2023 UCLA Bruins softball team

2023 UCLA Bruins softball
2023 UCLA Bruins softball
Pac-12 regular season champion
NCAA Tournament, Los Angeles Regional
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Record	52–7 (21–3 Pac-12)
Head coach	Kelly Inouye-Perez (17th season);
Home stadium	Easton Stadium

2023 Pac-12 Conference softball standings
	Conf.						Overall
Team	W		L		T	PCT	W		L		T	PCT
No. 2 ‍†‍‍^y	21	–	3	–	0	.875	52	–	7	–	0	.881
No. 6 Washington ‍‍‍^y	16	–	8	–	0	.667	44	–	14	–	0	.759
No. 17 Utah ‍‍‡‍^y	15	–	9	–	0	.625	42	–	16	–	0	.724
No. 7 Stanford ‍‍‍^y	14	–	10	–	0	.583	47	–	15	–	0	.758
No. 19 Oregon ‍‍‍^y	14	–	10	–	0	.583	38	–	17	–	0	.691
California ‍‍‍^y	9	–	14	–	1	.396	35	–	21	–	1	.623
Oregon State ‍‍‍	6	–	17	–	1	.271	15	–	29	–	1	.344
Arizona ‍‍‍	6	–	18	–	0	.250	29	–	25	–	0	.537
Arizona State ‍‍‍	6	–	18	–	0	.250	22	–	26	–	0	.458

† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of June 5, 2023^[1] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

The 2023 UCLA Bruins softball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2023 NCAA Division I softball season. The Bruins were coached by Kelly Inouye-Perez, in her seventeenth season. The Bruins played their home games at Easton Stadium and competed in the Pac-12 Conference.

Previous season

The Bruins finished the 2022 season 51–10 overall, and 19–5 in the Pac-12 Conference, finishing in second place in their conference. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Bruins received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I softball tournament where they advanced to the semifinals of the Women's College World Series, before being eliminated by eventual tournament champion Oklahoma.^[2]

Offseason

In August 2022, assistant head coaches Lisa Fernandez and Kirk Walker were promoted to associate head coaches.^[3]^[4]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year	Ref.
USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year	Maya Brady	Utility	Redshirt Junior	^[5]
	Megan Faraimo	Pitcher	Redshirt Senior
	Sharlize Palacios	Catcher	Redshirt Junior

Roster and personnel

2023 UCLA Bruins roster

Pitchers

8 – Megan Faraimo – Senior
21 – Brooke Yanez – Sixth year
32 – Taylor Tinsley – Freshman
88 – Lauren Shaw – Graduate

Catchers

13 – Sharlize Palacios – Junior
18 – Sara Rusconi Vicinanza – Senior
19 – Alyssa Garcia – Junior
25 – Taylor Sullivan – Senior
26 – Jayla Castro – Sophomore

Infielders

4 – Rylee Pinedo – Freshman
15 – Jordan Woolery – Freshman
24 – Thessa Malau'ulu – Junior
27 – Rachel Cid – Fifth year
28 – Alexis Ramirez – Freshman
31 – Ramsey Suarez – Freshman

Utility

5 – Savannah Pola – Sophomore
7 – Maya Brady – Junior
10 – Kennedy Powell – Freshman
11 – Seneca Curo – Junior
20 – Anna Vines – Senior
22 – Taylor Stephens – Sophomore
43 – Megan Grant – Freshman
44 – Kate Blunt – Sophomore

Outfielders

3 – Janelle Meoño– Junior
14 – Kelli Godin – Senior
23 – Aaliyah Jordan – Graduate
30 – Lauren Hatch – Sophomore
94 – Lauryn Carter – Junior

Reference:^[6]

2023 UCLA Bruins coaching staff
Kelly Inouye-Perez – Head coach Lisa Fernandez – Associate head coach Kirk Walker – Associate head coach Will Oldham – Volunteer assistant coach
Reference:^[7]

Schedule

2023 UCLA Bruins softball game log

Regular season (50–4)

