Friday, April 5
Tempe, AZ
5:00 PM
UCLA
at
Arizona State
Senior Paige Halstead had a two-hit contest last Sunday against Cal.
Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA
No. 1 Bruins Travel to Tempe to Face No. 19 Arizona State
April 03, 2019 | Softball
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No. 1/1/1 UCLA at No. 21/19/NR Arizona Stateย โขย Friday, April 5 - Sunday, April 7ย โขย Tempe, Ariz.ย โขย Farrington Stadium
Friday, April 5
5 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks National and Los Angeles
Live Stats
Saturday, April 6
2 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Live Stats
Sunday, April 7
4 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles
Live Stats
TOP-RANKED BRUINS TRAVEL TO TEMPE TO TAKE ON NO. 19 ARIZONA STATE
The No. 1 UCLA softball team heads to No. 19 Arizona State this weekend for a three-game series, which starts on Friday at 5 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. and concludes on Sunday at 4 p.m. Friday and Sunday's contests will air on Pac-12 Networks, while Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN2.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins host Oregon at Easton Stadium next weekend. The three-game series begins on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m., continues on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. and wraps up on Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. The first two games will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, while the last contest will be aired on ESPN2. Additionally, all three games will have free live audio on UCLABruins.com.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA checks in at No. 1 in all three national polls (NFCA/USA Softball/Softball America) this week for the fourth week in a row. The Bruins were selected first in the preseason Pac-12 Conference coaches poll.
MEGAN FARAIMO EARNS FOURTH PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK AWARD
For the fourth time this season, Megan Faraimo has been named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week. Faraimo earned three of the Bruins five victories last week, striking out 18 in 18 2/3 innings and limiting opponents to one run, seven hits and two walks.
On Tuesday (March 26), Faraimo struck out 11 in a complete-game, three-hit victory over Cal State Fullerton. She allowed only one run, three hits and two walks, tossing four 1-2-3 innings, striking out the side once and a pair on four occasions.
Faraimo tossed 11 2/3 innings of shutout ball in back-to-back games on the weekend against conference foe California in two more victories. On Saturday (March 30), she fanned three in 4 2/3 frames, allowing just three hits. The next afternoon, Faraimo struck out four in a complete-game, one-hit shutout. She gave up just three baserunners, with her only hit allowed coming to lead off the sixth inning.
On the season, Faraimo is 11-1 with a 0.97 earned run average and 89 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. She has gone the distance in eight of her 12 starts, tossing five shutouts and limiting opponents to a .132 batting average.
UCLA has earned 11 Pac-12 weekly awards this season. It marks the Bruins' sixth conference Freshman of the Week award in eight weeks and third in a row after Kelli Godin picked up the honor on March 19 and March 25. Faraimo's other three FOW awards came on Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 12. Redshirt junior Rachel Garcia has received five weekly honors (Player of the Week on March 19 and Pitcher of the Week four times - Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 19).
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH APRIL 2)
Team Rankings - Earned Run Average (1st, 1.04); Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (1st, 6.51); Batting Average (6th, .344); Runs Per Game (12th, 7.12); On Base Percentage (13th, .416); Slugging (18th, .534); Triples (T-18th, 11); Doubles (T-27th, 54); Fielding Percentage (31st, .971); Home Runs (44th, 32).
Rachel Garcia - Earned Run Average (1st, 0.54); Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (1st, 11.31); Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings (8th, 3.53); Strikeouts (16th, 147); Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings (17th, 1.00); Wins (T-18th, 14); Shutouts (T-30th, 4); Sacrifice Flies (T-36th, 3); Saves (T-49th, 2).
Megan Faraimo - Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings (2nd, 3.29); Earned Run Average (3rd, 0.97); Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (6th, 7.42); Shutouts (T-14th, 5); Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings (33rd, 1.16).
Kelli Godin - Batting Average (2nd, .515); On Base Percentage (15th, .556); Stolen Bases (T-33rd, 18).
Bubba Nickles - Runs Scored (T-37th, 34); Runs Batted In (T-46th, 35).
Briana Perez - Runs Scored (T-9th, 40); Hits (T-22nd, 47).
Holly Azevedo - Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings (46th, 4.82).
Aaliyah Jordan - Doubles (T-10th, 13).
