With No. 12 seed Texas Tech and No. 6 seed Texas set to battle it out in the Women’s College World Series final and UCLA softball officially out of the running, Assistant Sports editor Connor Dullinger gives his five main takeaways from the 2025 campaign.
The return of the “Bruin Bombers”
There is no doubt that junior tandem utility Megan Grant and infielder Jordan Woolery had one of the best combined seasons in UCLA softball and even collegiate softball history.
Not only did the Bruin duo break UCLA’s record for most single-season combined RBIs with 167, but Grant stepped into second place in single-season home runs with 26. And Woolery didn’t finish far behind, posting 23.
The two 2025 NFCA First Team All-Americans will undoubtedly go down as some of the Bruin all-time greats.
Yet, the duo still has one year left.
With a large rising freshmen class this season – many of whom played key roles in the field, the circle and the batters box – the corner infielders will lead a much more experienced squad next year.
And while the pair brings a wealth of experience and skill, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez touts them as the emotional leaders and team glue of the squad.
Although improving from this year will be a tall task, I expect Grant and Woolery to come back next year with an even bigger chip on their shoulders.
Freshmen phenoms
Even from the beginning of the season, Inouye-Perez has always been high on her freshman class.
And to be fair, it didn’t disappoint her.
Outfielder Rylee Slimp finished third on the team in batting average with a .383 tally. While she doesn’t brandish a powerful bat, she may be the best contact hitter on the team.
Slimp racked up 70 hits and 25 RBIs, and she proved to be a trusty defensive option in the corners of the outfield.
Infielder/utility Kaniya Bragg showcased her versatility.
She slid into the shortstop role after infielder Aleena Garcia went down with a season-ending injury and didn’t miss a step replacing one of the Bruins’ best defensive players. And at the plate, she logged double-digit home runs along with 43 RBIs.
Pitcher/utility Addisen Fisher – the top-ranked recruit in the country as a high school senior – proved that she can handle the country’s best hitters. She finished her freshman campaign with a 2.59 ERA through 113.2 innings pitched and struck out 100 batters. Fisher even threw a no-hitter in UCLA’s victory over Howard.
Lastly, catcher/designated player Sofia Mujica added nine long balls while serving as a trusted backstop option alongside redshirt sophomore catcher/utility Alexis Ramirez.
Aleena Garcia returns
Even in just 39 at-bats, Garcia looked to be the cream of the crop of an already stacked freshman recruiting class.
Not only was she a human highlight reel in the middle of the infield, but she also provided a reliable bat. Garcia logged a .333 batting average along with 13 hits and nine RBIs before her season-ending injury.
She also showed a little pop in her bat, knocking two balls over the fence, including key insurance runs in victories over Oklahoma State and Missouri on Feb. 14 and Feb. 20, respectively.
Her return to the lineup will not only give UCLA a staunch bat in the order but will also overload a Gold Glove infield. I expect Garcia to retake the mantle at shortstop and Bragg to return to third base, which would leave Grant and Woolery remaining at the last two infield spots.
While the four of them could take up each infield spot, I believe Woolery will slide back to first, while Grant will take the other corner outfield spot opposite Slimp.
Garcia’s return will be paramount to the Bruins’ defensive prowess and offensive consistency, regardless of how Inouye-Perez decides to shake up the infield.
No more Clements or Pola
There is nothing more important in softball than consistency.
And graduate student outfielder Jessica Clements and senior utility Savannah Pola were the definition of that.
In Clements’s one year in Westwood, she boasted a .372 batting average along with 83 hits and 44 RBIs. She only knocked six balls out of the park, but they came when it mattered most – hitting a walk-off two-run home run against Oregon in the opening round of the WCWS.
Likewise, Pola was the most stable contact hitter on the team, recording a team-leading .428 batting average – which also ranked 37th in the nation – alongside a team-leading 98 base hits.
Maybe more importantly, though, is the hole she leaves at second base. Before an error in her second-to-last game as a Bruin, she held a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage through nearly the entire season.
Similarly, Clements patrolled center field, stopping runners from taking extra bases and limiting opposing teams’ offenses as much as possible.
Clements and Pola will be difficult to replace.
However, I fully expect the Bruins to go to the transfer portal to find a center field replacement, just like they did the last two seasons with Clements and former Bruin Jadelyn Allchin.
Although the Bruins could find another middle infielder to address the loss of Pola, I believe they will turn to the dugout or the incoming recruiting class.
The circle stays strong
While the bats were the talk of the town around Easton Stadium, the Bruins’ pitching was arguably their strongest quality.
And the pitching staff will get even stronger next season, as the Bruins are returning two of its four aces: 2025 NFCA Third Team All-American Taylor Tinsley and Fisher. Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Kaitlyn Terry entered the transfer portal, according to D1 Softball.
All three arms threw over 100 innings this season and each amassed over 100 strikeouts while maintaining sub-2.65 ERAs. Experience will only bolster this unit – particularly Fisher, who proved to be one of the best pitchers in the nation even as a freshman.
The staff will lose an arm in senior Jada Cecil – who sported a spotless 4-0 record and team-best 1.22 ERA. The Bruins will have to replace their midweek pitcher, and I believe they will rely on an incoming freshman arm next season.
The lone pitcher in the Bruins’ 2025 recruiting class is pitcher/outfielder Natalie Cable. While she is the lowest-ranked of the incoming recruiting class – sitting at 57th in the country – she is the fourth best recruit in the state of Florida and recorded a 53-13 record with a 0.63 ERA across three years of high school varsity softball.
Cable could slide in as the Bruins’ midweek starter, but she could also develop into another ace for the Bruins.
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