February (17–1)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Pac-12 Record
February 9	Cal State Fullerton Stacy Winsberg Tournament	No. 2	Easton Stadium Los Angeles, CA	3–0	Faraimo (1–0)	Rainey (0–1)	—	673	1–0	–
February 10	Cal State Bakersfield Stacy Winsberg Tournament	No. 2	Easton Stadium	18–1 ⁽⁵⁾	Shaw (1–0)	Kennedy (0–1)	—	755	2–0	–
February 11	Loyola Marymount Stacy Winsberg Tournament	No. 2	Easton Stadium	11–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Yanez (1–0)	Caymol (0–1)	—	983	3–0	–
February 11	Cal State Bakersfield Stacy Winsberg Tournament	No. 2	Easton Stadium	8–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Tinsley (1–0)	Martinez (0–1)	—	1,075	4–0	–
February 12	San Diego Stacy Winsberg Tournament	No. 2	Easton Stadium	14–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Faraimo (2–0)	Giaime (0–1)	—	450	5–0	–
February 12	San Diego Stacy Winsberg Tournament	No. 2	Easton Stadium	5–2	Faraimo (3–0)	Tadlock (0–1)	—	517	6–0	–
February 14	Liberty	No. 2	Easton Stadium	3–2	Faraimo (4–0)	Bachman (1–2)	—	250	7–0	–
February 16	vs. Nebraska TaxAct Clearwater Invitational	No. 2	Eddie C. Moore Complex Clearwater, FL	8–0 ⁽⁶⁾	Yanez (2–0)	Harness (1–1)	—	2,518	8–0	–
February 17	vs. Alabama TaxAct Clearwater Invitational	No. 2	Eddie C. Moore Complex	5–3	Faraimo (5–0)	Fouts (2–1)	—	—	9–0	–
February 18	vs. No. 6 Florida State TaxAct Clearwater Invitational	No. 2	Eddie C. Moore Complex	6–4	Faraimo (6–0)	Sandercock (2–1)	—	—	10–0	–
February 18	vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech TaxAct Clearwater Invitational	No. 2	Eddie C. Moore Complex	8–4	Yanez (3–0)	Peck (1–1)	—	—	11–0	–
February 19	vs. Louisiana TaxAct Clearwater Invitational	No. 2	Eddie C. Moore Complex	4–3	Faraimo (7–0)	Schorman (2–2)	—	1,032	12–0	–
February 23	vs. No. 3 Florida Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic	No. 1	Big League Dreams Complex Cathedral City, CA	10–0 ⁽⁶⁾	Faraimo (8–0)	Trlicek (4–1)	—	—	13–0	–
February 24	vs. No. 18 Kentucky Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic	No. 1	Big League Dreams Complex	6–3	Yanez (4–0)	Harrison (1–1)	Faraimo (1)	—	14–0	–
February 24	vs. Iowa Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic	No. 1	Big League Dreams Complex	2–1	Faraimo (9–0)	Adams (2–2)	—	—	15–0	–
February 25	vs. No. 19 Northwestern Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic	No. 1	Big League Dreams Complex	2–1	Yanez (5–0)	Supple (1–2)	—	—	16–0	–
February 25	vs. Texas A&M Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic	No. 1	Big League Dreams Complex	3–0	Tinsley (2–0)	Kennedy (3–1)	—	—	17–0	–
February 26	vs. No. 2 Oklahoma Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic	No. 1	Big League Dreams Complex	0–14 ⁽⁵⁾	Storako (4–0)	Faraimo (9–1)	—	—	17–1	–