Kinsley Washington - Triples (T-48th, 3).
NEWS AND NOTES
Bruin opponents have scored runs in just 30 innings this season, and on 19 occasions, UCLA has scored in its next at-bat ... the Bruins set a season high with 17 hits on March 10 against Boston ... the 15 runs scored at Washington on March 17 were the second most this season for UCLA (17 vs. UC Riverside on Feb. 17). The Bruins have reached double digits in runs eight times ... the Bruins had an early 3-0 deficit at Long Beach State on March 10, marking just their second three-run deficit (largest) of the season. UCLA also trailed 4-1 to No. 16 Kentucky on Feb. 23 before scoring 11 unanswered runs to mercy the Wildcats ... the Bruins have 10 comeback victories this season, recording their most recent one against California last Friday ... sophomore Briana Perez led off the March 8 game against Robert Morris with an inside-the-park home run. It marked the first inside-the-park homer for the Bruins since Andrea Duran on June 3, 2006 versus Texas ... redshirt junior Rachel Garcia has recorded either a win (14) or a save (2) in all 16 of her pitching appearances, posting eight double-figure strikeout contests. Garcia's season high in strikeouts is 15 at Hawaii (Feb. 8) and against No. 2 Oklahoma (Feb. 22). In each of her games, she has allowed zero or one earned run ... meanwhile at the plate, Garcia drove in a career-high six at Washington on March 17, her second game this year with at least five RBI (Florida, Feb. 27). She had a stretch of eight consecutive hits against Washington (March 16-17), Saint Mary's (March 24) and CSUN (March 24). Garcia has reached base in 10 games in a row ... freshman Kelli Godin has an eight-game hitting streak, batting .619 (13-for-21) during the stretch with 10 runs scored, four RBI and six stolen bases. In her last 15 games, Godin has seven multliple-hit contests. The freshman stole her first 18 bases before getting caught last Tuesday against Cal State Fullerton. It was the most successful stolen bases to start a UCLA career. Godin stole three bases against Saint Mary's on Feb. 9 to tie a school record, and then did it again versus the Gaels on March 24 ... eight of Perez's 13 steals this season came during March, including a pair of games with two swipes. She has a hit in six of her last seven contests, batting .429 (9-for-21) during the stretch with seven RBI, eight runs and five steals. Perez leads the Bruins with 16 multiple-hit games and has scored a run in 27 of 33 contests, including nine of her last 10 ... with a three-run shot on the final day of March against California, redshirt sophomore Aaliyah Jordan snapped a 13-game streak without a homer on March 31. She had nine doubles last month, including three versus Liberty on March 9 to become the sixth Bruin ever to post three two-baggers in the same contest. She has hits in 24 of her last 28 games, batting .412 (35-for-85) with four homers, 29 RBI and 13 doubles during that stretch ... junior Bubba Nickles compiled a 24-game hitting streak before it came to an end versus Colorado State on Feb. 24. During the streak, she hit .466 (34-for-73) with 10 home runs, 30 runs batted in and 27 runs scored. Only three UCLA hitting streaks were higher than Nickles' (Natasha Watley, 32 in 2001 and 29 in 2002, and Stacey Nuveman, 28 in 1997). Nickles has hits in 27 of 33 games, has driven in runs in 23 contests and scored in 21 ... freshman Megan Faraimo tossed her second no-hitter on Feb. 24 against Colorado State. Along with it being the 111th in UCLA history, it marked the first time a Bruin had two no-hitters in the same season since 2015 (Ally Carda) and the first UCLA freshman to do so since 2005 (Anjelica Selden). She has five games with at least nine strikeouts, fanning a career-best 12 against Robert Morris. Faraimo also had 11 strikeouts against Cal State Fullerton last Tuesday and 10 in her first no-hitter versus Fresno State (Feb. 16) ... senior Taylor Pack reached base in six of 11 plate appearances last weekend against Cal on four walks and two singles. Four of her five home runs this season came during the month of March ... sophomore Holly Azevedo pitched her first complete-game shutout of the season versus UC Santa Barbara last Monday. Her best game of the year came against Florida on Feb. 27 when she struck out eight in five innings ... senior Paige Halstead had two-hit contests in back-to-back Sunday games at CSUN (March 24) and against California (March 31). She hit her second homer of the season at CSUN ... junior Jacqui Prober posted a career-best four at-bats in last Sunday's game versus Cal and also stole her first-ever base. She had hits in each of the last two games last weekend ... sophomore Kinsley Washington singled and stole bases in each of the first two contests against Cal. She has reached base in five of her last seven games ... UCLA shattered a school record for most runs in one inning in a Feb. 17 victory over UC Riverside. The Bruins scored 16 runs in the first inning, including 13 before making an out. The 16-run outburst broke the previous school record of 13 runs scored on April 21, 1992 against Cal Poly Pomona. As far as national rankings go, the 16 runs are tied for the 11th-most runs in one inning, while the 16 first-inning runs are tied for the second-most, first-inning runs ever ... UCLA softball recorded its 1,900th victory in program history on March 8 against Robert Morris.
