It takes a lot to create a legacy.
But it takes even more to uphold one.
And for the Bruins, maintaining the UCLA softball legacy as the most decorated program nationally comes naturally.
That process starts at the top.
Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has helmed the softball program for the past 20 years, serving 13 years as a part of the coaching staff before stepping into the head coach position.
“I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by literally the best players that have played the game,” Inouye-Perez said. “We changed our language from breaking records to setting records. And they’re setting standards for future Bruins to try to attain. But for me, it’s a blessing to be surrounded by so many elite athletes that I see the work put in from behind the scenes, not just on the field.”
And if anyone knows about the behind-the-scenes process, it’s her.
Inouye-Perez played softball at UCLA from 1989-1993 as a catcher, making her the only person to have won a national championship as both a player and a coach. She was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
During her time as a player, she made the All-Pac-10 First Team as a true freshman and Second Team her sophomore season, before medically redshirting because of a shoulder surgery.
She won three national championships and played in 22 Women’s College World Series games during her time in Westwood, which is tied for the third-most in program history. During her last two seasons at UCLA, she did not commit a single fielding error.
Inouye-Perez also played alongside associate head coach Lisa Fernandez, who pitched for the Bruins from 1990-1993.
“All the coaches in general do really well with connecting with us, making sure that they’re getting the most they can out of us, and especially the new Bruins,” sophomore outfielder Rylee Slimp said. “For me, it’s been really nice to develop my game with them.”
Fernandez boasted an impressive UCLA softball career, becoming the first four-time NFCA First Team All-American in school history, a three-time Honda Sport Award Winner and, in 1993, the first softball player to win the Honda-Broderick Cup, the award given to the most outstanding collegiate female athlete across all sports.
The coaching pair went on to have successful professional and international careers, with Fernandez boasting three Olympic gold medals.
They continue to serve as key pieces of the Bruin squad, with Inouye-Perez sitting as the head honcho and Fernandez working primarily with the hitters and infielders.
“It’s about the process,” Inouye-Perez said. “I’m very clear about the journey. We follow the Wooden pyramid of success – effort and attitude at the foundation. … So a lot of mental preparation. The girls journal every day. They’re hearing their own words. They set goals. We’re trying to accomplish things as individuals and as a team.”
The 2026 squad has set numerous records, including the NCAA single-season run record when they clinched their 639th of the year May 23. They also broke various Big Ten and program records, such as the Big Ten single-season home run record.
A big part of their historic campaign is the mental aspect.
“We’re reading a book as a team, to continue to reinforce being able to adapt and change to get better through a ball game,” Inouye-Perez said. “There are all kinds of different analogies. I have a great mental performance coach, Dr. Mondo (Armando Gonzalez). He meets with the girls off the field individually to really help them level up mentally so that they can get out there and they can perform.”
While Inouye-Perez may hold the head coach title, she credits the entirety of the coaching staff and athletic facilities for the team’s success.
Alongside Fernandez and Inouye-Perez sit assistant coaches Mysha Sataraka and Rob Schweyer, who work with the team to continue to build on UCLA’s historic softball program. Sataraka played for the Bruins and started at third base for the squad from 2013-2016.
But it takes more than just coaches to create a program with this strong of a culture.
“I have an amazing staff, not only for my coaches and my mental performance coach, but my trainers, my weight coach, my nutritionist,” Inouye-Perez said. “All of us are working together as a unit. Everyone’s committed to the same thing – we want to be our best at the end, so we’re constantly sharpening ourselves to be as experienced and prepared as we can. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We focus on ourselves and how we play amazingly.”
While the coaches play a critical role in team performance, ultimate success comes when players buy into the program.
And this year’s players have certainly done so, with senior utility Megan Grant breaking the 31-year-old home run record and senior infielder Jordan Woolery being named Softball America’s National Player of the Year.
Both Grant and Woolery, as well as fellow senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley, were also all drafted to the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
“The strength of our program is the upperclassmen taking care of bringing on the new Bruins, teaching them the Bruin way and bringing them into a family atmosphere,” Inouye-Perez said. “When the culture is strong, and there’s strong belief and trust, you play freely because you’re not fearful of failure. You’re not fearful of making mistakes. Jordan and Megan and Taylor were freshmen, and they were taken care of by the seniors that they got to play with during their freshman year.”
That family-first mentality applies both on and off the field.
The team has often spoken and posted about the events they do together when not playing softball, like a recent trip to Science Museum Oklahoma while in Oklahoma City for the WCWS.
“They’re (Grant, Tinsley and Woolery are) such good softball players, but their personalities and the people they are off the field and the teammates they are make it so much easier for us to play free and be ourselves,” redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia said. “They lay the foundation for us, and now we’re able to work alongside them to make all of us better.”
Comments are closed.