March (13–3)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Pac-12 Record
March 3	vs. UCF Judi Garman Classic	No. 2	Anderson Family Field Fullerton, CA	2–1	Yanez (6–0)	Jewell (2–2)	—	—	18–1	–
March 3	vs. Fresno State Judi Garman Classic	No. 2	Anderson Family Field	8–1	Faraimo (10–1)	Neiss (1–3)	—	—	19–1	–
March 4	vs. Cal Poly Judi Garman Classic	No. 2	Anderson Family Field	16–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Tinsley (3–0)	Ramuno (5–3)	—	—	20–1	–
March 4	vs. Michigan Judi Garman Classic	No. 2	Anderson Family Field	8–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Faraimo (11–1)	LeBeau (5–5)	—	—	21–1	–
March 5	at Cal State Fullerton Judi Garman Classic	No. 2	Anderson Family Field	6–2	Yanez (7–0)	Miranda (3–3)	—	—	22–1	–
March 7	Howard	No. 2	Easton Stadium	4–0	Tinsley (4–0)	Weber (1–4)	Faraimo (2)	1,086	23–1	–
March 10	at California	No. 2	Levine-Fricke Field Berkeley, CA	4–0	Yanez (8–0)	Archer (5–2)	—	693	24–1	1–0
March 11	at California	No. 2	Levine-Fricke Field	0–8 ⁽⁵⁾	Halajian (2–1)	Tinsley (4–1)	—	832	24–2	1–1
March 12	at California	No. 2	Levine-Fricke Field	10–1 ⁽⁶⁾	Yanez (9–0)	Archer (6–3)	—	849	25–2	2–1
March 14	Syracuse	No. 3	Easton Stadium	Cancelled^[8]
March 17	No. 10 Washington	No. 3	Easton Stadium	3–4	Meylan (10–1)	Yanez (9–1)	—	1,085	25–3	2–2
March 18	No. 10 Washington	No. 3	Easton Stadium	4–0	Faraimo (12–1)	Lynch (5–2)	—	1,117	26–3	3–2
March 19	No. 10 Washington	No. 3	Easton Stadium	10–2 ⁽⁶⁾	Faraimo (13–1)	Meylan (10–2)	—	943	27–3	4–2
March 24	at No. 19 Oregon	No. 3	Jane Sanders Stadium Eugene, OR	0–3	Scott (5–3)	Faraimo (13–2)	—	1,655	27–4	4–3
March 25	at No. 19 Oregon	No. 3	Jane Sanders Stadium	7–4	Faraimo (14–2)	Hansen (12–4)	—	1,989	28–4	5–3
March 26	at No. 19 Oregon	No. 3	Jane Sanders Stadium	4–0	Faraimo (15–2)	Scott (5–3)	—	1,824	29–4	6–3
March 28	at Nevada	No. 3	Christina M. Hixson Softball Park Reno, NV	Cancelled^[9]
March 31	No. 6 Stanford	No. 3	Easton Stadium	4–0	Faraimo (16–2)	Vawter (12–2)	—	1,348	30–4	7–3

April (17–0)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Pac-12 Record
April 1	No.6 Stanford	No. 3	Easton Stadium	2–1	Faraimo (17–2)	Krause (8–3)	—	1,209	31–4	8–3
April 2	No. 6 Stanford	No. 3	Easton Stadium	4–0	Tinsley (5–1)	Vawter (12–3)	Yanez (1)	1,132	32–4	9–3
April 4	at UC San Diego	No. 3	Triton Softball Field San Diego, CA	10–1 ⁽⁶⁾	Yanez (10–1)	Thompson (2–5)	—	503	33–4	–
April 6	Oregon State	No. 3	Easton Stadium	6–2	Faraimo (18–2)	Stepto (4–10)	—	847	34–4	10–3
April 7	Oregon State	No. 3	Easton Stadium	11–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Yanez (11–1)	Garcia (3–7)	—	868	35–4	11–3
April 8	Oregon State	No. 3	Easton Stadium	6–0	Faraimo (19–2)	Stepto (4–11)	—	1,057	36–4	12–3
April 14	at No. 24 Arizona	No. 2	Hillenbrand Stadium Tucson, AZ	8–0	Faraimo (20–2)	Silva (2–2)	—	2,970	37–4	13–3
April 15	at No. 24 Arizona	No. 2	Hillenbrand Stadium	8–4	Faraimo (21–2)	Silva (2–3)	—	2,866	38–4	14–3
April 16	at No. 24 Arizona	No. 2	Hillenbrand Stadium	14–5 ⁽⁵⁾	Faraimo (22–2)	Netz (11–12)	—	2,874	39–4	15–3
April 19	at Long Beach State	No. 2	LBSU Softball Complex Long Beach, CA	10–0 ⁽⁵⁾	Tinsley (6–1)	Haddad (9–8)	—	772	40–4	–
April 21	Arizona State	No. 2	Easton Stadium	7–3	Faraimo (23–2)	Osborne (4–11)	—	1,046	41–4	16–3
April 22	Arizona State	No. 2	Easton Stadium	9–1 ⁽⁶⁾	Yanez (12–1)	Schuld (2–4)	—	1,156	42–4	17–3
April 23	Arizona State	No. 2	Easton Stadium	4–1	Faraimo (24–2)	Magee (3–3)	—	1,325	43–4	18–3
April 25	at Cal State Northridge	No. 2	Matador Diamond Northridge, CA	7–2	Yanez (13–1)	Carranco (4–7)	—	452	44–4	–
April 28	at No. 23 Utah	No. 2	Dumke Family Softball Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	3–0	Faraimo (25–2)	Lopez (14–3)	—	1,100	45–4	19–3
April 29	at No. 23 Utah	No. 2	Dumke Family Softball Stadium	10–1 ⁽⁶⁾	Yanez (14–1)	Sandez (12–5)	—	1,300	46–4	20–3
April 30	at No. 23 Utah	No. 2	Dumke Family Softball Stadium	11–3	Faraimo (26–2)	Lopez (14–5)	—	1,914	47–4	21–3

