Friday, May 17
Los Angeles, CA
5:30 PM
UCLA
vs
Grand Canyon
Janelle Meoรฑo
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
No. 6 UCLA Opens Regionals Versus Grand Canyon Friday
May 16, 2024 | Softball
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 6 seed UCLA softball team will host its 10th consecutive NCAA Regional when it welcomes Virginia Tech, San Diego State and Grand Canyon to Easton Stadium this week. The Bruins' (37-10, 17-4 Pac-12) first match up is against Grand Canyon on Friday, May 17 at 5:30 p.m. (PT). The contest is available for viewing on ESPN+.
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Every game of the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament will be broadcasted on the ESPN Family of Networks. Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Danielle Lawrie (analyst) will be on the call for the Los Angeles Regional.
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UCLA is led by Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady. The senior shortstop is pacing the conference in slugging percentage for the second straight season (.799) and has recorded a league-high 61 runs batted in. Additionally, Brady leads the team with a .403 batting average, 15 home runs and 48 runs scored.
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Los Angeles Regional Tournament Central Page
NCAA Tournament Interactive Bracket
Tickets
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2024 NCAA Los Angeles Regional Schedule
Friday, May 17
Game 1: Virginia Tech vs. San Diego State at 3 p.m. (PT) โ ESPNU
Game 2: UCLA vs. Grand Canyon at 5:30 p.m. (PT) โ ESPN+
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Saturday, May 18
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at 2 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 at 4:30 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)
Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 at 7 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)
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Sunday, May 19
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 (Time & Broadcast TBD)
Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (if necessary) (Time & Broadcast TBD)
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Quick Hits
ยท UCLA won both the Pac-12 regular-season title and Pac-12 Tournament Championship in its final season as a member of the flagship softball conference.
ยท The Bruins claimed their second consecutive Pac-12 regular-season title with a 17-4 conference record in 2024.
ยท UCLA has won 18 total regular-season conference championships and a record 13 titles as a member of the Pac-12.
ยท UCLA has finished 1st or 2nd in the Pac-12 in each of the last nine seasons under head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.
ยท UCLA turned in a 34-10 overall record in the regular season after a 3-4 start through the first two weeks.
ยท UCLA has recorded 10 wins when tied or trailing in the fifth inning or later this season.
ยท UCLA has won four games when trailing by 4+ runs this year.
ยท UCLA boasts the top two slugging percentage leaders in the Pac-12: Maya Brady (.799) and Sharlize Palacios (.797).
ยท RS Sr. Maya Brady hit her 67th career home run at Arizona State on May 4 to move into sole possession of second place in UCLA's record book. In typical Brady fashion, she homered again in her next at-bat of the game for the ninth multi-homer performance of her career, which also ranks second in UCLA history.
ยท RS Sr. Sharlize Palacios has homered in five of her last 11 games. All five of those homers either tied the game or gave UCLA the lead. The Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection also ranks second in the conference in runners caught stealing (9).
ยท UCLA's underclassmen duo of So. Taylor Tinsley and Fr. Kaitlyn Terry have pitched 280.1 of 306.0 total innings this season.
ยท Inouye-Perez secured her 800th career win as head coach in game one of the Stanford series on April 19.
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UCLA Postseason History
ยท The Bruins are making their 39th NCAA Tournament appearance, and their 25 straight appearance since 1999.
ยท UCLA is the winningest program in the history of the sport with 12 NCAA Championships.
ยท The Bruins' 31 Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances are also an NCAA record.
ยท UCLA holds the distinction as the only program to win a championship in every decade, including its 1978 AIAW title.
ยท UCLA owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 233-66 (.779).
ยท UCLA was the first program to repeat NCAA Championships (1984-85) and three-peat NCAA Championships (1988-90).
ยท UCLA saw its streak of seven consecutive Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances snapped last season.
ยท The Bruins won the first-ever title under the umbrella of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1982.
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Back-to-Back Pac-12 Player of the Year
Senior shortstop Maya Brady (.403 avg., 15 HR, 61 RBI) earned the prestigious Pac-12 Player of the Year Award for the second straight season in 2024. She collected UCLA's record 19th Pac-12 Player of the Year honor and became the fifth Bruin and ninth total player in conference history to repeat the award. UCLA has won the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award in five of the last six full seasons (excludes pandemic-shortened 2020 season). Brady joins Rachel Garcia, Ally Carda, Stacey Nuveman and Lisa Fernandez as UCLA players to have won Pac-12 Player of the Year multiple times. One of 10 candidates for this season's USA Softball Player of the Year Award, Brady has secured All-Pac-12 honors all four full seasons of her UCLA career (she was a first-team selection in 2024, 2023 and 2021 and third-team in 2022).
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It's Only Appropriate
UCLA won the final game in Pac-12 Conference history with a 2-1 victory over Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game in Stanford, Calif. on May 11. The Bruins were also crowned Pac-12 regular-season champions for the second consecutive season with a 17-4 record. The Bruins exit as the winningest school in Pac-12 history with 13 regular-season titles and a 650-219 (.750) record in conference games. The Arizona program ranks second in both categories.
ยท UCLA won the season series against five of its conference foes, including three-game sweeps over Stanford and Arizona State. The Bruins saw three of their conference contests canceled due to inclement weather: one game versus Oregon (March 30) and two games versus California (April 14).
ยท UCLA seized first place of the Pac-12 standings following a sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford (April 19-21), who was the conference leader at that time. The Bruins never relinquished their hold of first place.
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Pac-12 Tournament Recap
Catcher Sharlize Palacios was named the Pac-12 Tournament MVP after going 4-for-8 at the plate with a double and two late-game, go-ahead home runs, which carried the Bruins to the championship. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Kaitlyn Terry from Glendale, Ariz. started in the circle all three contests and went 4.0 or more innings in each of her outings. Terry, Jadelyn Allchin and Jordan Woolery were also named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
vs. Arizona State (W, 6-0): Terry threw a one-hit shutout to lead UCLA to a 6-0 victory in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals on May 9, marking her fourth straight complete game in the last seven days against the Sun Devils. The southpaw needed just 78 pitches and faced two over the minimum.
vs. Arizona (W, 6-5): Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning to their fierce rival in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals, the Bruins rallied for six runs, capped by a go-ahead homer by Palacios to straightaway center. Just two weeks ago, Palacios hit the game-tying grand slam against Arizona on Senior Day on April 28 to erase a 7-0 deficit and help UCLA to the largest comeback victory in program history. Taylor Tinsley made her first pitching appearance in two weeks since game one of the regular-season series versus Arizona on April 26. Tinsley entered for relief in the top of the fourth inning and dealt 4.0 innings of relief and struck out one batter looking en route to picking up her 15th win of the season.
vs. Utah (W, 2-1): UCLA was tied with Utah in the championship game when Palacios stepped to the plate to leadoff the sixth inning. Palacios, fresh off her two-run blast in the semis, belted another go-ahead blast off the Smith Family Stadium scoreboard to give the Bruins the lead. Tinsley shut the Utes down in the seventh inning with two strikeouts to earn the save.
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USA Softball Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist
Brady was named a Top 10 Finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year for the second straight season. The Thousand Oaks, Calif. native made the cut for the Top 3 in her redshirt junior season in 2023. Brady has been the anchor of the Bruins' lineup the last two years. Again in 2024, Brady is leading UCLA in batting average, home runs, runs batted in and slugging percentage. The Top 10 Finalists will be narrowed to 3 athletes on May 20. Two Bruins have been honored as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year a total of three times (Rachel Garcia in 2019 and 2018 and Stacey Nuveman in 2002).
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Back-to-Back Pac-12 Coach of the Year
UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez was named the 2024 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, marking the second straight season and fourth time in her career she has earned the award (2024, 2023, 2021 and 2010). UCLA has now won the Coach of the Year award 11 times in the conference's 37-year history.
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Inouye-Perez earned her 800th career win earlier this season in game one at Stanford on April 19. She joined UCLA Athletic Hall of Famers and her two predecessors Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist in the 800 Win Club. Enquist leads UCLA's triad of head coaches with 887 career head coaching wins while Backus owns 854 such wins. Inouye-Perez was coached by both Backus and Enquist in her time as a catcher on the Bruins' roster from 1989-93. She coached alongside Backus and Enquist as an assistant upon graduating. Inouye-Perez joins Washington's Heather Tarr as the only two active Pac-12 head coaches with 800 career wins.
