
Seniors Johanna Grauer, Kylee Perez, Jelly Felix, Selina Ta'amilo and Madeline Jelenicki will be honored prior to Saturday's game.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA Photography
No. 1 Bruins Host No. 6 ASU on Senior Weekend
May 09, 2018 | Softball
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#6/#6 Arizona State at #1/#1 UCLA
Thursday, May 10
7 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Friday, May 11
7 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Saturday, May 12
12 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks
All Games at Easton Stadium
Live Audio/Live Stats Links
Tickets
#1 BRUINS HOST #6 ASU IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
The top-ranked Bruins host #6 Arizona State at Easton Stadium this weekend in the final series of the regular season. Thursday and Friday's games will start at 7 p.m., while Saturday's contest will be a 12 p.m. first pitch. All three games will air on Pac-12 Networks, with UCLA's senior class of Jelly Felix, Johanna Grauer, Madeline Jelenicki, Kylee Perez and Selina Ta'amilo being honored prior to Saturday's game.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins will find out where their postseason journey begins on Sunday when ESPN2 airs the NCAA Selection Show at 7 p.m. The top 16 seeds will host Regionals next weekend (May 18-20).
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins are ranked #1 in both national polls for the third week in a row, picking up 30 of 32 first-place votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll and 15 of 20 first-place nods in the ESPN.com/USA Softball ranking. UCLA is one of six Pac-12 teams ranked in the Top 25 of either poll: Oregon (#2 NFCA/#2 USA Softball), Washington (#5 NFCA/#5 USA Softball), Arizona State (#6 NFCA/#6 USA Softball), Arizona (#9 NFCA/#10 USA Softball) and California (#24 NFCA/RV USA Softball), with Oregon State 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 EARNS THIRD PAC-12 POW IN FOUR WEEKS
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia was named Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the third time in four weeks on Monday after pitching in three of the four victories for the top-ranked Bruins last week.
Garcia went 3-0 with a 0.00 earned run average, striking out 22 in 14 innings. She allowed just nine hits and two unearned runs, while issuing no walks.
In last Tuesday's game at Cal State Fullerton (May 1), she allowed an unearned run and two hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief, striking out eight. Garcia had 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth, and struck out three in the seventh and two apiece in the fourth and sixth.
On Saturday (May 5) at No. 24 California, the redshirt sophomore went the distance in the circle, striking out 12 in seven innings. She allowed one unearned run and four hits, striking out three in the second, two apiece in the first, third, fourth and seventh innings and retiring the side in order in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh frames. Garcia closed out the weekend on Sunday (May 6) by tossing 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief, giving up three hits. In addition to her pitching plaudits, she also went 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate with four RBI in the four victories.
Garcia picked up her sixth career Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award, also earning the honors this April 16 and 23 and last Feb. 21, April 11 and April 25. The Bruins have earned 12 conference weekly honors this season. Garcia was the Pac-12 Player of the Week on April 16, redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jordan is a six-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Feb. 20, Feb. 27, March 13, April 2, April 23 and April 30) and one-time Pac-12 Player of the Week (April 23) and freshman Briana Perez was Pac-12 FOW on Feb. 13.
Garcia, a Top 25 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, is 19-1 on the season with a 1.01 earned run average and 197 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings. She has not allowed an earned run in 41 2/3 consecutive innings. At the plate, she is hitting .379 with nine home runs and 44 runs batted in (second on the team in homers and RBI).
