Photo by: Jesus Ramirez
Brady and Faraimo Headline NFCA All-America Selections
May 31, 2023 | Softball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Shortstop Maya Brady and pitcher Megan Faraimo on the UCLA softball team were named NFCA First Team All-Americans, it was announced Wednesday afternoon. Third baseman Megan Grant and first baseman Jordan Woolery earned Second Team and Third Team honors, respectively.
This marks the second time in Faraimo and Brady's careers they have each been named to the First Team. Faraimo finishes her collegiate career as a three-time All-American, including her Second Team selection in 2022.
With Faraimo and Brady's awards, UCLA raises its total to 75 First Team All-America selections.
The Bruins' four All-America nods are tied for second with Oklahoma State, trailing only Oklahoma who had five players represented.
Maya Brady – First Team, Shortstop
Brady was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist in 2023. The 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Pac-12 Batting Champion led the UCLA lineup with a .448 batting average, 59 runs batted in and 18 home runs in her redshirt junior season.
Entering the postseason, Brady ranked top 10 in the NCAA in total bases (2nd – 148), batting average (7th – .458) and slugging percentage (7th – .892). The Bruin slugger led the Pac-12 in both average and slugging and ranked second in both RBI and homers. Her .866 slugging percentage this season was the best mark by a Bruin since Megan Langenfeld in 2010.
Brady also recorded three multi-homer games, including her performance versus Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament on May 11, which lifted UCLA to victory. She opened the season by shattering a 24-year-old UCLA record, hitting safely in 11 consecutive at-bats to surpass Lisa Fernandez and Stacey Nuveman's former mark of 10. Brady had a stretch of four consecutive games with a home run against Oregon State and Arizona to tie, becoming the first Bruin since Stephany LaRosa in 2015 to accomplish that feat.
Brady also led UCLA with 22 multi-hit games this season. She did all of this while undertaking a new position at shortstop.
Megan Faraimo – First Team, Pitcher
Faraimo, who was named as one of four finalists for the Honda Sport Award for Softball earlier today, finished her collegiate career with a 29-3 record, a 1.42 earned run average and 232 strikeouts over 172.0 innings her senior season. Faraimo's 29 wins ranked second in the NCAA. She also paced the Pac-12 in strikeouts for the second consecutive season and ranked second in the conference in earned run average.
Faraimo was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist for the second time in her career in 2023. She was also named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. In 2023, she set a career-long scoreless inning streak of 35.2 innings as well as recorded a streak of 16 straight appearances with a victory.
The Oceanside, Calif. native cemented herself as one of the best players in UCLA history by becoming the fourth pitcher in program history to achieve 100 wins and third pitcher to reach 1,000 career strikeouts.
Megan Grant – Second Team, Third Base
Grant was an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree and NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 in her debut season. Grant pounded out 15 home runs to lead all Pac-12 freshmen and ranked second among all NCAA freshmen with 58 runs batted in. She ranked second on the team in both homers and slugging percentage (.695).
Grant set the tone for the Bruins' offense in the back half of the season as their lead-off hitter, blasting three lead-off homers. She made her mark in Pac-12 play, leading the conference in home runs (9), extra-base hits (16), slugging percentage (.889) and runs batted in (26).
Grant also owned UCLA's longest hitting streak (14 games) and reached-base streak (24 games) in 2023.
Jordan Woolery – Third Team, First Base
Woolery, the other half to UCLA's star freshman tandem, was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Woolery was second on the team with a .390 batting average and reached double-digit in the home run category with 10. The NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 Finalist ended the season with 46 runs batted in.
This marks the second time in Faraimo and Brady's careers they have each been named to the First Team. Faraimo finishes her collegiate career as a three-time All-American, including her Second Team selection in 2022.
With Faraimo and Brady's awards, UCLA raises its total to 75 First Team All-America selections.
The Bruins' four All-America nods are tied for second with Oklahoma State, trailing only Oklahoma who had five players represented.
Maya Brady – First Team, Shortstop
Brady was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist in 2023. The 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Pac-12 Batting Champion led the UCLA lineup with a .448 batting average, 59 runs batted in and 18 home runs in her redshirt junior season.
Entering the postseason, Brady ranked top 10 in the NCAA in total bases (2nd – 148), batting average (7th – .458) and slugging percentage (7th – .892). The Bruin slugger led the Pac-12 in both average and slugging and ranked second in both RBI and homers. Her .866 slugging percentage this season was the best mark by a Bruin since Megan Langenfeld in 2010.
Brady also recorded three multi-homer games, including her performance versus Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament on May 11, which lifted UCLA to victory. She opened the season by shattering a 24-year-old UCLA record, hitting safely in 11 consecutive at-bats to surpass Lisa Fernandez and Stacey Nuveman's former mark of 10. Brady had a stretch of four consecutive games with a home run against Oregon State and Arizona to tie, becoming the first Bruin since Stephany LaRosa in 2015 to accomplish that feat.
Brady also led UCLA with 22 multi-hit games this season. She did all of this while undertaking a new position at shortstop.
Megan Faraimo – First Team, Pitcher
Faraimo, who was named as one of four finalists for the Honda Sport Award for Softball earlier today, finished her collegiate career with a 29-3 record, a 1.42 earned run average and 232 strikeouts over 172.0 innings her senior season. Faraimo's 29 wins ranked second in the NCAA. She also paced the Pac-12 in strikeouts for the second consecutive season and ranked second in the conference in earned run average.
Faraimo was named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist for the second time in her career in 2023. She was also named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season. In 2023, she set a career-long scoreless inning streak of 35.2 innings as well as recorded a streak of 16 straight appearances with a victory.
The Oceanside, Calif. native cemented herself as one of the best players in UCLA history by becoming the fourth pitcher in program history to achieve 100 wins and third pitcher to reach 1,000 career strikeouts.
Megan Grant – Second Team, Third Base
Grant was an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree and NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 in her debut season. Grant pounded out 15 home runs to lead all Pac-12 freshmen and ranked second among all NCAA freshmen with 58 runs batted in. She ranked second on the team in both homers and slugging percentage (.695).
Grant set the tone for the Bruins' offense in the back half of the season as their lead-off hitter, blasting three lead-off homers. She made her mark in Pac-12 play, leading the conference in home runs (9), extra-base hits (16), slugging percentage (.889) and runs batted in (26).
Grant also owned UCLA's longest hitting streak (14 games) and reached-base streak (24 games) in 2023.
Jordan Woolery – Third Team, First Base
Woolery, the other half to UCLA's star freshman tandem, was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Woolery was second on the team with a .390 batting average and reached double-digit in the home run category with 10. The NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 Finalist ended the season with 46 runs batted in.
Players Mentioned
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