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Back-to-Back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Awards
Left-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Terry (18-1, 2.53 ERA, 136 SO) was named the 2024 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. UCLA has now won back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year awards (Jordan Woolery in 2023) and earned the honor five times in the last seven full seasons. The Bruins' roster now totes three Pac-12 Freshman of the Year recipients in Terry, Woolery (2023) and Janelle Meoño (2021).
ยท Terry's mother, Kristy (Hull) Terry, was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year in 1995 as a catcher for the Florida State Seminoles (1995-98). The former Hull was a two-time All-ACC Team selection and named to the NFCA All-Region Team all four years of her career. Kristy ranks second in Florida State program history in games played (281) and eighth in hits (275).
ยท Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen with 18 wins, a 2.53 earned run average, 136 strikeouts and 155.0 innings pitched. The Bruins relied heavily upon Terry down the stretch of the regular season. She currently leads UCLA's pitching staff in both appearances (34) and innings pitched. Her 155.0 innings are the most by a UCLA freshman since Rachel Garcia in 2017 who threw 202.2 innings. Garcia is also last Bruin freshman to win 20 games in a season (23-9).
ยท Terry ranks seventh among all NCAA freshmen with 18 wins.
ยท Terry is tied with Stanford's NiJaree Canady for most shutouts this season by a Pac-12 pitcher (6).
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Year-End Pac-12 Awards
UCLA led all programs with six selections to the All-Pac-12 First Team and seven total All-Pac-12 honorees. The six First Team honorees are the program's most since the Bruins' 2019 NCAA Championship season.
First Team: Maya Brady, Megan Grant, Sharlize Palacios, Kaitlyn Terry, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery were selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team. Grant and Woolery have been named to the First Team in the first two seasons of their careers.
Second Team: The Bruins' lone All-Pac-12 Second Team member was Jadelyn Allchin who picks up the first All-Pac-12 Team honor in her five-year career. Allchin spent the previous four seasons at Washington from 2020-23.
All-Defensive Team: Palacios was also named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team for the third straight year. The senior backstop has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal and has yet to record an error in all 44 games played.
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Notes on Brady's Season
Maya Brady was a three-time Pac-12 Player of the Week recipient this season and has earned the award seven times in her career, which ranks second-most in UCLA history. Brady has caught fire the last three weeks with a .500 average (16-for-32), 20 RBI, four home runs and a .938 slugging percentage over 10 games (since April 28 vs. Arizona).
ยท With runners in scoring position, Brady leads the NCAA with a .722 average (26-for-36), 1.361 slugging percentage and 47 RBI. Brady hit for a .431 average with runners in scoring position last season.
ยท During Pac-12 play, Brady led the conference in batting average (.419), runs batted in (29), slugging (.935), on-base percentage (.532) and runs scored (22). She ranked second with nine home runs behind Oregon's Ariel Carlson (10 HR).
ยท Brady notched her third two-homer game of the season and ninth of her career in game two at Arizona State on May 4. Her other two-homer games this year occurred at then-No. 8 Washington on March 24 and versus then-No.ย 7 Florida State at the Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 16.
ยท Brady is the first UCLA player since Delaney Spaulding (2014-17) with 15+ home runs in three consecutive seasons. Brady belted 15 bombs in 2022 and a career-high 18 in 2023.
ยท The shortstop has shored up on the defensive side of the ball as well. Since March 1, Brady's fielding percentage has improved 106 points from .813 to .919. This season marks Brady's second campaign as UCLA's starting shortstop. She took over the role full-time on March 3, 2023 after Seneca Curo sustained a season-ending injury. She has started at shortstop in 95 career games.
ยท In 2023, Brady was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist in addition to being a consensus First Team All-American. Brady led UCLA with a .448 average, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, 63 runs scored, 33 extra-base hits and 149 total bases last season.
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Brady Makes History
Maya Brady hit the 67th home run of her career in game two at Arizona State on May 4, moving her out of a tie with Stephany LaRosa (2012-15) and into sole possession of second place in UCLA's record books. In typical Brady fashion, she homered again in her next at-bat of the game for the ninth multi-homer performance of her career, which also ranks second in UCLA history. Brady currently sits at 69 career home runs and trails Stacey Nuveman's program record of 90 longballs. When Brady's career is done, she will rank second among UCLA student-athletes in several significant statistical categories.
Career Two-Homer Games: Brady is tied with Andrea Harrison (2009-12) with nine career multi-homer games. Nuveman also holds that program record with 12 such performances. Brady's four multi-homer games in 2023 are tied for second most by a Bruin in a single season (B.B. Bates - 2013; Megan Langenfeld - 2010; Andrea Harrison - 2010).
Career RBI: Brady also moved into second place on UCLA's career RBI list during the Arizona State series. Her career total currently rests at 239. Nuveman owns the program RBI record (299). Seven Bruins have recorded 200+ career RBI.
Career Slugging Percentage: Brady's career slugging percentage keeps ballooning every week. Her current career mark of .753 ranks third all-time in UCLA history.ย
Career Runs Scored: Brady currently ranks fourth in UCLA's annals with 218 runs scored.
Career Hits: Brady's 266 career hits rank 11th in program history. She needs six more knocks to crack UCLA's top 10.
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Top Two Sluggers in the Pac-12
UCLA's lineup boasts two of the top three slugging percentage leaders in the Pac-12 in Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios. Brady leads with a .799 mark while Palacios ranks just behind in third with a .797 clip. Brady led the Pac-12 in slugging last season with an .866 mark. The pair is tied for the second-most home runs in the conference with 15 apiece. The duo has been particularly hot the last 10 games with a combined .949 slugging and 1.497 OPS (since April 28 vs. Arizona).
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She's a SuperShar
Sharlize Palacios has had a flair for the dramatic over the last three weeks. Palacios has homered in five of her last 11 games and is tied for the team lead in that category with 15 this season. Each of Palacios' last five home runs either tied up the game or gave UCLA the lead.
ยท Most recently, Palacios powered UCLA to the Pac-12 Tournament Championship with two late-game go-ahead home runs. The first was a two-run shot versus Arizona in the fifth inning of the semifinals and the second was a sixth inning solo bomb against Utah in the title game.
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Palacios Pointers
ยท Palacios earned the first two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in her career this season. She was awarded for the first time on March 11 after going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a grand slam during UCLA's bye week contests versus Rutgers and LMU. Palacios was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for a second time on April 29 after homering three times over four games versus Long Beach State and rival Arizona.
ยท Defensively, Palacios has yet to commit an error in 273 total chances and has thrown out nine runners attempting to steal.ย ย
ยท Palacios recorded both her 200th career hit and 200th career RBI earlier this season. Her grand slam in game three against Arizona on April 28 brought home her 200th RBI. And her first hit of game one at Arizona State on May 3 tallied hit No. 200. Palacios belted the 50th homer of her career with the first of her two home runs versus then-No. 5 Tennessee at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 25.
ยท Palacios leads all Bruins on the active roster with seven career grand slams and ranks second behind Brady with four career multi-homer games.
ยท Palacios has been named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team all three years as a first-string catcher (2024 and 2023 with UCLA and 2022 with Arizona). She spent her freshman 2020 and 2021 seasons primarily as the designated player at Arizona.
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The Allchin Addition
Jadelyn Allchin has been one of the most valuable transfer additions in the country. The graduate transfer from Washington (2020-23) received the first All-Pac-12 Team recognition of her career this season, being named to the Second Team. Allchin has started a career-high 47 games in 2024 and is enjoying career bests in batting average (.305), runs batted in (29), runs scored (34) and stolen bases (10-10).
ยท Allchin, a graduate transfer from Washington (2020-23), has provided clutch hits for the Bruins. In the fifth inning or later this season, Allchin is batting for a .451 average (23-for-51) with 16 RBI and 18 runs scored.
ยท Allchin has converted on all 13 RBI opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs. Her latest successful opportunity was an RBI single versus Arizona State on May 9 in the fifth inning of the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals.
