Five-inning mercy rules have been the early story of the season.
But the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational will be the Bruins’ first true test of the season, as they will face three top-10 opponents across the three-day tournament.
No. 7 UCLA softball (5-0) will face off against No. 23 Oklahoma State (3-2) and Missouri (2-4) on Friday, No. 3 Tennessee (5-0) and No. 6 Florida State (6-0) on Saturday, and No. 10 LSU (6-0) on Sunday as a part of the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational in Florida.
The undefeated Bruins have outscored opponents by a combined 62-point margin across their first five games, boasting a .487 batting average. Eight players have already gone for at least one home run, amounting to a collective 23, and the team set the program record for most home runs in a game with its eight against UC Riverside on Feb. 8.
Seniors infielder Jordan Woolery and utility Megan Grant lead the Bruins in home runs with five apiece. Woolery also came away from the opening weekend with Big Ten Player of the Week and NFCA National Player of the Week honors.
“Jordan makes me feel safe knowing that she’s behind me, and I know she has my back always,” Grant said. “(With the) ‘Bruin Bomber’ connection, it feels like my job is really easy.”
UCLA’s pitching has also flashed its strength.
Four pitchers made an appearance last weekend, allowing just 16 hits and seven walks throughout the five-game slate. Senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley appeared in three games and recorded 14 strikeouts across 37 at-bats.
But the Clearwater Invitational will challenge coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s team.
Friday’s first matchup is against Oklahoma State, which lost to then-No. 17 Stanford 4-2 in its first game of the season Feb. 5 before falling to the same team 10-0 on Feb. 7.
Afterward, UCLA is facing Missouri, which mercy-ruled then-No. 21 Liberty 13-2 in six innings Feb. 7 but enters the weekend after sustaining a 5-4 extra-inning loss to South Alabama on Feb. 8. The Missouri Tigers have allowed 28 runs but have only forfeited five home runs so far.
But Saturday will provide UCLA with a slate of ranked opponents, when the squad will hope to build on its opening weekend success.
“This team’s attention to detail to finish out the way they did is something that I’m excited about,” Inouye-Perez said after the opening slate. “We’re going to respect the game and get back after it. We got to still be in the moment and not get caught up in what we want out of it. We got to live in the moment. And again, the goal is not to take a pitch off.”
The Lady Vols are the highest-ranked opponent the Bruins will face at the invitational. Tennessee is riding a 2-0 win against then-No. 5 Oregon and has outscored opponents 33-2 across its first five games. Pitcher Karlyn Pickens has recorded 22 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched for the Rocky Top squad while allowing just seven hits.
UCLA will then face Florida State, which outranks the Westwood crew by one, the same day as the Tennessee affair. The Seminoles mercy-ruled three of their first six opponents, punctuated by the pitching staff’s 43 strikeouts. The Seminoles have posted a .361 batting average while holding teams to a .163 clip.
UCLA closes the invitational Sunday with its third and final top-10 opponent, LSU. The LSU Tigers bested four of their first six opponents via mercy rule, outscoring them 49-11, and the squad’s pitchers struck out 34 opponents.
UCLA’s depth will be tested against five pitching staffs that have recorded a combined 176 strikeouts.
But the opening weekend showed that many different players appear ready for the challenge.
“It brought a lot of confidence for each and every one of us on the field,” said sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg, who recorded three home runs on opening weekend. “Just being able to (produce offensively), it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, that it’s just another team, and we know that we’re prepared for it.”
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