UCLA softball (16-5) will face five unranked teams this weekend, marking the the Bruins’ final tuneup before Pac-12 play.
“This is the last weekend before conference starts that we will have an opportunity to get back out there and practice before entering Pac-12 so we can feel more confident about ourselves, “ said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.
The No. 10 Bruins will battle the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-6) and Longwood Lancers (6-10) on Friday, Boston University Terriers (7-11) and Long Beach State (7-11-1) on Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Invitational and Texas (12-9) on Sunday.
“We are all just excited to start Pac,” sophomore catcher/utility Paige Halstead said. “We have been going through practice, going through the process, having fun with it so I think we are really excited to see how Friday is going to go.”
Redshirt freshman pitcher Rachel Garcia played the first two games of the Judi Garman Classic against Michigan and Florida, but did not play the last three games of the tournament.
“We’ve been hit with some adversity with Rachel Garcia being out of the lineup, but the good news is we have other pitchers that have been prepared and have been able to step in and compete,” said Inouye-Perez.
UCLA will also have to rely on the other components of its pitching staff this weekend. The Bruins utilized junior pitcher Johanna Grauer in the circle to defeat the Cal State Fullerton Titans last weekend where she struck out seven in a complete game, four-hitter. Grauer has gone 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 2017.
“We are just going to try to sync up this weekend,” Grauer said. “Good defense, good offense, timely hitting, good pitching all in the same game.”
The Bruins seek to focus on their defense as they prep for this weekend.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position to show a little vulnerability this past weekend,” Inouye-Perez said. “Offense comes and goes, but defense has got to be our strength.”
[Related: Softball goes 3-2 against top competition at Judi Garman Classic]
After finishing the four games of the Louisville Slugger Invitational in Long Beach, UCLA will return to home turf at Easton Stadium to face the Texas Longhorns on Sunday.
Texas left fielder Devon Tunning will challenge the UCLA pitching staff with a .475 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .667.
For the Bruins offense, Halstead said that being really aggressive in the box is part of the Bruins’ strength.