Thursday, May 9
Stanford, CA
4:00 PM
UCLA
vs
Arizona State
Maya Brady (left) and Seneca Curo
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
No. 1 Seed UCLA Set to Play at Pac-12 Softball Tournament
May 08, 2024 | Softball
LOS ANGELES – The No. 1 seed UCLA softball team will play the winner of Arizona State-Oregon State in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Softball Tournament on Thursday, May 9 at 4 p.m. (PT) at Smith Family Stadium in Stanford, Calif. The postseason match up will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
The Bruins (34-10, 17-4 Pac-12) would face the winner of Arizona-Washington in the semifinals on Friday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2 should they advance.
UCLA is led by 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady. The senior shortstop is pacing the conference in slugging percentage for the second straight season (.836) and has recorded a league-high 58 runs batted in. Additionally, Brady leads the team with a .410 batting average, 15 home runs and 45 runs scored.
Helpful Links
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Quick Hits
· UCLA captured its second consecutive Pac-12 regular-season championship with a 17-4 conference record in 2024.
· UCLA has won 18 total regular-season conference championships and a record 13 titles as a member of the Pac-12.
· UCLA has finished 1st or 2nd in the Pac-12 in each of the last nine seasons under Head Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.
· UCLA turned in a 34-10 overall record in the regular season after a 3-4 start through the first two weeks.
· UCLA ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring (6.09 runs per game) and third in batting average (.317 avg.).
· Brady has three homers in her last two games. The last time she homered in three consecutive games was in April 2023.
· Brady hit her 67th career home run at Arizona State last week 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.
· RS Sr. Sharlize Palacios ranks third in the Pac-12 with a .757 slugging mark.
· UCLA's underclassmen duo of So. Taylor Tinsley and Fr. Kaitlyn Terry have pitched 259.1 of 285.0 total innings this season.
· Inouye-Perez secured her 800th career win as head coach in game one at Stanford on April 19.
· The Bruins were picked to finish second in this year's Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll (did not receive a first-place vote).
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Champs
The Bruins were crowned Pac-12 regular-season champions for the second consecutive season. The Bruins' 13 Pac-12 regular-season titles lead all programs. Arizona is the next closest school with 11 titles. UCLA has now won consecutive Pac-12 championships three times in program history (2023-24, 2019-21, 1988-91).
· UCLA won the season series over 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).
· 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.
UCLA Postseason History
· The Bruins have made a record 38 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 24 straight since 1999.
· UCLA is the winningest program in the history of the sport with 12 NCAA Championships.
· The Bruins' 31 WCWS appearances are also an NCAA record.
· UCLA holds the distinction as the only program to win a championship in every decade, including their 1978 AIAW title.
· UCLA owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 233-66 (.779).
· UCLA was the first program to repeat NCAA Championships (1984-85) and three-peat NCAA Championships (1988-90).
· UCLA saw its streak of seven consecutive Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances snapped last season.
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Player of the Year
Senior shortstop Maya Brady (.410 avg., 15 HR, 58 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 25 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).
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Coach of the Year
UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez secured her second straight Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award and fourth in her career (2024, 2023, 2021 and 2010). UCLA has now won the Coach of the Year award 11 times in the conference's 37-year history.
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.
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Awards
Left-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Terry (16-1, 2.57 ERA, 125 SO) from Glendale, Ariz. was named the 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).
Terry led all Pac-12 freshmen with 16 wins, a 2.57 earned run average, 125 strikeouts and 139.0 innings pitched. The Bruins relied heavily upon Terry down the stretch of the regular season as she finished the regular-season leading UCLA's pitching staff in both appearances and innings pitched. Her 139.0 innings are the most by a UCLA freshman since Rachel Garcia in 2017.
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.
USA Softball Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist
Brady was named a Top 25 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 25 Finalists will be narrowed to 10 athletes on May 15, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released 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).
Notes on Brady's Season
Maya Brady went 9-for-13 at the plate with three home runs and 11 runs batted in UCLA's four games at CSUN and Arizona State last week to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the seventh time of her career and third time this season. Brady has caught fire the last two weeks with a .577 average (15-for-26), 19 RBI, five home runs and a 1.231 slugging percentage over eight games (since April 23 at Long Beach State).
· With runners in scoring position, Brady leads the entire NCAA with a .735 average (25-for-34), 1.412 slugging percentage and 44 RBI. Brady hit for a .431 average with runners in scoring position last season.