ยท On March 12 versus Rutgers, Allchin delivered a walk-off single. Three days prior to that, Allchin played the hero in game two of UCLA's home series with Utah by knocking in the game-tying run with two outs in the seventh inning. At the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Allchin doubled in a run to spark a five-run seventh inning to help UCLA walk-off on Nebraska on Feb. 23.
ยท Allchin has been a mainstay in the top half of the Bruins' lineup, hitting in the top 3 of the order in 37 of the last 40 games.
ยท Allchin has swiped two bases in a game twice this season (Oregon on March 29 and Stanford on April 19). She leads the Bruins in stolen bases and is 10-for-10 on her attempts.
ยท Defensively, Allchin has recorded two outfield assists this season: one from left field in the Bruins' 6-2 win over Tennessee on Feb. 25 and one from center field against Oklahoma State on Feb. 11. She has totaled five outfield assists in her career.
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UCLA in Pinch-Hitting Situations
The Bruins are batting .434 (23-for-53) in pinch-hitting situations this season. Nine different players have been called upon to pinch hit. UCLA's pinch hitters have reached base in eight of the last nine games when Inouye-Perez utilizes someone off the bench (dates back to April 20 at Stanford). Two Bruins have hit a total of three pinch-hit home runs this season; the last to do so was Taylor Stephens at Arizona State on May 4. Stephens owns two of UCLA's pinch-hit home runs this season.
ยท Ramsey Suarez leads the Bruins with eight pinch hits and six RBI when coming off the bench. Suarez has reached base in five of her last seven pinch-hit opportunities (4-for-6, 1 BB). At Arizona State, Suarez hit a pair of RBI pinch hits in games one and three. She has gone 4-for-4 in pinch-hitting scenarios in her last four at-bats at Easton Stadium. Most recently, Suarez delivered a key pinch-hit single in the bottom of the fifth inning in game three versus Arizona on April 28 which played a key part in erasing a seven-run deficit for the largest comeback victory in program history. Suarez reached twice during the Oregon series at Easton Stadium on two pinch-hit singles (March 28-29). Her two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth in game one versus the Ducks on March 28 proved to be the difference in a 5-3 win.
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Savi Stepping Up
Junior Savannah Pola, who has been in and out of the lineup this season, has made the most of her opportunities lately. Pola is playing her best ball the last four weeks (14 games) with a .321 batting average (9-for-28) and four doubles. The Santa Ana, Calif. product broke out of her slump in game two at Stanford on April 20 with two-RBI pinch-hit double that found the left field foul line. In her start at Long Beach State on April 23, Pola doubled and recorded her first multi-hit performance in 11 games. She has started each of the last five games, including four as the designated player.
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"Leveling Up"
UCLA owned a 3-4 record with losses to four top-10 programs through the first two weeks of the season. As is the norm with the UCLA softball program, the Bruins scheduled a rigorous non-conference slate with eight games versus top-25 opponents. UCLA has turned around from its 3-4 start to go 34-6 since week two with 12 wins over top-25 foes. The early tests have paid dividends for the team as it builds steam for a postseason run. Notable wins include a sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford from April 19-21 and the largest comeback victory in program history versus then-No. 19 Arizona on April 28.
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That's What We Call Bruin Magic
UCLA has a knack for the comeback victory and pulling out wins late in games in 2024. In addition to the Bruins' historic comeback against Arizona, UCLA has climbed from four runs down to win three games as well as won five games that were tied late. UCLA has three walk-off wins this season.
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Series Histories in the Los Angeles Regional
Virginia Tech: UCLA leads the all-time series versus Virginia Tech, 4-2, dating back to 2008. The two squads met in the 2021 NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional. After the Hokies took game one of the series, Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo fired back with a pair of shutouts to advance the Bruins to the Women's College World Series. UCLA and Virginia Tech last faced off at the 2023 Clearwater Invitational which resulted in an 8-4 Bruins' victory. In that game, UCLA posted six runs and hit around the order in the first inning off Hokies' starter Bre Peck. Maya Brady homered in the contest.
San Diego State: UCLA leads the all-time series versus San Diego State, 69-2, dating back to 1976. The Bruins have won 62 straight games against the Aztecs, last losing in 1978. UCLA is a 32-0 at home when playing San Diego State.
Grand Canyon: Friday will mark just the fourth all-time meeting between UCLA and Grand Canyon. The Bruins lead the all-time series over the Lopes, 2-1. This marks the third straight season which Grand Canyon has been an at-large selection to the UCLA Regional. The Lopes edged the Bruins in a 3-2 battle in game one of the last season's postseason contest thanks to a three-run homer in the fourth inning by Grand Canyon's Madison Schaefer being the difference.
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Largest Comeback Victory in Program History
The final game between UCLA and Arizona as members of the Pac-12 was a memorable one. On April 28, 2024, the Bruins erased a seven-run deficit and scored 11 unanswered runs to defeat their rivals on Senior Day at Easton Stadium. It was the largest comeback victory in program history. Ten of UCLA's 11 runs were scored with two outs.
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Sharlize Palacios stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, trailing 7-3 in the fifth inning against her former team. With one swing of the bat, Palacios tied up the game on a grand slam over the left-center field wall to cap the miracle comeback. UCLA was being perfect gamed by Arizona starting pitcher Aissa Silva up until the fifth inning of the game. Megan Grant sparked the seven-run fifth with a leadoff home run to center field. The Bruins' seniors strung together five consecutive hits in a four-run bottom of the sixth to secure the win.
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Palacios' heroics earned her D1Softball National Player of the Week and Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. In the Arizona series and in a midweek at Long Beach State, Palacios led the Bruins with a .600 average (6-for-10), 1.500 slugging percentage, 11 RBI and three homers. All three of Palacios' homers either tied the game or gave the Bruins the lead. In her last five games against the Wildcats, Palacios has recorded 15 RBI and four run home runs (dates back to the 2023 regular-season series).
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Rapid Development, Notes on the Pitching Staff
UCLA has relied predominantly on Taylor Tinsley and Kaitlyn Terry in the circle since March 1 with the two underclassmen pitching 210.1 innings of the possible 222.0 over this 34-game stretch. Tinsley and Terry also pitched the entirety of conference play. Together, they owned a 2.46 ERA in Pac-12 conference games which ranked second in the Pac-12 behind Stanford.
ยท The Bruins' pitching staff battled through injuries in the first month of the season. But since March 1, UCLA's Terry and Tinsley have shown rapid improvement with a combined 27-5 record and 2.10 earned run average over the last 34 games. Since March 1, Tinsley owns a 12-4 record and 1.41 ERA while Terry is 15-1 with a 2.52 ERA.
ยท On the season, Tinsley (1.90 ERA) and Terry (2.53 ERA) rank second and seventh in the conference in earned run average, respectively.
ยท The two hurlers were highly-touted recruits coming out of their respective states; Terry (Arizona) was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year while Tinsley (Georgia) was the No. 1-ranked pitcher in her the 2021 recruiting class.
ยท The 2024 season marks the first time since 1998 and second time ever in which UCLA does not have a pitcher on staff with postseason experience (must have pitched in a postseason game). Additionally, the 2024 season marks the first time since 2015 in which UCLA does not have a pitcher on staff with Women's College World Series experience entering the year.
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Terry's Impressive Freshman Campaign
Kaitlyn Terry sports a 18-1 record across a team-high 34 appearances this season. Terry has been the starting pitcher in each of UCLA's last six games. Her first loss of the year came 11 weeks and 26 appearances into the year versus Arizona on April 27.
ยท Terry ranks third in the Pac-12 with 14 complete games. She has gone the distance in six of her last eight outings.
ยท Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen in wins (18), ERA (2.53), strikeouts (125), innings pitched (136.0) and shutouts (6).
ยท Terry was named the D1Softball National Freshman of the Week on May 7 after picking up three straight complete-game victories at Arizona State from May 3-5. She proceeded to throw a complete-game shutout against the Sun Devils in UCLA's next game in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals on May 9.
ยท Terry was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks (March 18 & 25). The southpaw put forth her most dominant outing of the season with a complete-game shutout in game three at Washington on March 24. She needed just 81 pitches, limiting the Huskies to two hits and a walk. Terry's performance marked the first shutout by a UCLA freshman versus a top-10 opponent since April 7, 2017, when Rachel Garcia shutout then-No. 1 Oregon. Terry retired the last 11 Huskies of the game and flashed the leather in the fourth inning, starting a 1-6-3 double play.