SCOUTING THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
After winning five of its first six Pac-12 games, Arizona State (25-11, 5-4 Pac-12) was blanked in all three games at Arizona last weekend. The Sun Devils are hitting .341 as a team with 64 home runs and 38 stolen bases, averaging 8.36 runs per game. Three players are hitting over .400, led by junior Kindra Hackbarth, who is first at .430 and second with 11 homers and 40 runs batted in. Senior Skylar McCarty is batting .406, senior Morgan Howe is hitting .404 and junior Maddi Hackbarth is tops on the team with 16 homers and 43 RBI. Junior Samantha Mejia leads the team in innings pitched and is 12-5 with a 3.54 earned run average and 59 strikeouts in 87 innings. Freshman Abby Andersen is 9-5 with a 3.50 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 74 innings, while redshirt junior Cielo Meza is 2-1 with a 4.97 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 38 innings.
THE SERIES: UCLA VERSUS ARIZONA STATE
UCLA has won eight of the last nine against Arizona State and holds a 101-37 edge all-time. The Bruins won 2-of-3 a year ago at Easton Stadium. After dropping the series opener, 3-0, UCLA picked up 5-1 and 2-1 (9 innings) wins. The Bruins recorded sweeps in 2017 in Tempe and 2016 in Westwood. UCLA is 45-19 in matchups at Arizona State.
ย
No. 1/1/1 UCLA at No. 21/19/NR Arizona Stateย โขย Friday, April 5 - Sunday, April 7ย โขย Tempe, Ariz.ย โขย Farrington Stadium
Friday, April 5
5 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks National and Los Angeles
Live Stats
Saturday, April 6
2 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Live Stats
Sunday, April 7
4 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles
Live Stats
TOP-RANKED BRUINS TRAVEL TO TEMPE TO TAKE ON NO. 19 ARIZONA STATE
The No. 1 UCLA softball team heads to No. 19 Arizona State this weekend for a three-game series, which starts on Friday at 5 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. and concludes on Sunday at 4 p.m. Friday and Sunday's contests will air on Pac-12 Networks, while Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN2.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins host Oregon at Easton Stadium next weekend. The three-game series begins on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m., continues on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. and wraps up on Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. The first two games will be televised on Pac-12 Networks, while the last contest will be aired on ESPN2. Additionally, all three games will have free live audio on UCLABruins.com.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA checks in at No. 1 in all three national polls (NFCA/USA Softball/Softball America) this week for the fourth week in a row. The Bruins were selected first in the preseason Pac-12 Conference coaches poll.
MEGAN FARAIMO EARNS FOURTH PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK AWARD
For the fourth time this season, Megan Faraimo has been named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week. Faraimo earned three of the Bruins five victories last week, striking out 18 in 18 2/3 innings and limiting opponents to one run, seven hits and two walks.
On Tuesday (March 26), Faraimo struck out 11 in a complete-game, three-hit victory over Cal State Fullerton. She allowed only one run, three hits and two walks, tossing four 1-2-3 innings, striking out the side once and a pair on four occasions.
Faraimo tossed 11 2/3 innings of shutout ball in back-to-back games on the weekend against conference foe California in two more victories. On Saturday (March 30), she fanned three in 4 2/3 frames, allowing just three hits. The next afternoon, Faraimo struck out four in a complete-game, one-hit shutout. She gave up just three baserunners, with her only hit allowed coming to lead off the sixth inning.