· 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).
· Brady notched her third two-homer game of the season and ninth of her career in game two at Arizona State last week. Her other two-homer games this year occurred at then-No. 8 Washington on March 24 and versus then-No. 7 Florida State at the Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 16.
· 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.
· The shortstop has shored up on the defensive side of the ball as well. Since March 1, Brady's fielding percentage has improved 101 points from .813 to .914. 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 92 career games.
· 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.
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 236. 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 .760 ranks second all-time in UCLA history.
Career Runs Scored: Brady currently ranks fourth in UCLA's annals with 215 runs scored.
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 an .836 mark while Palacios ranks just behind in third with a .757 clip. Brady led the Pac-12 in slugging last season with an .866 mark. The duo has been particularly hot the last two weeks with a combined 1.109 slugging and 1.702 OPS over eight games (since April 23 at Long Beach State).
Palacios Pointers
Sharlize Palacios has homered in four of her last 10 games and ranks second on the team in that category this season (13).
· 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.
· Defensively, Palacios has yet to commit an error in 255 total chances and has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal.
· Palacios achieved both the 200th hit and 200th run batted in of her collegiate career over the last two weeks. 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.
· Palacios leads all Bruins on the active roster with seven career grand slams and ranks second behind Brady with four career multi-homer games.
· 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.
Feeling Grand
UCLA has recorded three grand slams over its last five games. 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.
· 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.
What's Chef Cooking?
Megan Grant has recorded four of her seven home runs this season in UCLA's last seven games. Over the last three weeks, Grant is slugging .740 with eight of her 14 hits going for extra bases (4 HR, 4 2B). Grant belted her second grand slam of the season and tallied a career-high six RBI at CSUN on April 30.
· In her 2023 freshman campaign, Grant's bat started heating up in the last half of April and into May with five of her 15 home runs of the season and a .750 slugging percentage coming in the Bruins' final 15 games. Grant homered in each of UCLA's two NCAA Regional losses.
· Grant was a NFCA Second Team All-American, NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 Finalist and All-Pac-12 First Team selection last season. The Bay Area native led the squad with 14 doubles and ranked second with 15 homers, 58 RBI, 31 extra-base hits and .695 slugging percentage. She ranked second among all freshman in the NCAA and led all Pac-12 freshmen with 58 RBI. Grant turned it up in conference play last season with a .403 batting average.
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 44 games in 2024 and is enjoying career bests in batting average (.305), runs batted in (27), runs scored (31) and stolen bases (9-9). Additionally, Allchin is currently riding a career-long eight-game hitting streak.
· 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 .446 average (21-for-47) with 14 RBI and 16 runs scored.
· Allchin has converted on all 12 RBI opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs. Her latest successful opportunity came versus then-No. 20 California on April 12 when she hit a sacrifice fly to score Maya Brady.
· 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.
· Allchin has been a mainstay in the top half of the Bruins' lineup, hitting in the top 3 of the order in 34 of the last 37 games.
· 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 9-for-9 on her attempts.
· 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.
UCLA in Pinch-Hitting Situations
The Bruins are batting .440 (22-for-50) in pinch-hitting situations this season. Nine different players have been called upon to pinch hit. UCLA has recorded at least one pinch hit in its last seven games when utilizing a pinch hitter, dating back to April 20 at Stanford. Two Bruins have hit a total of three pinch-hit home runs this season; the last to do it was Taylor Stephens at Arizona State on May 4. Stephens owns two of UCLA's pinch-hit home runs this season.
· Ramsey Suarez leads the Bruins with seven pinch hits and six RBI when coming off the bench. Suarez has reached base in each of her last four pinch-hit opportunities (3-for-3, 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.
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 three weeks (11 games) with a .350 batting average (7-for-20) and three 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. Pola went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in UCLA's last game at Arizona State on May 5.
Tested Early
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 turned around from its 3-4 start to go 31-6 the rest of the way with 11 wins over top-25 foes. The early tests have paid dividends for the team as it builds steam for a postseason run with a massive sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford and the largest comeback victory in program history versus then-No. 19 Arizona on April 28.
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.
Senior catcher 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. Sophomore 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.
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).
