No. 7 Softball Closes Regular Season at Arizona State

LOS ANGELES – The No. 7 UCLA softball team closes out its regular-season schedule with a three-game series versus Arizona State at Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. this week. Game one between the Bruins (31-10, 14-4 Pac-12) and Sun Devils (19-27, 3-18 Pac-12) on Friday, May 3 is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT). All three games of the series will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
UCLA is in first place in the Pac-12 Conference standings and controls its own destiny for the Pac-12 regular-season title. The Bruins need two wins against Arizona State to clinch their 18th regular-season conference crown and secure the No. 1 seed in next week's Pac-12 Softball Tournament.
 
Quick Hits
∙ UCLA is 31-10 and 14-4 in Pac-12 play with series wins over Utah, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona.
∙ The Bruins won their 17th conference title and 12th as a member of the Pac-12 last season with a 21-3 record.
∙ UCLA leapfrogged Stanford for first place in the Pac-12 standings following a sweep of the Cardinal two weeks ago.
∙ RS Sr. Sharlize Palacios was named D1Softball National Player of the Week for her performances versus Arizona.
∙ Palacios leads the Bruins with 13 home runs and paces the Pac-12 with a .783 slugging percentage.
∙ Palacios has homered in four of her last seven games.
∙ So. Megan Grant has homered in three of her last four games with eight runs batted in across that stretch.
∙ Grant is riding a team-best nine-game hitting streak.
∙ So. Taylor Tinsley was named National Pitcher of the Week by the NFCA and D1Softball for her performances at Stanford.
∙ RS Sr. Maya Brady leads UCLA with a .390 average, 50 runs batted in, 40 runs scored and 22 extra-base hits.
∙ Brady is tied for second on UCLA's career home runs list (66). She has two multi-homer games this season.
∙ Kelly Inouye-Perez secured her 800th career win as head coach in game one at Stanford on April 19.
∙ Tinsley leads UCLA's pitching staff with 14 victories, 1.92 earned run average, 143 strikeouts, and 120.1 innings pitched.
∙ The Bruins were picked to finish second in the final Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll (did not receive a first-place vote).
 
Largest Comeback Victory in Program History
The final game between UCLA and Arizona as members of the Pac-12 was a memorable one. On April 28, 2024, the Bruins erased a seven-run deficit and scored 11 unanswered runs to defeat their rivals on Senior Day at Easton Stadium. It was the largest comeback victory in program history. Senior catcher Sharlize Palacios stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, trailing 7-3 in the fifth inning against her former team. With one swing of the bat, Palacios tied up the game on a grand slam over the left-center field wall to cap the miracle comeback. UCLA was being perfect gamed by Arizona starting pitcher Aissa Silva up until the fifth inning of the game. Sophomore Megan Grant sparked the seven-run fifth with a leadoff home run to center field. The Bruins' seniors strung together five consecutive hits in a four-run bottom of the sixth to secure the win.
 
Palacios Earns National & Conference Recognition
Catcher Sharlize Palacios was named the D1Softball National Player of the Week and Pac-12 Player of the Week on Tuesday. Palacios led the Bruins with a .600 average (6-for-10), 1.500 slugging percentage, 11 RBI and three homers in their four games last week. All three of Palacios' homers last week either tied the game or gave the Bruins the lead.
 
Palacios was called upon to pinch hit for her first at-bat of the week at Long Beach State on Tuesday, April 23 and broke a 2-2 tie with a go-ahead, two-run homer. In game one of the Arizona series, Palacios drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and RBI base hit. Palacios also hit a game-tying three-run homer in game two against the Wildcats. She hit her seventh career grand slam and second of the season during the epic comeback in game three against Arizona. In her last five games against the Wildcats, Palacios has recorded 15 RBI and four run home runs (dates back to the 2023 regular-season series).
 
