Postgame Quotes – UCLA 9, Grand Canyon 1 (5 inn.)
UCLA 9, Grand Canyon 1 (5 inn.)
May 19, 2024
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Regional
The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez
opening statement
“I’d just like to start by saying that it’s so impressive to see what GCU has done in such a short time. They’re regular contenders in the postseason here. They have all parts of the game. They can pitch, they can hit. Clearly not a lot of pitchers, but they’ve done such an amazing job and it was great to be able to face them again. With that being said, I’m just really proud of my Bruins. I’m repeating myself, but our goal is to be the best at the end. Today was just absolute execution. We said we wanted to be prepared for one shot in that first inning, and that set the tone right there. And being visitors, you know, we like being home, we like throwing the last punch. But today, the goal was to throw the first punch. (Sharlize Palacios) was ready for that, for literally the biggest one-shot in the postseason. I’m just going to say I’m proud of my Bruins, I’m proud of Taylor (Tinsley), I’m proud of (Kaitlyn Terry) for getting us to this point. Shar’s been the quarterback. She is behind the plate, but most importantly, for the seniors, we get to extend our season and we get to play another weekend. I’m proud that we get to do that in our house.”
on Taylor Tinsley’s performance
“So much respect. We wouldn’t be sitting in this room if it wasn’t for Taylor Tinsley and what she’s done throughout this entire season. She’s put this team on her back. As a result, she had some wear and tear. The ability to be able to take a little bit of a breather, knowing that she just wasn’t at her best, and have KT step up, and more importantly, the team step up and have Taylor’s back. To be able to get us where we are allowed her to have that rest. And she may not have been that perfectly sharp, but she’s back. It was great to be able to see her compete today and to see the team have her back. Her presence is just locked in and the growth that she’s had from last year to this year is just really amazing. I’m very proud. The game doesn’t know how old you are, and Taylor Tinsley, it’s her first time on this stage, and I really love how she’s leading and how she’s pitching with confidence. She’s just going to get better and better as we go through the postseason.”
on Taylor Tinsley’s changeup
“I think she has the best changeup in the country, and you can see. I get to call games for her, and you can see that they’re sitting, they’re thinking about it. And that gives her the ability to be a little more effective, knowing that they have to be thinking about it. And she throws for a strike, and the only time it’s good for them is when she doesn’t go for a strike. But still, it’s in their head. The effectiveness that she creates, it makes it almost fun to game call with her because you can yo-yo the batters. Today, her changeup was dirty again. It has probably 11 to 12 inches of vertical break on that pitch. It’s very nasty, and it’s definitely a weapon that we always use.”
on keeping up the energy when playing opponents twice
“It’s really focusing on us. We respect everyone that we play. They were game one, which is the biggest game, and always the championship is a different energy. The opponent, we respect all of them. It was a different game. We knew that the run rule on Friday really didn’t mean anything, we were just ready to play and we were going to come out. We knew that we had to come today, and if we wanted to extend our season, then we had to take it today no matter who was in the other dugout. It’s about us, it’s about where we are in season. It’s what we call the success phase, it’s the best time of the season. The girls just wanted to play, and right now, we just want to keep on playing. I love that they were able to end it in five and that they did it. Once again, it’s really about us. Right now, we’re really enjoying playing softball.”
on the team’s defensive mentality
“We’ve talked about being able to stay loose, and when you’re loose, then you’re very athletic, and you’re able to make some plays like Thessa (Malau’ulu) did. That reaction play was just unreal. It was game-changing. And Maya (Brady), you know, they easily could have cracked the door right there at the end, and I can’t wait to watch the replay on that play. The little things of Shar blocking balls, just the outfield laying out their body, knowing how to play balls off the wall. I really truly believe that we have a saying that calm is contagious, and when they’re playing calm and relaxed, they’re very athletic. You got to see them make very good plays today because they were just being themselves. I really give a lot of credit to my coaches for preparing them. Everyday work is intentional work, and we practice with purpose, and we practice hard. The games are fun because it’s an opportunity for them to show off. They made big plays this weekend on both sides of the ball.”
on Jadelyn Allchin’s performance
“I just wanted to comment on that, because Maya and Shar and Janelle and Jadelyn have played together since they were younger. When Jadelyn first came in, her first swing, we were all like ‘Woah, that little thing has such whip and such power’. And so, she came in, and Maya turned to me and said, ‘Just wait, you just wait. The girl can hit them so far, coach. She’s going to unleash, and you’re going to see one.’ Today, I don’t know if you saw it, but it cleared the batting cage. It went onto Sunset (Boulevard). It didn’t just clear the wall; it went over the batting cage and it was still going. And I looked over to Maya and she said ‘There it is.’ She’s been calling it all year. She’s hit some impressive home runs, but that one, you got it all the way.’”
