#3 Bruins Close Tournament Schedule at LBSU

Friday, March 9

Long Beach, CA

9:00 AM

UCLA

Michigan State

Senior Johanna Grauer has 24 strikeouts in 26 innings this season.

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

#3 Bruins Close Tournament Schedule at LBSU

March 07, 2018 | Softball

Game Notes

UCLA Softball Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Louisville Slugger Invitational
Friday, March 9
#3/#3 UCLA (V) vs. Michigan State (H)
9 a.m.

San Jose State (V) vs. #3/#3 UCLA (H)
11:30 a.m.

Saturday, March 10
Boston U. (V) vs. #3/#3 UCLA (H)
2 p.m.

Sunday, March 11
#3/#3 UCLA (V) vs. #16/#19 Ohio State (H)
10 a.m.

#3/#3 UCLA (V) at #21/RV Long Beach State (H)
12:30 p.m.

All Games at LBSU Softball Complex
(V) - Visiting Team; (H) - Home Team
Live Stats - All Games

#3 UCLA CLOSES TOURNEY SCHEDULE AT LONG BEACH
The third-ranked Bruins conclude tournament play at the Louisville Slugger Invitational at Long Beach State. UCLA will play Michigan State (9 a.m.) and San Jose State (11:30 a.m.) on Friday, Boston U. (2 p.m.) on Saturday and #16 Ohio State (10 a.m.) and #21 Long Beach State (12:30 p.m.) on Sunday. All games are at the LBSU Softball Complex. Live stats will be available for all five contests on UCLABruins.com.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins open up Pac-12 Conference play next weekend in Eugene, taking on #4 Oregon. The series begins on Friday, March 16 at 5 p.m., continues on Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. and concludes on Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m. All three contests will air on Pac-12 Networks.

BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins remain at third in both national polls this week, losing a few points in the USA Today/NFCA (three points) and ESPN.com/USA Softball (two points) rankings, although they maintained their two first-place votes in each poll. UCLA is one of six Pac-12 teams ranked in the Top 25 of either poll: Washington (#1 NFCA/#1 USA Softball), Oregon (#5 USA Softball/#6 NFCA), Arizona (#9 NFCA/#9 USA Softball), Arizona State (#14 NFCA/#14 USA Softball) and California (#16 USA Softball/#17 NFCA), with Oregon State and Utah also receiving votes in the USA Softball poll. 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 Feb. 27, 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.

In six games, 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.

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 the Feb. 25 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 four this year ... UCLA has won 73 in a row when ahead after five innings (11 times this season) ... the Bruins' 19-0 start is the sixth-best in program history. UCLA would need to get to 25-0 to match the fifth-best start (2004) ... the Bruins enter the week as one of three remaining undefeated teams (Washington and USC Upstate).

BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH 3/4)
TEAM
On Base Percentage   1st (.470)
Batting Average   3rd (.398)
Slugging Percentage   3rd (.602)
Runs Per Game   5th (7.84)
Triples   T-5th (9)
Doubles   T-6th (34)
Earned Run Average   18th (1.38)
Fielding Percentage   T-24th (.976)
Home Runs   T-37th (16)
Double Plays Turned   T-39th (7)

INDIVIDUAL
Aaliyah Jordan
Batting Average   T-9th (.540)
Runs Batted In   T-11th (26)
Slugging Percentage   13th (.940)
On Base Percentage   14th (.609)
Total Bases   T-23rd (47)
Doubles   T-27th (7)
Triples   T-33rd (2)
Runs Scored   T-30th (19)
Hits   T-30th (27)
Sacrifice Flies   T-30th (2)
Walks   T-47th (12)
Toughest to Strikeout   48th (50.0)

Rachel Garcia
Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings   2nd (2.11)
Shutouts   T-7th (4)
Wins   T-20th (8)
Strikeouts   T-20th (79)
Earned Run Average   21st (0.70)
Saves   T-42nd (1)

Briana Perez
Runs Scored   T-11th (23)
Runs Batted In   T-30th (22)
Sacrifice Flies   T-30th (2)
Hits   T-43rd (26)
Total Bases   T-44th (43)

Kylee Perez
Hits   T-25th (28)
Batting Average   42nd (.475)
Sacrifice Flies   T-30th (2)

Bubba Nickles
Triples   T-33rd (2)

Brianna Tautalafua
Home Runs   T-39th (5)

Holly Azevedo
Earned Run Average   T-40th (1.00)

BRUINS AGAINST THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
The Bruins have won all five meetings against Michigan State, with the last matchup coming on March 7, 2012 at Easton Stadium, a 14-3, five-inning victory. The other four matchups were neutral site games, with UCLA out-scoring the Spartans 39-8 ... UCLA has won all 12 games against San Jose State. The teams met last year in a second-day winners bracket game at the Los Angeles Regional, with the Bruins claiming a 10-2, six-inning triumph last May 20 ... UCLA and Boston U. met for the first time at this tournament last March 11, with the Bruins prevailing 6-1 ... the Bruins are 8-1 all-time against Ohio State, winning the last two meetings. The most recent matchup came in Cathedral City on Feb. 21, 2015, as UCLA won 8-0 in six innings ... the Bruins are 72-10 all-time versus Long Beach State, having won two in a row, including a 1-0 last March 11 at LBSU. UCLA is 18-6 in games played at LBSU.