Postgame Quotes - UCLA 10, San Diego State 0
UCLA 10, San Diego State 0 (6 inn.)
May 17, 2025
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Regional
The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez
opening statement
“Yeah, just first and foremost, a lot of love and respect for Stacey (Nuveman Deniz) and her entire staff at San Diego State. With that being said, I’m just really proud of my Bruins. They came to play. They came to play from the start, and they didn’t let up. Just great offense, (Kaitlyn Terry) had great command, great competitiveness from the circle, and bottom line, we’re not done yet. So, just really proud of where we’re at now.”
on the intent of the team going into today
“I mean, exactly what you said, I think is right on. Like, they came to play, you know? They’re locked on, you know, we understand the game. I assured the team that everybody wants us to just be able to just hit all the time, pitch, and strike everyone out, but we understand the game, there’s patience to it. We understand things happen, and you’ve gotta be able to respond. Yesterday, yeah, we didn’t come out and get after (it) right off the bat, but you all saw a team that didn’t let up and then we actually finished it. Today, we came out with a little more purpose. I’m proud of them. They’ve done it all year. We’ve won by scoring in the first (inning). I’ve actually shared it with the team; they’ve scored in every inning very consistently, it’s very evenly distributed. We know if we don’t score in the first, we have the ability to score later in the game. Vice versa, if we score in the first, we don’t want to let up, so it’s the game, and today came with a bigger purpose. But Jordan Woolery clearly had the day, that was exciting. But again, (the) team. To be able to play as a team playing with purpose, this is a big game to be able to get to the championship, so they came out and they took it today.”
on takeaways from last night’s Arizona State-San Diego State game that they carried over into today
“First and foremost, just a great game from both sides, and, it's also a clear message that, you know, the game isn't over down to the last pitch, which is postseason. So, with that being said, we got to see a lot. (The) Arizona State pitcher did really well. She actually pitched really well. And it was, you know, wasn't able to close it out there. But also it's just it's more about San Diego State not giving up and being able to you know. They came through in some big moments and in those back to back hits I don't think anyone expected. But that's postseason. So it's the game. It's not even about the jersey. It's like you come to play, you take it or anything can happen. So I'm proud of their ability to not only finish for us, to be able to finish the game, but then, you know, limit KT (Terry) having to go that extra inning. And that's where we're at. You got to play with purpose. You got to have intention. You got to be able to take it when you can. And because this game is crazy, anything can happen down to the last page. No, there's no time limit on our game. One pitch. Anything can happen.”
on Kaitlyn Terry’s presence and form
“Yeah, I mean, the best thing about her is she has all (the) tools, and I say this in a respectful way, she’s still young in her career. So with that, the one thing that I would always love is to be able to kind of pull it back and slow it down versus having to kind of kick somebody to get going. And that's one thing about her. She has one mode. She's going, she's attacking, she's competing. But the ability as a pitcher, like she just said, to be able to slow it down and actually get some really great pitches off is where you're seeing her just get better and better, especially in those big moments. I credit her because when she came from high school she led the country in strikeouts. She hits, she's got (velocity) and she's got a rise ball. And since she's come to UCLA, she now has a rise, drop, change. She has all sides. She's a very, very difficult pitcher to be able to prepare for. But when she's dialed in and she's spinning pitches and working ahead. What she did today is – KT (is) kind of 1-of-1. And she's continuing to just gain that experience as a pitcher. So I love it. I love seeing her compete.”
on the players changing and results staying the same
“I'm going to credit (associate head coach) Lisa Fernandez in recruiting. You know, we get the right athletes to play at UCLA. They're selfless. They're fierce. They play for each other. There's a work ethic about them. They're playing for something that's bigger than all of us, which is UCLA. But it's about the athletes. This history for 50 years of UCLA softball. We're in our 50th year of UCLA softball, and everything is about the athletes that we bring in and how they represent UCLA. So, I'm very proud. I'm very, very fortunate, as much as it's not about me. It's completely about the athletes that we bring in and our ability to play for each other. And I'm so proud.”