On the season, Faraimo is 11-1 with a 0.97 earned run average and 89 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. She has gone the distance in eight of her 12 starts, tossing five shutouts and limiting opponents to a .132 batting average.
UCLA has earned 11 Pac-12 weekly awards this season. It marks the Bruins' sixth conference Freshman of the Week award in eight weeks and third in a row after Kelli Godin picked up the honor on March 19 and March 25. Faraimo's other three FOW awards came on Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 12. Redshirt junior Rachel Garcia has received five weekly honors (Player of the Week on March 19 and Pitcher of the Week four times - Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Feb. 26 and March 19).
BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH APRIL 2)
Team Rankings - Earned Run Average (1st, 1.04); Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (1st, 6.51); Batting Average (6th, .344); Runs Per Game (12th, 7.12); On Base Percentage (13th, .416); Slugging (18th, .534); Triples (T-18th, 11); Doubles (T-27th, 54); Fielding Percentage (31st, .971); Home Runs (44th, 32).
Rachel Garcia - Earned Run Average (1st, 0.54); Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (1st, 11.31); Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings (8th, 3.53); Strikeouts (16th, 147); Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings (17th, 1.00); Wins (T-18th, 14); Shutouts (T-30th, 4); Sacrifice Flies (T-36th, 3); Saves (T-49th, 2).
Megan Faraimo - Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings (2nd, 3.29); Earned Run Average (3rd, 0.97); Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (6th, 7.42); Shutouts (T-14th, 5); Walks Allowed Per Seven Innings (33rd, 1.16).
Kelli Godin - Batting Average (2nd, .515); On Base Percentage (15th, .556); Stolen Bases (T-33rd, 18).
Bubba Nickles - Runs Scored (T-37th, 34); Runs Batted In (T-46th, 35).
Briana Perez - Runs Scored (T-9th, 40); Hits (T-22nd, 47).
Holly Azevedo - Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings (46th, 4.82).
Aaliyah Jordan - Doubles (T-10th, 13).
Kinsley Washington - Triples (T-48th, 3).
NEWS AND NOTES
Bruin opponents have scored runs in just 30 innings this season, and on 19 occasions, UCLA has scored in its next at-bat ... the Bruins set a season high with 17 hits on March 10 against Boston ... the 15 runs scored at Washington on March 17 were the second most this season for UCLA (17 vs. UC Riverside on Feb. 17). The Bruins have reached double digits in runs eight times ... the Bruins had an early 3-0 deficit at Long Beach State on March 10, marking just their second three-run deficit (largest) of the season. UCLA also trailed 4-1 to No. 16 Kentucky on Feb. 23 before scoring 11 unanswered runs to mercy the Wildcats ... the Bruins have 10 comeback victories this season, recording their most recent one against California last Friday ... sophomore Briana Perez led off the March 8 game against Robert Morris with an inside-the-park home run. It marked the first inside-the-park homer for the Bruins since Andrea Duran on June 3, 2006 versus Texas ... redshirt junior Rachel Garcia has recorded either a win (14) or a save (2) in all 16 of her pitching appearances, posting eight double-figure strikeout contests. Garcia's season high in strikeouts is 15 at Hawaii (Feb. 8) and against No. 2 Oklahoma (Feb. 22). In each of her games, she has allowed zero or one earned run ... meanwhile at the plate, Garcia drove in a career-high six at Washington on March 17, her second game this year with at least five RBI (Florida, Feb. 27). She had a stretch of eight consecutive hits against Washington (March 16-17), Saint Mary's (March 24) and CSUN (March 24). Garcia has reached base in 10 games in a row ... freshman Kelli Godin has an eight-game hitting streak, batting .619 (13-for-21) during the stretch with 10 runs scored, four RBI and six stolen bases. In her last 15 games, Godin has seven multliple-hit contests. The freshman stole her first 18 bases before getting caught last Tuesday against Cal State Fullerton. It was the most successful stolen bases to start a UCLA career. Godin stole three bases against Saint Mary's on Feb. 9 to tie a school record, and then did it again versus the Gaels on March 24 ... eight of Perez's 13 steals this season came during March, including a pair of games with two swipes. She has a hit in six of her last seven contests, batting .429 (9-for-21) during