Flashback to the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament
No. 1 seed UCLA won its quarterfinal game versus Arizona, 4-3, and semifinal match up with Stanford, 1-0, before being bounced by Utah, 7-4, in the championship. Maya Brady led the Bruins' lineup over the three games, going 4-for-8 with two home runs and three walks. Brady's two homers came in the quarterfinal contest with the Wildcats. Megan Grant also homered in the quarterfinal. In UCLA's 1-0 showdown with Stanford, second baseman Savannah Pola knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with a single into right field. Southpaw Brooke Yanez put forth a dominant seven-inning shutout performance and retired 16 consecutive batters at one point in the game.
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 195.1 innings of the possible 207.0 over that 32-game stretch. Tinsley and Terry have also pitched the entirety of conference play and, together, own a 2.92 ERA in Pac-12 games which ranks third in the Pac-12.
· 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 25-5 record and 2.04 earned run average over the last 32 games. Since March 1, Tinsley owns a 11-4 record and 1.41 ERA while Terry is 14-1 with a 2.44 ERA.
· On the season, Tinsley (1.92 ERA) and Terry (2.57 ERA) rank second and seventh in the conference in earned run average, respectively.
· 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.
· 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.
Terry's Impressive Freshman Campaign
Kaitlyn Terry sports a 16-1 record across 27 appearances this season. Terry's first loss of the year came 11 weeks and 26 appearances into the year versus Arizona on April 27.
· Terry ranks third in the Pac-12 with 13 complete games. She has gone the distance in each of her last five outings.
· Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen in wins (16), ERA (2.57), strikeouts (125), innings pitched (139.0) and shutouts (5).
· 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.
· 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.
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.
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.
Notes on Tinsley
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley has shown consistent improvement since week one of the season. Tinsley has dropped her ERA from 2.29 to 1.92 over the last three weeks (includes Stanford and Arizona series). In 2024, she ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 1.92 ERA and third with 143 strikeouts over 120.1 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.
Returning Production from 2023
UCLA returned much of its production from its 2023 lineup. The Bruins' returners in 2024 accounted for 75.9 percent of last season's runs batted in (252 RBI), 67.6 percent of last season's hits (353 H), 71.3 percent of last season's runs scored (261 R) and 87.8 percent of last season's home runs (58 HR). UCLA's top five RBI leaders from last season all returned in 2024: Brady (59), Grant (58), Woolery (46), Palacios (33) and Pola (26).
The Bay Area Kids Come up Big at Stnaofrd
Megan Grant, from San Bruno, and Jordan Woolery, from Walnut Creek, had a series to remember at Stanford. The Bay Area natives both came up with clutch hits in front of their hometown crowds. Grant doubled in each of the three games and went 5-for-10 at the plate in the series. None of Grant's hits were bigger than her double to leadoff the ninth inning of game one, which later came around to score the game-winning run. Woolery's home run to dead center off NiJaree Canady in the seventh inning of game three secured the sweep.
First Career Win for Ficke
Junior Mackenzie Ficke from Long Beach, Calif. earned the first win of her collegiate career in a complete-game effort against CSUN on April 30. Ficke, making her first career start and first appearance since week one of the season, also picked up the first two strikeouts of her career. The aerospace engineer major blanked the Matadors in three of the five innings. Ficke joined the UCLA softball program as a walk-on in January 2024.
In the Polls
· UCLA enters the week ranked in the top 10 in both major polls. The Bruins check in at No. 6 in both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll and ESPN/USA Softball Poll.
· In addition, the Bruins were slotted in the No. 2 spot in the final Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the conference office on Feb. 1. Stanford was selected as the league's preseason favorite, garnering seven of nine first-place votes. Washington and Utah each received one first-place vote. UCLA did not receive a first-place vote.
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.
· UCLA is tied with Oklahoma in terms of most athletes represented on the two rosters.
· Garcia is one of four 2020 Olympians on the WBSC World Cup roster.
· 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.
· 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.
Battling the Elements
The Bruins had six games canceled and two games postponed due to inclement weather conditions. UCLA's 44 regular-season contests are the team's fewest since the 1986 season (43 games).
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.
Celebrating the Pac-12
The 2024 season marks UCLA's final as a member of the Pac-10/12 Conference. UCLA softball has been a member of the conference since 1987 (37 years) and has won 13 regular-season conference championships as a Pac-12 member institution. There have been 21 NCAA Division I Softball Championships won by five different Pac-12 Conference member schools in the tournament's 40-year history, which leads all conferences (UCLA - 9, Arizona - 8, Arizona State - 2, Washington - 1, California - 1).
