Megan Faraimo
Bruins Tabbed as Favorites in Pac-12 Coaches’ Preseason Poll
February 01, 2023 | Softball
SAN FRANCISCO – The No. 2 UCLA softball team has been selected first in the annual Pac-12 Softball Coaches' Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday morning. In addition, five UCLA players were named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team: Maya Brady, Megan Faraimo, Aaliyah Jordan, Sharlize Palacios and Brooke Yanez
The Bruins secured eight of nine possible first-place votes in the preseason poll. Stanford was the only other institution to receive a first-place vote. UCLA paced the conference with five of the 19 named to the team with the next-closest school being Washington with four selections.
Brady returns for her fourth season in the Blue and Gold after a 15-homer campaign in 2022. Two of those longballs came in game one versus Oklahoma at the Women's College World Series on June 6 for the second multi-homer game of her career. Brady currently ranks fifth on UCLA's all-time slugging percentage list (264 total bases, 385 at-bats).
Faraimo is the reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year following a 24-win season in 2022. She led the conference with 292 strikeouts (10.32 K/7) and tossed two solo perfect games en route to earning NFCA Second Team All-American accolades. Faraimo became the sixth Bruin ever to hit a home run and pitch in the same WCWS game after striking out Northwestern's Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Lewis and going deep off Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams just minutes later. Faraimo also led the country and set a program single-season record with seven saves in 2022.
Jordan comes back for her seventh year in Westwood after her 2022 season was cut short due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered versus Texas on Feb. 19. Before going down, Jordan was leading the Bruins with a .409 batting average and three home runs. Jordan is a two-time NFCA First Team All-American (2021, 2018) and a three-time All-Pac-12 First Team honoree (2021, 2019, 2018).
Palacios, one of UCLA's four transfer additions this offseason, comes to Los Angeles with 39 career home runs and 128 career runs batted in over her three seasons at Arizona. Palacios spent time with Team USA alongside teammates Maya Brady and Megan Faraimo this past offseason, competing in the Japan All-Star Series and Canada Cup. Across the two events, she hit .471 (8-for-17) with two home runs and five RBI in 10 games. Palacios has hauled in All-Pac-12 First Team honors in back-to-back seasons.
Another addition via the portal, Yanez transfers to the Bruins from Oregon after missing 2022 due to injury. Yanez posted a 1.97 earned run average, 31-7 record and 362 strikeouts over 245.0 innings pitched in her two seasons as a Duck. She was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2021.
Pac-12 Coaches Preseason Poll Results
1. UCLA - 64 (8)
2. Stanford - 54
3. Washington - 53 (1)
4. Oregon - 39
5. Arizona - 30
6. Oregon State - 25
7. California - 21
8. Utah - 20
9. Arizona State - 18
Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Yannira Acuña, ASU
Tatum Anzaldo, CAL
Ellessa Bonstrom, UTAH
Maya Brady, UCLA
Allee Bunker, ORE
Megan Faraimo, UCLA
Frankie Hammoude, OSU
Madison Huskey, WASH
Julia Jimenez, UTAH
Aaliyah Jordan, UCLA
Baylee Klingler, WASH
Lindsay Lopez, WASH
Terra McGowan, ORE
Sharlize Palacios, UCLA
Sami Reynolds, WASH
Carlie Scupin, ARIZ
Allie Skaggs, ARIZ
Makena Smith, CAL
Alana Vawter, STAN
Brooke Yanez, UCLA
The Bruins secured eight of nine possible first-place votes in the preseason poll. Stanford was the only other institution to receive a first-place vote. UCLA paced the conference with five of the 19 named to the team with the next-closest school being Washington with four selections.
Brady returns for her fourth season in the Blue and Gold after a 15-homer campaign in 2022. Two of those longballs came in game one versus Oklahoma at the Women's College World Series on June 6 for the second multi-homer game of her career. Brady currently ranks fifth on UCLA's all-time slugging percentage list (264 total bases, 385 at-bats).
Faraimo is the reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year following a 24-win season in 2022. She led the conference with 292 strikeouts (10.32 K/7) and tossed two solo perfect games en route to earning NFCA Second Team All-American accolades. Faraimo became the sixth Bruin ever to hit a home run and pitch in the same WCWS game after striking out Northwestern's Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Lewis and going deep off Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams just minutes later. Faraimo also led the country and set a program single-season record with seven saves in 2022.
Jordan comes back for her seventh year in Westwood after her 2022 season was cut short due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered versus Texas on Feb. 19. Before going down, Jordan was leading the Bruins with a .409 batting average and three home runs. Jordan is a two-time NFCA First Team All-American (2021, 2018) and a three-time All-Pac-12 First Team honoree (2021, 2019, 2018).
Palacios, one of UCLA's four transfer additions this offseason, comes to Los Angeles with 39 career home runs and 128 career runs batted in over her three seasons at Arizona. Palacios spent time with Team USA alongside teammates Maya Brady and Megan Faraimo this past offseason, competing in the Japan All-Star Series and Canada Cup. Across the two events, she hit .471 (8-for-17) with two home runs and five RBI in 10 games. Palacios has hauled in All-Pac-12 First Team honors in back-to-back seasons.
Another addition via the portal, Yanez transfers to the Bruins from Oregon after missing 2022 due to injury. Yanez posted a 1.97 earned run average, 31-7 record and 362 strikeouts over 245.0 innings pitched in her two seasons as a Duck. She was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2021.
Pac-12 Coaches Preseason Poll Results
1. UCLA - 64 (8)
2. Stanford - 54
3. Washington - 53 (1)
4. Oregon - 39
5. Arizona - 30
6. Oregon State - 25
7. California - 21
8. Utah - 20
9. Arizona State - 18
Preseason All-Pac-12 Team
Yannira Acuña, ASU
Tatum Anzaldo, CAL
Ellessa Bonstrom, UTAH
Maya Brady, UCLA
Allee Bunker, ORE
Megan Faraimo, UCLA
Frankie Hammoude, OSU
Madison Huskey, WASH
Julia Jimenez, UTAH
Aaliyah Jordan, UCLA
Baylee Klingler, WASH
Lindsay Lopez, WASH
Terra McGowan, ORE
Sharlize Palacios, UCLA
Sami Reynolds, WASH
Carlie Scupin, ARIZ
Allie Skaggs, ARIZ
Makena Smith, CAL
Alana Vawter, STAN
Brooke Yanez, UCLA
Players Mentioned
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