ยท Terry struck out a career-high 12 batters in her complete-game shutout over Weber State at the Judi Garman Classic on March 2. The 12 strikeouts are tied with Megan Faraimo (2019) and Rachel Garcia (2017) for the most by a Bruins' freshman over the last 15 years. Donna Kerr was the last UCLA freshman to rack up 12+ strikeouts, recording 15 in a win over Northwestern on March 9, 2008.
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Notes on Tinsley
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley has shown consistent improvement since week one of the season. In 2024, she ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 1.90 ERA and third with 146 strikeouts over 125.1 innings pitched after totaling just 57.1 innings of work all of last season in her All-Pac-12 Freshman Team campaign. Tinsley, the first UCLA softball player from the state of Georgia, has been named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
close losses: Four of Tinsley's eight losses this season have come in one-run ballgames. Tinsley allowed one earned run or less in all four of those losses.
at the Mary Nutter: Tinsley allowed just two earned runs across three complete-game performances and 22.0 total innings pitched at the Mary Nutter. Among all the pitchers competing at the Mary Nutter (30 teams participating), Tinsley ranked first in innings pitched (22.0) and strikeouts looking (10) and tied for first in strikeouts (30).
vs. Utah: Tinsley picked up two wins, struck out 16 batters and did not allow an earned run over 10.2 innings to help the Bruins to a series sweep of Utah (March 8-10). In her game one victory, Tinsley threw 6.2 innings of shutout ball and allowed only one base runner into scoring position. She finished her outing with nine strikeouts and surrendered just two hits. She limited the Pac-12 batting average leader entering the series, Haley Denning, to 0-for-6 with two Ks.
vs. Oregon: Tinsley allowed just one earned run and was the winning pitcher in both of UCLA's two games versus then-No. 20 Oregon (March 28-29). In game one of the series, Tinsley entered in relief and got the Bruins out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning with a strikeout. She retired the Ducks in order in the seventh on just six pitches to close the game. Tinsley turned in 4.0 solid innings in her game two start, allowing just one run.
at Stanford: Tinsley earned NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors after limiting Stanford to just seven hits and striking out 20 batters over 15.2 scoreless innings across her three outings. In game one of the series, Tinsley struck out a career-high 15 batters over 9.0 innings to outduel Stanford ace NiJaree Canady in a 1-0 affair.
at the Pac-12 Tournament: Tinsley made her first appearance since April 26 in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals versus Arizona on May 10. Tinsley was credited with the win after throwing 4.0 innings of relief with just two hits given up. She was called upon the next day for save situation in the championship game versus Utah. Tinsley sealed the championship with a three-up, three-down seventh inning featuring two strikeouts.
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Tinsley Awarded National Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Pitcher of the Week on April 23. Tinsley was the winning pitcher in all three games of UCLA's sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford which catapulted the Bruins ahead of the Cardinal to the top of the conference standings. Tinsley limited Stanford to just seven hits and struck out 20 batters over 15.2 scoreless innings across her three outings. In game one of the series, Tinsley struck out a career-high 15 batters over 9.0 innings to outduel Stanford ace NiJaree Canady in a 1-0 affair. In addition to her game one masterpiece, Tinsley entered the final two games in intense relief situations with runners in scoring position. Tinsley thrived in high-leverage situations all weekend, holding Stanford to 0-for-17 with runner in scoring position.
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She is the fourth UCLA hurler to be recognized as the NFCA Pitcher of the Week (others: Megan Faraimo, Rachel Garcia and Ally Carda) and the first since Faraimo in February 2020. Tinsley was also named D1Softball Pitcher of the Week earlier Tuesday morning and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.
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Feeling Grand
UCLA recorded three grand slams in its last seven games of the regular season. Sharlize Palacios' game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning of game three versus Arizona on April 28 was the first, Megan Grant belted a grand slam the next game at CSUN on April 30 and Maya Brady hit the fifth grand slam of her career in game two at Arizona State on May 4. UCLA has totaled six grand slams this year.
ยท Palacios leads all active Bruins with seven career grand slams. Two have come this season; the first was in game one of a double-header versus LMU on March 16.
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Brady, Palacios Drafted by Athletes Unlimited
Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios were selected second and 13th overall in the Athletes Unlimited Softball Draft Tuesday afternoon. There 15 total collegiate softball players in the draft. UCLA has now had six student-athletes drafted by the league: Rachel Garcia, Bubba Nickles, Megan Faraimo, Brooke Yanez, Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios.
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Five Bruins Selected to Compete for Team USA
Five current and former members of the UCLA softball program have been selected to the U.S. Women's National Softball Team rosters for the 2024 Japan All-Star Series and World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's World Cup. Sophomore Megan Grant will compete with Team USA at the Japan All-Star Series across three Japanese cities from July 4-8 while redshirt senior Maya Brady, Megan Faraimo (2019-23), Rachel Garcia (2016-19, 2021) and Ally Carda (2012-15) will compete at the WBSC World Cup Final in Castions de Strada, Italy slated for July 15-21.
ยท UCLA is tied with Oklahoma in terms of most athletes represented on the two rosters.
ยท Garcia is one of four 2020 Olympians on the WBSC World Cup roster.
ยท Brady, Faraimo and Carda all competed at the WBSC World Cup Group Stage in Dublin, Ireland last summer. Brady started all four games at first base and tallied five runs batted in and scored four runs to help Team USA punch its ticket to the XVII WBSC World Cup Final.
ยท Grant will be making her second straight appearance at the Japan All-Star Series. In game one of last year's event, Grant went 4-for-6 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in Team USA's 12-11 extra-inning victory over Team Japan.
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Key Notes About the Bruins
ยท The Bruins returned seven key pieces from last season's batting lineup: redshirt seniors Maya Brady, Sharlize Palacios, Janelle Meoño and Seneca Curo, junior Savannah Pola and sophomores Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery. They return one arm from last season's pitching staff: sophomore Taylor Tinsley. UCLA has added seven incoming student-athletes with three transfers and four freshmen.
ยท Last season, UCLA went 52-7 and made a NCAA Tournament appearance for the 24th consecutive year which is the longest active streak among all programs. The No. 2 seed Bruins lost in the NCAA Regional round (0-2), marking the first time in seven years they did not reach the Women's College World Series. It was the first time in 10 years UCLA did not advance past Regionals.
ยท Kelly Inouye-Perez enters her 18th season as the Bruins' head coach. Including her five years as a catcher on UCLA's roster, 13 years as an assistant coach and 17 years as head coach, the 2024 season marks Inouye-Perez's 36th consecutive season in Westwood. Known as "Coach I," Inouye-Perez is the only person to have won a NCAA Division I Softball Championship as both a player and coach. She led the Bruins to two NCAA Championships as head coach in 2010 and 2019. Inouye-Perez owns an 812-207-1 (.796) career record. Her .797 winning percentage entering the season ranks second among active head coaches and seventh all-time. UCLA's first two Hall-of-Fame head coaches, Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist, rank top two all-time in winning percentage.
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Perfect vs. the Big Ten
UCLA went a perfect 6-0 versus its scheduled Big Ten Conference opponents this season with wins over Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Rutgers. UCLA Athletics announced its decision to join the Big Ten Conference on June 30, 2022. This move will go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 season.
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History & Tradition
ยท The Bruins have won a nation-leading 12 NCAA Championships and 13 total national championships (1978 AIAW title).ย UCLA has won a national title in every decade dating back to the 1970s, including the NCAA's first Division I Softball Championship in 1982. UCLA was the first program to repeat NCAA Championships in 1984 and 1985 and the first to three-peat in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
ยท UCLA has made a record 39 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including 25 straight since 1999. UCLA owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 233-66 (.785). The 233 postseason wins are the most in NCAA history. UCLA's 31 Women's College World Series appearances lead all programs.
ยท UCLA leads all collegiate softball programs with 11 Honda Sport Award accolades and leads all NCAA Division I women's athletic programs, regardless of sport, with four Honda Cup awards: Lisa Fernandez (1993), Natasha Watley (2003) and the only two-time winner in the Cup's history, Rachel Garcia (2019, 2021).
