This post was updated May 13 at 11:47 p.m.
Tom and Jerry, Serena and Blair, Doofenshmirtz and Perry the Platypus.
Dynamic duos stamp their impacts through stories, iconic outfits and nicknames.
And collegiate softball’s power pair takes the shape of the “Bruin Bombers.”
The “Bruin Bombers” will be integral as No. 2 seed UCLA softball (47-8, 20-4 Big Ten) will host the NCAA Los Angeles regional, which includes opponents No. 7 seed South Carolina (30-26, 7-17 SEC), Cal State Fullerton (40-13, 24-3 Big West) and Cal Baptist (43-17, 15-3 WAC), starting Friday and ending Sunday. The Bruins will face the Lancers in their first game of the LA regional Friday at Easton Stadium.
Senior tandem utility Megan Grant and infielder Jordan Woolery have spearheaded UCLA’s record-breaking season at the plate. The pair both boast top-10 batting averages in the nation, with Woolery sitting in the fourth spot with a .515 clip and Grant two places behind her with a .475 tally. The Bruins remain the sole team to have multiple hitters ranking in the top 10, and as a squad, they rank third in the country with a .386 mark.
“When it comes to that, the ability to get both of them as many at-bats as possible, and obviously keep them together,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “You can flip a coin and put either of them in any situation. Jordan is someone who has done a great job of being able to come up with some really timely hits in key situations, and Megan has as well. Bottom line, it puts a lot of pressure on the opponent to figure out how to pitch both of them.”
But the Bruins’ hitting prowess doesn’t end with Grant and Woolery.
UCLA boasts eight hitters with double-digit home runs, and the squad has shattered multiple NCAA, Big Ten and program records, some of which were set in the 1990s. While the Bruins’ 2026 campaign is nothing short of historic, they have consistently highlighted their love for each other.
“This team is crazy, in the best way,” said senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley. “We all get along so well. We all hang out all the time off the field, the chemistry is great. It reminds us why we played softball in the first place. We play to have fun and we play to make friendships and make sisterhood.”
Despite the strength of the Bruins’ batting, they may have met their match in the conference tournament final.
During the Big Ten tournament from May 7 to May 9, UCLA faced the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Nebraska senior Jordy Frahm, who hindered the team’s hitting prowess.
Frahm, who has recorded 201 strikeouts this season, challenged UCLA’s lineup. Although she conceded a record-setting home run to Grant in the third inning of the Big Ten championship on Saturday, she limited the Bruin batting order to five hits across all seven innings while also punching out eight batters across 26 Bruin at-bats.
As the Bruins begin to face tougher defensive teams with elite pitchers, their ability to hit for power and put runners on base may be tested.
“It’s great that we have a lot of information on these teams because we played them before,” Grant said. “We know that how people are at the beginning of the season and the middle doesn’t determine how they are at the end. Everyone brings their A-game no matter what during this time of year. We’re getting prepared as much as we can today and all throughout this week.”
And with upcoming pitchers who may restrict the Bruins’ big hitters, the squad must rely on its defense and pitching.
Tinsley boasts 20 complete games this season, pitching 185.2 innings across 40 appearances.
She has been UCLA’s ace all season; however, in the squad’s most recent matchup against Nebraska, she walked two hitters, gave up six hits and allowed five earned runs. Across the 28 batters she faced, she struck out just two, a far cry from her season high of nine.
“Taylor has literally put this program on her back from her sophomore year until today,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s tough to do it on your own. Could she? Absolutely, but I work with all the pitchers, and I have great faith that they can come in and they can be a role player at any time.”
UCLA is set for a rematch against Cal Baptist in its first game of the regional round. The Bruins previously defeated the Lancers 13-6 at Easton Stadium on April 14.
Depending on the outcome of Friday night, UCLA will face another familiar opponent – Cal State Fullerton, which it beat at Anderson Family Field 13-11 on April 7, or South Carolina, which the Westwood squad took down 5-4 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 21.
“We’ve played all these teams at different times in the year, and we saw different versions of ourselves throughout the year,” Woolery said. “It’s important to … be our best when our best is needed.”
And UCLA has found its best throughout the season.
The Bruins mounted both a 22-game winning streak and a 15-game winning streak this season, while also reaching the Big Ten championship, while only losing twice at home.
But the postseason may bring surprises.
“Coach I (Inouye-Perez) preaches being where our feet are and staying present in the moment,” Tinsley said. “The game is fast, so taking it slow and calming ourselves down, working on our breath and making the next decision.”
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