Brady Named Top 25 Finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year
Shortstop Maya Brady was selected as a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist, it was announced on Wednesday, May 1. This marks Brady's second consecutive season being named a Top 25 Finalist for the award. She was a Top 3 Finalist as a redshirt junior in 2023. This season, Brady leads UCLA with a .390 batting average, 50 runs batted in, 40 runs scored and 22 extra-base hits. Brady's .772 slugging percentage ranks second in the Pac-12 Conference behind teammate Sharlize Palacios
 
The Top 25 Finalists will be narrowed to 10 athletes on May 15, followed by the Top 3 Finalists set to be released on May 20. The award is considered the most prestigious honor in NCAA Division I Softball. Two Bruins have taken home the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award a total of three times. Rachel Garcia (2017-21) was honored in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019 and Stacey Nuveman (1997, 1999, 2001-02) won UCLA's first award in 2002.
 
Last Time Out
UCLA secured its fifth Pac-12 series win of the season over rival Arizona last weekend and picked up a mercy-rule victory at CSUN on Tuesday.
game one (W, 10-2 in 5 inn.): The Bruins scored in every inning and posted 11 hits, including home runs by Maya Brady and Megan Grant. A three-run fifth inning put the mercy rule into effect. Sharlize Palacios drove in the first run in the fifth on a single through the 5-6 hole, and with runners on first and second, Jadelyn Allchin smacked a ball down the right field line for a two-RBI triple to win the game. Starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley did not allow an earned run in her outing.
game two (L, 8-4): Arizona hit a pair of three-run homers with two outs in the third and sixth innings to even the series. Palacios answered the first of the Wildcats' homers with a three-run shot of her own to tie the game in the third inning.
game three (W, 11-7): Arizona starting pitcher Aissa Silva faced the minimum through four innings and enjoyed a seven-run cushion through four innings. The Bruins' offense erased the deficit in the fifth with seven runs. Grant led off the inning with a solo shot to center field. A two-RBI double that dropped just over the Arizona third baseman's head cut the Arizona lead to four. With two outs and the bases loaded, Palacios hit a game-tying grand slam to left field. After a shutdown inning by Kaitlyn Terry in the top of the sixth, the Bruins came back with four more unanswered runs in the bottom half. Thessa Malau'ulu knocked in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle – the first of five consecutive hits by UCLA's seniors on Senior Day.
UCLA def. CSUN, 14-5 (5 inn.): UCLA matched a season high in runs and tallied 11 hits on Tuesday. Grant totaled a career-high six RBI and hit her second grand slam of the season in the top of the fifth inning to put the mercy rule into effect. Grant also doubled in the game. Brady and Jordan Woolery also recorded multiple hits in the winning effort.
 
First Career Win for Ficke
Junior Mackenzie Ficke from Long Beach, Calif. earned the first win of her collegiate career in a complete-game effort against CSUN on Tuesday, April 30. Ficke, making her first career start and first appearance since week one of the season, also picked up the first two strikeouts of her career. The aerospace engineer major blanked the Matadors in three of the five innings. Ficke joined the UCLA softball program as a walk-on in January 2024.
 
Chef Turning Up the Heat
Sophomore Megan Grant has homered in three of her last four games with eight RBI across that stretch. She entered the Arizona series with just three home runs on the season. The San Bruno, Calif. native is riding a team-best eight-game hitting streak dating back to game one of the Stanford series. Grant belted her second grand slam of the season and tallied a career-high six RBI at CSUN on Tuesday.
∙ In her 2023 freshman campaign, Grant's bat started heating up in the last half of April and into May with five of her 15 home runs of the season and a .750 slugging percentage over the Bruins' final 15 games. Grant homered in each of UCLA's two NCAA Regional losses.
∙ Grant was a NFCA Second Team All-American, NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 Finalist and All-Pac-12 First Team selection last season. The Bay Area native led the squad with 14 doubles and ranked second with 15 homers, 58 RBI, 31 extra-base hits and .695 slugging percentage. She ranked second among all freshman in the NCAA and led all Pac-12 freshmen with 58 RBI. Grant turned it up in conference play last season with a .403 batting average.
 
