Historic feats breed legends.
No. 9 UCLA softball (15-3) defeated East Texas A&M (5-15) 14-0 and No. 6 Florida 15-12 (22-1) in the first leg of the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California, on Friday, marking coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s 888th win as head coach.
Inouye-Perez became the winningest head coach in program history as a result of the Bruins’ back-to-back victories, surpassing former head coach Sue Enquist, who Inouye-Perez played under during Enquists’ first four seasons at the helm.
“It’s just really special to be a part of the legacy that not only coach I (Inouye-Perez) has created, but Sue Enquist and Sharon Backus, and just being able to be a small part of that and contribute to that legacy with coach I,” said redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez, who notched two home runs and five RBIs across UCLA’s two Friday contests. “I’ve loved playing for her and learning from her, and the relationship that I have with her. … I’m so glad that we can share this with her as a team and really lift her up.”
Just three coaches – Inouye-Perez, Enquist and Sharron Backus – have helmed the Bruin program since 1975. The trio has garnered a collegiate-high 12 national championships.
And Inouye-Perez said her Friday feat reflected her goal to maintain the standard she helped mold.
“The goal is to be able to sustain this program, the tradition of excellence that I got to be a part of as a student athlete, it started well before me, so that’s our goal,” Inouye-Perez said. “Lisa (associate head coach Lisa Fernandez) and I are here to be able to create the same experience and to carry on this tradition of success.”
The Bruins’ head honcho has seemingly carried this championship-caliber standard into the 2026 campaign, which is Inouye-Perez’s 20th year at the helm, since Friday’s back-to-back triumphs extended the Bruins’ winning streak to nine games.
UCLA has yet to lose a game since falling to then-No. 6 Florida State 11-7 Feb. 14 at the Clearwater Invitational, where the team posted all three of its losses thus far this season.
Senior infielder Jordan Woolery said the Bruins’ Clearwater, Florida, outing helped develop their new players, especially since Inouye-Perez welcomed six freshmen and five transfers to replace 13 departees ahead of the 2026 season.
And throughout Woolery’s four-year Westwood career, she said the relationship she’s built with Inouye-Perez has reaped mutual growth. Inouye-Perez also said she sees a lot of herself in Woolery, utility Megan Grant and pitcher Taylor Tinsley, who are the Bruins’ sole seniors.
“We’ve been close since I got to UCLA, and our relationship has only gotten stronger these last four years,” Woolery said. “There’s been a lot of moments where I’ve had to rely on her, and she’s also had to rely on me, like a leadership role for the team … we have a really good dynamic.”
UCLA barreled five combined home runs against East Texas A&M in the latter’s five-inning, mercy-rule victory. Freshman utility Jolyna Lamar recorded two out-of-the-park blasts for seven RBIs.
And the Bruins recorded three additional home runs – including redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia’s first-inning grand slam – across the first two innings against the Gators, which helped them mount a nine-run lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Regardless of UCLA’s success on the diamond, Inouye-Perez has not only prioritized developing stalwart athletes, but strong women off the field.
“Moments like this come because our focus is how they can become the best version of themselves and leave a stronger female than they were when they came into UCLA,” Inouye-Perez said. “Instead of just focusing on ball, we’re focusing on developing strong women and understanding how to be present and take advantage of opportunities.”
UCLA will close out its non-conference slate in its last three games at the Judi Garman Classic, where the Westwood bunch will face BYU and Seattle University on Saturday, along with Oregon State on Sunday.
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