UCLA Softball: Bruins Fall in Women's College World Series to Pac-12 Rival

The Bruins will come up short of the championship.

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

The UCLA softball team has been eliminated from the Women's College World Series, losing to Pac-12 rival Stanford 3-1. The Cardinal held the Bruins to just four hits and one run by Megan Grant. UCLA's Maya Brady was struck out a shocking three times.

Despite the loss, UCLA softball head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez was nothing but proud of her team after the game. The Bruins got off to an unusually slow start this season, and went on a run in the second half of the year to make the WCWS and give themselves a chance at the title, though they ultimately fell short.

"I don't even know how to sum up in a short opening statement of just how proud I am of this team," Inouye-Perez said, via UCLA Communications. "I told them to keep it together. I'm just going to say this. I'm proud. I've said this, I've never been so proud of a team. I've coached a long time. It was hard. This season was hard. Nobody expected us, I was telling the team, not even us, that we were going to get here. Our coaches, our players, our staff, the support, the belief, the trust, the work to get us back here is something that I am proud of. I am proud.

"When I put it all together, this is the greatest year of coaching I've experienced," Inouye-Perez continued. "Man, building belief, building trust, building a team that could fight. We were right where we needed to be, and we ran out of time. But we were prepared. I know that everyone knew at any moment this team could win a ballgame. I'm proud of my young pitching staff. I'm proud of Maya Brady. In February we looked at each other. It was like, Do you believe? We looked at each other with, Wow, is this really happening?"

This loss is also bittersweet as it marks the final game of Maya Brady's Bruin career. The 5-foot-10 shortstop, who is famously known as the niece of Tom Brady, has been phenomenal over her career. She is the two-time reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year and was the Pac-12 batting champion back in 2023.

“Just a dream, this was my dream,” Brady told reporters of her UCLA career. “I feel like as a little girl you always look at the program, the coaching staff, and the players. You think that they’re untouchable. Just to get the opportunity to wear this jersey, get my degree, be close to my family, have my family at every game has just been perfect. I knew that that's why I was coming to UCLA anyway. It surpassed my expectations. We never got to win, but trust me, I’m winning in life ... I feel so blessed.”

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