ยท The UCLA softball program has been represented in each of the five Olympic Games sponsoring softball. A total of 14 former UCLA players have competed for the U.S. Olympic Team. UCLA's 17 total Olympians and nine different gold medal winners rank as the most among all college programs. The 17 Olympians have totaled 32 medals, including 16 gold medals.
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Every game of the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament will be broadcasted on the ESPN Family of Networks. Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Danielle Lawrie (analyst) will be on the call for the Los Angeles Regional.
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UCLA is led by Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady. The senior shortstop is pacing the conference in slugging percentage for the second straight season (.799) and has recorded a league-high 61 runs batted in. Additionally, Brady leads the team with a .403 batting average, 15 home runs and 48 runs scored.
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Los Angeles Regional Tournament Central Page
NCAA Tournament Interactive Bracket
Tickets
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2024 NCAA Los Angeles Regional Schedule
Friday, May 17
Game 1: Virginia Tech vs. San Diego State at 3 p.m. (PT) โ ESPNU
Game 2: UCLA vs. Grand Canyon at 5:30 p.m. (PT) โ ESPN+
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Saturday, May 18
Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 at 2 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 at 4:30 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)
Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3 at 7 p.m. (PT) (Broadcast TBD)
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Sunday, May 19
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 (Time & Broadcast TBD)
Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (if necessary) (Time & Broadcast TBD)
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Quick Hits
ยท UCLA won both the Pac-12 regular-season title and Pac-12 Tournament Championship in its final season as a member of the flagship softball conference.
ยท The Bruins claimed their second consecutive Pac-12 regular-season title with a 17-4 conference record in 2024.
ยท UCLA has won 18 total regular-season conference championships and a record 13 titles as a member of the Pac-12.
ยท UCLA has finished 1st or 2nd in the Pac-12 in each of the last nine seasons under head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.
ยท UCLA turned in a 34-10 overall record in the regular season after a 3-4 start through the first two weeks.
ยท UCLA has recorded 10 wins when tied or trailing in the fifth inning or later this season.
ยท UCLA has won four games when trailing by 4+ runs this year.
ยท UCLA boasts the top two slugging percentage leaders in the Pac-12: Maya Brady (.799) and Sharlize Palacios (.797).
ยท RS Sr. Maya Brady hit her 67th career home run at Arizona State on May 4 to move into sole possession of second place in UCLA's record book. In typical Brady fashion, she homered again in her next at-bat of the game for the ninth multi-homer performance of her career, which also ranks second in UCLA history.
ยท RS Sr. Sharlize Palacios has homered in five of her last 11 games. All five of those homers either tied the game or gave UCLA the lead. The Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection also ranks second in the conference in runners caught stealing (9).
ยท UCLA's underclassmen duo of So. Taylor Tinsley and Fr. Kaitlyn Terry have pitched 280.1 of 306.0 total innings this season.
ยท Inouye-Perez secured her 800th career win as head coach in game one of the Stanford series on April 19.
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UCLA Postseason History
ยท The Bruins are making their 39th NCAA Tournament appearance, and their 25 straight appearance since 1999.
ยท UCLA is the winningest program in the history of the sport with 12 NCAA Championships.
ยท The Bruins' 31 Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances are also an NCAA record.
ยท UCLA holds the distinction as the only program to win a championship in every decade, including its 1978 AIAW title.
ยท UCLA owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 233-66 (.779).
ยท UCLA was the first program to repeat NCAA Championships (1984-85) and three-peat NCAA Championships (1988-90).
ยท UCLA saw its streak of seven consecutive Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances snapped last season.
ยท The Bruins won the first-ever title under the umbrella of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1982.
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Back-to-Back Pac-12 Player of the Year
Senior shortstop Maya Brady (.403 avg., 15 HR, 61 RBI) earned the prestigious Pac-12 Player of the Year Award for the second straight season in 2024. She collected UCLA's record 19th Pac-12 Player of the Year honor and became the fifth Bruin and ninth total player in conference history to repeat the award. UCLA has won the Pac-12 Player of the Year Award in five of the last six full seasons (excludes pandemic-shortened 2020 season). Brady joins Rachel Garcia, Ally Carda, Stacey Nuveman and Lisa Fernandez as UCLA players to have won Pac-12 Player of the Year multiple times. One of 10 candidates for this season's USA Softball Player of the Year Award, Brady has secured All-Pac-12 honors all four full seasons of her UCLA career (she was a first-team selection in 2024, 2023 and 2021 and third-team in 2022).
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It's Only Appropriate
UCLA won the final game in Pac-12 Conference history with a 2-1 victory over Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game in Stanford, Calif. on May 11. The Bruins were also crowned Pac-12 regular-season champions for the second consecutive season with a 17-4 record. The Bruins exit as the winningest school in Pac-12 history with 13 regular-season titles and a 650-219 (.750) record in conference games. The Arizona program ranks second in both categories.
ยท UCLA won the season series against five of its conference foes, including three-game sweeps over Stanford and Arizona State. The Bruins saw three of their conference contests canceled due to inclement weather: one game versus Oregon (March 30) and two games versus California (April 14).
ยท UCLA seized first place of the Pac-12 standings following a sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford (April 19-21), who was the conference leader at that time. The Bruins never relinquished their hold of first place.
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Pac-12 Tournament Recap
Catcher Sharlize Palacios was named the Pac-12 Tournament MVP after going 4-for-8 at the plate with a double and two late-game, go-ahead home runs, which carried the Bruins to the championship. Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Kaitlyn Terry from Glendale, Ariz. started in the circle all three contests and went 4.0 or more innings in each of her outings. Terry, Jadelyn Allchin and Jordan Woolery were also named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
vs. Arizona State (W, 6-0): Terry threw a one-hit shutout to lead UCLA to a 6-0 victory in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals on May 9, marking her fourth straight complete game in the last seven days against the Sun Devils. The southpaw needed just 78 pitches and faced two over the minimum.
vs. Arizona (W, 6-5): Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning to their fierce rival in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals, the Bruins rallied for six runs, capped by a go-ahead homer by Palacios to straightaway center. Just two weeks ago, Palacios hit the game-tying grand slam against Arizona on Senior Day on April 28 to erase a 7-0 deficit and help UCLA to the largest comeback victory in program history. Taylor Tinsley made her first pitching appearance in two weeks since game one of the regular-season series versus Arizona on April 26. Tinsley entered for relief in the top of the fourth inning and dealt 4.0 innings of relief and struck out one batter looking en route to picking up her 15th win of the season.
vs. Utah (W, 2-1): UCLA was tied with Utah in the championship game when Palacios stepped to the plate to leadoff the sixth inning. Palacios, fresh off her two-run blast in the semis, belted another go-ahead blast off the Smith Family Stadium scoreboard to give the Bruins the lead. Tinsley shut the Utes down in the seventh inning with two strikeouts to earn the save.
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USA Softball Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist
Brady was named a Top 10 Finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year for the second straight season. The Thousand Oaks, Calif. native made the cut for the Top 3 in her redshirt junior season in 2023. Brady has been the anchor of the Bruins' lineup the last two years. Again in 2024, Brady is leading UCLA in batting average, home runs, runs batted in and slugging percentage. The Top 10 Finalists will be narrowed to 3 athletes on May 20. Two Bruins have been honored as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year a total of three times (Rachel Garcia in 2019 and 2018 and Stacey Nuveman in 2002).
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Back-to-Back Pac-12 Coach of the Year
UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez was named the 2024 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, marking the second straight season and fourth time in her career she has earned the award (2024, 2023, 2021 and 2010). UCLA has now won the Coach of the Year award 11 times in the conference's 37-year history.
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Inouye-Perez earned her 800th career win earlier this season in game one at Stanford on April 19. She joined UCLA Athletic Hall of Famers and her two predecessors Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist in the 800 Win Club. Enquist leads UCLA's triad of head coaches with 887 career head coaching wins while Backus owns 854 such wins. Inouye-Perez was coached by both Backus and Enquist in her time as a catcher on the Bruins' roster from 1989-93. She coached alongside Backus and Enquist as an assistant upon graduating. Inouye-Perez joins Washington's Heather Tarr as the only two active Pac-12 head coaches with 800 career wins.
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Back-to-Back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Awards
Left-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Terry (18-1, 2.53 ERA, 136 SO) was named the 2024 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. UCLA has now won back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year awards (Jordan Woolery in 2023) and earned the honor five times in the last seven full seasons. The Bruins' roster now totes three Pac-12 Freshman of the Year recipients in Terry, Woolery (2023) and Janelle Meoño (2021).