Top Two Sluggers in the Pac
UCLA's lineup boasts the top two slugging percentage leaders in the Pac-12 in Sharlize Palacios and Maya Brady. Palacios paces the conference with a season-best .783 mark while Brady ranks second with a .772 slugging. Brady led the Pac-12 in slugging last season with an .866 mark. Palacios and Brady have been particularly hot over the last 10 games, each hitting above .400 and leading the team with 14 RBI apiece across that stretch.
 
Brady's Season
Maya Brady went 6-for-13 at the plate in UCLA's four games last week and saw her batting average jump 15 points to .390 which now leads the team. She scored seven runs in those four games and drove in eight RBI. Brady's big fly in game one versus Arizona on April 26 marked her 12th homer of the season.
∙ With runners in scoring position, Brady leads the entire NCAA with a .719 average (23-for-32),1.313 slugging percentage and 39 RBI. Brady hit for a .431 average with runners in scoring position last season.
∙ Brady paces the Bruins in average (.390), runs batted in (50), total bases (95), extra-base hits (22), walks (21), and on-base percentage (.487). Brady has recorded a team-leading 18 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games.
∙ Brady notched her second two-homer game of the season and eighth of her career in the series finale at then-No. 8 Washington on March 24. Her other two-homer game this year occurred versus then-No.  7 Florida State at the Clearwater Invitational on Feb. 16.
∙ The shortstop has shored up on the defensive side of the ball as well. Since March 1, Brady's fielding percentage has improved 93 points from .813 to .906. This season marks Brady's second campaign as UCLA's starting shortstop. She took over the role full-time on March 3, 2023 after Seneca Curo sustained a season-ending injury. She has started at shortstop in 89 career games.
∙ In 2023, Brady was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist in addition to being a consensus First Team All-American. Brady led UCLA with a .448 average, 18 home runs, 59 RBI, 63 runs scored, 33 extra-base hits and 149 total bases last season.
 
Tinsley Award National Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Pitcher of the Week on April 23. Tinsley was the winning pitcher in all three games of UCLA's sweep at then-No. 5 Stanford which catapulted the Bruins ahead of the Cardinal to the top of the conference standings. Tinsley limited Stanford to just seven hits and struck out 20 batters over 15.2 scoreless innings across her three outings. In game one of the series, Tinsley struck out a career-high 15 batters over 9.0 innings to outduel Stanford ace NiJaree Canady in a 1-0 affair. In addition to her game one masterpiece, Tinsley entered the final two games in intense relief situations with runners in scoring position. Tinsley thrived in high-leverage situations all weekend, holding Stanford to 0-for-17 with runner in scoring position.
 
She is the fourth UCLA hurler to be recognized as the NFCA Pitcher of the Week (others: Megan Faraimo, Rachel Garcia and Ally Carda) and the first since Faraimo in February 2020. Tinsley was also named D1Softball Pitcher of the Week earlier Tuesday morning and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.
 
Rapid Development, Notes on the Pitching Staff
UCLA has relied predominantly on Taylor Tinsley and Kaitlyn Terry in the circle since March 1 with the two underclassmen pitching 174.1 innings of the possible 186.0 over that 29-game stretch. Tinsley and Terry have also pitched the entirety of conference play and, together, own a 2.49 ERA in Pac-12 games which ranks second in the Pac-12 only behind Stanford (2.16).
∙ The Bruins' pitching staff battled through injuries in the first month of the season. But since March 1, UCLA's Terry and Tinsley have shown rapid improvement with a combined 22-5 record and 2.01 earned run average over the last 29 games. Since March 1, Tinsley owns a 11-4 record and 1.41 ERA while Terry is 11-1 with a 2.46 ERA.
∙ On the season, Terry (1.92 ERA) and Tinsley (2.61 ERA) rank second and sixth in the conference in earned run average, respectively.
∙ The two hurlers were highly-touted recruits coming out of their respective states; Terry (Arizona) was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year while Tinsley (Georgia) was the No. 1-ranked pitcher in her the 2021 recruiting class.
∙ The 2024 season marks the first time since 1998 and second time ever in which UCLA does not have a pitcher on staff with postseason experience (must have pitched in a postseason game). And the 2024 season marks the first time since 2015 in which UCLA does not have a pitcher on staff with Women's College World Series experience entering the year.
 
