University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Saturday, March 21
Piscataway, NJ
3:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
at
Rutgers
Jordan Woolery
Photo by: Suzi Mellano
No. 7 Softball Opens Two-Week Road Trip at Rutgers
March 20, 2026 | Softball
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 7 UCLA softball team travels to Rutgers for its first Big Ten Conference road trip of the season this week. The Bruins (25-3, 6-0 Big Ten) and Scarlet Knights (16-12, 3-3 Big Ten) open the series on Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m. (PT) at Rutgers Softball Complex in Piscataway, N.J. Games 2 and 3 on Sunday and Monday will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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This week's trip to New Jersey marks UCLA's first time to the United States Northeast since 1983 when the team traveled to Kingston, Rhode Island, for NCAA Regionals.
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No. 7 UCLA (25-3, 6-0 Big Ten) at Rutgers (16-12, 3-3 Big Ten)
Saturday, March 21 โ 3 p.m. (PT) โ B1G+
Sunday, March 22 โ 2 p.m. (PT) โ Big Ten Network
Monday, March 23 โ 3 p.m. (PT) โ Big Ten Network
Venue: Rutgers Softball Complex (Piscataway, N.J.)
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
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UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for all 10 of UCLA's remaining home gamesย are on sale. Direct links to single-game ticket purchases can beย viewed here. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or emailย tickets@athletics.ucla.eduย for more information. Additionally, fans with aย 2025-26 Olympic Sports Card, available to purchase for $110, will gain admission to every home game.
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KEY NOTES ON THE BRUINS
โข UCLA enters Week 7 on a 19-game winning streak, good for second-longest in the nation.
โข Kelly Inouye-Perez is two wins away from 900 career victories. She became UCLA's all-time winningest head coach earlier this year.
โข Megan Grant (2.346) and Jordan Woolery (1.949) rank first and third in the country in OPS, respectively.
โข Grant enters Week 7 as the NCAA leader in home runs (21), slugging % (1.623), on-base % (.723), OPS (2.346) and walks (39).
โข Twenty-one of Grant's 33 base hits this season (.541 avg.) have been home runs.
โข Grant is averaging one home run per every three at-bats and one walk per every three plate appearances.
โข Grant has reached base in 37 straight games dating back to 2025 NCAA Regionals, good for the longest active streak in the nation.
โข Jordan Woolery is the NCAA leader in RBIs (60) and total bases (110) and ranks third behind Grant in home runs (18).
โข Woolery has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week three times this season, most recently on March 9.
โข UCLA enters Week 7 ranked second in the nation in home runs (86), slugging % (.844) and runs per game (11.36).
โข UCLA has scored 166 of its 318 runs this year via the longball (52.2%).
โข UCLA has recorded 17 run-rule wins this season one year after setting the program record with 28 run-rule wins in 2025.
โข Three separate Bruins enter Week 7 on double-digit hitting streaks: Grant (13 games), Woolery (12) and Ramirez (10).
โข UCLA plays its 52nd season of softball this spring, the 20th with head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez at the helm.
โข UCLA made an NCAA-record 33rd Women's College World Series appearance in 2025, and the 11th under Inouye-Perez.
โข UCLA's All-America trio from last season returns with seniors Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery.
โข Grant, Tinsley and Woolery were all named to the prestigious 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.
โข Grant and Woolery led all duos in the country in 2025 with 49 combined home runs and was second with 167 combined RBIs.
โข Tinsley is UCLA's lone returning pitcher after leading last year's staff with a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 6.63 K/BB ratio in 2025.
โข UCLA's roster consists of 10 returners and 11 newcomers, including six true freshmen and five incoming transfers.
โข The Bruins enter their second year in the Big Ten after finishing second with a 17-5 conference record in their debut season.
โข UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez has guided the Bruins to an 898-225-1 (.799) record.
โข Entering 2026, Inouye-Perez ranks seventh all-time and second among active head coaches with a .796 winning percentage.
ย
COACH I EYEING ANOTHER MILESTONE
โข Kelly Inouye-Perez is two wins away from her 900th career victory as UCLA's head coach. Now in her 20th season leading the Bruins, Inouye-Perez would become the 55th head coach in NCAA Division I Softball history to reach that milestone. UCLA has topped 50 wins in nine of Inouye-Perez's 20 seasons as head coach and reached the Women's College World Series 11 times.
โข Earlier this season, Inouye-Perez became UCLA softball's all-time winningest head coach after defeating No. 4 Florida on Feb. 27 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton for her 888th career victory. She passed her predecessor, former coach and NFCA Hall of Famer Sue Enquist who had an overall mark of 887-175-1 (.835). Sharron Backus, the inaugural coach in UCLA softball history, was the first to reach 800 wins as she retired with a record of 854-173-3 (.831). The three UCLA Athletic Hall-of-Fame head coaches are responsible for all of the Bruins' 2,236 wins and 13 national championships, which are both the most in NCAA history.
