No. 2 seed UCLA softball is headed to West Lafayette, Indiana, for the Big Ten tournament semifinals. UCLA will begin play Friday morning against No. 3 seed Nebraska. The Bruins defeated the Cornhuskers 9-1 earlier this season in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. A win over Nebraska would send UCLA to the final, where it would face either No. 8 seed Michigan or No. 12 seed Purdue. The final will be Saturday, where Michigan – a squad UCLA swept two weeks ago – is a likely contender The Daily Bruin Sports softball beat provides its thoughts on how the Bruins will fare in their inaugural Big Ten tournament.

Connor Dullinger
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: Big Ten champions

Doctors tend to say that when a bone breaks, it heals to be stronger than before.

While UCLA fell in two of its final three series of its regular season – sweeping Michigan but losing two of three to Oregon and Northwestern – its pitfalls will fuel its future postseason success.

A month ago, this squad seemed like one of its best iterations Easton Stadium has seen since the Bruins won their last national title in 2019.

While the last three weeks may prove otherwise, stagnated play doesn’t last forever.

And there is no doubt that the Bruins can return to their previous form.

UCLA has a pitching staff that rivals any other in the nation, with four that could be the ace on any other team in the country. The squad matches its defense with bats that include junior tandem infielder Jordan Woolery and utility Megan Grant, both of whom were nominated as top-25 finalists for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year.

[Related: UCLA softball’s 4 aces bring unique experiences, skills to bullpen]

And while this squad may lack the depth and experience on the diamond necessary for postseason success, the Bruins’ historic freshman class has proved itself in the spotlight, headlined by pitcher/utility Addisen Fisher being a finalist for the NFCA Freshman of the Year top 25 list.

[Related: UCLA softball’s freshman class exhibits versatility in elevated roles on the field]

With a coaching staff highlighted by head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez and assistant coach Lisa Fernandez, the Bruins might boast more championship experience than any other school in the nation.

Whether it’s the players on the field or the coaches in the dugout, the Bruins sport the experience and talent to battle any team in the country – more than enough to lead them to their first ever Big Ten tournament title.

Felicia Keller
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: Semifinals loss

The Bruins had a disastrous final weekend of the regular season.

UCLA’s best performance came Saturday, in a 15-8 victory over Northwestern that, frankly, shouldn’t have even gotten that close. The Bruins jumped out to an 11-0 lead before surrendering that.

And Friday and Sunday were no better. Getting run-ruled Friday and falling on Sunday’s Senior Day, the Bruins floundered to end the season.

And while they will eventually return to their bat-swinging ways, I don’t see it being that quick of a turnaround. Especially not with how packed their schedule has been of late – they headed out to the Big Ten tournament with just one day off, and they weren’t able to get in a solid practice to reset.

And the Bruins’ bats still weren’t swinging in their tight 5-4 walk-off win over No. 10 seed Indiana.

I see UCLA falling to No. 3 seed Nebraska – which beat No. 11 seed Penn State in the quarterfinals.

The Bruins’ new Big Ten foes will take them down in their new conference, spelling an semifinal exit from the tournament for the No. 2 seed.

Matthew Niiya
Daily Bruin staff
Prediction: Semifinals loss

The Pac-12 softball tournament lasted a mere two years before the conference collapsed.

The Bruins, however, had success – making the final in 2023 and winning the 2024 iteration.

To get to the championship game, UCLA faced No. 10 seed Indiana in the quarterfinal and will face No. 3 seed Nebraska in the semifinal.

The Bruins had not seen the Hoosiers this season but did knock off the Cornhuskers at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in a six-inning run-rule victory.

However, Nebraska did not roll out its ace in the matchup back on Feb. 20. Instead, Nebraska pitcher/utility Jordyn Bahl played first base while three Cornhusker pitchers combined to yield nine runs to the Bruin offense.

However, I would expect Nebraska to have Bahl – who ranks 10th in the nation in ERA and first in the Big Ten with a mark of 1.46 – in the circle for much of the postseason, especially against the powerful Bruin bats.

As of late, the Bruins have struggled to produce against tough pitching the first time, and ultimately, Bahl will be too much for the UCLA bats to handle.

Andrew Wong
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Big Ten tournament runner-up

Anything can happen in a one-and-done tournament.

Despite the Bruins coming off of an ugly series loss to Northwestern, I still believe in their ability to bury opponents with smothering bats, which should get them through the top half of the bracket en route to the title game.

With UCLA facing No. 3 seed Nebraska – which it beat handily 9-1 earlier this season in run-rule fashion – in the semifinal, I would once again look to the offense to take it to the promised land.

But danger lurks like sharks in blood-infested waters in the bottom half of the bracket. No. 8 seed Michigan is the favorite to emerge from the other half of the bracket. While UCLA swept Michigan in the regular season, Michigan defeated No. 1 seed Oregon – the team that handed UCLA its first series loss of the season – in the Big Ten quarterfinals.

Michigan clearly has the ability to neutralize UCLA’s biggest strength. It’s also important to point out that in both of UCLA’s series losses, it dropped the opening game before redeeming itself in the second matchup of a three-game series. Slow starts against a powerhouse team will not bode well in a single-elimination format.