The Bruins (34-10, 17-4 Pac-12) would face the winner of Arizona-Washington in the semifinals on Friday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2 should they advance.
UCLA is led by 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady. The senior shortstop is pacing the conference in slugging percentage for the second straight season (.836) and has recorded a league-high 58 runs batted in. Additionally, Brady leads the team with a .410 batting average, 15 home runs and 45 runs scored.
Helpful Links
Pac-12 Softball Tournament Central
Pac-12 Softball Tournament Bracket
Pac-12 Softball Tournament Tickets
Quick Hits
· UCLA captured its second consecutive Pac-12 regular-season championship with a 17-4 conference record in 2024.
· UCLA has won 18 total regular-season conference championships and a record 13 titles as a member of the Pac-12.
· UCLA has finished 1st or 2nd in the Pac-12 in each of the last nine seasons under Head Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.
· UCLA turned in a 34-10 overall record in the regular season after a 3-4 start through the first two weeks.
· UCLA ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring (6.09 runs per game) and third in batting average (.317 avg.).
· Brady has three homers in her last two games. The last time she homered in three consecutive games was in April 2023.
· Brady hit her 67th career home run at Arizona State last week 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.
· RS Sr. Sharlize Palacios ranks third in the Pac-12 with a .757 slugging mark.
· UCLA's underclassmen duo of So. Taylor Tinsley and Fr. Kaitlyn Terry have pitched 259.1 of 285.0 total innings this season.
· Inouye-Perez secured her 800th career win as head coach in game one at Stanford on April 19.
· The Bruins were picked to finish second in this year's Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll (did not receive a first-place vote).
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Champs
The Bruins were crowned Pac-12 regular-season champions for the second consecutive season. The Bruins' 13 Pac-12 regular-season titles lead all programs. Arizona is the next closest school with 11 titles. UCLA has now won consecutive Pac-12 championships three times in program history (2023-24, 2019-21, 1988-91).
· UCLA won the season series over 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).
· 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.
UCLA Postseason History
· The Bruins have made a record 38 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 24 straight since 1999.
· UCLA is the winningest program in the history of the sport with 12 NCAA Championships.
· The Bruins' 31 WCWS appearances are also an NCAA record.
· UCLA holds the distinction as the only program to win a championship in every decade, including their 1978 AIAW title.
· UCLA owns an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 233-66 (.779).
· UCLA was the first program to repeat NCAA Championships (1984-85) and three-peat NCAA Championships (1988-90).
· UCLA saw its streak of seven consecutive Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances snapped last season.
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Player of the Year
Senior shortstop Maya Brady (.410 avg., 15 HR, 58 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 25 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).
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Coach of the Year
UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez secured her second straight Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award and fourth in her career (2024, 2023, 2021 and 2010). UCLA has now won the Coach of the Year award 11 times in the conference's 37-year history.
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.
Back-to-Back Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Awards
Left-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Terry (16-1, 2.57 ERA, 125 SO) from Glendale, Ariz. was named the 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).
Terry led all Pac-12 freshmen with 16 wins, a 2.57 earned run average, 125 strikeouts and 139.0 innings pitched. The Bruins relied heavily upon Terry down the stretch of the regular season as she finished the regular-season leading UCLA's pitching staff in both appearances and innings pitched. Her 139.0 innings are the most by a UCLA freshman since Rachel Garcia in 2017.
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.
USA Softball Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist
Brady was named a Top 25 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 25 Finalists will be narrowed to 10 athletes on May 15, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released 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).
Notes on Brady's Season
Maya Brady went 9-for-13 at the plate with three home runs and 11 runs batted in UCLA's four games at CSUN and Arizona State last week to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the seventh time of her career and third time this season. Brady has caught fire the last two weeks with a .577 average (15-for-26), 19 RBI, five home runs and a 1.231 slugging percentage over eight games (since April 23 at Long Beach State).
· With runners in scoring position, Brady leads the entire NCAA with a .735 average (25-for-34), 1.412 slugging percentage and 44 RBI. Brady hit for a .431 average with runners in scoring position last season.
· 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).
· Brady notched her third two-homer game of the season and ninth of her career in game two at Arizona State last week. Her other two-homer games this year occurred at then-No. 8 Washington on March 24 and versus then-No. 7 Florida State at the Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 16.