ย
HOMER HAPPY BRUINS
โข UCLA has homered in 20 straight games dating back to Feb. 14, which is good for the longest active streak in the country. The Bruins have multiple dingers in each of their last 13 games played with 46 homers over that span.
โข UCLA hit back-to-back jacks in each of its four wins last week versus LMU (March 11) and Michigan State (March 13-15). Against the Lions, Megan Grant, Jordan Woolery and Kaniya Bragg hit back-to-back-to-back homers, marking the first time that was accomplished by a Bruin squad since February 2022.
โข UCLA has scored 52.2 percent of its runs this season via the longball (166 of 318 total runs scored). Ten different Bruins have homered a total of 86 times this season, which ranks second in the country behind Oklahoma (3.08 homers per game).
โข UCLA is on pace to eclipse the century mark in home runs for a second straight season with 86 homers over 28 games so far in 2026. The Bruins are averaging 3.08 HR/GP, projecting them to bash a program-record 160 home runs in the 52-game regular season.
โข Five different Bruins have hit a total of eight grand slams this season. Jordan Woolery has hit a team-high three grand slams this season. Catcher Alexis Ramirez is right behind her with two grand slams of her own.
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NOT JINXING IT
UCLA enters Week 7 on a 19-game winning streak after sweeping Michigan State at Easton Stadium last week. The Bruins' 19 straight wins are second-most in the country behind No. 2 Texas, who is on a 24-game winning streak. UCLA's last 20-game winning streak came during the 2023 season when it won 25 straight contests. Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has had three separate 25-game winning streaks in her career, but has never topped that mark.
ย
USA SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
โข UCLA seniors Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery were named to the prestigious 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, it was announced Jan. 21. The full list is comprised of 53 student-athletes from 24 universities. This marks the third straight year Grant and Woolery have appeared on the Watch List, and the second straight for Tinsley. Last season, Grant and Woolery were USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalists with Grant making the cut for the Top 25 and Woolery advancing to the Top 10.
โข The Top 25 Finalists for the award will be announced April 29. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. Two Bruins have received the honor a total of three times. Rachel Garcia was a back-to-back winner of the award in 2018 and 2019 and Stacey Nuveman won the award in 2002. Six UCLA student-athletes have been a Top 3 Finalist for the award a total of nine times, most recently accomplished by Maya Brady in 2023.
ย
WATCH THE BRUINS ON B1G+
Fans can catch all non-televised UCLA home games and road Big Ten Conference games on a high-quality streaming service, Big Ten Plus (B1G+). Annual passes ($89.99) and monthly passes ($12.99) areย available for purchase here. Roughly 30 UCLA home and road games are viewable only on B1G+.
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This week's trip to New Jersey marks UCLA's first time to the United States Northeast since 1983 when the team traveled to Kingston, Rhode Island, for NCAA Regionals.
ย
No. 7 UCLA (25-3, 6-0 Big Ten) at Rutgers (16-12, 3-3 Big Ten)
Saturday, March 21 โ 3 p.m. (PT) โ B1G+
Sunday, March 22 โ 2 p.m. (PT) โ Big Ten Network
Monday, March 23 โ 3 p.m. (PT) โ Big Ten Network
Venue: Rutgers Softball Complex (Piscataway, N.J.)
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com
ย
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for all 10 of UCLA's remaining home gamesย are on sale. Direct links to single-game ticket purchases can beย viewed here. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or emailย tickets@athletics.ucla.eduย for more information. Additionally, fans with aย 2025-26 Olympic Sports Card, available to purchase for $110, will gain admission to every home game.
ย
KEY NOTES ON THE BRUINS
โข UCLA enters Week 7 on a 19-game winning streak, good for second-longest in the nation.
โข Kelly Inouye-Perez is two wins away from 900 career victories. She became UCLA's all-time winningest head coach earlier this year.
โข Megan Grant (2.346) and Jordan Woolery (1.949) rank first and third in the country in OPS, respectively.
โข Grant enters Week 7 as the NCAA leader in home runs (21), slugging % (1.623), on-base % (.723), OPS (2.346) and walks (39).
โข Twenty-one of Grant's 33 base hits this season (.541 avg.) have been home runs.
โข Grant is averaging one home run per every three at-bats and one walk per every three plate appearances.
โข Grant has reached base in 37 straight games dating back to 2025 NCAA Regionals, good for the longest active streak in the nation.
โข Jordan Woolery is the NCAA leader in RBIs (60) and total bases (110) and ranks third behind Grant in home runs (18).
โข Woolery has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week three times this season, most recently on March 9.
โข UCLA enters Week 7 ranked second in the nation in home runs (86), slugging % (.844) and runs per game (11.36).
โข UCLA has scored 166 of its 318 runs this year via the longball (52.2%).
โข UCLA has recorded 17 run-rule wins this season one year after setting the program record with 28 run-rule wins in 2025.
โข Three separate Bruins enter Week 7 on double-digit hitting streaks: Grant (13 games), Woolery (12) and Ramirez (10).
โข UCLA plays its 52nd season of softball this spring, the 20th with head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez at the helm.
