University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 15, South Carolina 1
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 15, South Carolina 1
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Regional
May 17, 2026
Kelly Inouye-Perez, The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach
opening statement
โFirst and foremost, we have a saying โ we respect the opponent and fear nobody. But South Carolina has a great team. They can pitch, they can hit, they are great competitors. But I really want the focus to be about how we played ball today, and I am so proud of this team, and their commitment to excellence, the standard, how they play for each other, with each other. Just some big-time moments from Bruins who have put a lot of work in. Iโm very proud of Taylorโs [Tinsleyโs] resilience, just the ability to do whatever she can to be able to help this team, and she got stronger through the weekend. So, I'm proud of that, thatโs good news for us, but, I mean, breaking records, setting records, just playing big on the stage, thatโs just what this girl [Megan Grant] came to do, and Iโm so proud that she had the opportunity with the bases loaded to actually get a pitch, that was awesome. So, with that being said, super excited about now, but I told the girls, yep, celebrate now, get some rest, and weโre going to get back to work, and we want to really get after preparing for next weekend.โ
on Alexis Ramirez co-calling pitches in the game
โSo, I game plan with Taylor and Lefty [Alexis Ramirez], and we have great trust, we have great respect for the game. We always have an idea of what the opponent is about, but itโs really focusing more on what Taylorโs about. So, with that, yeah, we do some game planning, but I trust them. When we play this game, the players on the field are playing the game and thatโs how I love to coach. When I get the opportunity to have a catcher that can call a game with a pitcher, and let her have a vote, then thatโs as good as it gets because theyโre playing the game. So yes, we prep together, but they definitely did their stuff today, it was pretty awesome.โ
on Jordan Wooleryโs performance this weekend
โIโm just going to say, and Iโve said this earlier, but Jordan [Woolery] and Megan [Grant] are professional hitters. Iโve talked to them a lot about just understanding this game. Youโre not always going to succeed, and itโs definitely frustrating, but I would say a majority of the time, they would admit that they get themselves out more than anything. So, that can be frustrating when they go down that path, but their rebound is something that is the most impressive thing. So, with it, itโs the game, and when youโre hitting, gosh, over .500, you may go on a little bit of a, whatever you want to call it, not being able to get some hits, but it still averages out because thereโs so many games. She was 3-for-3, 4-for-4, 3-for-4, you know, it all averages out. So, with that, theyโre professionals. They understand theyโll succeed, theyโll fail, but theyโre always locked in for their next at-bat.โ
on Taylor Tinsleyโs impact
โItโs a deep question. A lot. What she means โ a lot. She has a lot of fight, she has a lot of guts, and she will definitely go down in history as one of my most impactful pitchers, and I love her to death. Iโm just going to say that โย Iโm very proud.โ
UCLA senior utility Megan Grant
on her grand slam in the fifth inning, her 40th home run of the season
โI try to keep it as simple as I can. I knew there was a runner on third, so I had to do a job, especially with less than two outs. So, any ball that was elevated, I was going to try and get it in the air, and it just so happened to go over. So, that was pretty much it. I mean, itโs incredible. Iโm just honestly blessed that Iโm able to say the number 40, you know? So yeah, thatโs all I can say.โ
on approaching Stacey Nuvemanโs program home run record
โI mean, Iโm honored. Stacy Nuveman is one of the most decorated players in UCLA history. I havenโt had the chance to speak to her, Iโm pretty sure with softball season in the way, sheโs doing her thing and Iโm doing mine. But I think Bruin family is Bruin family, so, weโre always connected. Iโm just honored, really, to just be able to say โ me and her in the same conversation is really cool.โ
on Taylor Tinsleyโs impact
โEverything that Taylor has said about us as a team, we try to reciprocate back to her. It is all love. We know what she is doing for us; she is sacrificing everything for this team. Especially as an offense, we try to give back to her as much as possible, and I think it showed today. We always say that sheโs got that dog in her, and that just fires her up, and that fires us up, so we just fuel off each other. Taylorโs just really great for us, in that sense.โ
on the impact of the underclassmen in the lineup
โI always said that the younger ones just bring so much out in me, especially as a senior. A lot of it is very contagious, so you kind of want to match their energy too. With that, theyโve brought so much fun to the group. Itโs allowed me personally to just play free, play within the team. Honestly, I just want them to enjoy this because it really, as we know, is so rare to be here. Knowing that theyโre playing for us, I just want to give them some time to relax, like we can do this, we can do this together.โ
UCLA senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley
on her endurance after starting all three games this weekend