· 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.
· The shortstop has shored up on the defensive side of the ball as well. Since March 1, Brady's fielding percentage has improved 101 points from .813 to .914. 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 92 career games.
· 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.
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 236. 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 .760 ranks second all-time in UCLA history.
Career Runs Scored: Brady currently ranks fourth in UCLA's annals with 215 runs scored.
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 an .836 mark while Palacios ranks just behind in third with a .757 clip. Brady led the Pac-12 in slugging last season with an .866 mark. The duo has been particularly hot the last two weeks with a combined 1.109 slugging and 1.702 OPS over eight games (since April 23 at Long Beach State).
Palacios Pointers
Sharlize Palacios has homered in four of her last 10 games and ranks second on the team in that category this season (13).
· 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.
· Defensively, Palacios has yet to commit an error in 255 total chances and has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal.
· Palacios achieved both the 200th hit and 200th run batted in of her collegiate career over the last two weeks. 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.
· Palacios leads all Bruins on the active roster with seven career grand slams and ranks second behind Brady with four career multi-homer games.
· 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.
Feeling Grand
UCLA has recorded three grand slams over its last five games. 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.
· 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.
What's Chef Cooking?
Megan Grant has recorded four of her seven home runs this season in UCLA's last seven games. Over the last three weeks, Grant is slugging .740 with eight of her 14 hits going for extra bases (4 HR, 4 2B). Grant belted her second grand slam of the season and tallied a career-high six RBI at CSUN on April 30.
· In her 2023 freshman campaign, Grant's bat started heating up in the last half of April and into May with five of her 15 home runs of the season and a .750 slugging percentage coming in the Bruins' final 15 games. Grant homered in each of UCLA's two NCAA Regional losses.
· Grant was a NFCA Second Team All-American, NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 Finalist and All-Pac-12 First Team selection last season. The Bay Area native led the squad with 14 doubles and ranked second with 15 homers, 58 RBI, 31 extra-base hits and .695 slugging percentage. She ranked second among all freshman in the NCAA and led all Pac-12 freshmen with 58 RBI. Grant turned it up in conference play last season with a .403 batting average.
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 44 games in 2024 and is enjoying career bests in batting average (.305), runs batted in (27), runs scored (31) and stolen bases (9-9). Additionally, Allchin is currently riding a career-long eight-game hitting streak.
· 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 .446 average (21-for-47) with 14 RBI and 16 runs scored.
· Allchin has converted on all 12 RBI opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs. Her latest successful opportunity came versus then-No. 20 California on April 12 when she hit a sacrifice fly to score Maya Brady.
· 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.
· Allchin has been a mainstay in the top half of the Bruins' lineup, hitting in the top 3 of the order in 34 of the last 37 games.
· 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 9-for-9 on her attempts.
· 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.
UCLA in Pinch-Hitting Situations
The Bruins are batting .440 (22-for-50) in pinch-hitting situations this season. Nine different players have been called upon to pinch hit. UCLA has recorded at least one pinch hit in its last seven games when utilizing a pinch hitter, dating back to April 20 at Stanford. Two Bruins have hit a total of three pinch-hit home runs this season; the last to do it was Taylor Stephens at Arizona State on May 4. Stephens owns two of UCLA's pinch-hit home runs this season.
· Ramsey Suarez leads the Bruins with seven pinch hits and six RBI when coming off the bench. Suarez has reached base in each of her last four pinch-hit opportunities (3-for-3, 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.
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 three weeks (11 games) with a .350 batting average (7-for-20) and three 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. Pola went 2-for-4 with an RBI double in UCLA's last game at Arizona State on May 5.
Tested Early
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 turned around from its 3-4 start to go 31-6 the rest of the way with 11 wins over top-25 foes. The early tests have paid dividends for the team as it builds steam for a postseason run with a massive sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford and the largest comeback victory in program history versus then-No. 19 Arizona on April 28.
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.
Senior catcher 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. Sophomore 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.
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).
Flashback to the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament
No. 1 seed UCLA won its quarterfinal game versus Arizona, 4-3, and semifinal match up with Stanford, 1-0, before being bounced by Utah, 7-4, in the championship. Maya Brady led the Bruins' lineup over the three games, going 4-for-8 with two home runs and three walks. Brady's two homers came in the quarterfinal contest with the Wildcats. Megan Grant also homered in the quarterfinal. In UCLA's 1-0 showdown with Stanford, second baseman Savannah Pola knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with a single into right field. Southpaw Brooke Yanez put forth a dominant seven-inning shutout performance and retired 16 consecutive batters at one point in the game.