Notes on Tinsley
Sophomore Taylor Tinsley has shown consistent improvement since week one of the season. Tinsley has dropped her ERA from 2.29 to 1.92 over the last two weeks (includes Stanford and Arizona series). In 2024, she ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 1.92 ERA and third with 143 strikeouts over 120.1 innings pitched after totaling just 57.1 innings of work all of last season in her All-Pac-12 Freshman Team campaign. Tinsley, the first UCLA softball player from the state of Georgia, has been named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week twice this season.
close losses: Four of Tinsley's eight losses this season have come in one-run ballgames. Tinsley allowed one earned run or less in all four of those losses.
game one starter: Tinsley has been the game one starter in six of UCLA's five Pac-12 series this season.
at the Mary Nutter: Tinsley allowed just two earned runs across three complete-game performances and 22.0 total innings pitched at the Mary Nutter. Among all the pitchers competing at the Mary Nutter (30 teams participating), Tinsley ranked first in innings pitched (22.0) and strikeouts looking (10) and tied for first in strikeouts (30).
vs. Utah: Tinsley picked up two wins, struck out 16 batters and did not allow an earned run over 10.2 innings to help the Bruins to a series sweep of Utah (March 8-10). In her game one victory, Tinsley threw 6.2 innings of shutout ball and allowed only one base runner into scoring position. She finished her outing with nine strikeouts and surrendered just two hits. She limited the Pac-12 batting average leader entering the series, Haley Denning, to 0-for-6 with two Ks.
vs. Oregon: Tinsley allowed just one earned run and was the winning pitcher in both of UCLA's two games versus then-No. 20 Oregon (March 28-29). In game one of the series, Tinsley entered in relief and got the Bruins out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning with a strikeout. She retired the Ducks in order in the seventh on just six pitches to close the game. Tinsley turned in 4.0 solid innings in her game two start, allowing just one run.
at Stanford: Tinsley earned NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors after limiting Stanford to just seven hits and striking out 20 batters over 15.2 scoreless innings across her three outings. In game one of the series, Tinsley struck out a career-high 15 batters over 9.0 innings to outduel Stanford ace NiJaree Canady in a 1-0 affair.
 
Coach I's 800th Win
UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez earned her 800th career win in game one at Stanford April 19. Inouye-Perez joins UCLA Athletic Hall of Famers and her two predecessors Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist in the 800 win club. Enquist leads UCLA's triad of head coaches with 887 career head coaching wins while Backus owns 854 such wins. Inouye-Perez was coached by both Backus and Enquist in her time as a catcher on the Bruins' roster from 1989-93 and coached alongside Backus and Enquist as an assistant upon graduating. She joins Washington's Heather Tarr as the only two active Pac-12 head coaches with 800 career wins.
 
Terry's Impressive Freshman Campaign
Kaitlyn Terry sports a 13-1 record across 27 appearances this season and suffered her first loss of the season in game two versus Arizona on April 27 (11 weeks and 26 appearances into the year).
∙ Terry leads all Pac-12 freshmen in wins (13), ERA (2.61), strikeouts (11), innings pitched (118.0) and shutouts (5).
∙ Terry was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks (March 18 & 25). The southpaw put forth her most dominant outing of the season with a complete-game shutout in game three at Washington on March 24. She needed just 81 pitches, limiting the Huskies to two hits and a walk. Terry's performance marked the first shutout by a UCLA freshman versus a top-10 opponent since April 7, 2017, when Rachel Garcia shutout then-No. 1 Oregon. Terry retired the last 11 Huskies of the game and flashed the leather in the fourth inning, starting a 1-6-3 double play.
∙ Terry struck out a career-high 12 batters in her complete-game shutout over Weber State at the Judi Garman Classic on March 2. The 12 strikeouts are tied with Megan Faraimo (2019) and Rachel Garcia (2017) for the most by a Bruins' freshman over the last 15 years. Donna Kerr was the last UCLA freshman to rack up 12+ strikeouts, recording 15 in a win over Northwestern on March 9, 2008.
 
