The stakes will be high this weekend when the UCLA softball team hosts Central Florida in the Los Angeles Super Regional at Easton Stadium with a trip to the Women’s College World Series on the line.
UCLA (50-8) will take on the Golden Knights (41-17-1) in a best-of-three series beginning with Game 1 on Friday and Game 2 on Saturday, respectively. If necessary, the Bruins will host Game 3 on Sunday.
It’s a battle between a blue blood and an underdog. The Bruins have made 36 Women’s College World Series appearances, while the UCF will be making just its second appearance in a Super Regional.
The Bruins defeated California Baptist and then South Carolina twice to win the four-team Los Angeles Regional last weekend. It wasn’t easy for the Bruins as CBU had them on the ropes in the opening game before an epic, late-game comeback sealed the 12-11 win.
UCF upset in-state rival Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional to secure its spot in the Super Regionals. The Seminoles took the first game from UCF, but the Golden Knights kept their season alive with a 4-2 win to move on.
UCLA’s star-studded duo
It’s hard to talk about UCLA softball and not mention the historic record-breaking duo of Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant.
A big part of UCLA’s résumé as a national title contender lies in its explosive offense, which is led by Woolery and Grant as the Bruins set an NCAA single-season record with 193 home runs this year.
Woolery, the Softball America National Player of the Year, collected four hits in the regional, with three of them coming in the victory over CBU. She had four RBIs, one home run, and one walk over the three games.
Grant, the NCAA single-season home run record holder, pushed her season total to 40 in the regional. She launched two balls out of Easton Stadium against South Carolina and was walked four times in the CBU win.
The Golden Knights will be mixing a rotation of pitchers like starters Isabella Vega (18-9) and Ava Stuewe (7-4) to try to limit the Bruins’ offense.
Youth revolution in Westwood
UCLA’s offense is powered by the production of its talented senior duo, but it doesn’t rely on them. The Bruins have a deep lineup that features several starters with more than 60 RBIs, including Aleena Garcia and Bri Alejandre
A first-team All-Big Ten selection, Garcia has been a force of nature in her first season back from injury. The Whittier Christian High product has set the tone for the Bruins in the middle part of the order. She’s batting .362 with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs in 58 starts as a redshirt freshman.
Another 58-game starter for UCLA, Alejandre has been an on-base machine in her first season with the Bruins. A freshman hailing from Los Altos High, Alejandre carries a .322 average with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs.
In their first taste of postseason experience, the two underclassmen delivered. Alejandre racked up four hits and four RBIs, while Garcia had three hits and five RBIs on the weekend.
“The younger ones bring so much out of me, especially as a senior,” Grant said after their 15-1 victory over South Carolina to capture the regional. “A lot of it is very contagious, you kind of wanna match their energy too. They’ve brought so much fun to the group.”
Ace up the Bruins’ sleeve
The Bruins relied heavily on the arm of Taylor Tinsley (30-6) in the regional and will again count on their All-Big Ten selection against UCF.
Tinsley started all three games in the regional, but she did most of her damage in the two games against South Carolina. She allowed only nine hits and three runs across 13 innings against the Gamecocks to help the Bruins advance.
In a best-of-three series, UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez will need two great outings from Tinsley in order to advance to the eight-team Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City for a third consecutive year.
“I’m very proud of Taylor’s resilience. Just the ability to do whatever she can to help this team. She got stronger through the [Los Angeles Regional],” Inouye-Perez said. “That’s good news for us.”
NCAA LOS ANGELES SUPER REGIONAL
Who: UCLA (50-8) vs. Central Florida (41-17-1)
Game 1: Friday, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 2: Saturday, 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
Game 3: Sunday (time and TV TBD, if necessary)
Where: Easton Stadium, Westwood