โI mean, I feel good. Itโs funny, I was just talking about it with our director of ops out there. Like, Iโm honestly not even tired. Itโs adrenaline for sure, but I feel good, like I couldโve gone so many more innings it felt like, and even now. Itโs part of the game, Megan [Grant] is probably just as sore as I am. Weโre playing every single inning, so itโs just part of it. Just resting and recovering, just like Coach I said, going to celebrate this, get some rest tonight, recover throughout the week, and just get back to work.โ
on her mindset progressing through the weekend
โI think the biggest thing is just having a short-term memory. I obviously didnโt start the weekend off on my best foot, but just rinsing and repeating, just flushing it and getting to the next pitch, getting to the next game. I do what I do for my teammates. I love the game, I love having teammates that I can call my sisters, and seriously I grind for them, I rest for them, I recover for them. I just want to win this so bad, like every single game, for my teammates and my coaches too, just getting after it. I feel like the compete in me really comes from the love they give me, and the compete that they bring out in me. Megan โ we connect so much and seeing how she competes in the box just makes me want to go even harder for her.โ
on her approach pitching to the same team in consecutive days
โI think it kind of goes off of a little about what Coach I touched on earlier, just me, her, and Lefty [Alexis Ramirez] connecting on a game plan, of how weโre going to attack each hitter. The same thing goes for the regular season, when weโre playing our three-game seriesโ. Just coming up every single day with a new plan, how weโre going to attack this hitter, and even sometimes just be myself. Be myself, just go with what I know I can do best, and knowing that Iโm going to get outcome and knowing that my defense is going to work. Today, my defense put on a great show for me. I loved it, and they always have my back no matter what. I think itโs really just sticking to what we know best and what we know are confident in and just going with our gut.โ
on the impact of the underclassmen in the lineup
โI feel like when I think about it from a pitching standpoint, just my defense, really Aleena Grcia and Bri Alejandre, just having them right there. I feel like Iโve really seen them grow up so much this year, even just these past couple of days. Like Aleena, calling timeout, taking leadership, just really being the second quarterback behind Lefty in the field, just really being there for me. Itโs honestly just so cool to watch, just seeing her take control of the game. And even Bri just calling off balls to have Leftyโs back, and stuff like that. Just really seeing growth from them throughout the entire weekend and throughout the entire year. I feel like I connect with them so much now, and I feel like in the past it hasnโt been as strong. So, seeing how the younger ones have just stepped up, itโs been so awesome to watch. And even our outfield too, like Jolyna [Lamar] in center field, I connect with her so much. So, itโs just awesome to see how much theyโve grown throughout the entire season.โ
UCLA 15, South Carolina 1
Easton Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
NCAA Los Angeles Regional
May 17, 2026
Kelly Inouye-Perez, The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach
opening statement
โFirst and foremost, we have a saying โ we respect the opponent and fear nobody. But South Carolina has a great team. They can pitch, they can hit, they are great competitors. But I really want the focus to be about how we played ball today, and I am so proud of this team, and their commitment to excellence, the standard, how they play for each other, with each other. Just some big-time moments from Bruins who have put a lot of work in. Iโm very proud of Taylorโs [Tinsleyโs] resilience, just the ability to do whatever she can to be able to help this team, and she got stronger through the weekend. So, I'm proud of that, thatโs good news for us, but, I mean, breaking records, setting records, just playing big on the stage, thatโs just what this girl [Megan Grant] came to do, and Iโm so proud that she had the opportunity with the bases loaded to actually get a pitch, that was awesome. So, with that being said, super excited about now, but I told the girls, yep, celebrate now, get some rest, and weโre going to get back to work, and we want to really get after preparing for next weekend.โ
on Alexis Ramirez co-calling pitches in the game
โSo, I game plan with Taylor and Lefty [Alexis Ramirez], and we have great trust, we have great respect for the game. We always have an idea of what the opponent is about, but itโs really focusing more on what Taylorโs about. So, with that, yeah, we do some game planning, but I trust them. When we play this game, the players on the field are playing the game and thatโs how I love to coach. When I get the opportunity to have a catcher that can call a game with a pitcher, and let her have a vote, then thatโs as good as it gets because theyโre playing the game. So yes, we prep together, but they definitely did their stuff today, it was pretty awesome.โ
on Jordan Wooleryโs performance this weekend
โIโm just going to say, and Iโve said this earlier, but Jordan [Woolery] and Megan [Grant] are professional hitters. Iโve talked to them a lot about just understanding this game. Youโre not always going to succeed, and itโs definitely frustrating, but I would say a majority of the time, they would admit that they get themselves out more than anything. So, that can be frustrating when they go down that path, but their rebound is something that is the most impressive thing. So, with it, itโs the game, and when youโre hitting, gosh, over .500, you may go on a little bit of a, whatever you want to call it, not being able to get some hits, but it still averages out because thereโs so many games. She was 3-for-3, 4-for-4, 3-for-4, you know, it all averages out. So, with that, theyโre professionals. They understand theyโll succeed, theyโll fail, but theyโre always locked in for their next at-bat.โ
