Aleena Garcia Season 2026

Career Highlights
- All-Big Ten First Team (2026)
- Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2026)
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2026)
- NFCA All-West Region First Team (2026)
- NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 List (2026)
- Softball America Freshman All-American (2026)
- D1Softball First Team Freshman All-American (2026)
- Softball America Defender of the Week (April 7, 2026)
- Softball America Freshman of the Week (April 14, 2026)

Career
Garcia has played in 80 games and made 78 starts at shortstop through two seasons … owns a career .353 batting average (77-for-218), .473 on-base percentage and .757 slugging percentage … has hit 24 home runs, 14 doubles and one triple … has totaled 78 runs batted in and 74 runs scored … has hit one grand slam, coming in 2026 against Florida … has recorded two walk-off plays, both coming in 2026 … has recorded 16 multi-hit performances and 18 multi-RBI performances … career-long hitting streak is 10 games, coming in 2026 … in NCAA Tournament play (eight games), owns a .320 batting average (8-for-25), .438 on-base percentage, .920 slugging percentage, five home runs, 13 RBIs and eight runs scored … owns a career .971 fielding percentage (157 assists, 111 putouts, eight errors) … is 2-for-4 on stolen base attempts.

2026
Garcia was named to the NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 List in her redshirt freshman season … selected to the All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten’s All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams … named to the NFCA All-West Region First Team … honored as a Freshman All-American by media outlets Softball America and D1Softball … started all 63 games at shortstop … recorded a .358 batting average (64-for-179), .487 on-base percentage and .793 slugging percentage … ranked 20th nationally with 22 home runs … tied for second among all players in the NCAA Tournament with five home runs … her 22 homers rank ninth in UCLA history and are second-most by a UCLA freshman … also hit 12 doubles … ranked 22nd nationally with 69 RBIs … also scored 63 runs … logged 12 multi-hit performances and 17 multi-RBI performances … hit one grand slam versus No. 4 Florida at the Judi Garman Classic (Feb. 27) … recorded a pair of two-homer games … the owner of UCLA’s only two walk-off plays … hit a three-run homer in the third inning and later walked it off with a sacrifice fly in the seventh versus California Baptist in the NCAA Regional opener, capping a five-run rally (May 15) … recorded a walk-off RBI single versus No. 13 South Carolina at the Mary Nutter Classic, capping a five-run rally (Feb. 21) … led UCLA during the NCAA Tournament with five home runs and tied with Megan Grant with 13 RBIs … in NCAA Tournament play (eight games), recorded a .320 batting average (8-for-25), .438 on-base percentage, .920 slugging percentage, five home runs, 13 RBIs and eight runs scored … tied a UCLA record with a homer in five straight games from April 7-14 … closed the year with a 28-game reached base streak … went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and seven RBIs versus No. 23 UCF in the NCAA Super Regional final (May 23) … her seven RBIs are the most-ever by a Bruin in an NCAA Tournament game and tied for third in any game in UCLA history … left the yard in all three games of the series at Illinois with a two-homer performance in the finale (April 10-12) … went 3-for-3 with four RBIs, three runs scored, a home run and walk versus Auburn at the Mary Nutter Classic (Feb. 19) … went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI against No. 11 Texas A&M (Feb. 22) … went 2-for-4 with a homer versus BYU at the Judi Garman Classic (Feb. 28) … hit a two-run homer versus Wisconsin in the series opener (March 6) … walked three times with two RBIs in the series finale win over Wisconsin (March 8) … hit a two-run homer and scored three runs versus Michigan State (March 14) … went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in the series opener at Rutgers (March 21) … homered in the series finale at Rutgers (March 23) … drove in the game-winning run with an RBI double in a win at No. 9 Nebraska (March 28) … went 2-for-4 with a homer, double and two RBIs in a win over Indiana (April 4) … homered in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to one in UCLA’s comeback win at Cal State Fullerton (April 7) … hit a three-run homer in a midweek victory versus California Baptist (April 14) … hit a two-run homer in a win at No. 25 Washington (April 25) … scored twice and recorded an RBI single in the series finale versus the Huskies (April 26) … went 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBIs in the series finale win over No. 11 Oregon (May 3) … homered off Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (May 7) … homered and scored twice in UCLA’s first game versus South Carolina in NCAA Regionals (May 16) … homered against No. 10 Arkansas at the Women’s College World Series (May 29) … recorded a .965 fielding percentage (116 assists, 102 putouts, eight errors) … led UCLA with 116 assists … was 2-for-4 on stolen base attempts.

2025
Garcia played in 17 games and made 15 starts in her freshman season … started all 15 games at shortstop … season was cut short after three weeks due to injury … utilized a redshirt … registered a .333 batting average (13-for-39), .400 on-base percentage and .590 slugging percentage … recorded two home runs, two doubles and one triple … totaled nine RBIs and 11 runs scored … finished her season with a 1.000 fielding percentage (41 assists, nine putouts) … ranked 10th in NCAA Division I with 41 assists before being shut down … logged four multi-hit games … went 2-for-3 with her first career home run against No. 9 Oklahoma State at the Clearwater Invitational (Feb. 14) … logged two hits and an RBI versus No. 23 Kentucky (Feb. 15) … drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk that brought in the game-tying run in the sixth inning versus No. 14 Alabama (Feb. 15) … went 2-for-3 with a homer and two runs scored versus No. 22 Missouri at the Mary Nutter Classic (Feb. 20) … later that day, went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two RBIs versus No. 16 Nebraska.

High School
Garcia was a three-year letterwinner at shortstop for Whittier Christian High School (La Habra, Calif.) … two-time San Gabriel Valley Softball Player of the Year winner in 2023 and 2024 … named the Olympic League Player of the Year all three years … two-time All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 First Team honoree in 2023 and 2024 … named to the 2024 Los Angeles Times All-Star Softball Team … two-time All-Orange County First Team honoree in 2023 and 2024 … won three Olympic League titles, never losing a league game in her high school career … finished her three-year career with a .564 batting average (154-for-273), .628 on-base percentage, 1.117 slugging percentage, 98 RBIs, 148 runs scored, 26 home runs, 51 doubles and 11 triples … as a senior in 2024, recorded a .570 batting average (53-for-93), .664 on-base percentage, 1.236 slugging percentage, 37 RBIs, 51 runs scored, 13 home runs, 17 doubles and three triples … hit a game-tying, three-run homer when down to Whittier Christian’s final strike in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinals her senior year … as a junior, led the San Gabriel Valley with a .653 batting average (66-for-101) and recorded a .685 on-base percentage, 1.198 slugging percentage, 39 RBIs, 61 runs scored, seven home runs, 24 doubles and five triples … coached by Dale Van Duyn … spent her freshman year during the COVID-19 pandemic at EM Speed and Power, a training facility in Rancho Cucamonga … played travel ball for the Corona Angels.

Personal
Born Aleena Rae Garcia in Bellflower, Calif. … parents are Maribel and Rudy … has two brothers, Aaron and Andy … Andy plays golf at CSU Dominguez Hills … chose UCLA because its connections “will set me up for life” … greatest athletic thrill is hitting a game-tying, three-run homer when down to Whittier Christian’s final strike in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinals … famous athlete she admires most is Mookie Betts … hobbies include bowling and Spikeball … favorite UCLA student-athlete growing up was shortstop Briana Perez … favorite teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Dodgers … psychology major… pursuing a career as a mental performance coach.

Aleena Garcia’s Career Highs