This post was updated May 17 at 12:13 a.m.

No. 6 seed UCLA softball will host the NCAA Los Angeles Regional and open play Friday against Grand Canyon for the third year in a row. With San Diego State – also making its return to Easton Stadium for the second consecutive season – and Virginia Tech rounding out the four-team group, the Daily Bruin Sports softball beat shares how it sees the Bruins’ season ending.

Matthew Royer
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: Loss in Super Regionals to No. 11 seed Georgia

The Bruins flipped the script on last year’s postseason horrors last weekend in Palo Alto.

The Pac-12 tournament and regular season championship secured UCLA a position in the top eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament and an opportunity to host the Los Angeles Regional – and a potential Los Angeles Super Regional.

And unlike in years past, the Bruins’ lineup is more of a sure thing than its pitching.

Led by redshirt seniors shortstop Maya Brady and catcher Sharlize Palacios, UCLA has some serious pop in the front half of the order – proving its status among the NCAA’s best in the Pac-12 Tournament.

This is why I believe the Bruins will have no problem carving their way through the competition of Virginia Tech, San Diego State and Grand Canyon.

However, with a potential rematch in the Super Regionals against early-season foe Georgia, a best-of-three series will get the best of the UCLA rotation.

In February, the Bulldogs rocked sophomore pitcher Taylor Tinsley for six runs. But since then, the Georgia-native has been among the country’s best.

Tinsley’s 1.45 ERA since Feb. 16 earned her National Pitcher of the Week honors once, as well as a spot on the All-Pac-12 First Team.

Tinsley and fellow hurler freshman Kaitlyn Terry can compete – just not against the six pitchers at Georgia’s arsenal in a three-game set.

The Bulldogs’ ability to mix pitchers and provide rest when needed will prove fruitful in making a Women’s College World Series run – something the Bruins just do not have the luxury of doing – sending the Easton Stadium hosts looking toward next year.

Matthew Niiya
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Loss in WCWS

The Bruins have been playing with fire all season.

Their ability to flip a switch and flood the scoreboard has made for storybook endings.

A seven-run deficit turned into a victory on Senior Day – the program’s largest comeback win. “Bruin Magic” was put on display again in the Pac-12 Tournament with late surges against Arizona and Utah helping to secure the trophy.

But as competition stiffens, the Bruins cannot bank on comeback victories if they want to make it to Oklahoma City.

The nation watched last year as a robust UCLA lineup was held to three runs over its two games, unable to dig out of a pair of one-run deficits.

The Bruins should be able to breeze through to the Super Regional where, if all goes chalk, a rematch with Georgia is in store.

Though the Bulldogs routed the Bruins in their early-season contest, these teams have since gone in opposite directions.

A disappointing opening to the campaign for UCLA turned into Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles. On the other hand, Georgia won its first nine games but has since struggled, posting a .500 conference record and failing to win back-to-back games since April 20.

A trip back to the WCWS will be booked in front of the home crowd but will ultimately be cut short.

Samantha Garcia
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Loss in WCWS

Home crowd advantage is clear here as, on a roster of 25 players, 22 Bruins are California natives.

With home crowd support and three unranked teams in their bracket, UCLA should have no problem making it out of Regionals and into Super Regionals.

But I think the Bruins will take it one step further.

Georgia should make it out of the Athens Regional to battle UCLA for a spot in the WCWS.

In the early-season match, the Bulldogs were victorious but have since fallen to the middle of the SEC pack – striking even with conference wins and losses. While in the Pac-12, the Bruins turned their season around after a start that was responsible for six out of their ten losses overall this season – including the worst loss in program history.

UCLA will continue to rewrite the narrative as it takes down Georgia and punches its ticket to Oklahoma City.

But the Sooner State hosts the top softball teams in the United States.

Sitting at the bottom half of the top eight NCAA teams with nearly half the roster having never been to the WCWS, it is likely that the Bruins will fall from the tournament.

Caleb Kim
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: First Round Loss in WCWS to No. 3 seed Tennessee

The Bruins are riding off momentum.

An eight-game win streak – including the victory against Utah to hoist the final Pac-12 tournament trophy – gives the Bruins a nice wave to coast on heading into the NCAA tournament.

But we saw last year how the Bruins handled a loss of momentum. After a promising 25-game win streak heading into the Pac-12 championship game, the Bruins looked unbeatable.

But the wave came crashing down after a loss in the Pac-12 final, and the turbulence persisted as UCLA lost its first two games of the regional against this year’s repeat first-round opponent, Grand Canyon, and Liberty University.

Maybe I am just pessimistic, but a single setback may end the Bruins’ season similar to how it did the season prior – with them losing all momentum and being unable to respond properly.

Despite this, I think the Bruins will cruise through the Regional and Super Regional rounds.

The real test will come in the first round of the WCWS against Tennessee, whose bullpen holds the second-lowest ERA in the nation, led by pitchers Payton Gottshall and Karlyn Pickens, who hold 1.25 and 1.26 ERAs, respectively.

In a best of three series, there is little time to recoup if a loss occurs, and I believe this is where UCLA will experience its first loss of the tournament and eventually be sent home. The lack of a timely response to a loss on this stage will be too much for the Bruins, especially after last year’s outcome.

Regardless of where I believe their first loss will come, how the Bruins respond will determine the Bruins’ fate.

Nicole Augusta
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: WCWS loss to No. 2 seed Oklahoma

When it seemed nearly impossible this year, the Bruins pulled ahead.

Home runs, grand slams and strikeouts characterized UCLA’s repeated surges to victory when all else seemed lost. The effect of the team’s triumphant lineup – in spite of losing its once-core pieces – is what coach Kelly Inouye-Perez calls “Bruin Magic” and will sponsor her squad’s trip to Oklahoma City.

While the upcoming weekend ominously resembles last year’s postseason attempt, one variable is different: The Bruins have a fresh win in their pocket, making the difference to sustain UCLA through its Easton Stadium competition.

Even with the comfort of home in the rearview, victory still won’t evade the Bruins’ clutches. Behind the swings of USA Softball Player of the Year contender Brady and Pac-12 tournament MVP Palacios – the final of their collegiate careers – and the fresh arms of the conference’s freshman honoree Terry and Georgia-local Tinsley, the Bruins will surpass the Bulldogs’ bullpen depth in the rematch.

When faced with Tennessee – by many accounts a finalist contender – UCLA still won’t be stopped. Only the WCWS’s own home team – long-reigning Oklahoma – has a chance of capping the team’s victorious record.

The Sooners may not be a straight shoo-in for a four-peat, especially with the Longhorns assured a deep run, but their legacy is far too great for the Bruins to usurp this year.

When it comes to UCLA’s time in Oklahoma City, optimism in its team – not purely in its strength or resilience, but in every variable of its roster to perform in sync – is merely realism.