The Bay Area Kids
Megan Grant, from San Bruno, and Jordan Woolery, from Walnut Creek, had a series to remember at Stanford. The Bay Area natives both came up with clutch hits in front of their hometown crowds. Grant doubled in each of the three games and went 5-for-10 at the plate in the series. None of Grant's hits were bigger than her double to leadoff the ninth inning of game one, which later came around to score the game-winning run. Woolery's home run to dead center off NiJaree Canady in the seventh inning of game three secured the sweep.
 
UCLA in Pinch-Hitting Situations
The Bruins are batting .422 (19-for-45) in pinch-hitting situations this season. Eight different players have been called upon to pinch hit. Two Bruins have hit a pinch-hit home run this season; the last to do it was Sharlize Palacios to give UCLA the lead in the sixth inning at Long Beach State on April 23.
∙ Ramsey Suarez leads the Bruins with five pinch hits and four RBI when coming off the bench. Suarez has gone 4-for-4 in pinch-hitting scenarios in her last four at-bats at Easton Stadium. Most recently, Suarez delivered a key pinch-hit single in the bottom of the fifth inning in game three versus Arizona on April 28 which played a key part in erasing a seven-run deficit for the largest comeback victory in program history. Suarez reached twice during the Oregon series at Easton Stadium on two pinch-hit singles (March 28-29). Her two-RBI single in the bottom of the sixth in game one versus the Ducks on March 28 proved to be the difference in a 5-3 win.
 
Palacios Pointers
Sharlize Palacios has homered in four of her last seven games and leads the team in that category this season with 13 longballs.
∙ Palacios has earned the first two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors in her career this season. She was awarded for the first time on March 11 after going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a grand slam during UCLA's bye week contests versus Rutgers and LMU. Palacios was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for a second time on April 29 after homering three times over four games versus Long Beach State and rival Arizona.
∙ Defensively, behind the dish, Palacios has yet to commit an error and has thrown out eight runners attempting to steal.  
∙ In the Bruins' six road games this year, Palacios leads UCLA with a .393 average (11-for-28), .541 on-base percentage and .857 slugging percentage with four home runs.
∙ Palacios's grand slam in game three against Arizona on April 28 brought home the 200th RBI of her five-year career. She is also one hit shy of No. 200. Palacios belted the 50th homer of her career with the first of her two home runs versus then-No. 5 Tennessee at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 25.
∙ Palacios leads all Bruins on the active roster with seven career grand slams and ranks second behind Brady with four career multi-homer games.
∙ Palacios has been named to the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team in her two years as a first-string catcher (2023 with UCLA and 2022 with Arizona). She was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team twice at Arizona in her roles as the primary designated player in 2021 and catcher in 2022. Palacios was picked to the All-Pac-12 Second Team last season for UCLA.
 
In the Polls
∙ UCLA enters the week ranked in the top 10 in both major polls. The Bruins check in at No. 7 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll and No. 6 ESPN/USA Softball Poll.
∙ In addition, the Bruins were slotted in the No. 2 spot in the final Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the conference office on Feb. 1. Stanford was selected as the league's preseason favorite, garnering seven of nine first-place votes. Washington and Utah each received one first-place vote. UCLA did not receive a first-place vote.
 
