University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Photo by: Ross Turteltaub
Kelly Inouye-Perez Becomes UCLA Softball’s All-Time Winningest Head Coach
February 27, 2026 | Softball
Kelly Inouye-Perez, The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach, secured her 888th career win versus No. 4 Florida at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif. on Friday to become UCLA softball's all-time winningest head coach.
With a record of 888-225-1 (.797), Inouye-Perez surpasses her predecessor and National Fastpitch Coaches Associaton (NFCA) Hall of Famer Sue Enquist who had an overall mark of 887-175-1 (.835). Sharron Backus, the inaugural coach in UCLA softball history, was the first to reach 800 wins as she retired with a record of 854-173-3 (.831). The three UCLA Athletic Hall-of-Fame head coaches have been responsible for all of the Bruins' 2,226 wins and 13 national championships, which are both the most in NCAA history.
Over Inouye-Perez's 20 seasons as head coach, she has guided UCLA to a pair of NCAA Championships in 2010 and 2019, 11 Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances and five Pac-10/12 Conference regular season titles. Inouye-Perez, who is the only person to have won an NCAA Division I Softball Championship as both a player and coach, has spent 38 consecutive seasons in Westwood as a player (1989-93), assistant coach (1994-2006) and head coach (2007-present).
Alongside Inouye-Perez for all 20 seasons of her head coaching career has been her former Bruin batterymate and lifelong best friend Lisa Fernandez. Together, they have contributed to seven of UCLA's record 12 NCAA Championships either as players (2 titles), assistant coaches (3) or as a head coach-assistant coach duo (2).
As student-athletes, the former Kelly Inouye was the catcher for Fernandez's complete-game shutout against rival Arizona in the 1992 NCAA title game. After graduating, Inouye-Perez and Fernandez both served as assistants on Enquist's staff, helping UCLA win national championships in the 1999, 2003 and 2004 seasons. Inouye-Perez took over as head coach in 2007, and the two steered the Bruins to their 12th and 13th national championships in 2010 and 2019, respectively.
Numerous Bruins have garnered national, regional and conference recognition over Inouye-Perez's previous 19 seasons as head coach. Rachel Garcia was a three-time winner of the Honda Sport Award (2021, 2019, 2018) and softball's first two-time winner of the Honda Cup (2021, 2019), which is given to the best female athlete across all collegiate sports. Garcia was also a two-time winner of the prestigious USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award and earned NFCA National Player of the Year in 2018.
Inouye-Perez has directed 28 NFCA All-Americans to 50 total citations, including 14 players to 24 First Team honors. The Bruins have earned at least one NFCA All-America award in all 18 possible seasons with Inouye-Perez as head coach.
Four UCLA student-athletes have hauled in eight Pac-10/12 Player of the Year awards under Inouye-Perez. Garcia became one of five players in conference history to win the Pac-10/12 Player of the Year trophy three times (2021, 2019, 2018).
Four of Inouye-Perez's players have competed for Team USA in the Olympics. Ally Carda, Rachel Garcia, Bubba Nickles and Delaney Spaulding all donned the Red, White and Blue at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and brought home a silver medal.
Inouye-Perez and her staff have been consistently recognized for their efforts on and off the field. For the eighth time, Inouye-Perez's staff was awarded NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025 after returning to the WCWS stage for a second straight season. UCLA has received the NFCA National CSOY honor twice under Inouye-Perez in 2010 and 2019. In 2024, Inouye-Perez was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the fourth time in her career, which is tied for second-most in the history of softball's flagship conference.
Inouye-Perez became the 20th member of the UCLA softball program to be enshrined in the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
With a record of 888-225-1 (.797), Inouye-Perez surpasses her predecessor and National Fastpitch Coaches Associaton (NFCA) Hall of Famer Sue Enquist who had an overall mark of 887-175-1 (.835). Sharron Backus, the inaugural coach in UCLA softball history, was the first to reach 800 wins as she retired with a record of 854-173-3 (.831). The three UCLA Athletic Hall-of-Fame head coaches have been responsible for all of the Bruins' 2,226 wins and 13 national championships, which are both the most in NCAA history.
Over Inouye-Perez's 20 seasons as head coach, she has guided UCLA to a pair of NCAA Championships in 2010 and 2019, 11 Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearances and five Pac-10/12 Conference regular season titles. Inouye-Perez, who is the only person to have won an NCAA Division I Softball Championship as both a player and coach, has spent 38 consecutive seasons in Westwood as a player (1989-93), assistant coach (1994-2006) and head coach (2007-present).
Alongside Inouye-Perez for all 20 seasons of her head coaching career has been her former Bruin batterymate and lifelong best friend Lisa Fernandez. Together, they have contributed to seven of UCLA's record 12 NCAA Championships either as players (2 titles), assistant coaches (3) or as a head coach-assistant coach duo (2).
As student-athletes, the former Kelly Inouye was the catcher for Fernandez's complete-game shutout against rival Arizona in the 1992 NCAA title game. After graduating, Inouye-Perez and Fernandez both served as assistants on Enquist's staff, helping UCLA win national championships in the 1999, 2003 and 2004 seasons. Inouye-Perez took over as head coach in 2007, and the two steered the Bruins to their 12th and 13th national championships in 2010 and 2019, respectively.
Numerous Bruins have garnered national, regional and conference recognition over Inouye-Perez's previous 19 seasons as head coach. Rachel Garcia was a three-time winner of the Honda Sport Award (2021, 2019, 2018) and softball's first two-time winner of the Honda Cup (2021, 2019), which is given to the best female athlete across all collegiate sports. Garcia was also a two-time winner of the prestigious USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award and earned NFCA National Player of the Year in 2018.
Inouye-Perez has directed 28 NFCA All-Americans to 50 total citations, including 14 players to 24 First Team honors. The Bruins have earned at least one NFCA All-America award in all 18 possible seasons with Inouye-Perez as head coach.
Four UCLA student-athletes have hauled in eight Pac-10/12 Player of the Year awards under Inouye-Perez. Garcia became one of five players in conference history to win the Pac-10/12 Player of the Year trophy three times (2021, 2019, 2018).
Four of Inouye-Perez's players have competed for Team USA in the Olympics. Ally Carda, Rachel Garcia, Bubba Nickles and Delaney Spaulding all donned the Red, White and Blue at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and brought home a silver medal.
Inouye-Perez and her staff have been consistently recognized for their efforts on and off the field. For the eighth time, Inouye-Perez's staff was awarded NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025 after returning to the WCWS stage for a second straight season. UCLA has received the NFCA National CSOY honor twice under Inouye-Perez in 2010 and 2019. In 2024, Inouye-Perez was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the fourth time in her career, which is tied for second-most in the history of softball's flagship conference.
Inouye-Perez became the 20th member of the UCLA softball program to be enshrined in the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
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