After early doubts, UCLA softball is a step away from College World Series

It was only February, and already doubts were creeping in among UCLA’s softball team.

Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez began thinking, “This is not looking good for us to be a top-16 team, a top team.

“And that’s our goal,” she said. 

At the time, UCLA couldn’t string together consecutive wins. Then, at the end of the month and into March, the team lost four consecutive games.

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UCLA required a new philosophy — one that ignited the turnaround that led the Bruins to a berth in a best-of-three-games super regional against Oregon that begins Saturday in Eugene.

A program accustomed to dominance from its starting pitchers has instead relied on two sophomores, Selina Ta’amilo and Johanna Grauer, who struggled mightily early in the season. For example, during that four-game skid, opponents averaged more than seven runs per game.

Too often, the pitchers would walk or hit a batter, igniting manageable rallies into back-breaking ones.

“I mean, they got beat up,” Inouye-Perez said, emphasizing the final words like drumbeats. “We gave up more games when we were in the lead and gave it away.”

The losing stopped when UCLA recommitted to defense. The team leads the nation in double plays and, Ta’amilo and Grauer have learned to attack hitters and let plays be made behind them.

“It’s no secret that they haven’t dominated,” Inouye-Perez said “But they’ve gotten better.”

Ta’amilo is 18-5 with a 3.61 earned-run average, and she ended the regular season with a shutout. Grauer (15-8, 3.90) began the postseason with her first no-hitter of the season.

During regional action last week, UCLA dispatched Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton without dropping a game.

Three Bruins have reached double digits in home runs: Delaney Spaulding (17), Mysha Sataraka (13) and Madeline Jelenicki (13). In UCLA’s three postseason games, 14 of 15 runs came on home runs.

“You can expect the long ball from anyone in the lineup,” Inouye-Perez said.

Ahead of the super regional, the selection committee has taken criticism for pairing the Pac-12 Conference’s top two teams in the same region.

Inouye-Perez said both teams are championship contenders and laments, “Now only one of us will be able to go” to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City beginning next week. 

Oregon won the Pac-12 regular-season title, but UCLA took two of three games in Eugene in April.

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