Brady in the Record Books
Career Home Runs: Brady is tied for second on UCLA's career home runs list with 66. Although she won't touch Stacey Nuveman's program record (90 HR), Brady needs one home run to pass Stephany LaRosa (2012-15) to break the tie for sole possession of second place.
Career Two-Homer Games: Brady's two homers against the Huskies on March 24 marked the eighth multi-homer game of her career which is the third most by a Bruin in UCLA history. She moved out of a tie with LaRosa and B.B. Bates (2010-13) with seven. Andrea Harrison (2009-12) ranks second in UCLA history with nine multi-homer games.
Career RBI: Brady became the seventh Bruin to reach 200 career RBI with her grand slam in the second inning of UCLA's 12-1 victory over Utah on March 10. Brady is up to 228 RBI in her career and needs two more to surpass Delaney Spaulding (2014-17) for second on UCLA's all-time list with 229.
Career Runs Scored: Brady became the fourth Bruin in program history to score 200 career runs during the Bruins' series at Stanford. She currently ranks fourth in UCLA's annals with 210 runs scored.
Career Slugging Percentage: Brady's career slugging percentage keeps ballooning every week. Her current career mark of .747 ranks third all-time in UCLA history and is eight points shy of LaRosa's .755 slugging percentage.
 
The Allchin Addition
∙ Allchin, a graduate transfer from Washington (2020-23), has provided clutch hits for the Bruins. In the fifth inning or later this season, Allchin is batting for a .429 average (18-for-42) with 14 RBI and 15 runs scored.
∙ Allchin has converted on all 12 RBI opportunities with a runner on third base and less than two outs. Her latest successful opportunity came versus then-No. 20 California on April 12 when she hit a sacrifice fly to score Maya Brady.
∙ On March 12 versus Rutgers, Allchin delivered a walk-off single. Three days prior to that, Allchin played the hero in game two of UCLA's home series with Utah by knocking in the game-tying run with two outs in the seventh inning. At the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Allchin doubled in a run to spark a five-run seventh inning to help UCLA walk-off on Nebraska on Feb. 23.
∙ Allchin has been a mainstay in the top half of the Bruins' lineup, hitting in the top 3 of the order in 31 of the last 33 games.
∙ Allchin has swiped two bases in a game twice this season (Oregon on March 29 and Stanford on April 19). She leads the Bruins in stolen bases and is 9-for-9 on her attempts.
∙ Defensively, Allchin has recorded two outfield assists this season: one from left field in the Bruins' 6-2 win over Tennessee on Feb. 25 and one from center field against Oklahoma State on Feb. 11. She has totaled five outfield assists in her career.
 
Five Bruins Selected to Compete for Team USA
Five current and former members of the UCLA softball program have been selected to the U.S. Women's National Softball Team rosters for the 2024 Japan All-Star Series and World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women's World Cup. Sophomore Megan Grant will compete with Team USA at the Japan All-Star Series across three Japanese cities from July 4-8 while redshirt senior Maya Brady, Megan Faraimo (2019-23), Rachel Garcia (2016-19, 2021) and Ally Carda (2012-15) will compete at the WBSC World Cup Final in Castions de Strada, Italy slated for July 15-21.
∙ UCLA is tied with Oklahoma in terms of most athletes represented on the two rosters.
∙ Garcia is one of four 2020 Olympians on the WBSC World Cup roster.
∙ Brady, Faraimo and Carda all competed at the WBSC World Cup Group Stage in Dublin, Ireland last summer. Brady started all four games at first base and tallied five runs batted in and scored four runs to help Team USA punch its ticket to the XVII WBSC World Cup Final.
∙ Grant will be making her second straight appearance at the Japan All-Star Series. In game one of last year's event, Grant went 4-for-6 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored in Team USA's 12-11 extra-inning victory over Team Japan. Grant started all three games in right field.
 
Coming From Behind
UCLA's opponents have scored first in 20 of its 41 games this season. The Bruins own a 11-9 record in games where their opponent scores first. In 2023, UCLA's opponents scored first in only 13 of its 59 total games. Additionally, UCLA's opponents have scored in the first inning 12 times this season compared to last season in which opponents scored in the first inning only eight times in 59 total games.