This post was updated May 22 at 10:45 p.m.

One inaugural Big Ten tournament and one undefeated NCAA regionals later, just one task remains ahead before the Bruins can punch their tickets to the Women’s College World Series.

Traveling for the super regionals for the first time in more than a decade, No. 9 seed UCLA softball (52-10, 17-5 Big Ten) will begin a best-of-three series against No. 8 seed South Carolina (43-15, 13-11 SEC) beginning Friday morning at the Carolina Softball Stadium.

The tournament marks the first time the Bruins won’t be playing the super regionals at Easton Stadium since 2016 when they travelled to Eugene, Oregon. The winner of the series will advance to the WCWS in Oklahoma City.

“It never gets old, being able to be in a super regional,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “A goal is to be able to get there, and I’m excited to be able to see this group play.”

The squad will face an unfamiliar opponent in South Carolina, having last played each other in 2017 when the Bruins defeated the Gamecocks 5-2, adding their 12th win in 13 matchups against South Carolina.

The two programs made history for the longest WCWS game when they played 17 innings in 1983. UCLA ultimately won 2-1, and the game now ties for the second-longest in WCWS history.

Both teams are undefeated in this year’s NCAA tournament, each run-ruling their respective opponents Sunday. The Bruins totaled 31 runs during the regional round, while the Gamecocks reached home 16 times across the weekend.

Junior tandem infielder Jordan Woolery and utility Megan Grant lead UCLA offensively, setting a program record with 161 combined RBIs in a single season Sunday against UC Santa Barbara.

The Gamecocks also have a record-setting slugger in First Team All-American infielder Arianna Rodi, whose 16th home run May 7 marked the most in a single season in South Carolina history.

While the Bruins’ offense ran away with three run-rule victories at regionals, the pitching staff also allowed just two runs during the series.

“We can score runs, but their ability to put up zeros is really impressive,” said redshirt sophomore catcher/utility Alexis Ramirez.

Contributing on both sides of the game is sophomore pitcher/outfielder Kaitlyn Terry. The 2024 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year launched a go-ahead three-run home run in the fourth inning against UC Santa Barbara on Friday, giving UCLA its first run of the game.

Terry also went on to pitch two scoreless innings Friday, and then threw another six shutout innings against San Diego State on Saturday.

“She (Terry) has one mode. She’s going, she’s attacking, she’s competing,” Inouye-Perez said. “She now has rise, drop, change. She has all sides. She’s a very, very difficult pitcher to be able to prepare for.”

As the only two South Carolina pitchers to have thrown a complete game this season, Gamecocks Jori Heard and Sam Gress take on most of the workload in the circle, combining for 208 strikeouts across 270.4 innings.

Gress became the first South Carolina pitcher to be selected for the SEC All-Defensive Team and was drafted to play professionally in the Fastpitch United Pro Series on Tuesday.

South Carolina is also heading into the matchup with first-year coach Ashley Chastain Woodard, who made it to the super regionals in 2019 as a pitching coach for Ole Miss but has never made it to the WCWS as a player or coach. Meanwhile, Inouye-Perez has taken UCLA to the WCWS 10 times while helming the Bruins.

But with five freshmen regularly seeing time on the field, UCLA’s starting roster is not overflowing with experience. Therefore, the returning players who advanced to the WCWS last season may need to guide their younger teammates through the remainder of the tournament.

“Playing for each other – more than anything else – is probably the biggest thing,” Terry said.

South Carolina is the last stop for either the Gamecocks to make it to their first WCWS since 1997 – or the Bruins to get a second shot in as many years at a national title in Oklahoma City.

“They’re on a mission to be able to play their best ball, and I believe we’re doing that,” Inouye-Perez said.