UCLA catcher Sharlize Palacios
on talking to Tinsley in the first inning
“I think it was more of a mound issue. She was just slipping a little bit on the mound. We just talked about it, and she told me that she would find her footing. I think that’s the maturity that she and KT are both showing throughout this season. They’ve grown so much in such a small span, and that’s just an ode to them, having that competitive edge every single game, and they’re growing every single game. Her telling me that, and having that confidence, has propelled her to the next level.”
on the energy after her home run in the first inning
“We were just focusing on coming out, and there was kind of a killer mentality. We had to go out, make a statement, and do it for the team. That started with Maya. Maya took the dose, but she took it like a dog. And then Jadelyn came up with a bunt, and we just showed that we were ready to play.”
UCLA outfielder Jadelyn Allchin
on her defensive play and Tinsley’s pitching
“She’s doing so much for us. The only thing that we can really do is have her back and continue to compete alongside her, offensively, defensively. We’re there to make sure that our pitchers are in the best position to just hold it down for us.”
on having her extended family in the crowd and the crowd shouting “Sherlock”
“A few months ago, I adopted a cat and named him Sherlock Holmes. Just hearing that in the stands, it was kind of just funny. Knowing that they know that story, it’s just so awesome having them here. My uncles, aunts that haven’t been able to watch me in the past four years actually came out this weekend. It’s just awesome to be together again. It’s awesome that they’re there.”
on her home run
“Just knowing that I wanted to come to the game with more patience, that we’ve talked about. Being able to just really trust the process and just being able to trust all of the work that we’ve been putting in. Just kind of set myself up in the position to make contact and have a good swing on it. It felt great, and on to the next.”
May 19, 2024
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Regional
The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez
opening statement
“I’d just like to start by saying that it’s so impressive to see what GCU has done in such a short time. They’re regular contenders in the postseason here. They have all parts of the game. They can pitch, they can hit. Clearly not a lot of pitchers, but they’ve done such an amazing job and it was great to be able to face them again. With that being said, I’m just really proud of my Bruins. I’m repeating myself, but our goal is to be the best at the end. Today was just absolute execution. We said we wanted to be prepared for one shot in that first inning, and that set the tone right there. And being visitors, you know, we like being home, we like throwing the last punch. But today, the goal was to throw the first punch. (Sharlize Palacios) was ready for that, for literally the biggest one-shot in the postseason. I’m just going to say I’m proud of my Bruins, I’m proud of Taylor (Tinsley), I’m proud of (Kaitlyn Terry) for getting us to this point. Shar’s been the quarterback. She is behind the plate, but most importantly, for the seniors, we get to extend our season and we get to play another weekend. I’m proud that we get to do that in our house.”
on Taylor Tinsley’s performance
“So much respect. We wouldn’t be sitting in this room if it wasn’t for Taylor Tinsley and what she’s done throughout this entire season. She’s put this team on her back. As a result, she had some wear and tear. The ability to be able to take a little bit of a breather, knowing that she just wasn’t at her best, and have KT step up, and more importantly, the team step up and have Taylor’s back. To be able to get us where we are allowed her to have that rest. And she may not have been that perfectly sharp, but she’s back. It was great to be able to see her compete today and to see the team have her back. Her presence is just locked in and the growth that she’s had from last year to this year is just really amazing. I’m very proud. The game doesn’t know how old you are, and Taylor Tinsley, it’s her first time on this stage, and I really love how she’s leading and how she’s pitching with confidence. She’s just going to get better and better as we go through the postseason.”
