No. 9 UCLA Readies for Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

Thursday, February 19

Cathedral City, CA

3:00 PM (PT)

UCLA

Auburn

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Megan Grant

Photo by: Ross Turteltaub

No. 9 UCLA Readies for Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

February 18, 2026 | Softball

UCLA's Notes (PDF)Media Center Watch (FloCollege)Live Stats

LOS ANGELES – The No. 9-ranked UCLA softball team travels to Cathedral City, Calif. this week for six games over four days at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic hosted at Big League Dreams Sports Park from Feb. 19-22. The Bruins (7-3) open the tournament Thursday versus Auburn at 3 p.m. (PT).

UCLA plays two games on Friday versus Nevada (3:30 p.m.) and No. 20 Duke (6 p.m.). Saturday's action features a contest with Fresno State (3 p.m.) and a rematch of last year's Super Regional versus No. 13 South Carolina (5:30 p.m.).

The Bruins close the weekend with a third top-25 showdown on Sunday against No. 11 Texas A&M at 11:30 a.m. Fans can stream all six games on FloCollege.com for a fee.

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Big League Dreams Sports Park (Cathedral City, Calif.)
Schedule (all times Pacific)
Thursday, Feb. 19 – UCLA vs. Auburn – 3 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 20 – UCLA vs. Nevada – 3:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 20 – UCLA vs. Duke – 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21 – UCLA vs. Fresno State – 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21 – UCLA vs. South Carolina – 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 22 – UCLA vs. Texas A&M – 11:30 a.m.
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
Watch: FloCollege.com

KEY NOTES ON THE BRUINS
• UCLA posted a 2-3 record last week at the Clearwater Invitational with wins over Missouri and No. 12 LSU.
• Megan Grant reached base in 12 of her 17 plate appearances last week, going 5-for-12 with six walks and one hit-by-pitch.
• UCLA enters Week 3 ranked second in the nation in home runs (30), third in slugging percentage (.810) and 10th in runs (92).
• UCLA set program Week 1 records for runs scored (68) and home runs (23).
• Ten of Megan Grant's 12 hits have been home runs this season. She has two multi-HR performances just 10 games into 2026.
• Grant leads NCAA Division I in home runs (9), OPS (2.450), slugging percentage (1.739) and walks (12).
• Three Bruins are hitting for a .430+ batting average and 1.000+ slugging percentage (minimum 20 AB).
• UCLA plays its 52nd season of softball this spring, the 20th with head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez at the helm.
• UCLA made an NCAA-record 33rd Women's College World Series appearance in 2025, and the 11th under Inouye-Perez.
• UCLA's All-America trio from last season returns with seniors Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery.
• Grant, Tinsley and Woolery were all named to the prestigious USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.
• Grant and Woolery led all duos in the country in 2025 with 49 combined home runs and second with 167 combined RBIs.
• Tinsley is UCLA's lone returning pitcher after leading last year's staff with a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 6.63 K/BB ratio in 2025.
• UCLA's roster consists of 10 returners and 11 newcomers, including six true freshmen and five incoming transfers.
• The Bruins enter their second year in the Big Ten after finishing second with a 17-5 conference record in their debut season.
• UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez has guided the Bruins to an 880-225-1 (.796) record.
• Entering 2026, Inouye-Perez ranks seventh all-time and second among active head coaches with a .796 winning percentage.

WHAT'S CHEF COOKING?
• Utility Megan Grant has opened her senior campaign with elite offensive numbers. Through 10 games, Grant leads the country in home runs (9), slugging (1.739), OPS (2.450) and walks (12). She also ranks top 10 in the nation in RBIs (18), on-base percentage (.711) and total bases (40). Ten of Grant's 12 hits this season have gone for extra bases with her nine blasts and one double.
• Grant's nine home runs are the most ever for a UCLA player through the first 10 games of a season. She is averaging 0.9 home runs per contest, and is on pace to break the NCAA record for home runs in a single season over UCLA's 52 scheduled games. Arizona's Laura Espinoza holds the record with 37 homers over 72 games in 1995. She is also on pace to break the NCAA single season-season slugging record (Georgia Tech's Jen Yee, 1.270).
• Grant has recorded two multi-HR performances just 10 games into the 2026 season, improving her career total to six. She made UCLA history in Week 1 against UC Riverside by becoming the second player in UCLA history to hit three home runs in a single game, matching Monica Harrison's program record set in 2009 against Arizona State. Two of Grant's three blasts came in the first inning; it is unknown if that is a program record.
• Grant recorded her third career game-winning hit in the seventh inning or later against Missouri at the Clearwater Invitational (Feb. 13). Grant's second homer of the game against the Tigers was a go-ahead solo shot that lifted UCLA to a 6-5 victory. She also had game-winning singles in February 2023 versus Florida State and March 2024 versus Utah.

COACH I CHASING HISTORY
With 880 wins as the Bruins' skipper, Kelly Inouye-Perez needs eight more victories to surpass NFCA Hall of Famer Sue Enquist for the most wins ever by a UCLA softball head coach. Enquist compiled an 887-175-1 (.834) record over her 18 years as UCLA's head coach (1997-2006) and co-head coach (1989-96). Additionally, Inouye-Perez needs 20 more wins to become the 53rd head coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 900 career victories.

USA SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
• UCLA seniors Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery were named to the prestigious 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, it was announced Jan. 21. The full list is comprised of 53 student-athletes from 24 universities. This marks the third straight year Grant and Woolery have appeared on the Watch List, and the second straight for Tinsley. Last season, Grant and Woolery were USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalists with Grant making the cut for the Top 25 and Woolery advancing to the Top 10.
• The Top 25 Finalists for the award will be announced April 29. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. Two Bruins have received the honor a total of three times. Rachel Garcia was a back-to-back winner of the award in 2018 and 2019 and Stacey Nuveman won the award in 2002. Six UCLA student-athletes have been a Top 3 Finalist for the award a total of nine times, most recently accomplished by Maya Brady in 2023.

UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for all 17 of UCLA's remaining home games are on sale. Direct links to single-game ticket purchases can be viewed here. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. Additionally, fans with a 2025-26 Olympic Sports Card, available to purchase for $110, will gain admission to every home game.

The next opportunity to watch UCLA play at Easton Stadium after the Tournament will not be until March 6, when the Bruins' open Big Ten play for their second season in the conference.

WATCH THE BRUINS ON B1G+
Fans can catch all non-televised UCLA home games and road Big Ten Conference games on a high-quality streaming service, Big Ten Plus (B1G+). Annual passes ($89.99) and monthly passes ($12.99) are available for purchase here. Roughly 30 UCLA home and road games are viewable only on B1G+.