on the patience of UCLA’s batters today
“Yeah, I think from the start back in fall, this team has been dialed in as an offense and they've been playing as a unit. They study, they train, they make adjustments. There's great conversations. There's accountability. And their ability to make adjustments is the most impressive part of it. But I think with that, like Jordan (Woolery) said, you know, we kind of– it was game one. We were kind of a little fired up, that's all I'll say. And then it leads to potentially making just being off by a click. And then they took a look at (the) film, had a conversation and they came in with the game plan on just being themselves. So patience at the plate, discipline, And that's something that Coach Lisa (Fernandez) actually takes a lot of pride in is walks. I mean, the ability to get on in any possible way. They take a lot of pride in that. Everybody wants to hit home runs, but their ability to get on base, knowing their teammates can pick them up, I hear this offense talking about that a lot. They have a lot of pride in being able to get their pitch versus swinging outside the zone. That's intentional with what they're doing.”
on Jordan Woolery’s leadership role within the team
“There's a lot of expectations and pressure on this program because we have had so much success. So to be able to sustain that is not easy. So you're (put) in a position constantly expecting to be able to succeed in every possible way. But credit to them because we go through the highs and the lows and it's challenging. We learned that the only way that we can succeed is if we play together as a team. They have come together with that. We've had highs, we've had lows, we've had great moments and we've had disappointing (moments). But all of that's been the journey to get to be able to get us to this point. Right now, they are (doing) whatever it takes to win. We are playing together. We're playing to extend our season and that’s the key. What she said is to be able to have fun. So if you saw the locker room, if you saw what they do before – oh, please believe they're having fun before the game actually starts. And if they carry that, if anyone got a chance to be in the dugout, we call it the ‘Bruin Bubble.’ It's fun. There's a lot going on. But that's when you see you us at our best. We're enjoying it, we're letting go of failure. We're passing the baton and having each other's backs. That is for 50 years of UCLA softball. That's how we roll. And I'm proud of these guys because they're really making it a point to be able to have fun and to be able to stick together. And that's why this team is going to be able to put themselves in a position to have great success. You know the game today, to be able to have great success with the 10-0 run-rule win. Those are the things that happen when they kind of suddenly play their game. And the questions, this is so cool. Thank you. Good job. Thanks to our leaders.”
on conversation with team for tomorrow’s Regional Final
“I haven't even met with my team for tomorrow. … It's our ability to play our game, honestly. And you know, we want to play one game. We want to play one pitch at a time, one inning at a time. But there is a great level of confidence. They're enjoying themselves. They're playing for each other. I know I sound like a broken record, but it's playing UCLA softball and that's the goal. Whoever we play, it's balls and strikes, it's understanding we’ve got to be able to play catch. You got to throw great pitches. You got to be able to have quality bats. But it's the game that we're trying to play and that's where we're going for postseason. I'm going to be honest with you, I don't care who we play from now all the way to the end, because we're going to play teams that have made it to postseason. Everybody can win at any point. They've done something to win, so we've got to respect the game. But for us, I want us to just play our game and I believe that's enough for us to be able to compete with anyone in the country.”
UCLA junior infielder Jordan Woolery
on her discipline at the plate, what she looks for and her overall day
“Yeah, I think yesterday I kinda got a little out of myself swinging at some pitches outside the zone so today I really wanted to focus on honing back in on hitting my pitches in the pitch I was looking for, I feel like Will (Oldham) and Bubba (Nickles-Camarena) do such a great job preparing us before we go up to bat so I feel like I was ready to go today.”
on her leadership role within the team
“Yeah, I think I just try and make it as fun as possible. I just love playing softball. So I think just playing with passion and wanting to have our pitchers backs, always trying to be in their ear and supporting them, I feel like it goes a long way. So just wanting to have their backs and just trying to lead in any way I can.”
UCLA sophomore two-way player Kaitlyn Terry
on key to keeping San Diego State’s bats off balance
“Um, I think honestly just spinning the ball, not trying to do too much, and just kind of being more jugular with it.”
on her mindset going into the game
“Yeah, I think honestly, just playing for my team, they threw a punch first for me and just knowing just keeping the ball down and spinning the ball for them and know that they would produce runs.”