on Taylor Tinsley’s changeup
“I think she has the best changeup in the country, and you can see. I get to call games for her, and you can see that they’re sitting, they’re thinking about it. And that gives her the ability to be a little more effective, knowing that they have to be thinking about it. And she throws for a strike, and the only time it’s good for them is when she doesn’t go for a strike. But still, it’s in their head. The effectiveness that she creates, it makes it almost fun to game call with her because you can yo-yo the batters. Today, her changeup was dirty again. It has probably 11 to 12 inches of vertical break on that pitch. It’s very nasty, and it’s definitely a weapon that we always use.”
on keeping up the energy when playing opponents twice
“It’s really focusing on us. We respect everyone that we play. They were game one, which is the biggest game, and always the championship is a different energy. The opponent, we respect all of them. It was a different game. We knew that the run rule on Friday really didn’t mean anything, we were just ready to play and we were going to come out. We knew that we had to come today, and if we wanted to extend our season, then we had to take it today no matter who was in the other dugout. It’s about us, it’s about where we are in season. It’s what we call the success phase, it’s the best time of the season. The girls just wanted to play, and right now, we just want to keep on playing. I love that they were able to end it in five and that they did it. Once again, it’s really about us. Right now, we’re really enjoying playing softball.”
on the team’s defensive mentality
“We’ve talked about being able to stay loose, and when you’re loose, then you’re very athletic, and you’re able to make some plays like Thessa (Malau’ulu) did. That reaction play was just unreal. It was game-changing. And Maya (Brady), you know, they easily could have cracked the door right there at the end, and I can’t wait to watch the replay on that play. The little things of Shar blocking balls, just the outfield laying out their body, knowing how to play balls off the wall. I really truly believe that we have a saying that calm is contagious, and when they’re playing calm and relaxed, they’re very athletic. You got to see them make very good plays today because they were just being themselves. I really give a lot of credit to my coaches for preparing them. Everyday work is intentional work, and we practice with purpose, and we practice hard. The games are fun because it’s an opportunity for them to show off. They made big plays this weekend on both sides of the ball.”
on Jadelyn Allchin’s performance
“I just wanted to comment on that, because Maya and Shar and Janelle and Jadelyn have played together since they were younger. When Jadelyn first came in, her first swing, we were all like ‘Woah, that little thing has such whip and such power’. And so, she came in, and Maya turned to me and said, ‘Just wait, you just wait. The girl can hit them so far, coach. She’s going to unleash, and you’re going to see one.’ Today, I don’t know if you saw it, but it cleared the batting cage. It went onto Sunset (Boulevard). It didn’t just clear the wall; it went over the batting cage and it was still going. And I looked over to Maya and she said ‘There it is.’ She’s been calling it all year. She’s hit some impressive home runs, but that one, you got it all the way.’”
UCLA catcher Sharlize Palacios
on talking to Tinsley in the first inning
“I think it was more of a mound issue. She was just slipping a little bit on the mound. We just talked about it, and she told me that she would find her footing. I think that’s the maturity that she and KT are both showing throughout this season. They’ve grown so much in such a small span, and that’s just an ode to them, having that competitive edge every single game, and they’re growing every single game. Her telling me that, and having that confidence, has propelled her to the next level.”
on the energy after her home run in the first inning
“We were just focusing on coming out, and there was kind of a killer mentality. We had to go out, make a statement, and do it for the team. That started with Maya. Maya took the dose, but she took it like a dog. And then Jadelyn came up with a bunt, and we just showed that we were ready to play.”
UCLA outfielder Jadelyn Allchin
on her defensive play and Tinsley’s pitching
“She’s doing so much for us. The only thing that we can really do is have her back and continue to compete alongside her, offensively, defensively. We’re there to make sure that our pitchers are in the best position to just hold it down for us.”
on having her extended family in the crowd and the crowd shouting “Sherlock”
“A few months ago, I adopted a cat and named him Sherlock Holmes. Just hearing that in the stands, it was kind of just funny. Knowing that they know that story, it’s just so awesome having them here. My uncles, aunts that haven’t been able to watch me in the past four years actually came out this weekend. It’s just awesome to be together again. It’s awesome that they’re there.”
on her home run
“Just knowing that I wanted to come to the game with more patience, that we’ve talked about. Being able to just really trust the process and just being able to trust all of the work that we’ve been putting in. Just kind of set myself up in the position to make contact and have a good swing on it. It felt great, and on to the next.”