May (3–0)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Pac-12 Record
May 1	at BYU	No. 2	Gail Miller Field Provo, UT	7–2	Yanez (15–1)	Korth (15–7)	—	619	48–4	–
May 5	Loyola Marymount	No. 2	Easton Stadium	6–0	Faraimo (27–2)	Perez (12–10)	—	968	49–4	–
May 5	San Diego State	No. 2	Easton Stadium	4–3	Faraimo (28–2)	Light (10–6)	—	968	50–4	–

Post-Season (2–3)

Pac-12 Tournament (2–1)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Pac-12T Record
May 11	Arizona	No. 2	Hillenbrand Stadium	4–3	Faraimo (29–2)	Netz (16–16)	—	2,492	51–4	1–0
May 12	No. 7 Stanford	No. 2	Hillenbrand Stadium	1–0	Yanez (16–1)	Vawter (17–8)	—	2,434	52–4	2–0
May 13	No. 21 Utah	No. 2	Hillenbrand Stadium	4–7	Lopez (18–5)	Yanez (16–2)	—	2,548	52–5	2–1

Los Angeles Regional (0–2)
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/Stadium	Score	Win	Loss	Save	Attendance	Overall Record	Regional Record
May 19	vs. Grand Canyon	No. 2	Easton Stadium	2–3	Darwin (9–3)	Faraimo (29–3)	Thompson (3)	—	52–6	0–1
May 20	vs. Liberty	No. 2	Easton Stadium	1–2	Keeney (26–11)	Yanez (16–3)	—	—	52–7	0–2

Win
Loss
Postponement
Bold: Bruins team member
Reference:^[10]^[11]

Rankings from NFCA:
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
NFCA / USA Today	2	2	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2
Softball America	4	2	1	2	2	4	5	5	3	2	2	2	2	2	2
ESPN.com/USA Softball	2	2	1	2	2	3	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	2
D1Softball	2	2	1	2	2	3	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	2

References

^ "Softball Standings". Pac-12.com. Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
^ "UCLA Advances to WCWS Semifinals Behind Azevedo Shutout". uclabruins.com. June 5, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
^ "Lisa Fernandez Promoted to Associate Head Coach". uclabruins.com. August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
^ "Kirk Walker Promoted to Associate Head Coach". uclabruins.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
^ "Trio of Bruins Named to USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List". uclabruins.com. January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ "2023 Softball Roster". uclabruins.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
^ "2023 Softball Coaching Staff". uclabruins.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
^ "Softball's Tuesday Game Versus Syracuse Canceled". uclabruins.com. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
^ "Softball's Tuesday Game at Nevada Canceled". uclabruins.com. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
^ "2023 Softball Schedule". uclabruins.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
^ "Softball Reveals 2023 Schedule". uclabruins.com. November 28, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.

[1] "Softball Standings". Pac-12.com. Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

[2] "UCLA Advances to WCWS Semifinals Behind Azevedo Shutout". uclabruins.com. June 5, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.

[3] "Lisa Fernandez Promoted to Associate Head Coach". uclabruins.com. August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.

[4] "Kirk Walker Promoted to Associate Head Coach". uclabruins.com. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.

[5] "Trio of Bruins Named to USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List". uclabruins.com. January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[6] "2023 Softball Roster". uclabruins.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.

[7] "2023 Softball Coaching Staff". uclabruins.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.

[8] "Softball's Tuesday Game Versus Syracuse Canceled". uclabruins.com. March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.

[9] "Softball's Tuesday Game at Nevada Canceled". uclabruins.com. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

[10] "2023 Softball Schedule". uclabruins.com. Retrieved February 9, 2023.

[11] "Softball Reveals 2023 Schedule". uclabruins.com. November 28, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

UCLA Bruins softball
Venues	Sunset Field (1979–1993) Easton Stadium (1994–present)
Head coaches	Sharron Backus (1975–1988) Sharron Backus & Sue Enquist (1989–1996) Sue Enquist (1997–2006) Kelly Inouye-Perez (2007–present)
Seasons	1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2024 2025
National Championships in bold; Women’s College World Series appearances in italics