May 17, 2025
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Regional
The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez
opening statement
“Yeah, just first and foremost, a lot of love and respect for Stacey (Nuveman Deniz) and her entire staff at San Diego State. With that being said, I’m just really proud of my Bruins. They came to play. They came to play from the start, and they didn’t let up. Just great offense, (Kaitlyn Terry) had great command, great competitiveness from the circle, and bottom line, we’re not done yet. So, just really proud of where we’re at now.”
on the intent of the team going into today
“I mean, exactly what you said, I think is right on. Like, they came to play, you know? They’re locked on, you know, we understand the game. I assured the team that everybody wants us to just be able to just hit all the time, pitch, and strike everyone out, but we understand the game, there’s patience to it. We understand things happen, and you’ve gotta be able to respond. Yesterday, yeah, we didn’t come out and get after (it) right off the bat, but you all saw a team that didn’t let up and then we actually finished it. Today, we came out with a little more purpose. I’m proud of them. They’ve done it all year. We’ve won by scoring in the first (inning). I’ve actually shared it with the team; they’ve scored in every inning very consistently, it’s very evenly distributed. We know if we don’t score in the first, we have the ability to score later in the game. Vice versa, if we score in the first, we don’t want to let up, so it’s the game, and today came with a bigger purpose. But Jordan Woolery clearly had the day, that was exciting. But again, (the) team. To be able to play as a team playing with purpose, this is a big game to be able to get to the championship, so they came out and they took it today.”
on takeaways from last night’s Arizona State-San Diego State game that they carried over into today
“First and foremost, just a great game from both sides, and, it's also a clear message that, you know, the game isn't over down to the last pitch, which is postseason. So, with that being said, we got to see a lot. (The) Arizona State pitcher did really well. She actually pitched really well. And it was, you know, wasn't able to close it out there. But also it's just it's more about San Diego State not giving up and being able to you know. They came through in some big moments and in those back to back hits I don't think anyone expected. But that's postseason. So it's the game. It's not even about the jersey. It's like you come to play, you take it or anything can happen. So I'm proud of their ability to not only finish for us, to be able to finish the game, but then, you know, limit KT (Terry) having to go that extra inning. And that's where we're at. You got to play with purpose. You got to have intention. You got to be able to take it when you can. And because this game is crazy, anything can happen down to the last page. No, there's no time limit on our game. One pitch. Anything can happen.”
on Kaitlyn Terry’s presence and form
“Yeah, I mean, the best thing about her is she has all (the) tools, and I say this in a respectful way, she’s still young in her career. So with that, the one thing that I would always love is to be able to kind of pull it back and slow it down versus having to kind of kick somebody to get going. And that's one thing about her. She has one mode. She's going, she's attacking, she's competing. But the ability as a pitcher, like she just said, to be able to slow it down and actually get some really great pitches off is where you're seeing her just get better and better, especially in those big moments. I credit her because when she came from high school she led the country in strikeouts. She hits, she's got (velocity) and she's got a rise ball. And since she's come to UCLA, she now has a rise, drop, change. She has all sides. She's a very, very difficult pitcher to be able to prepare for. But when she's dialed in and she's spinning pitches and working ahead. What she did today is – KT (is) kind of 1-of-1. And she's continuing to just gain that experience as a pitcher. So I love it. I love seeing her compete.”
on the players changing and results staying the same
“I'm going to credit (associate head coach) Lisa Fernandez in recruiting. You know, we get the right athletes to play at UCLA. They're selfless. They're fierce. They play for each other. There's a work ethic about them. They're playing for something that's bigger than all of us, which is UCLA. But it's about the athletes. This history for 50 years of UCLA softball. We're in our 50th year of UCLA softball, and everything is about the athletes that we bring in and how they represent UCLA. So, I'm very proud. I'm very, very fortunate, as much as it's not about me. It's completely about the athletes that we bring in and our ability to play for each other. And I'm so proud.”