ยท Terry's mother, Kristy (Hull) Terry, was the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year in 1995 as a catcher for the Florida State Seminoles (1995-98). The former Hull was a two-time All-ACC Team selection and named to the NFCA All-Region Team all four years of her career. Kristy ranks second in Florida State program history in games played (281) and eighth in hits (275).
ยท Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen with 18 wins, a 2.53 earned run average, 136 strikeouts and 155.0 innings pitched. The Bruins relied heavily upon Terry down the stretch of the regular season. She currently leads UCLA's pitching staff in both appearances (34) and innings pitched. Her 155.0 innings are the most by a UCLA freshman since Rachel Garcia in 2017 who threw 202.2 innings. Garcia is also last Bruin freshman to win 20 games in a season (23-9).
ยท Terry ranks seventh among all NCAA freshmen with 18 wins.
ยท Terry is tied with Stanford's NiJaree Canady for most shutouts this season by a Pac-12 pitcher (6).
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Year-End Pac-12 Awards
UCLA led all programs with six selections to the All-Pac-12 First Team and seven total All-Pac-12 honorees. The six First Team honorees are the program's most since the Bruins' 2019 NCAA Championship season.
First Team: Maya Brady, Megan Grant, Sharlize Palacios, Kaitlyn Terry, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery were selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team. Grant and Woolery have been named to the First Team in the first two seasons of their careers.
Second Team: The Bruins' lone All-Pac-12 Second Team member was Jadelyn Allchin who picks up the first All-Pac-12 Team honor in her five-year career. Allchin spent the previous four seasons at Washington from 2020-23.
All-Defensive Team: Palacios was also named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team for the third straight year. The senior backstop has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal and has yet to record an error in all 44 games played.
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Notes on Brady's Season
Maya Brady was a three-time Pac-12 Player of the Week recipient this season and has earned the award seven times in her career, which ranks second-most in UCLA history. Brady has caught fire the last three weeks with a .500 average (16-for-32), 20 RBI, four home runs and a .938 slugging percentage over 10 games (since April 28 vs. Arizona).
ยท With runners in scoring position, Brady leads the NCAA with a .722 average (26-for-36), 1.361 slugging percentage and 47 RBI. Brady hit for a .431 average with runners in scoring position last season.
ยท During Pac-12 play, Brady led the conference in batting average (.419), runs batted in (29), slugging (.935), on-base percentage (.532) and runs scored (22). She ranked second with nine home runs behind Oregon's Ariel Carlson (10 HR).
ยท Brady notched her third two-homer game of the season and ninth of her career in game two at Arizona State on May 4. Her other two-homer games this year occurred at then-No. 8 Washington on March 24 and versus then-No.ย 7 Florida State at the Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 16.
ยท Brady is the first UCLA player since Delaney Spaulding (2014-17) with 15+ home runs in three consecutive seasons. Brady belted 15 bombs in 2022 and a career-high 18 in 2023.
ยท The shortstop has shored up on the defensive side of the ball as well. Since March 1, Brady's fielding percentage has improved 106 points from .813 to .919. This season marks Brady's second campaign as UCLA's starting shortstop. She took over the role full-time on March 3, 2023 after Seneca Curo sustained a season-ending injury. She has started at shortstop in 95 career games.
ยท In 2023, Brady was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist in addition to being a consensus First Team All-American. Brady led UCLA with a .448 average, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, 63 runs scored, 33 extra-base hits and 149 total bases last season.
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Brady Makes History
Maya Brady hit the 67th home run of her career in game two at Arizona State on May 4, moving her out of a tie with Stephany LaRosa (2012-15) and into sole possession of second place in UCLA's record books. In typical Brady fashion, she homered again in her next at-bat of the game for the ninth multi-homer performance of her career, which also ranks second in UCLA history. Brady currently sits at 69 career home runs and trails Stacey Nuveman's program record of 90 longballs. When Brady's career is done, she will rank second among UCLA student-athletes in several significant statistical categories.
Career Two-Homer Games: Brady is tied with Andrea Harrison (2009-12) with nine career multi-homer games. Nuveman also holds that program record with 12 such performances. Brady's four multi-homer games in 2023 are tied for second most by a Bruin in a single season (B.B. Bates - 2013; Megan Langenfeld - 2010; Andrea Harrison - 2010).
Career RBI: Brady also moved into second place on UCLA's career RBI list during the Arizona State series. Her career total currently rests at 239. Nuveman owns the program RBI record (299). Seven Bruins have recorded 200+ career RBI.
Career Slugging Percentage: Brady's career slugging percentage keeps ballooning every week. Her current career mark of .753 ranks third all-time in UCLA history.ย
Career Runs Scored: Brady currently ranks fourth in UCLA's annals with 218 runs scored.
Career Hits: Brady's 266 career hits rank 11th in program history. She needs six more knocks to crack UCLA's top 10.
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Top Two Sluggers in the Pac-12
UCLA's lineup boasts two of the top three slugging percentage leaders in the Pac-12 in Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios. Brady leads with a .799 mark while Palacios ranks just behind in third with a .797 clip. Brady led the Pac-12 in slugging last season with an .866 mark. The pair is tied for the second-most home runs in the conference with 15 apiece. The duo has been particularly hot the last 10 games with a combined .949 slugging and 1.497 OPS (since April 28 vs. Arizona).
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She's a SuperShar
Sharlize Palacios has had a flair for the dramatic over the last three weeks. Palacios has homered in five of her last 11 games and is tied for the team lead in that category with 15 this season. Each of Palacios' last five home runs either tied up the game or gave UCLA the lead.
ยท Most recently, Palacios powered UCLA to the Pac-12 Tournament Championship with two late-game go-ahead home runs. The first was a two-run shot versus Arizona in the fifth inning of the semifinals and the second was a sixth inning solo bomb against Utah in the title game.
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Palacios Pointers
ยท Palacios earned the first two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in her career this season. She was awarded for the first time on March 11 after going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a grand slam during UCLA's bye week contests versus Rutgers and LMU. Palacios was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for a second time on April 29 after homering three times over four games versus Long Beach State and rival Arizona.
ยท Defensively, Palacios has yet to commit an error in 273 total chances and has thrown out nine runners attempting to steal.ย ย
ยท Palacios recorded both her 200th career hit and 200th career RBI earlier this season. Her grand slam in game three against Arizona on April 28 brought home her 200th RBI. And her first hit of game one at Arizona State on May 3 tallied hit No. 200. Palacios belted the 50th homer of her career with the first of her two home runs versus then-No. 5 Tennessee at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 25.
ยท Palacios leads all Bruins on the active roster with seven career grand slams and ranks second behind Brady with four career multi-homer games.
ยท Palacios has been named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team all three years as a first-string catcher (2024 and 2023 with UCLA and 2022 with Arizona). She spent her freshman 2020 and 2021 seasons primarily as the designated player at Arizona.
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The Allchin Addition
Jadelyn Allchin has been one of the most valuable transfer additions in the country. The graduate transfer from Washington (2020-23) received the first All-Pac-12 Team recognition of her career this season, being named to the Second Team. Allchin has started a career-high 47 games in 2024 and is enjoying career bests in batting average (.305), runs batted in (29), runs scored (34) and stolen bases (10-10).
ยท Allchin, a graduate transfer from Washington (2020-23), has provided clutch hits for the Bruins. In the fifth inning or later this season, Allchin is batting for a .451 average (23-for-51) with 16 RBI and 18 runs scored.
ยท Allchin has converted on all 13 RBI opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs. Her latest successful opportunity was an RBI single versus Arizona State on May 9 in the fifth inning of the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals.
ยท On March 12 versus Rutgers, Allchin delivered a walk-off single. Three days prior to that, Allchin played the hero in game two of UCLA's home series with Utah by knocking in the game-tying run with two outs in the seventh inning. At the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Allchin doubled in a run to spark a five-run seventh inning to help UCLA walk-off on Nebraska on Feb. 23.
ยท Allchin has been a mainstay in the top half of the Bruins' lineup, hitting in the top 3 of the order in 37 of the last 40 games.
