The No.1-ranked UCLA baseball team has dominated the spring headlines for the school, but there’s another UCLA program that has sprung into contention. The Bruins’ softball team finished third in the Big Ten during the regular season and reached the Big Ten Tournament Championship game.
They finished the regular season as the No. 8 team in the country, reached their 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament, and hosted a regional. After an offensive outburst to win three games last weekend, they’re now on the cusp of reaching the Women’s College World Series as they host UCF in a pivotal Super Regional series. Now, UCLA is just two wins away from advancing to Oklahoma City for the 10th time in the last 11 years and having an opportunity to add another national title.
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How We Got Here
UCLA hosted one of 16 regions during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, using its offense to dispose of two opponents (one twice), but it wasn’t easy. The Bruins raced out to a 7-1 lead and looked to be well in control, only to find themselves trailing 11-7 with just two innings remaining.
It took a seventh-inning rally, highlighted by a game-tying home run from freshman Jolyna Lamar and and bases-loaded sac-fly that scotred the winning run, for the Bruins to escape, and the offense seemed to carry over into their two meetings with South Carolina to close the weekend.
UCLA scored 22 total runs against the Gamecocks, including 15 in Sunday’s game-clinching, mercy rule victory — the 28th for the Bruins this season. Meanwhile, UCF engineered a surprise run, knocking out No. 9 Florida State, the host of the Tallahassee regional.
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It was the first time the Knights have beaten the Seminoles in postseason play, and the second time UCF has reached the Super Regional.
The UCLA vs. UCF Matchup
UCLA is a team driven by offense, coming into this best-of-3 series just 10 runs shy of the NCAA’s single-season record for runs scored, set by Oklahoma’s 2021 national championship team. Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery lead the way as the first pair of teammates in NCAA history to each hit at least 30 home 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 in the Big Ten Tournament, while Woolery was named Softball America’s Player of the Year.
The Bruins also have six other players in their lineup with at least 10 home runs and lead the nation in nearly every offensive category. The Bruins also have a dominant pitching ace in Taylor Tinsley, who won 30 games and tossed an incredible 22 complete games this season.
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UCF has only reached this point of the NCAA Softball Tournament one other time, being swept by eventual national champion Oklahoma in 2022 during the second of the Sooners’ four consecutive championships.
The Knights also have a rough history against UCLA, losing all eight previous meetings, including a 2-1 heartbreaker during a 2023 regular-season tournament. However, they present a unique challenge. UCF has developed into a quality softball program, making a program record sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance — one of only 20 programs to do so 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 in the sixth inning against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the NCAA Softball Women’s College World Series at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images
UCLA has a rich NCAA Tournament and championship history in its softball program. The Bruins hold the NCAA record with 12 national titles, winning the first official championship ever played in 1982. While they’ve continued to make runs to the Women’s College World Series, a 13th title would be a weight off the Bruins’ shoulders.
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UCLA’s last softball championship was in 2019 — now seven years ago. That’s the longest the Bruins have gone without a softball title since the records began. Advancing to a the WCWS would also require two more wins, putting UCLA at the 250 all-time tournament wins mark, also the most all-time.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as UCLA Softball Has A Chance to Add to Its Legacy As It Hosts Super Regional.
