No. 1 UCLA welcomes top foes
Three World Series teams from 2022 set for Nutter Classic
The UCLA softball team let out a collective yell as players jogged across the field during Wednesday morning's warmups.
“It's a stress day,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said.
The No. 1 Bruins (12-0) are at a challenging point in the season. They're playing 18 games in 18 days across three tournaments with midterms going on, too.
This weekend's tournament is the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City. Three teams from last season's Women's College World Series will be there in No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida and No. 19 Northwestern.
There's a winter storm in this weekend's forecast, too, and it's unclear what the contingency plan is for weather, according to UCLA athletics staff.
“I 1,000% prefer 110 degrees over cold because I feel like my fingers freeze up,” redshirt-senior pitcher Megan Faraimo said. “But
I'm excited. The Mary Nutter's always a really good tournament so I'm happy we get to go.”
Faraimo (7-0, 69 strikeouts) said she'll be keeping her hands dry with plenty of chalk and a towel. Freshman Jordan Woolery said she'll be taking a similar approach at the plate, keeping her hands dry with dirt.
Woolery hit her first home run as a Bruin with a grand slam in the first inning against Alabama and had two RBI doubles against Nebraska during the Clearwater Invitational. She's one of 11 new players on the team this season.
Megan Grant has 15 RBIs and Woolery has 14, which ranks them first and second in the country in the category among all freshmen. Redshirt-junior Maya Brady leads UCLA with 15 RBIs.
“I feel like the pressure's not on me or the other freshmen in general because no one really knows who we are,” Woolery said. “So I think that having that mindset of having to just prove ourselves is one of the biggest things.”
Faraimo said Woolery reminds her of the color yellow because of her “light spirit,” even in high-pressure situations, but also added that all the freshmen work hard.
“Their character is the embodiment of UCLA softball in that they work hard and they're good people,” she said. “So it's just really fun to have them on the team and to see them show out for the whole nation.”
UCLA will play No. 3 Florida at 7:30 today to begin the Mary Nutter Collegiate Challenge. The Bruins see No. 2 Oklahoma, the team that eliminated them from the WCWS last season, at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
In addition to UCLA, four other local schools will be participating:
CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans are 6-4 and coming off of the Puerto Vallarta Challenge. They went 3-2 in the Mexicobased tournament with wins over Ole Miss, Tennessee and Liberty.
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
CSUN is at the .500 mark heading into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Matadors won the first three games of the CBU Classic before getting shut out in the final two games of the tournament for a 5-5 start to the season.
LONG BEACH STATE
Head coach Kim Sowder achieved her 500th career win when Long Beach State (4-6) closed out the Wilson Invitational against Louisiana-Monroe.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
The Lions head into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a 4-8 record and are coming off a 1-0 loss to Kentucky.