ยท Allchin has swiped two bases in a game twice this season (Oregon on March 29 and Stanford on April 19). She leads the Bruins in stolen bases and is 10-for-10 on her attempts.
ยท Defensively, Allchin has recorded two outfield assists this season: one from left field in the Bruins' 6-2 win over Tennessee on Feb. 25 and one from center field against Oklahoma State on Feb. 11. She has totaled five outfield assists in her career.
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UCLA in Pinch-Hitting Situations
The Bruins are batting .434 (23-for-53) in pinch-hitting situations this season. Nine different players have been called upon to pinch hit. UCLA's pinch hitters have reached base in eight of the last nine games when Inouye-Perez utilizes someone off the bench (dates back to April 20 at Stanford). Two Bruins have hit a total of three pinch-hit home runs this season; the last to do so was Taylor Stephens at Arizona State on May 4. Stephens owns two of UCLA's pinch-hit home runs this season.
ยท Ramsey Suarez leads the Bruins with eight pinch hits and six RBI when coming off the bench. Suarez has reached base in five of her last seven pinch-hit opportunities (4-for-6, 1 BB). At Arizona State, Suarez hit a pair of RBI pinch hits in games one and three. She has gone 4-for-4 in pinch-hitting scenarios in her last four at-bats at Easton Stadium. Most recently, Suarez delivered a key pinch-hit single in the bottom of the fifth inning in game three versus Arizona on April 28 which played a key part in erasing a seven-run deficit for the largest comeback victory in program history. Suarez reached twice during the Oregon series at Easton Stadium on two pinch-hit singles (March 28-29). Her two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth in game one versus the Ducks on March 28 proved to be the difference in a 5-3 win.
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Savi Stepping Up
Junior Savannah Pola, who has been in and out of the lineup this season, has made the most of her opportunities lately. Pola is playing her best ball the last four weeks (14 games) with a .321 batting average (9-for-28) and four doubles. The Santa Ana, Calif. product broke out of her slump in game two at Stanford on April 20 with two-RBI pinch-hit double that found the left field foul line. In her start at Long Beach State on April 23, Pola doubled and recorded her first multi-hit performance in 11 games. She has started each of the last five games, including four as the designated player.
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"Leveling Up"
UCLA owned a 3-4 record with losses to four top-10 programs through the first two weeks of the season. As is the norm with the UCLA softball program, the Bruins scheduled a rigorous non-conference slate with eight games versus top-25 opponents. UCLA has turned around from its 3-4 start to go 34-6 since week two with 12 wins over top-25 foes. The early tests have paid dividends for the team as it builds steam for a postseason run. Notable wins include a sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford from April 19-21 and the largest comeback victory in program history versus then-No. 19 Arizona on April 28.
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That's What We Call Bruin Magic
UCLA has a knack for the comeback victory and pulling out wins late in games in 2024. In addition to the Bruins' historic comeback against Arizona, UCLA has climbed from four runs down to win three games as well as won five games that were tied late. UCLA has three walk-off wins this season.
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Series Histories in the Los Angeles Regional
Virginia Tech: UCLA leads the all-time series versus Virginia Tech, 4-2, dating back to 2008. The two squads met in the 2021 NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional. After the Hokies took game one of the series, Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo fired back with a pair of shutouts to advance the Bruins to the Women's College World Series. UCLA and Virginia Tech last faced off at the 2023 Clearwater Invitational which resulted in an 8-4 Bruins' victory. In that game, UCLA posted six runs and hit around the order in the first inning off Hokies' starter Bre Peck. Maya Brady homered in the contest.
San Diego State: UCLA leads the all-time series versus San Diego State, 69-2, dating back to 1976. The Bruins have won 62 straight games against the Aztecs, last losing in 1978. UCLA is a 32-0 at home when playing San Diego State.
Grand Canyon: Friday will mark just the fourth all-time meeting between UCLA and Grand Canyon. The Bruins lead the all-time series over the Lopes, 2-1. This marks the third straight season which Grand Canyon has been an at-large selection to the UCLA Regional. The Lopes edged the Bruins in a 3-2 battle in game one of the last season's postseason contest thanks to a three-run homer in the fourth inning by Grand Canyon's Madison Schaefer being the difference.
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Largest Comeback Victory in Program History
The final game between UCLA and Arizona as members of the Pac-12 was a memorable one. On April 28, 2024, the Bruins erased a seven-run deficit and scored 11 unanswered runs to defeat their rivals on Senior Day at Easton Stadium. It was the largest comeback victory in program history. Ten of UCLA's 11 runs were scored with two outs.
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Sharlize Palacios stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, trailing 7-3 in the fifth inning against her former team. With one swing of the bat, Palacios tied up the game on a grand slam over the left-center field wall to cap the miracle comeback. UCLA was being perfect gamed by Arizona starting pitcher Aissa Silva up until the fifth inning of the game. Megan Grant sparked the seven-run fifth with a leadoff home run to center field. The Bruins' seniors strung together five consecutive hits in a four-run bottom of the sixth to secure the win.
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Palacios' heroics earned her D1Softball National Player of the Week and Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. In the Arizona series and in a midweek at Long Beach State, Palacios led the Bruins with a .600 average (6-for-10), 1.500 slugging percentage, 11 RBI and three homers. All three of Palacios' homers either tied the game or gave the Bruins the lead. In her last five games against the Wildcats, Palacios has recorded 15 RBI and four run home runs (dates back to the 2023 regular-season series).
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Rapid Development, Notes on the Pitching Staff
UCLA has relied predominantly on Taylor Tinsley and Kaitlyn Terry in the circle since March 1 with the two underclassmen pitching 210.1 innings of the possible 222.0 over this 34-game stretch. Tinsley and Terry also pitched the entirety of conference play. Together, they owned a 2.46 ERA in Pac-12 conference games which ranked second in the Pac-12 behind Stanford.
ยท The Bruins' pitching staff battled through injuries in the first month of the season. But since March 1, UCLA's Terry and Tinsley have shown rapid improvement with a combined 27-5 record and 2.10 earned run average over the last 34 games. Since March 1, Tinsley owns a 12-4 record and 1.41 ERA while Terry is 15-1 with a 2.52 ERA.
ยท On the season, Tinsley (1.90 ERA) and Terry (2.53 ERA) rank second and seventh in the conference in earned run average, respectively.
ยท The two hurlers were highly-touted recruits coming out of their respective states; Terry (Arizona) was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year while Tinsley (Georgia) was the No. 1-ranked pitcher in her the 2021 recruiting class.
ยท The 2024 season marks the first time since 1998 and second time ever in which UCLA does not have a pitcher on staff with postseason experience (must have pitched in a postseason game). Additionally, the 2024 season marks the first time since 2015 in which UCLA does not have a pitcher on staff with Women's College World Series experience entering the year.
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Terry's Impressive Freshman Campaign
Kaitlyn Terry sports a 18-1 record across a team-high 34 appearances this season. Terry has been the starting pitcher in each of UCLA's last six games. Her first loss of the year came 11 weeks and 26 appearances into the year versus Arizona on April 27.
ยท Terry ranks third in the Pac-12 with 14 complete games. She has gone the distance in six of her last eight outings.
ยท Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen in wins (18), ERA (2.53), strikeouts (125), innings pitched (136.0) and shutouts (6).
ยท Terry was named the D1Softball National Freshman of the Week on May 7 after picking up three straight complete-game victories at Arizona State from May 3-5. She proceeded to throw a complete-game shutout against the Sun Devils in UCLA's next game in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals on May 9.
ยท Terry was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks (March 18 & 25). The southpaw put forth her most dominant outing of the season with a complete-game shutout in game three at Washington on March 24. She needed just 81 pitches, limiting the Huskies to two hits and a walk. Terry's performance marked the first shutout by a UCLA freshman versus a top-10 opponent since April 7, 2017, when Rachel Garcia shutout then-No. 1 Oregon. Terry retired the last 11 Huskies of the game and flashed the leather in the fourth inning, starting a 1-6-3 double play.
ยท Terry struck out a career-high 12 batters in her complete-game shutout over Weber State at the Judi Garman Classic on March 2. The 12 strikeouts are tied with Megan Faraimo (2019) and Rachel Garcia (2017) for the most by a Bruins' freshman over the last 15 years. Donna Kerr was the last UCLA freshman to rack up 12+ strikeouts, recording 15 in a win over Northwestern on March 9, 2008.
