Postgame Quotes – UCLA 8, Georgia 0 (6 inn.)
UCLA 8, Georgia 0 (6 inn.)
May 23, 2024
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional
The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez
opening statement
“I’m going to start by just saying, we know that’s a quality team. But I think, one of the best parts of the start of the game today is we have a mental performance guy, (Dr. Armando Gonzalez), and he did a great job of bringing perspective to the girls. So, saying, I think it was 96 days ago, we played this team and we are a different team today then we were back then. So, just proud of how we’re playing ball. Every part of the game. We’re pitching, we’re hitting, we’re defending. The goal was to obviously be your best at this point, but I couldn’t be more proud. It was spread out throughout the team. There were just great plays, big time hits. But I think all of this starts with Maya Brady sending the message with her first at-bat. That we’re here to play, and I think it started. Everybody wanted to hit, which I think really allows for us as coaches to be able to say, ‘Well, it’s going to be a really fun, we’re on attack mode.’ I’ll just say this. Game one — it’s always the biggest one. We’ve got to be able to appreciate tonight, get some rest, and come back because I guarantee you there’ll be a dog fight tomorrow.”
on the postgame chat with team following victory
“That we played our game. And that’s ultimately what we plan. If you have the ability to do what we did tonight, every part of the game, that is the plan. That’s the expectation of the team. What I love is the standard of UCLA softball is to be able to show up and play when it matters most. I love that these girls are doing that. So, what I say is they played their game. I always say the team that settles in to play their game first, gives themselves the best chance to win. And you saw UCLA softball tonight.”
on Maya Brady’s defensive role
“I want to speak to that because one of the biggest things that I respect is just how fortunate — I mean, we get to go out and recruit just phenomenal athletes. Maya was an infielder before she came here. She went to the outfield for what was best for the team in her first couple years and was an All-American in the outfield and took on the leadership role in the last two years. Last year, it was almost a little unexpected. She was ready to do whatever she could for the team, but I wanted her at shortstop this year. I wanted her with the young pitching staff to be on the field so that she could communicate with them and keep the team together and she’s done a phenomenal job. She’s an amazing athlete, which we all know, but she’s a phenomenal leader. She breeds confidence. And when she’s loose, you see some just pretty amazing plays. I would like to shout out that every once in a while, she'll kind of watch some Dansby Swanson plays just to be able (learn) from Dansby. But she’s smooth like that. She’s smooth like that. And it never surprises me the plays that she makes. I mean the ball in the hole, that she came and she turned — first of all, I told her that Kuma was fast, there’s no play, but still — did that not look sweet. The way she plays. I sit there. I’m continuing to be amazed at just some of the things that she’s capable of doing. But I saw her in 7th grade just make some pretty special plays. She’s a great athlete.”
on the lightness the team feels
“A big part of why I brought in the mental performance coaches was for that. I need to tell you, we let that go in fall. This team in ‘24 wasn’t carrying the burden of last year. This team in ‘24 in the beginning was carrying the burden of figuring out who we were. We weren’t healthy. The last time we played (Georgia), KT was in a knee brace, she was on a pitch count, she was nowhere near the same pitcher. We just kind of went through a rough start. He helped us move on in fall, so I intentionally brought him in for that reason. With that being said, we’ve been ramping up to really figure out — just understanding who we are. There was a quote that I had, ‘She remembered who she was, and then everything changed.’ We have the ability to do it all, but we weren’t getting the outcome early in the season. So, the belief of it is allow for them to play freely. They know that they can. They know that — as Maya said — that it’s out of our control. There’s things. Thessa (Malau'ulu) hit some balls tonight and there were outs. We understand our sport. That has freed up the pressure of what we need to do. I mean, they’re just playing ball, which I love. We’re at our best as a program when you got great talent that is willing to do anything for the program, they have each other’s backs, they play freely. Man, you see some serious Bruin magic and tonight was a big night. Game one, Super Regionals, against a quality opponent. I’m so proud of how they played. It was fun to watch.”
on Jordan Woolery and Savannah Pola's performance
“I think a big part of it is — first of all, I credit our coaches. We’ve brought in some great — Lisa’s transitioned into hitting, so we’ve brought in some consultants Lisa’s been working with as well. But they’re prepared. We know what Maya Brady can do, and she continues to do it. It’s so impressive to watch Maya and (Sharlize Palacios) do those things. With UCLA softball and the history as long as I’ve been here, we’re at our best when the bottom half is taking care of it. And Jordan — it was funny, I had a conversation with her before that at bat, because you can see when they can pitch around certain players. Megan Grant, when she does get a good strike, I look forward to that, but they’re kind of pitching around. Jordan has been a great hitter in that situation. … Savi Pola is — I actually talked to her on April 1st, and I was like she did have a great start, and it's April Fools’ Day. The whole beginning part of the season, because she is one of the most consistent hitters we’ve had in this program in her first two years. And she kind of flipped it, and she went to work. It’s no surprise to us, but it’s also a big part of the strength when the bottom half gets it done. That allows for you to feel the momentum building of coming back to the top. Yes, Jordan, Savi, Thessa, (Janelle Meoño) even have the quality walks — don’t go down as a hit, but that walk is huge to load the bases. Those things create pressure and allow the lineup to turn over. So, credit to them, definitely.”