the stretch with seven RBI, eight runs and five steals. Perez leads the Bruins with 16 multiple-hit games and has scored a run in 27 of 33 contests, including nine of her last 10 ... with a three-run shot on the final day of March against California, redshirt sophomore Aaliyah Jordan snapped a 13-game streak without a homer on March 31. She had nine doubles last month, including three versus Liberty on March 9 to become the sixth Bruin ever to post three two-baggers in the same contest. She has hits in 24 of her last 28 games, batting .412 (35-for-85) with four homers, 29 RBI and 13 doubles during that stretch ... junior Bubba Nickles compiled a 24-game hitting streak before it came to an end versus Colorado State on Feb. 24. During the streak, she hit .466 (34-for-73) with 10 home runs, 30 runs batted in and 27 runs scored. Only three UCLA hitting streaks were higher than Nickles' (Natasha Watley, 32 in 2001 and 29 in 2002, and Stacey Nuveman, 28 in 1997). Nickles has hits in 27 of 33 games, has driven in runs in 23 contests and scored in 21 ... freshman Megan Faraimo tossed her second no-hitter on Feb. 24 against Colorado State. Along with it being the 111th in UCLA history, it marked the first time a Bruin had two no-hitters in the same season since 2015 (Ally Carda) and the first UCLA freshman to do so since 2005 (Anjelica Selden). She has five games with at least nine strikeouts, fanning a career-best 12 against Robert Morris. Faraimo also had 11 strikeouts against Cal State Fullerton last Tuesday and 10 in her first no-hitter versus Fresno State (Feb. 16) ... senior Taylor Pack reached base in six of 11 plate appearances last weekend against Cal on four walks and two singles. Four of her five home runs this season came during the month of March ... sophomore Holly Azevedo pitched her first complete-game shutout of the season versus UC Santa Barbara last Monday. Her best game of the year came against Florida on Feb. 27 when she struck out eight in five innings ... senior Paige Halstead had two-hit contests in back-to-back Sunday games at CSUN (March 24) and against California (March 31). She hit her second homer of the season at CSUN ... junior Jacqui Prober posted a career-best four at-bats in last Sunday's game versus Cal and also stole her first-ever base. She had hits in each of the last two games last weekend ... sophomore Kinsley Washington singled and stole bases in each of the first two contests against Cal. She has reached base in five of her last seven games ... UCLA shattered a school record for most runs in one inning in a Feb. 17 victory over UC Riverside. The Bruins scored 16 runs in the first inning, including 13 before making an out. The 16-run outburst broke the previous school record of 13 runs scored on April 21, 1992 against Cal Poly Pomona. As far as national rankings go, the 16 runs are tied for the 11th-most runs in one inning, while the 16 first-inning runs are tied for the second-most, first-inning runs ever ... UCLA softball recorded its 1,900th victory in program history on March 8 against Robert Morris.
SCOUTING THE ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS
After winning five of its first six Pac-12 games, Arizona State (25-11, 5-4 Pac-12) was blanked in all three games at Arizona last weekend. The Sun Devils are hitting .341 as a team with 64 home runs and 38 stolen bases, averaging 8.36 runs per game. Three players are hitting over .400, led by junior Kindra Hackbarth, who is first at .430 and second with 11 homers and 40 runs batted in. Senior Skylar McCarty is batting .406, senior Morgan Howe is hitting .404 and junior Maddi Hackbarth is tops on the team with 16 homers and 43 RBI. Junior Samantha Mejia leads the team in innings pitched and is 12-5 with a 3.54 earned run average and 59 strikeouts in 87 innings. Freshman Abby Andersen is 9-5 with a 3.50 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 74 innings, while redshirt junior Cielo Meza is 2-1 with a 4.97 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 38 innings.
THE SERIES: UCLA VERSUS ARIZONA STATE
UCLA has won eight of the last nine against Arizona State and holds a 101-37 edge all-time. The Bruins won 2-of-3 a year ago at Easton Stadium. After dropping the series opener, 3-0, UCLA picked up 5-1 and 2-1 (9 innings) wins. The Bruins recorded sweeps in 2017 in Tempe and 2016 in Westwood. UCLA is 45-19 in matchups at Arizona State.
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