UCLA Softball Has A Chance to Add to Its Legacy As It Hosts Super Regional
The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball crew has dominated the spring headlines for the college, however there’s one other UCLA program that has sprung into rivalry. The Bruins’ softball crew completed third within the Big Ten throughout the common season and reached the Big Ten Tournament Championship sport.
They completed the common season because the No. 8 crew within the nation, reached their twenty seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament, and hosted a regional. After an offensive outburst to win three video games final weekend, they’re now on the cusp of reaching the Women’s College World Series as they host UCF in a pivotal Super Regional collection. Now, UCLA is simply two wins away from advancing to Oklahoma City for the tenth time within the final 11 years and having a chance to add one other nationwide title.
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How We Got Here
UCLA hosted one in every of 16 areas throughout the first weekend of the NCAA Tournamentutilizing its offense to eliminate two opponents (one twice), but it surely wasn’t simple. The Bruins raced out to a 7-1 lead and appeared to be nicely in management, solely to discover themselves trailing 11-7 with simply two innings remaining.
It took a seventh-inning rally, highlighted by a game-tying dwelling run from freshman Jolyna Lamar and bases-loaded sac-fly that scored the profitable run, for the Bruins to escape, and the offense appeared to carry over into their two conferences with South Carolina to shut the weekend.
UCLA scored 22 whole runs in opposition to the Gamecocks, together with 15 in Sunday’s game-clinching, mercy rule victory — the twenty eighth for the Bruins this season. Meanwhile, UCF engineered a shock run, knocking out No. 9 Florida State, the host of the Tallahassee regional.
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It was the primary time the Knights have overwhelmed the Seminoles in postseason play, and the second time UCF has reached the Super Regional.
The UCLA vs. UCF Matchup
UCLA is a crew pushed by offense, coming into this best-of-3 collection simply 10 runs shy of the NCAA’s single-season document for runs scored, set by Oklahoma’s 2021 nationwide championship crew. Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery prepared the ground as the primary pair of teammates in NCAA historical past to every hit at the least 30 dwelling runs in a season.
Grant is a finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award after breaking the NCAA’s single-season home run record within the Big Ten Tournament, whereas Woolery was named Softball America’s Player of the Year.
The Bruins even have six different gamers of their lineup with at the least 10 dwelling runs and lead the nation in almost each offensive class. The Bruins even have a dominant pitching ace in Taylor Tinsley, who received 30 video games and tossed an unimaginable 22 full video games this season.
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UCF has solely reached this level of the NCAA Softball Tournament one different time, being swept by eventual nationwide champion Oklahoma in 2022 throughout the second of the Sooners’ 4 consecutive championships.
The Knights even have a tough historical past in opposition to UCLA, dropping all eight earlier conferences, together with a 2-1 heartbreaker throughout a 2023 regular-season match. However, they current a singular problem. UCF has developed into a top quality softball program, making a program document sixth straight NCAA Tournament look — one in every of solely 20 applications to achieve this in that stretch.
UCLA’s Championship Quest and History
Jun 1, 2025; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez holds her hand up within the sixth inning in opposition to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers throughout the NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images
UCLA has a wealthy NCAA Tournament and championship historical past in its softball program. The Bruins maintain the NCAA document with 12 nationwide titles, profitable the primary official championship ever performed in 1982. While they’ve continued to make runs to the Women’s College World Series, a thirteenth title can be a weight off the Bruins’ shoulders.
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UCLA’s final softball championship was in 2019 — now seven years in the past. That’s the longest the Bruins have gone with no softball title for the reason that data started. Advancing to the WCWS would additionally require two extra wins, placing UCLA on the 250 all-time match wins mark, additionally essentially the most all-time.
This article was initially revealed on www.si.com/faculty/ucla as UCLA Softball Has A Chance to Add to Its Legacy As It Hosts Super Regional.