on Kaitlyn Terry and Sharlize Palacios
“I’m not the only one that does it. Shar will call a timeout every once in a while, and I love watching it. Shar will go out and there’s times where she’ll say, 'Take a deep breath,' and KT — I can see — going, ‘I’m fine, get back.’ The pitcher 101. And then Shar will go in again and say, ‘No, take a deep breath.’ Then I’ll see her take one. So, that combination, I think Shar, also, and Maya in her back pocket. You have that kind of experience that is right there and has your back. They’ve done a great job of building confidence and being able to slow down KT in her first round of postseason.”
on the team turning everything around, critical moments
“I don’t know if there is an exact date. I really don’t know. We’ve hit — you know, I’ve told them and I have it in a book — but I told them there are going to be critical moments during this season. We dropped the game in Palm Springs to Baylor and played Tennessee the next day, and I was like, 'This is a critical moment and how you show up.' You know, we lost it to Arizona on a Saturday and we came the next day on senior day, packed house, wasn’t the plan to go down 7-0, but it was a critical moment. There’s so many. We were down again in the Pac-12 Tournament. They were just critical moments. I can’t put it on any one thing, but the most important thing is saying so many things have happened. It's not the drama of what happened, but it’s what you do next. And this team does a great job of getting to the next pitch with a strong belief that they can wipe it and they can go. And I’m repeating myself by saying that because we’ve learned that. We’ve had to, the hard way. It’s been traumatic and dramatic and devastating. There’s been a lot of tears this season and frustration that we finally got to a point where whatever happened, getting ready to do what’s next has become empowering. They create momentum. There’s confidence. They have each other’s backs. They're having fun and they’re playing. Like I said, we’re just playing our best ball right now, because there’s been a belief that our best is yet to come. We’ve talked about it. The storm’s a-brewing. It’s here. I love that we’re playing great softball.”
UCLA redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady
on mental performance coach Dr. Armando Gonzalez, or "Dr. Mondo"
“I think one of my favorite things that he kind of reminds us of, he says every time that we talk to him, is that ‘It's already written.’ And I think for us, honestly, it just lifts a weight off of us. That, you know what, yes, we have a say in our performance, but at the end of the day, there is an outcome that’s already written that, no matter if we strikeout, or you go 4-for-4, that was the outcome that was supposed to happen. I think for us it just allows us to kind of let go and play free. I think he just continues to fire us up for games. He’s just really a rock for all of us. I think we all really look to him a lot.”
on scoring the first three runs and her two homers
“It means everything to me. I think that’s why I do what I do. That’s a constant motivator for me, especially with KT [Kaitlyn Terry] on the mound. Obviously, she’s never been here before, so I think against a big swinging team like that, you know, they're a great offense, super aggressive, and they’ve proved that all year. But, I think for me it’s just literally trying to put my team in the best position to get us a dub at the end of the day or at least give us a little room against a swinging team like that. I think that everything I do is for my teammates. For me, working with Mondo has given me a lot of peace of mind to just go out there and try and be the best version of me.”
on her defensive range and the role she plays
“Again, I think it’s just me trying to be free and be the best version of myself and just have fun. When I’m loose and laughing and able to enjoy myself on the field, I think crazy things can happen. It’s stuff that we practice. I think Coach Lisa (Fernandez) does a great job of allowing the infielders to be super creative throughout practices and stuff. It’s honestly just a culmination of all the hard work that she pours into us, but also just having a lot of fun and trying to enjoy every one of these last moments I have with my team.”
UCLA freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry
on Jadelyn Allchin’s diving catch
“It’s definitely a relief, but with our outfield I already know that any ball that’s in the air, they’re gonna catch, regardless, no matter where it’s at. Right when she laid out, I knew she was going to have it. But, yeah, it takes a big relief off of me.”
on what was working well for her in the circle
“Definitely, my drop ball was working a lot, especially towards the lefties. But my changeup coming in at the end of the day, I think was a really big aspect.”
on being calm as a freshman on a big stage
“Definitely Coach (Inouye-Perez) asking me to take Debbies. I’ve definitely taken that into consideration before every pitch. I just take a Debbie to reset everything. I feel like it just makes me pitch loose because when I pitch tight it’s just not good. Honestly, I think taking Debbies is like the biggest thing that I do… [Coach Inouye-Perez: ‘What’s a Debbie?’] ... A deep breath.”
