This post was updated May 7 at 9:27 p.m.

No. 1 seed UCLA softball (34-10, 17-4 Pac-12) is headed to Palo Alto for the Pac-12 tournament. UCLA will begin play Thursday against the winner of No. 8 seed Oregon State and No. 9 seed Arizona State, both of whom the Bruins won the series against. A win would send UCLA to the semifinal, where it would face either No. 4 seed Washington or No. 5 seed Arizona. The final will be Saturday, and the highest seed on that side of the bracket is No. 2 Stanford, along with last year’s winner, No. 6 Utah. The 2024 softball beat provides its thoughts on how the Bruins will fare.

Matthew Royer
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: Pac-12 champions

Win or go home. That’s the name of the game.

Last year in conference play and the inaugural tournament, the top-seeded Bruins took 25 straight wins into the championship game.

In the past, nothing else was needed after securing a regular season championship to clinch an opportunity to earn a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

But that was then, and this is now.

Uncharacteristic performances from pitchers Megan Faraimo and Brooke Yanez against Utah led UCLA to miss out on the guaranteed spot for glory.

It was the end for the Bruins’ wins on the season – as they did not fare any better in the NCAA tournament.

In its second iteration, the Pac-12 tournament will face its end as well.

The Bruins have faced a barrage of postponements and cancellations due to weather and other extenuating circumstances – landing them three games behind other Pac-12 opponents. However, this UCLA team ended on a 12-1 run and, unlike last year, will meet the expectations – defeating Stanford in the Pac-12 championship.

UCLA’s offense led by redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady, redshirt senior catcher Sharlize Palacios and sophomore utility Megan Grant and company already put the hurt on the Cardinal in an April sweep, circumventing the dominant pitching staff in Palo Alto and taking first in the conference in the process.

Last year sent a message to the offense: you either show up or go home. This year they’re showing up, and showing up big.

Samantha Garcia
Daily Bruin reporter
Prediction: Pac-12 champions

In February, the Bruins fell to No. 20, but they have built themselves back up and jumped to a No. 6 ranking heading into the postseason.

They won all but one series in the regular season to claim that conference crown, and the Bruins have lost only one game since April 9.

As the No. 1 seed in the tournament, it is fitting that UCLA’s roster consists of top players in the conference.

The deep roster ranges from young talent like freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry – with a 16-1 record – to veterans like Brady and Palacios – the two most recent Pac-12 Players of the Week. All three players picked up All-Pac-12 First Team honors.

Bringing their conference record and vengeance with them to Stanford, the Bruins are the inevitable Pac-12 tournament champions.

Matthew Niiya
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Semifinal loss to Washington

Backed up against a wall, dogs fight back.

The single elimination format puts teams in this situation.

In recent weeks, the offense has been firing on all cylinders, and Terry has gained valuable experience in Taylor Tinsley’s absence.

The sophomore pitcher has not appeared in a game since an April 26 outing against Arizona that lasted just four innings. She was originally penciled in to start two days later but was scratched just before the game.

Terry pitched all 21 innings of the Bruins’ sweep over Arizona State, while the offense poured on 24 runs across the three-game set.

A first-round matchup against Oregon State or Arizona State should offer little resistance against a UCLA squad that enters the tournament with 12 wins through its last 13 games.

The semifinal, however, poses a sneaky threat in Washington.

The Huskies were the only team to hand the Bruins a series loss during conference play – taking two out of three in Husky Softball Stadium.

For the second consecutive year, the 13-time Pac-12 regular season conference champions will miss out on the Pac-12 tournament crown – one that will forever elude them.

Caleb Kim
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Pac-12 champions

It has been a season of redemption for the Bruins.

The 2023 season ended in unexpected fashion for UCLA with a loss to Utah in the Pac-12 tournament final that was followed up by two NCAA tournament losses.

This year’s Pac-12 tournament marks the start of potential redemption for the winningest program in the nation. The way the Bruins ended the prior season showed the regular season doesn’t always dictate postseason results.

But I believe this season will be different.

With additional motivation behind the 2024 Pac-12 regular season champions, it’s difficult to expect anything less than the tournament crown.

I expect UCLA to withstand Oregon State on Thursday and Washington on Friday, leading up to a finals matchup with the Cardinal.

Saturday will be determined by the battle of the bullpen, with Stanford fueled by pitcher NiJaree Canady, who leads the Pac-12 with an ERA of 0.53.

The Bruins have demonstrated that their roster is not only built to compete but is arguably the best in the Pac-12, holding the No. 1 seed with fire power in both the circle and batter’s box.