#3 Bruins Head South to San Diego Classic I

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San Diego Classic I
Friday, March 2
UCF (V) vs. #3/#3 UCLA (H)
at USD Softball Complex
7 p.m.

Saturday, March 3
#21/#20 Minnesota (V) vs. #3/#3 UCLA (H)
at SDSU Softball Stadium
2 p.m.

#3/#3 UCLA (V) at San Diego (H)
at USD Softball Complex
7 p.m.

Sunday, March 4
#3/#3 UCLA (V) vs. Santa Clara (H)
at SDSU Softball Stadium
11:30 a.m.

#3/#3 UCLA (V) at San Diego State (H)
at SDSU Softball Stadium
2 p.m.

(V) - Visiting Team; (H) - Home Team

Live Stats - All Games

THIRD-RANKED BRUINS HEAD TO SAN DIEGO CLASSIC I
The third-ranked Bruins travel to San Diego this 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, #22 Minnesota at SDSU (2 p.m.) and San Diego at USD (7 p.m.) on Saturday and Santa Clara (11:30 a.m.) and San Diego State (2 p.m.) at SDSU on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all five contests on UCLABruins.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins go to Long Beach next weekend for the Louisville Slugger Invitational. UCLA will take on Michigan State (9 a.m.) and San Jose State (11:30 a.m.) on Friday, March 9, Boston U. (2 p.m.) on Saturday, March 10 and #19 Ohio State (10 a.m.) and #22 Long Beach State (12:30 p.m.) on Sunday, March 11.

BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins are at third in both national polls this week, earning 36 additional points and a pair of first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA rankings and 29 more points and two first-place votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. UCLA is one of six Pac-12 teams ranked in the Top 25 of either poll: Washington (#1 NFCA/#1 USA Softball), Oregon (#4 USA Softball/#6 NFCA), Arizona (#8 USA Softball/#9 NFCA), California (#15 NFCA/#16 USA Softball) and Arizona State (#15 USA Softball/#16 NFCA), with Oregon State and Utah 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.

GARCIA, JORDAN EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia picked up a pair of national awards on Tuesday, as she was named NFCA Player of the Week and USA Softball Co-Player of the Week, while redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jordan for the second week in a row picked up Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week accolades.

In the circle, Garcia went 3-0 with a save in four appearances, striking out 30 in 17 2/3 innings and posting a 0.40 earned run average. She tossed a pair of complete games, limiting opponents to an .085 batting average, five hits, one run and three walks. At the plate, Garcia was 9-for-17 (.529 batting average) with four runs batted in, three walks and two runs scored in six contests.

After closing out the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic I on Monday, Feb. 19 with a six-up, six-down performance in relief against Grand Canyon with four strikeouts to pick up a save, Garcia racked up a pair of victories against ranked teams on back-to-back days. On Friday, Feb. 23 against #23 Nebraska, she struck out 11 in a two-hit, complete-game shutout, allowing just four baserunners (two walks). Garcia also added a pair of hits and an RBI against the Huskers.

The next day versus #7 LSU, Garcia again went the distance in a mercy-rule victory, fanning 12 in five innings and limiting the Tigers to two hits, a walk and a run. The only run she would allow for the week would score on a questionable obstruction call at the plate. Pitchingwise, Garcia finished the week with a win in relief against Missouri on Sunday, Feb. 25, striking out three in 3 2/3 innings and giving up just one baserunner on a hit. At the plate, Garcia had hits in all five games at the MNCCII, producing a two-run single versus LSU. In Sunday's doubleheader, she went 5-for-6, going 3-for-3 with an RBI single against Missouri and 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored versus Fresno State.
In six games last week, Jordan hit .412 with seven hits in 17 at-bats. She drove in nine, hit three home runs and scored seven times. She registered multiple hits and RBI in each of her first three games of the week, crossing home plate twice in three contests as well.

