contests on UCLABruins.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins head south next weekend for the San Diego Classic I, which will take place on the campus of the University of San Diego and San Diego State. UCLA will play UCF (7 p.m.) at USD on Friday, March 2, #22 Minnesota at SDSU (2 p.m.) and San Diego at USD (7 p.m.) on Saturday, March 3 and Santa Clara (11:30 a.m.) and San Diego State (2 p.m.) at SDSU on Sunday, March 4.

BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins moved up two spots to third in this week's USA Today/NFCA poll, earning 61 additional points and a pair of first-place votes. UCLA remained at fourth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings for the third week in a row, picking up 18 more points and one first-place vote. UCLA is one of seven Pac-12 teams ranked in the Top 25 of either poll: Washington (#1 NFCA/#3 USA Softball), Oregon (#2 USA Softball/#5 NFCA), Arizona (#12 USA Softball/#13 NFCA), Arizona State (#15 USA Softball/#17 NFCA), California (#19 NFCA/#19 USA Softball) and Utah (#24 NFCA/RV USA Softball), with Oregon State also receiving votes in both polls. In the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches poll, UCLA was second, earning 55 points and a pair of first-place votes.

JORDAN NAMED PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
For the second week in a row, the Bruins were recognized with the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award, as redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jordan earned the honor on Tuesday.
In four wins during the week lasting Feb. 12-18, Jordan hit .750 with six hits in eight at-bats, six runs batted in, three runs scored, two doubles, two triples and three walks.

After recording an RBI on a sacrifice fly against Fordham on Feb. 15, Jordan ended the week with hits in six consecutive at-bats. The redshirt freshman had a triple, two walks, two runs and an RBI against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 17, and then added five hits in a doubleheader on Feb. 18. Versus Syracuse, Jordan recorded two singles, including a two-run base hit, as well as a walk to reach in all three plate appearances. She followed that up with three extra-base hits against UAB, recording an RBI double, an RBI triple and another two-bagger.

Jordan's FOW award is the eighth in UCLA history in just the fourth year of the award's existence and second in a row after Briana Perez earned the honor last Tuesday.

NEWS AND NOTES
Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez is four wins away from 500 for her career ... the Bruins, who didn't trail through their first six games this season, fell behind for the first time in 2018 in the first inning against UCSB on Saturday, but came back to win. UCLA did the same on Sunday versus Grand Canyon, but posted its second comeback win. The Bruins had 13 comeback victories last season ... UCLA was 35-0 last season when leading after five innings and has won 67 in a row when ahead after five (five times this season).

BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH 2/20)
TEAM
Triples   T-2nd (8)
Batting Average   3rd (.409)
On Base Percentage   3rd (.484)
Slugging Percentage   5th (.645)
Runs Per Game   T-7th (8.30)
Doubles   T-11th (18)
Earned Run Average   15th (1.17)
Fielding Percentage   20th (.980)
Double Plays Turned   T-21st (5)
Home Runs   T-31st (9)

INDIVIDUAL
Aaliyah Jordan
Triples   T-8th (2)
Runs Batted In   T-14th (15)
On Base Percentage   T-23rd (.636)
Batting Average   24th (.560)
Slugging Percentage   T-27th (1.000)
Doubles   T-30th (4)
Walks   T-42nd (7)
Total Bases   T-45th (25)
Runs Scored   T-47th (11)

Rachel Garcia
Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings   3rd (1.52)
Shutouts   T-13th (2)
Strikeouts   T-14th (42)
Saves   T-15th (1)
Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings   T-17th (0.30)
Toughest to Strikeout   T-35th (28.0)

Bubba Nickles
Triples   T-8th (2)
Toughest to Strikeout   T-15th (30.0)
Hits   T-37th (15)
Total Bases   T-37th (26)

Briana Perez
Runs Scored   6th (15)
Hits   T-16th (17)
Runs Batted In   T-30th (13)

Brianna Tautalafua
Total Bases   T-25th (28)
Home Runs   T-33rd (3)

Kylee Perez
Sacrifice Flies   T-9th (2)

Holly Azevedo
Wins   T-21st (4)

Taylor Pack
Doubles   T-30th (4)

Kinsley Washington
Runs Scored   T-31st (11)

GARCIA, PEREZ NAMED TO USA SOFTBALL POY WATCH LIST
Senior Kylee Perez and redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia are two of 50 players named to the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, as announced on Jan. 31.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award enters its 17th season and recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country. Previous recipients of the award include the first honoree in 2002, UCLA's Stacey Nuveman. Four Bruins have been Top 3 finalists for the award (Nuveman, 2002; Natasha Watley, '02-'03; Megan Langenfeld, 2010; Ally Carda, 2014).

The preseason Watch List includes 23 seniors, 18 juniors and nine sophomores, with freshmen ineligible for consideration (freshmen can be considered for the award once they have competed at the collegiate level). The Top 25 finalists will be announced on April 25. An athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, but the eventual USA Softball POY will come from the Top 25 finalists. The Top 10 finalists will be named on May 9, with the Top 3 announced on May 23. The POY will be revealed on May 29.

Garcia was named the NFCA National Freshman of the Year in 2017, as well as NFCA Second Team All-American, Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year, NFCA All-West Region Second Team, All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. She went 23-9 with three saves, a 1.87 earned run average and a team-best 212 strikeouts in 202 2/3 innings in the circle, tying for 26th nationally in strikeouts, tying for 28th in wins and tying for 48th in saves. Garcia also led all Pac-12 pitchers in strikeouts, earning three Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week awards, four Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors and one USA Softball National Player of the Week nod. At the plate, Garcia hit .325 with eight home runs and 29 runs batted in, placing third with 21 walks and tied for third with 12 doubles. She had 15 multiple-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests.

Perez, a three-time NFCA All-Region and three-time All-Pac-12 selection, including First Team for both as a junior in 2017, led the Bruins with a .408 batting average and two triples. She was also second with 15 doubles, 51 runs scored, a .433 on base percentage, nine stolen bases and five hit by pitches, adding three home runs and 31 runs batted in. Perez led the team with 25 multiple-hit games to go with 10 multi-RBI contests. She was seventh in the nation in hits with 86 and 50th in batting average, while also ranking first among Pac-12 players in hits and fourth in average.

BRUINS AGAINST THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
The Bruins lead the all-time series with Nebraska 13-1 and have won 10 in a row. The last matchup came in Cathedral City on Feb. 22, 2015, a 5-1, six-inning UCLA win which was shortened due to travel restrictions for the Huskers ... the Bruins have faced Liberty twice and have won both times, including a 7-1 win last Feb. 19 in Cathedral City ... UCLA holds a 7-3 edge in the all-time series with LSU, but the Tigers won the last meeting, a 2-1 victory at the WCWS last June 1. The Bruins posted a 6-5, eight-inning win last Feb. 25 at this tournament ... UCLA has won four in a row against Missouri and is up 15-3 in the series. The last meetings occurred during the 2015 Super Regional at Easton Stadium, which the Bruins swept by scores of 7-4 and 10-6 ... the Bruins and Fresno State have met 55 times, with UCLA holding a 44-11 edge, but the teams haven't played since March 1, 2013 in San Diego. The Bruins won that game 7-1.