This post was updated May 28 at 10:50 p.m.
The winningest program in collegiate softball history is returning to the site of champions.
Sporting the nation-lead in Women’s College World Series appearances and wins – with 33 and 12, respectively – No. 9 seed UCLA (54-11, 17-5 Big Ten) has the chance to add a 13th title to its resume starting Thursday when it faces No. 16 seed Oregon (53-8, 19-3) in the first round of the WCWS at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
When the two teams last faced off, UCLA fell victim to a two-games-to-one series defeat – of which the final game ended with a 9-0 shutout of the Bruins.
However, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said the familiar faces in the WCWS opening round won’t deter UCLA’s game from evolving for the victory.
“At this point, we’re not playing Oregon, we’re just playing the next opponent that we’re going to try to face, so we’re going to go to school, we’re going to make adjustments,” Inouye-Perez said.
The Bruins’ April 18 loss to the Ducks interrupted a 12-game winning streak that they have since failed to recover – though the team enters Oklahoma City on back-to-back wins following its comeback victory against No. 8 seed South Carolina in the super regional.
Trailing the Gamecocks in the series, junior infielder Jordan Woolery was down to her last out – a call she responded to with a two-run walk-off home run that prolonged the Bruins’ season. With the series tied at one game each, the Bruins shut out South Carolina in the final game, scoring three runs in seventh.
Although the series came down to the wire, senior utility Savannah Pola said the South Carolina win proved the effectiveness of UCLA’s mindset.
“We have to keep going and pushing and never letting up,” Pola said. “That was a good example.”
On the other side of the diamond, Oregon’s bats were firing – it swept Liberty in the super regional with 13 runs in the final game, while the squad sits fourth nationally in batting average with a .350 mark.
Outfielder Kedre Luschar leads the Ducks with a .444 batting average. She ties for 14th nationally – two spots higher than Pola, who boasts a .440 clip.
Looking ahead, Inouye-Perez said the team isn’t deterred by what predates its Oklahoma City trip.
“It doesn’t really matter what your regular-season stats or outcomes were,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re here to play, and we’ve got to show up, and the biggest focus you’ll hear us constantly say is ‘playing our game.’ So I look forward to that opportunity.”
If UCLA surpasses Oregon on Thursday, it will face the winner of Ole Miss and No. 12 seed Texas Tech – the former of whom is making its first WCWS appearance. While the Bruins have not faced either of these teams in the regular season, the Red Raiders hold a familiar face in former Pac-12 adversary and Stanford ace NiJaree Canady – the sixth-ranked strikeout leader in the country.
First pitch will be thrown Thursday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a potential contest Saturday upon victory or Friday upon defeat.
“No matter what, we have Bruin magic all the time,” said sophomore pitcher/outfielder Kaitlyn Terry.
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