Jordan opened the week with a two-run double and a two-run homer against Grand Canyon. Versus #23 Nebraska, the redshirt freshman added two more hits, including another two-run homer, while in last Friday's nightcap against Liberty, Jordan recorded two more hits and yet another two-run homer. That bomb turned out to be a go-ahead shot in the fifth to help the Bruins come back from a 3-2 deficit.

Jordan followed that up with an RBI single and a pair of runs scored against LSU, while adding two walks to end the weekend versus Fresno State. Her Freshman of the Week award is the ninth in UCLA history in just the fourth year of the award's existence and third in a row to start the season, as Briana Perez earned the honor on Feb. 13.

Garcia recorded her first NFCA National Player of the Week accolade, the 24th in UCLA history and the first for the Bruins since 2014. Her USA Softball National POW award is the 17th in program history and her second after she earned the honor last April 11.

NEWS AND NOTES
With last Sunday's win against Missouri, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez earned the 500th victory of her career ... after posting 13 comeback victories last season, the Bruins already have three this year ... UCLA has won 71 in a row when ahead after five innings (nine times this season) ... the Bruins' 15-0 start is tied for the eighth-best start in program history. The 1995 team opened with a 15-0 record, the 2002 squad went 16-0 and the 2014 team posted 17 wins before their first loss ... the Bruins are one of five remaining undefeated teams in the nation (Washington, Florida Gulf Coast, USC Upstate and Baylor).

BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH 2/27)
TEAM
On Base Percentage   2nd (.469)
Triples   T-2nd (9)
Batting Average   3rd (.395)
Slugging Percentage   4th (.616)
Runs Per Game   T-8th (7.47)
Doubles   T-8th (27)
Earned Run Average   15th (1.20)
Fielding Percentage   15th (.979)
Home Runs   T-33rd (13)

INDIVIDUAL
Rachel Garcia
Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings   3rd (1.81)
Strikeouts   11th (68)
Shutouts   T-12th (3)
Wins   T-20th (6)
Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings   T-23rd (0.72)
Earned Run Average   26th (0.54)
Saves   T-30th (1)
Toughest to Strikeout   T-35th (28

Aaliyah Jordan
Runs Batted In   T-14th (20)
Triples   T-18th (2)
Slugging Percentage   T-21st (.947)
Total Bases   T-28th (36)
Batting Average   T-29th (.500)
On Base Percentage   T-29th (.592)
Runs Scored   T-31st (15)
Walks   T-31st (10)

Briana Perez
Runs Scored   T-11th (18)
Runs Batted In   T-22nd (18)
Total Bases   T-25th (37)
Hits   T-30th (21)

Bubba Nickles
Triples   T-18th (2)

Kylee Perez
Sacrifice Flies   T-18th (2)

Holly Azevedo
Earned Run Average   32nd (0.66)

Brianna Tautalafua
Home Runs   T-40th (4)

BRUINS AGAINST THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
The Bruins have won all five matchups with UCF, as the teams have met each of the last two seasons in Cathedral City, with UCLA recording 1-0 and 2-0 victories ... the Bruins have also won all five contests against Minnesota, but the two teams haven't met since 1999 when UCLA won a Regional matchup 5-0 at Easton Stadium ... UCLA is 8-0 against San Diego, having won each of the last three matchups, which all took place at USD. The most recent win was an 8-0, five-inning triumph in 2013 ... the Bruins are 16-0 versus Santa Clara, with the last matchup coming at Easton Stadium in 2008, as UCLA won 27-1 in five innings. The 26-run margin was the biggest victory in school history ... the Bruins have won 59 matchups in a row against the Aztecs and lead the all-time series 66-2. UCLA is 21-1 at SDSU, including an 8-0, six-inning win last Feb. 10.

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#3 Bruins Head South to San Diego Classic I

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Holly Azevedo

Rachel Garcia

Aaliyah Jordan

Bubba Nickles

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Kylee Perez

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#3 Bruins Head South to San Diego Classic I

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Players Mentioned

Holly Azevedo

Rachel Garcia

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Bubba Nickles

Briana Perez

Kylee Perez

Brianna Tautalafua

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