NEWS AND NOTES
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia has not allowed an earned run in 41 2/3, giving up only two runs total during that stretch ... sophomore Bubba Nickles enters the week on a 14-game hitting streak, batting .450 (18-for-40) with 18 RBI ... freshman Briana Perez has hits in 21 of her last 23 games, batting .333 (27-for-81) with 21 runs, carrying a nine-game hitting streak into this weekend ... redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jordan has hits in 20 of her last 23 games (.451, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 25 R), as well as seven of her last eight ... the Bruins, who had 13 comeback victories last season, posted their 10th of the year on April 21 against Washington ... UCLA has won 93 in a row when ahead after five innings (31 times this season) ... the Bruins have lost just once (46-1) when scoring at least three runs and are 31-0 when giving up two runs or less ... all three of UCLA's losses this year have come when the opponent scores first (8-3 record, 40-0 when scoring first) ... of the 314 runs batted in for Bruin hitters, 119 have come with two outs for a 37.9 percentage. Jordan, Nickles and Perez all have 19 two-out RBI, senior Kylee Perez has 12 and redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia has 10 ... the Bruins were the final remaining undefeated team in college softball this season, entering their March 17 game with a 25-0 record. UCLA's start was tied for the fifth best in program history. In three of the other five seasons where the Bruins started a year with at least 25 consecutive wins, they won the NCAA Championship (1992, 1999, 2004) ... with the Feb. 25 win against Missouri, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez earned the 500th victory of her career. Inouye-Perez will be head coaching her 700th game on Saturday ... the Bruins are playing in their 700th Pac-10/12 contest on Thursday.
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH 5/7)
TEAM
Batting Averageย ย ย 2nd (.347)
Slugging Percentageย ย ย 2nd (.537)
On Base Percentageย ย ย 3rd (.420)
Runs Per Gameย ย ย 4th (6.78)
Earned Run Averageย ย ย 15th (1.76)
Doublesย ย ย T-19th (77)
Triplesย ย ย T-24th (14)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratioย ย ย 26th (3.15)
Home Runsย ย ย T-33rd (51)
INDIVIDUAL
RACHEL GARCIA
Strikeouts Per Seven Inningsย ย ย 2nd (11.0)
Hits Allowed Per Seven Inningsย ย ย 5th (3.18)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratioย ย ย 6th (8.57)
Earned Run Averageย ย ย 11th (1.01)
Sacrifice Fliesย ย ย T-12th (5)
Shutoutsย ย ย T-29th (7)
Walks Allowed Per Seven Inningsย ย ย 43rd (1.28)
Winsย ย ย T-44th (18)
AALIYAH JORDAN
Batting Averageย ย ย 5th (.467)
Runs Batted Inย ย ย T-6th (61)
Sacrifice Fliesย ย ย T-12th (5)
Runs Scoredย ย ย T-13th (52)
Hitsย ย ย T-16th (71)
On Base Percentageย ย ย 23rd (.520)
Slugging Percentageย ย ย 26th (.783)
Total Basesย ย ย T-31st (119)
KYLEE PEREZ
Runs Scoredย ย ย 9th (55)
BRIANA PEREZ
Runs Scoredย ย ย T-19th (51)
SCOUTING THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State (42-9, 15-6 Pac-12) carries a seven-game winning streak into this weekend's series, sweeping Stanford and Utah in its last two Pac-12 series'. The Sun Devils are hitting .292 as a team with 57 home runs and 25 stolen bases, averaging 5.41 runs per game. Four players are hitting .300 or better, led by freshman Danielle Gibson, who is first with a .372 average, 12 homers and 39 RBI. Sophomore Kindra Hackbarth is second at .371 and first with eight stolen bases and five triples, while junior Morgan Howe is batting .363 with seven homers and 34 RBI. Sophomore G Juarez is 22-3 with a 0.92 earned run average and 259 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings, while senior Breanna Macha is 14-5 with a 2.27 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 114 innings.
SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. SUN DEVILS
The Bruins lead the all-time series with Arizona State 99-36 and have won six in a row over the Sun Devils. UCLA swept the series last year in Tempe (4-3, 13-3, 12-3 in five) and won all three at Easton in 2016 (8-6, 6-5, 9-4). The Bruins are 48-15 at home against Arizona State.
Players Mentioned
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Tennessee (June 1, 2025)
Sunday, June 01
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Texas Tech (May 31, 2025)
Saturday, May 31
Highlights - UCLA Softball vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29