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Notes on Tinsley
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley has shown consistent improvement since week one of the season. In 2024, she ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 1.90 ERA and third with 146 strikeouts over 125.1 innings pitched after totaling just 57.1 innings of work all of last season in her All-Pac-12 Freshman Team campaign. Tinsley, the first UCLA softball player from the state of Georgia, has been named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
close losses: Four of Tinsley's eight losses this season have come in one-run ballgames. Tinsley allowed one earned run or less in all four of those losses.
at the Mary Nutter: Tinsley allowed just two earned runs across three complete-game performances and 22.0 total innings pitched at the Mary Nutter. Among all the pitchers competing at the Mary Nutter (30 teams participating), Tinsley ranked first in innings pitched (22.0) and strikeouts looking (10) and tied for first in strikeouts (30).
vs. Utah: Tinsley picked up two wins, struck out 16 batters and did not allow an earned run over 10.2 innings to help the Bruins to a series sweep of Utah (March 8-10). In her game one victory, Tinsley threw 6.2 innings of shutout ball and allowed only one base runner into scoring position. She finished her outing with nine strikeouts and surrendered just two hits. She limited the Pac-12 batting average leader entering the series, Haley Denning, to 0-for-6 with two Ks.
vs. Oregon: Tinsley allowed just one earned run and was the winning pitcher in both of UCLA's two games versus then-No. 20 Oregon (March 28-29). In game one of the series, Tinsley entered in relief and got the Bruins out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning with a strikeout. She retired the Ducks in order in the seventh on just six pitches to close the game. Tinsley turned in 4.0 solid innings in her game two start, allowing just one run.
at Stanford: Tinsley earned NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors after limiting Stanford to just seven hits and striking out 20 batters over 15.2 scoreless innings across her three outings. In game one of the series, Tinsley struck out a career-high 15 batters over 9.0 innings to outduel Stanford ace NiJaree Canady in a 1-0 affair.
at the Pac-12 Tournament: Tinsley made her first appearance since April 26 in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals versus Arizona on May 10. Tinsley was credited with the win after throwing 4.0 innings of relief with just two hits given up. She was called upon the next day for save situation in the championship game versus Utah. Tinsley sealed the championship with a three-up, three-down seventh inning featuring two strikeouts.
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Tinsley Awarded National Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Pitcher of the Week on April 23. Tinsley was the winning pitcher in all three games of UCLA's sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford which catapulted the Bruins ahead of the Cardinal to the top of the conference standings. Tinsley limited Stanford to just seven hits and struck out 20 batters over 15.2 scoreless innings across her three outings. In game one of the series, Tinsley struck out a career-high 15 batters over 9.0 innings to outduel Stanford ace NiJaree Canady in a 1-0 affair. In addition to her game one masterpiece, Tinsley entered the final two games in intense relief situations with runners in scoring position. Tinsley thrived in high-leverage situations all weekend, holding Stanford to 0-for-17 with runner in scoring position.
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She is the fourth UCLA hurler to be recognized as the NFCA Pitcher of the Week (others: Megan Faraimo, Rachel Garcia and Ally Carda) and the first since Faraimo in February 2020. Tinsley was also named D1Softball Pitcher of the Week earlier Tuesday morning and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.
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Feeling Grand
UCLA recorded three grand slams in its last seven games of the regular season. Sharlize Palacios' game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning of game three versus Arizona on April 28 was the first, Megan Grant belted a grand slam the next game at CSUN on April 30 and Maya Brady hit the fifth grand slam of her career in game two at Arizona State on May 4. UCLA has totaled six grand slams this year.
ยท Palacios leads all active Bruins with seven career grand slams. Two have come this season; the first was in game one of a double-header versus LMU on March 16.
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Brady, Palacios Drafted by Athletes Unlimited
Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios were selected second and 13th overall in the Athletes Unlimited Softball Draft Tuesday afternoon. There 15 total collegiate softball players in the draft. UCLA has now had six student-athletes drafted by the league: Rachel Garcia, Bubba Nickles, Megan Faraimo, Brooke Yanez, Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios.
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Five Bruins Selected to Compete for Team USA
Five current and former members of the UCLA softball program have been selected to the U.S. Women's National Softball Team rosters for the 2024 Japan All-Star Series and World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's World Cup. Sophomore Megan Grant will compete with Team USA at the Japan All-Star Series across three Japanese cities from July 4-8 while redshirt senior Maya Brady, Megan Faraimo (2019-23), Rachel Garcia (2016-19, 2021) and Ally Carda (2012-15) will compete at the WBSC World Cup Final in Castions de Strada, Italy slated for July 15-21.
ยท UCLA is tied with Oklahoma in terms of most athletes represented on the two rosters.
ยท Garcia is one of four 2020 Olympians on the WBSC World Cup roster.
ยท Brady, Faraimo and Carda all competed at the WBSC World Cup Group Stage in Dublin, Ireland last summer. Brady started all four games at first base and tallied five runs batted in and scored four runs to help Team USA punch its ticket to the XVII WBSC World Cup Final.
ยท Grant will be making her second straight appearance at the Japan All-Star Series. In game one of last year's event, Grant went 4-for-6 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in Team USA's 12-11 extra-inning victory over Team Japan.
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Key Notes About the Bruins
ยท The Bruins returned seven key pieces from last season's batting lineup: redshirt seniors Maya Brady, Sharlize Palacios, Janelle Meoño and Seneca Curo, junior Savannah Pola and sophomores Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery. They return one arm from last season's pitching staff: sophomore Taylor Tinsley. UCLA has added seven incoming student-athletes with three transfers and four freshmen.
ยท Last season, UCLA went 52-7 and made a NCAA Tournament appearance for the 24th consecutive year which is the longest active streak among all programs. The No. 2 seed Bruins lost in the NCAA Regional round (0-2), marking the first time in seven years they did not reach the Women's College World Series. It was the first time in 10 years UCLA did not advance past Regionals.
ยท Kelly Inouye-Perez enters her 18th season as the Bruins' head coach. Including her five years as a catcher on UCLA's roster, 13 years as an assistant coach and 17 years as head coach, the 2024 season marks Inouye-Perez's 36th consecutive season in Westwood. Known as "Coach I," Inouye-Perez is the only person to have won a NCAA Division I Softball Championship as both a player and coach. She led the Bruins to two NCAA Championships as head coach in 2010 and 2019. Inouye-Perez owns an 812-207-1 (.796) career record. Her .797 winning percentage entering the season ranks second among active head coaches and seventh all-time. UCLA's first two Hall-of-Fame head coaches, Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist, rank top two all-time in winning percentage.
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Perfect vs. the Big Ten
UCLA went a perfect 6-0 versus its scheduled Big Ten Conference opponents this season with wins over Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan and Rutgers. UCLA Athletics announced its decision to join the Big Ten Conference on June 30, 2022. This move will go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 season.
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History & Tradition
ยท The Bruins have won a nation-leading 12 NCAA Championships and 13 total national championships (1978 AIAW title).ย UCLA has won a national title in every decade dating back to the 1970s, including the NCAA's first Division I Softball Championship in 1982. UCLA was the first program to repeat NCAA Championships in 1984 and 1985 and the first to three-peat in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
ยท UCLA has made a record 39 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including 25 straight since 1999. UCLA owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 233-66 (.785). The 233 postseason wins are the most in NCAA history. UCLA's 31 Women's College World Series appearances lead all programs.
ยท UCLA leads all collegiate softball programs with 11 Honda Sport Award accolades and leads all NCAA Division I women's athletic programs, regardless of sport, with four Honda Cup awards: Lisa Fernandez (1993), Natasha Watley (2003) and the only two-time winner in the Cup's history, Rachel Garcia (2019, 2021).
ยท The UCLA softball program has been represented in each of the five Olympic Games sponsoring softball. A total of 14 former UCLA players have competed for the U.S. Olympic Team. UCLA's 17 total Olympians and nine different gold medal winners rank as the most among all college programs. The 17 Olympians have totaled 32 medals, including 16 gold medals.
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Players Mentioned
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/ SoftballUCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Tennessee (June 1, 2025)
Sunday, June 01
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Thursday, May 29
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29