Go big or go home.

No. 3 seed UCLA softball (45-7, 20-4 Big Ten) is set to take on the winner of the first round matchup between No. 6 seed Northwestern (29-20, 16-8) and No. 11 seed Penn State (32-20, 11-13) in the second round of the Big Ten tournament on Thursday at Maryland Softball Stadium in College Park, Maryland. The Bruins secured a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

The last time the teams faced off against each other was in 2004, when the Bruins earned a 5-2 victory at the OSU tournament in Palm Springs, California.

UCLA lost a home series to Northwestern in 2025, in which the Westwood squad took the second game 15-8 but lost the first matchup 8-0 in six innings and the final contest 5-3. However, the new season presents a chance for the Bruins to either flip the script on the Wildcats or maintain their winning record against the Nittany Lions.

And the team is taking advantage of its first-round break.

“Resting and recovering, that’s all it’s about,” said senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley. “Everybody on the team, we all kind of have the same routine when it comes to resting and recovering because it’s not alone such a physical game but so mental – and that honestly is more tiring than the physical part most of the time, especially for me. (I’m) taking time to recover, rest my body and take it day-by-day, waiting for the next game.”

Taking advantage of the time to recover will be key, since UCLA may find itself in a rematch against No. 2 seed Oregon in the semifinal round if the squad wins its first game in the tournament.

During their last series, the Bruins sustained their first two losses at home all season, which allowed the Ducks to steal second place in the Big Ten standings from the Bruins.

But on Sunday, UCLA mounted an 11-3 run-rule triumph, responding to its early-series woes.

“Their (the Bruins) ability to pull together, they played great softball today, and the ability to respond is something that we need, especially going into the postseason,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.

If Oregon suffers another defeat, the UCLA squad would face either No. 7 seed Wisconsin or No. 10 seed Purdue on Friday.

But the Bruins are feeling prepared for anything.

“It’s important to get hot at the right time,” said senior infielder Jordan Woolery. “Today was a good step in the right direction for us getting hot. And the offense yesterday showed up a little bit, too, which is good to see. We’re going in the right direction. Things are looking our way, and I’m excited to see what this next week holds, then Regionals and supers (Super Regionals) and World Series (Women’s College World Series) too.”

And this week could hold a third game as well, with the tournament final scheduled for Saturday.

Even if the tournament ends for the Bruins before the championship match, the following weeks will give them additional chances to play postseason softball.

A team-first mentality has prevailed throughout the season, with the importance of working together representing the Bruins’ top priority.

“Relying on each other because as a team, we are contagious,” said senior utility Megan Grant. “And with that, we bounce off each other, and as we prepare and do the hard before the easy, we rely on each other with those little things.”

And the team has faced both the hard and the easy this year.

The Bruins cruised through the bulk of their 2026 campaign, with the squad mounting 20- and 15-game winning streaks, respectively.

But they may have faced adversity at just the perfect time.

“A new season begins,” Inouye-Perez said. “This is the postseason, they’re going to come at you, and you have to find a way to continue to fight. … We got challenged in this last week. And it’s an advantage that we played Washington and Oregon because that’s very similar to what postseason is going to be like, and we had the ability to respond to that.”

UCLA may face both of those teams over the course of the weekend and beyond. If not, there are still high-ranked teams that await the Bruins in the NCAA tournament.

But the UCLA seniors are advising the team to soak in the moment while embracing the fun of the sport, no matter the outcome.

“Enjoy it as much as you can because it goes fast,” Grant said. “It really does go fast. And with that, just be a good teammate. Sometimes you think the stat sheet and the numbers are the most important thing(s) in the world, but it’s really the character you bring out to people.”