May 23, 2024
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional
The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez
opening statement
“I’m going to start by just saying, we know that’s a quality team. But I think, one of the best parts of the start of the game today is we have a mental performance guy, (Dr. Armando Gonzalez), and he did a great job of bringing perspective to the girls. So, saying, I think it was 96 days ago, we played this team and we are a different team today then we were back then. So, just proud of how we’re playing ball. Every part of the game. We’re pitching, we’re hitting, we’re defending. The goal was to obviously be your best at this point, but I couldn’t be more proud. It was spread out throughout the team. There were just great plays, big time hits. But I think all of this starts with Maya Brady sending the message with her first at-bat. That we’re here to play, and I think it started. Everybody wanted to hit, which I think really allows for us as coaches to be able to say, ‘Well, it’s going to be a really fun, we’re on attack mode.’ I’ll just say this. Game one — it’s always the biggest one. We’ve got to be able to appreciate tonight, get some rest, and come back because I guarantee you there’ll be a dog fight tomorrow.”
on the postgame chat with team following victory
“That we played our game. And that’s ultimately what we plan. If you have the ability to do what we did tonight, every part of the game, that is the plan. That’s the expectation of the team. What I love is the standard of UCLA softball is to be able to show up and play when it matters most. I love that these girls are doing that. So, what I say is they played their game. I always say the team that settles in to play their game first, gives themselves the best chance to win. And you saw UCLA softball tonight.”
on Maya Brady’s defensive role
“I want to speak to that because one of the biggest things that I respect is just how fortunate — I mean, we get to go out and recruit just phenomenal athletes. Maya was an infielder before she came here. She went to the outfield for what was best for the team in her first couple years and was an All-American in the outfield and took on the leadership role in the last two years. Last year, it was almost a little unexpected. She was ready to do whatever she could for the team, but I wanted her at shortstop this year. I wanted her with the young pitching staff to be on the field so that she could communicate with them and keep the team together and she’s done a phenomenal job. She’s an amazing athlete, which we all know, but she’s a phenomenal leader. She breeds confidence. And when she’s loose, you see some just pretty amazing plays. I would like to shout out that every once in a while, she'll kind of watch some Dansby Swanson plays just to be able (learn) from Dansby. But she’s smooth like that. She’s smooth like that. And it never surprises me the plays that she makes. I mean the ball in the hole, that she came and she turned — first of all, I told her that Kuma was fast, there’s no play, but still — did that not look sweet. The way she plays. I sit there. I’m continuing to be amazed at just some of the things that she’s capable of doing. But I saw her in 7th grade just make some pretty special plays. She’s a great athlete.”
on the lightness the team feels
“A big part of why I brought in the mental performance coaches was for that. I need to tell you, we let that go in fall. This team in ‘24 wasn’t carrying the burden of last year. This team in ‘24 in the beginning was carrying the burden of figuring out who we were. We weren’t healthy. The last time we played (Georgia), KT was in a knee brace, she was on a pitch count, she was nowhere near the same pitcher. We just kind of went through a rough start. He helped us move on in fall, so I intentionally brought him in for that reason. With that being said, we’ve been ramping up to really figure out — just understanding who we are. There was a quote that I had, ‘She remembered who she was, and then everything changed.’ We have the ability to do it all, but we weren’t getting the outcome early in the season. So, the belief of it is allow for them to play freely. They know that they can. They know that — as Maya said — that it’s out of our control. There’s things. Thessa (Malau'ulu) hit some balls tonight and there were outs. We understand our sport. That has freed up the pressure of what we need to do. I mean, they’re just playing ball, which I love. We’re at our best as a program when you got great talent that is willing to do anything for the program, they have each other’s backs, they play freely. Man, you see some serious Bruin magic and tonight was a big night. Game one, Super Regionals, against a quality opponent. I’m so proud of how they played. It was fun to watch.”
on Jordan Woolery and Savannah Pola's performance
“I think a big part of it is — first of all, I credit our coaches. We’ve brought in some great — Lisa’s transitioned into hitting, so we’ve brought in some consultants Lisa’s been working with as well. But they’re prepared. We know what Maya Brady can do, and she continues to do it. It’s so impressive to watch Maya and (Sharlize Palacios) do those things. With UCLA softball and the history as long as I’ve been here, we’re at our best when the bottom half is taking care of it. And Jordan — it was funny, I had a conversation with her before that at bat, because you can see when they can pitch around certain players. Megan Grant, when she does get a good strike, I look forward to that, but they’re kind of pitching around. Jordan has been a great hitter in that situation. … Savi Pola is — I actually talked to her on April 1st, and I was like she did have a great start, and it's April Fools’ Day. The whole beginning part of the season, because she is one of the most consistent hitters we’ve had in this program in her first two years. And she kind of flipped it, and she went to work. It’s no surprise to us, but it’s also a big part of the strength when the bottom half gets it done. That allows for you to feel the momentum building of coming back to the top. Yes, Jordan, Savi, Thessa, (Janelle Meoño) even have the quality walks — don’t go down as a hit, but that walk is huge to load the bases. Those things create pressure and allow the lineup to turn over. So, credit to them, definitely.”