โข UCLA made an NCAA-record 33rd Women's College World Series appearance in 2025, and the 11th under Inouye-Perez.
โข UCLA's All-America trio from last season returns with seniors Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery.
โข Grant, Tinsley and Woolery were all named to the prestigious 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.
โข Grant and Woolery led all duos in the country in 2025 with 49 combined home runs and was second with 167 combined RBIs.
โข Tinsley is UCLA's lone returning pitcher after leading last year's staff with a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 6.63 K/BB ratio in 2025.
โข UCLA's roster consists of 10 returners and 11 newcomers, including six true freshmen and five incoming transfers.
โข The Bruins enter their second year in the Big Ten after finishing second with a 17-5 conference record in their debut season.
โข UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Kelly Inouye-Perez has guided the Bruins to an 898-225-1 (.799) record.
โข Entering 2026, Inouye-Perez ranks seventh all-time and second among active head coaches with a .796 winning percentage.
ย
COACH I EYEING ANOTHER MILESTONE
โข Kelly Inouye-Perez is two wins away from her 900th career victory as UCLA's head coach. Now in her 20th season leading the Bruins, Inouye-Perez would become the 55th head coach in NCAA Division I Softball history to reach that milestone. UCLA has topped 50 wins in nine of Inouye-Perez's 20 seasons as head coach and reached the Women's College World Series 11 times.
โข Earlier this season, Inouye-Perez became UCLA softball's all-time winningest head coach after defeating No. 4 Florida on Feb. 27 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton for her 888th career victory. She passed her predecessor, former coach and NFCA Hall of Famer Sue Enquist who had an overall mark of 887-175-1 (.835). Sharron Backus, the inaugural coach in UCLA softball history, was the first to reach 800 wins as she retired with a record of 854-173-3 (.831). The three UCLA Athletic Hall-of-Fame head coaches are responsible for all of the Bruins' 2,236 wins and 13 national championships, which are both the most in NCAA history.
ย
HOMER HAPPY BRUINS
โข UCLA has homered in 20 straight games dating back to Feb. 14, which is good for the longest active streak in the country. The Bruins have multiple dingers in each of their last 13 games played with 46 homers over that span.
โข UCLA hit back-to-back jacks in each of its four wins last week versus LMU (March 11) and Michigan State (March 13-15). Against the Lions, Megan Grant, Jordan Woolery and Kaniya Bragg hit back-to-back-to-back homers, marking the first time that was accomplished by a Bruin squad since February 2022.
โข UCLA has scored 52.2 percent of its runs this season via the longball (166 of 318 total runs scored). Ten different Bruins have homered a total of 86 times this season, which ranks second in the country behind Oklahoma (3.08 homers per game).
โข UCLA is on pace to eclipse the century mark in home runs for a second straight season with 86 homers over 28 games so far in 2026. The Bruins are averaging 3.08 HR/GP, projecting them to bash a program-record 160 home runs in the 52-game regular season.
โข Five different Bruins have hit a total of eight grand slams this season. Jordan Woolery has hit a team-high three grand slams this season. Catcher Alexis Ramirez is right behind her with two grand slams of her own.
ย
NOT JINXING IT
UCLA enters Week 7 on a 19-game winning streak after sweeping Michigan State at Easton Stadium last week. The Bruins' 19 straight wins are second-most in the country behind No. 2 Texas, who is on a 24-game winning streak. UCLA's last 20-game winning streak came during the 2023 season when it won 25 straight contests. Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has had three separate 25-game winning streaks in her career, but has never topped that mark.
ย
USA SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
โข UCLA seniors Megan Grant, Taylor Tinsley and Jordan Woolery were named to the prestigious 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, it was announced Jan. 21. The full list is comprised of 53 student-athletes from 24 universities. This marks the third straight year Grant and Woolery have appeared on the Watch List, and the second straight for Tinsley. Last season, Grant and Woolery were USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalists with Grant making the cut for the Top 25 and Woolery advancing to the Top 10.
โข The Top 25 Finalists for the award will be announced April 29. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. Two Bruins have received the honor a total of three times. Rachel Garcia was a back-to-back winner of the award in 2018 and 2019 and Stacey Nuveman won the award in 2002. Six UCLA student-athletes have been a Top 3 Finalist for the award a total of nine times, most recently accomplished by Maya Brady in 2023.
ย
WATCH THE BRUINS ON B1G+
Fans can catch all non-televised UCLA home games and road Big Ten Conference games on a high-quality streaming service, Big Ten Plus (B1G+). Annual passes ($89.99) and monthly passes ($12.99) areย available for purchase here. Roughly 30 UCLA home and road games are viewable only on B1G+.
ย
Players Mentioned
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/ SoftballHighlights - UCLA Softball vs. Michigan State (March 15, 2026)
Sunday, March 15
Highlights - UCLA Softball vs. Michigan State (March 14, 2026)
Saturday, March 14
Highlights - UCLA Softball vs. Michigan State (March 13, 2026)
Friday, March 13
Highlights - UCLA Softball vs. LMU (March 11, 2026)
Wednesday, March 11