No. 8 seed UCLA softball (52-8, 20-4 Big Ten) will face No. 1 seed Alabama (54-7, 19-5 SEC) on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Women’s College World Series. UCLA enters the competition after sweeping UCF in the Los Angeles Super Regional by a combined score of 23-5. Meanwhile, Alabama defeated No. 16 seed LSU 7-0 and 4-1 in back-to-back wins in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional. Daily Bruin contributor Sinclair Richman breaks down the upcoming matchup.
Alabama Personnel:
Position Player to Watch: Alexis Pupillo
Pitcher to Watch: Jocelyn Briski
X-Factor: Brooke Wells
Alabama Stat Profile:
Batting Average: .325
Runs: 391
Earned Run Average: 1.48
The No. 1 overall seed is headlined by its pitching staff. Pitchers Jocelyn Briski, Kaitlyn Pallozzi and Vic Moten lead the rotation, with all three of them appearing in at least 25 games.
Briski has started a team-high 25 games and boasts a team-low 1.30 ERA. The SEC Pitcher of the Year has allowed 99 hits and only 14 home runs this season. Moten is an NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 10 finalist and has pitched the second-most innings on the squad behind Briski with 139.1 frames completed, owning a 1.66 ERA.
Pallozzi, who has recorded a 1.47 ERA through 71.2 innings pitched, is the final piece in the pitching arsenal’s success. Alabama’s pitchers have a combined 1.48 ERA, a mark that ranks second in the country.
With the pitchers leading the charge, Alabama has allowed more than five runs in just three games this season. Those contests came against Texas and Arkansas, both of which also clinched Women’s College World Series berths.
The Crimson Tide have allowed 29 total home runs throughout the year, a stark contrast from the Bruin lineup’s record-setting 200 four-baggers this season.
But the Westwood squad has struggled against elite pitchers.
UCLA has lost to five programs, all of which have at least one pitcher with a 2.73-or-less ERA. But three of those opponents also roster a pitcher with an ERA below two, while two of them boast multiple pitchers with sub-1.1453 marks.
However, the Bruins have been on a tear, having hammered at least three home runs in every game of the NCAA tournament so far. And each Bruin who comes up to bat is a threat.
Every member of the Bruins’ starting lineup is hitting at a .328-plus clip, and eight of its nine starters have recorded at least 13 home runs. Seniors utility Megan Grant and infielder Jordan Woolery sit first and third nationally in four-baggers, with 40 and 34, respectively.
But UCLA’s weakness is its lack of bullpen depth.
Senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley has taken on most of the circle workload, appearing in 45 of the Bruins’ 60 games this season. She has recorded 32 victories, good for second-most in the country, while boasting a 3.03 ERA.
Yet, she has also elicited blunders at times this year, including in the first game of the NCAA tournament where California Baptist scored 10 runs in a single inning off Tinsley. With that said, Tinsley recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts against UCF to seal UCLA’s 14-run victory Saturday.
The Crimson Tide are consistent at the plate, with eight players boasting .306-plus batting averages. The squad also ranks No. 11 in the country in home runs, having recorded 97 so far this season.
The top hitters are utility Alexis Pupillo and infielder Brooke Wells, who boast .401 and .379 clips, respectively. They also lead the squad in four-baggers, with 42 collectively.
Coach Patrick Murphy’s squad has played top teams throughout its conference season, having faced three of the eight Oklahoma City-bound squads already. This challenging conference slate may give the Crimson Tide an advantage entering the Thursday matchup.
But the dominance of the heavy-hitting Bruins could be enough to counter the top-ranked squad. If Tinsley puts up a strong performance, UCLA could beat out Alabama and advance to the winners’ bracket.
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