on Kaitlyn Terry and Sharlize Palacios
“I’m not the only one that does it. Shar will call a timeout every once in a while, and I love watching it. Shar will go out and there’s times where she’ll say, 'Take a deep breath,' and KT — I can see — going, ‘I’m fine, get back.’ The pitcher 101. And then Shar will go in again and say, ‘No, take a deep breath.’ Then I’ll see her take one. So, that combination, I think Shar, also, and Maya in her back pocket. You have that kind of experience that is right there and has your back. They’ve done a great job of building confidence and being able to slow down KT in her first round of postseason.”
on the team turning everything around, critical moments
“I don’t know if there is an exact date. I really don’t know. We’ve hit — you know, I’ve told them and I have it in a book — but I told them there are going to be critical moments during this season. We dropped the game in Palm Springs to Baylor and played Tennessee the next day, and I was like, 'This is a critical moment and how you show up.' You know, we lost it to Arizona on a Saturday and we came the next day on senior day, packed house, wasn’t the plan to go down 7-0, but it was a critical moment. There’s so many. We were down again in the Pac-12 Tournament. They were just critical moments. I can’t put it on any one thing, but the most important thing is saying so many things have happened. It's not the drama of what happened, but it’s what you do next. And this team does a great job of getting to the next pitch with a strong belief that they can wipe it and they can go. And I’m repeating myself by saying that because we’ve learned that. We’ve had to, the hard way. It’s been traumatic and dramatic and devastating. There’s been a lot of tears this season and frustration that we finally got to a point where whatever happened, getting ready to do what’s next has become empowering. They create momentum. There’s confidence. They have each other’s backs. They're having fun and they’re playing. Like I said, we’re just playing our best ball right now, because there’s been a belief that our best is yet to come. We’ve talked about it. The storm’s a-brewing. It’s here. I love that we’re playing great softball.”
UCLA redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady
on mental performance coach Dr. Armando Gonzalez, or "Dr. Mondo"
“I think one of my favorite things that he kind of reminds us of, he says every time that we talk to him, is that ‘It's already written.’ And I think for us, honestly, it just lifts a weight off of us. That, you know what, yes, we have a say in our performance, but at the end of the day, there is an outcome that’s already written that, no matter if we strikeout, or you go 4-for-4, that was the outcome that was supposed to happen. I think for us it just allows us to kind of let go and play free. I think he just continues to fire us up for games. He’s just really a rock for all of us. I think we all really look to him a lot.”
on scoring the first three runs and her two homers
“It means everything to me. I think that’s why I do what I do. That’s a constant motivator for me, especially with KT [Kaitlyn Terry] on the mound. Obviously, she’s never been here before, so I think against a big swinging team like that, you know, they're a great offense, super aggressive, and they’ve proved that all year. But, I think for me it’s just literally trying to put my team in the best position to get us a dub at the end of the day or at least give us a little room against a swinging team like that. I think that everything I do is for my teammates. For me, working with Mondo has given me a lot of peace of mind to just go out there and try and be the best version of me.”
on her defensive range and the role she plays
“Again, I think it’s just me trying to be free and be the best version of myself and just have fun. When I’m loose and laughing and able to enjoy myself on the field, I think crazy things can happen. It’s stuff that we practice. I think Coach Lisa (Fernandez) does a great job of allowing the infielders to be super creative throughout practices and stuff. It’s honestly just a culmination of all the hard work that she pours into us, but also just having a lot of fun and trying to enjoy every one of these last moments I have with my team.”
UCLA freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry
on Jadelyn Allchin’s diving catch
“It’s definitely a relief, but with our outfield I already know that any ball that’s in the air, they’re gonna catch, regardless, no matter where it’s at. Right when she laid out, I knew she was going to have it. But, yeah, it takes a big relief off of me.”
on what was working well for her in the circle
“Definitely, my drop ball was working a lot, especially towards the lefties. But my changeup coming in at the end of the day, I think was a really big aspect.”
on being calm as a freshman on a big stage
“Definitely Coach (Inouye-Perez) asking me to take Debbies. I’ve definitely taken that into consideration before every pitch. I just take a Debbie to reset everything. I feel like it just makes me pitch loose because when I pitch tight it’s just not good. Honestly, I think taking Debbies is like the biggest thing that I do… [Coach Inouye-Perez: ‘What’s a Debbie?’] ... A deep breath.”