on Taylor Tinsleyโs impact
โItโs a deep question. A lot. What she means โ a lot. She has a lot of fight, she has a lot of guts, and she will definitely go down in history as one of my most impactful pitchers, and I love her to death. Iโm just going to say that โย Iโm very proud.โ
UCLA senior utility Megan Grant
on her grand slam in the fifth inning, her 40th home run of the season
โI try to keep it as simple as I can. I knew there was a runner on third, so I had to do a job, especially with less than two outs. So, any ball that was elevated, I was going to try and get it in the air, and it just so happened to go over. So, that was pretty much it. I mean, itโs incredible. Iโm just honestly blessed that Iโm able to say the number 40, you know? So yeah, thatโs all I can say.โ
on approaching Stacey Nuvemanโs program home run record
โI mean, Iโm honored. Stacy Nuveman is one of the most decorated players in UCLA history. I havenโt had the chance to speak to her, Iโm pretty sure with softball season in the way, sheโs doing her thing and Iโm doing mine. But I think Bruin family is Bruin family, so, weโre always connected. Iโm just honored, really, to just be able to say โ me and her in the same conversation is really cool.โ
on Taylor Tinsleyโs impact
โEverything that Taylor has said about us as a team, we try to reciprocate back to her. It is all love. We know what she is doing for us; she is sacrificing everything for this team. Especially as an offense, we try to give back to her as much as possible, and I think it showed today. We always say that sheโs got that dog in her, and that just fires her up, and that fires us up, so we just fuel off each other. Taylorโs just really great for us, in that sense.โ
on the impact of the underclassmen in the lineup
โI always said that the younger ones just bring so much out in me, especially as a senior. A lot of it is very contagious, so you kind of want to match their energy too. With that, theyโve brought so much fun to the group. Itโs allowed me personally to just play free, play within the team. Honestly, I just want them to enjoy this because it really, as we know, is so rare to be here. Knowing that theyโre playing for us, I just want to give them some time to relax, like we can do this, we can do this together.โ
UCLA senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley
on her endurance after starting all three games this weekend
โI mean, I feel good. Itโs funny, I was just talking about it with our director of ops out there. Like, Iโm honestly not even tired. Itโs adrenaline for sure, but I feel good, like I couldโve gone so many more innings it felt like, and even now. Itโs part of the game, Megan [Grant] is probably just as sore as I am. Weโre playing every single inning, so itโs just part of it. Just resting and recovering, just like Coach I said, going to celebrate this, get some rest tonight, recover throughout the week, and just get back to work.โ
on her mindset progressing through the weekend
โI think the biggest thing is just having a short-term memory. I obviously didnโt start the weekend off on my best foot, but just rinsing and repeating, just flushing it and getting to the next pitch, getting to the next game. I do what I do for my teammates. I love the game, I love having teammates that I can call my sisters, and seriously I grind for them, I rest for them, I recover for them. I just want to win this so bad, like every single game, for my teammates and my coaches too, just getting after it. I feel like the compete in me really comes from the love they give me, and the compete that they bring out in me. Megan โ we connect so much and seeing how she competes in the box just makes me want to go even harder for her.โ
on her approach pitching to the same team in consecutive days
โI think it kind of goes off of a little about what Coach I touched on earlier, just me, her, and Lefty [Alexis Ramirez] connecting on a game plan, of how weโre going to attack each hitter. The same thing goes for the regular season, when weโre playing our three-game seriesโ. Just coming up every single day with a new plan, how weโre going to attack this hitter, and even sometimes just be myself. Be myself, just go with what I know I can do best, and knowing that Iโm going to get outcome and knowing that my defense is going to work. Today, my defense put on a great show for me. I loved it, and they always have my back no matter what. I think itโs really just sticking to what we know best and what we know are confident in and just going with our gut.โ
on the impact of the underclassmen in the lineup
โI feel like when I think about it from a pitching standpoint, just my defense, really Aleena Grcia and Bri Alejandre, just having them right there. I feel like Iโve really seen them grow up so much this year, even just these past couple of days. Like Aleena, calling timeout, taking leadership, just really being the second quarterback behind Lefty in the field, just really being there for me. Itโs honestly just so cool to watch, just seeing her take control of the game. And even Bri just calling off balls to have Leftyโs back, and stuff like that. Just really seeing growth from them throughout the entire weekend and throughout the entire year. I feel like I connect with them so much now, and I feel like in the past it hasnโt been as strong. So, seeing how the younger ones have just stepped up, itโs been so awesome to watch. And even our outfield too, like Jolyna [Lamar] in center field, I connect with her so much. So, itโs just awesome to see how much theyโve grown throughout the entire season.โ