on the patience of UCLA’s batters today
“Yeah, I think from the start back in fall, this team has been dialed in as an offense and they've been playing as a unit. They study, they train, they make adjustments. There's great conversations. There's accountability. And their ability to make adjustments is the most impressive part of it. But I think with that, like Jordan (Woolery) said, you know, we kind of– it was game one. We were kind of a little fired up, that's all I'll say. And then it leads to potentially making just being off by a click. And then they took a look at (the) film, had a conversation and they came in with the game plan on just being themselves. So patience at the plate, discipline, And that's something that Coach Lisa (Fernandez) actually takes a lot of pride in is walks. I mean, the ability to get on in any possible way. They take a lot of pride in that. Everybody wants to hit home runs, but their ability to get on base, knowing their teammates can pick them up, I hear this offense talking about that a lot. They have a lot of pride in being able to get their pitch versus swinging outside the zone. That's intentional with what they're doing.”
on Jordan Woolery’s leadership role within the team
“There's a lot of expectations and pressure on this program because we have had so much success. So to be able to sustain that is not easy. So you're (put) in a position constantly expecting to be able to succeed in every possible way. But credit to them because we go through the highs and the lows and it's challenging. We learned that the only way that we can succeed is if we play together as a team. They have come together with that. We've had highs, we've had lows, we've had great moments and we've had disappointing (moments). But all of that's been the journey to get to be able to get us to this point. Right now, they are (doing) whatever it takes to win. We are playing together. We're playing to extend our season and that’s the key. What she said is to be able to have fun. So if you saw the locker room, if you saw what they do before – oh, please believe they're having fun before the game actually starts. And if they carry that, if anyone got a chance to be in the dugout, we call it the ‘Bruin Bubble.’ It's fun. There's a lot going on. But that's when you see you us at our best. We're enjoying it, we're letting go of failure. We're passing the baton and having each other's backs. That is for 50 years of UCLA softball. That's how we roll. And I'm proud of these guys because they're really making it a point to be able to have fun and to be able to stick together. And that's why this team is going to be able to put themselves in a position to have great success. You know the game today, to be able to have great success with the 10-0 run-rule win. Those are the things that happen when they kind of suddenly play their game. And the questions, this is so cool. Thank you. Good job. Thanks to our leaders.”
on conversation with team for tomorrow’s Regional Final
“I haven't even met with my team for tomorrow. … It's our ability to play our game, honestly. And you know, we want to play one game. We want to play one pitch at a time, one inning at a time. But there is a great level of confidence. They're enjoying themselves. They're playing for each other. I know I sound like a broken record, but it's playing UCLA softball and that's the goal. Whoever we play, it's balls and strikes, it's understanding we’ve got to be able to play catch. You got to throw great pitches. You got to be able to have quality bats. But it's the game that we're trying to play and that's where we're going for postseason. I'm going to be honest with you, I don't care who we play from now all the way to the end, because we're going to play teams that have made it to postseason. Everybody can win at any point. They've done something to win, so we've got to respect the game. But for us, I want us to just play our game and I believe that's enough for us to be able to compete with anyone in the country.”
UCLA junior infielder Jordan Woolery
on her discipline at the plate, what she looks for and her overall day
“Yeah, I think yesterday I kinda got a little out of myself swinging at some pitches outside the zone so today I really wanted to focus on honing back in on hitting my pitches in the pitch I was looking for, I feel like Will (Oldham) and Bubba (Nickles-Camarena) do such a great job preparing us before we go up to bat so I feel like I was ready to go today.”
on her leadership role within the team
“Yeah, I think I just try and make it as fun as possible. I just love playing softball. So I think just playing with passion and wanting to have our pitchers backs, always trying to be in their ear and supporting them, I feel like it goes a long way. So just wanting to have their backs and just trying to lead in any way I can.”
UCLA sophomore two-way player Kaitlyn Terry
on key to keeping San Diego State’s bats off balance
“Um, I think honestly just spinning the ball, not trying to do too much, and just kind of being more jugular with it.”
on her mindset going into the game
“Yeah, I think honestly, just playing for my team, they threw a punch first for me and just knowing just keeping the ball down and spinning the ball for them and know that they would produce runs.”