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 195.1 innings of the possible 207.0 over that 32-game stretch. Tinsley and Terry have also pitched the entirety of conference play and, together, own a 2.92 ERA in Pac-12 games which ranks third in the Pac-12.
· 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 25-5 record and 2.04 earned run average over the last 32 games. Since March 1, Tinsley owns a 11-4 record and 1.41 ERA while Terry is 14-1 with a 2.44 ERA.
· On the season, Tinsley (1.92 ERA) and Terry (2.57 ERA) rank second and seventh in the conference in earned run average, respectively.
· 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.
· 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.
Terry's Impressive Freshman Campaign
Kaitlyn Terry sports a 16-1 record across 27 appearances this season. Terry's first loss of the year came 11 weeks and 26 appearances into the year versus Arizona on April 27.
· Terry ranks third in the Pac-12 with 13 complete games. She has gone the distance in each of her last five outings.
· Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen in wins (16), ERA (2.57), strikeouts (125), innings pitched (139.0) and shutouts (5).
· 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.
· 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.
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.
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.
Notes on Tinsley
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley has shown consistent improvement since week one of the season. Tinsley has dropped her ERA from 2.29 to 1.92 over the last three weeks (includes Stanford and Arizona series). In 2024, she ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 1.92 ERA and third with 143 strikeouts over 120.1 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.
Returning Production from 2023
UCLA returned much of its production from its 2023 lineup. The Bruins' returners in 2024 accounted for 75.9 percent of last season's runs batted in (252 RBI), 67.6 percent of last season's hits (353 H), 71.3 percent of last season's runs scored (261 R) and 87.8 percent of last season's home runs (58 HR). UCLA's top five RBI leaders from last season all returned in 2024: Brady (59), Grant (58), Woolery (46), Palacios (33) and Pola (26).
The Bay Area Kids Come up Big at Stnaofrd
Megan Grant, from San Bruno, and Jordan Woolery, from Walnut Creek, had a series to remember at Stanford. The Bay Area natives both came up with clutch hits in front of their hometown crowds. Grant doubled in each of the three games and went 5-for-10 at the plate in the series. None of Grant's hits were bigger than her double to leadoff the ninth inning of game one, which later came around to score the game-winning run. Woolery's home run to dead center off NiJaree Canady in the seventh inning of game three secured the sweep.
First Career Win for Ficke
Junior Mackenzie Ficke from Long Beach, Calif. earned the first win of her collegiate career in a complete-game effort against CSUN on April 30. Ficke, making her first career start and first appearance since week one of the season, also picked up the first two strikeouts of her career. The aerospace engineer major blanked the Matadors in three of the five innings. Ficke joined the UCLA softball program as a walk-on in January 2024.
In the Polls
· UCLA enters the week ranked in the top 10 in both major polls. The Bruins check in at No. 6 in both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll and ESPN/USA Softball Poll.
· In addition, the Bruins were slotted in the No. 2 spot in the final Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the conference office on Feb. 1. Stanford was selected as the league's preseason favorite, garnering seven of nine first-place votes. Washington and Utah each received one first-place vote. UCLA did not receive a first-place vote.
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.
· UCLA is tied with Oklahoma in terms of most athletes represented on the two rosters.
· Garcia is one of four 2020 Olympians on the WBSC World Cup roster.
· 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.
· 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.
Battling the Elements
The Bruins had six games canceled and two games postponed due to inclement weather conditions. UCLA's 44 regular-season contests are the team's fewest since the 1986 season (43 games).
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.
Celebrating the Pac-12
The 2024 season marks UCLA's final as a member of the Pac-10/12 Conference. UCLA softball has been a member of the conference since 1987 (37 years) and has won 13 regular-season conference championships as a Pac-12 member institution. There have been 21 NCAA Division I Softball Championships won by five different Pac-12 Conference member schools in the tournament's 40-year history, which leads all conferences (UCLA - 9, Arizona - 8, Arizona State - 2, Washington - 1, California - 1).
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballUCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Tennessee (June 1, 2025)
Sunday, June 01
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Texas Tech (May 31, 2025)
Saturday, May 31
Highlights - UCLA Softball vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29