No. 3 seed UCLA softball (45-7, 20-4 Big Ten) will begin its Big Ten tournament run Thursday afternoon against No. 6 seed Northwestern (29-20, 16-8) or No. 11 seed Penn State (32-20, 11-13) at Maryland Softball Stadium. The Westwood squad dropped its final regular-season series to then-No. 15 Oregon last weekend, which was also UCLA’s only home-series defeat in 2026, but the team rallied on Senior Day to earn an 11-3 run-rule victory. The Bruins may face the Ducks in the semifinal round of the conference tournament if both teams win Thursday. UCLA lost to then-No. 8 seed Michigan 2-0 in last year’s Big Ten Championship. The Daily Bruin softball beat predicts how the Bruins will fare in the conference competition this year.

Grant Walters
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: Loss to Oregon in the semifinal

One player cannot carry a team.

The Bruins will essentially need to start Taylor Tinsley every game to have even a fighting chance in the postseason.

UCLA can plate all the runs it wants. After all, the Westwood squad has driven home the second-most runs in the nation with 542 RBIs.

But hitting prowess won’t matter if the team’s pitchers can’t limit opposing lineups.

Everyone suspected the pitching would take a significant dip after the Bruins lost Kaitlyn Terry and Addisen Fisher to the transfer portal last June.

Yet very few thought it would be this bad.

The rest of the Bruins’ pitching staff – consisting of freshman Natalie Cable, sophomore Brynne Nally and redshirt junior Sydney Somerndike – all boast plus-5.85 ERAs and have forfeited 127 combined runs this season.

Tinsley pitched 100 innings more than the next pitcher who got the most usage, throwing 168.2 innings throughout the regular season.

And the fatigue seems to be wearing on the Bruins’ ace.

Despite her strong showing on Senior Day against No. 2 seed Oregon, Tinsley forfeited 18 hits and 13 earned runs across 15 innings of work throughout the series.

The Lawrenceville, Georgia, local struggled earlier this year against UCLA’s top conference competition – No. 1 seed Nebraska.

Tinsley pitched 14 innings across the series against the Cornhuskers in late March, coughing up seven combined earned runs and 11 collective walks.

UCLA sustained its largest loss of the Nebraska series – a game where the Bruins allowed eight runs – when Tinsley pitched just two innings.

The Bruins cannot rely on any other pitchers against the nation’s best. This has impeded Tinsley’s ability to dominate in the circle, especially since she has recorded a career-high 2.91 ERA in her senior campaign.

And the Bruins’ pitching woes won’t only hinder their conference tournament outing.

It will also rupture their chance to compete for a national title.

Kate Bergfeld
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Loss to Nebraska in the final

Usually people want a spot-on prediction.

But right now, I’m hoping to be proven wrong.

UCLA softball is a threat to any team. Just look at its 2026 campaign and the records the Westwood squad has shattered.

But every team has a chink in its armor.

After watching the series against Oregon, UCLA showed it is not invincible. Even though they easily won the third game on Sunday, I’m still not convinced they have what it takes to go all the way, even in the conference tournament.

The Bruins have continued to highlight their love for one another. The team showed its passion by coming back from two losses to win for its seniors in what could have been their final home games in blue-and-gold uniforms.

And it’s this passion that convinced me they can make it to the final.

But the final obstacle comes in the form of scarlet and cream.

UCLA earned a one-run victory against Nebraska in the teams’ season series, but the Westwood bunch lost the other two by a margin of three and four runs, respectively. To me, that single run is not enough to give me the confidence to say the Bruins will come out on top against the Cornhuskers.

In the meantime, I’ll be watching to see the UCLA squad prove me wrong.

Sinclair Richman
Daily Bruin contributor
Prediction: Beat Nebraska in the finals

My coach always said it is hard to beat a team twice, and even harder to beat a squad three times.

For the Bruins, this comes in handy.

UCLA should be able to roll through its first game of the tournament, facing either No. 6 seed Northwestern or No. 11 seed Penn State. Although the squad has yet to face either team this season, Northwestern was able to sweep Penn State in a series earlier this season and was swept by Washington – a team UCLA defeated handily in 2026.

But the semifinals will be a test for the Bruins.

The next opponent is likely to be No. 2 seed Oregon, a team that defeated UCLA twice in its final regular-season series last weekend at Easton Stadium. The Bruins have only lost two consecutive games twice this season, and the Ducks forced one of those slumps.

But UCLA bounced back, hitting four home runs and run-ruling Oregon on Sunday. After making the needed adjustments, the Bruins looked unstoppable – something I’m sure they will carry into their likely semifinal matchup against the Ducks.

The finals will likely be against No. 1 seed Nebraska. The Cornhuskers will walk into the matchup with confidence after dropping just one game in their conference campaign.

That one game was a 6-5 defeat to the hands of UCLA.

Despite the Bruins scoring just 11 runs across the three-game series in Lincoln, almost equivalent to their average runs in one game, they still walked away with a victory.

The squad is tied for first in the country with 173 home runs and ranks third for batting average with a .386 clip, so UCLA’s hitting can be enough to topple any pitching arsenal. With the Ducks and Huskers entering the conference tournament with targets on their backs, the Bruins have a good chance of pulling off two upsets.

Lucas Francke
Daily Bruin contributor
Predictions: Beat Nebraska in the finals

To be blunt – I am scared.

But I truly believe that this team is the best in the Big Ten.

UCLA’s biggest weakness, which has held it back all season, may be the deciding factor in the conference tournament. The number of runs allowed this season from the pitching staff is significant. The lineup knows how to rack up the score – but the pitching arsenal struggles to limit their opponents.

The Bruin pitchers have allowed 226 runs across the 2026 season.

Even in the team’s highest-scoring games won, contests were still tight.

For instance, UCLA bested Florida 15-12 on Feb. 27 and defeated Cal State Fullerton 13-11 on April 7.

But through these pitching struggles, something also is apparent. I believe in this team.

I believe the squad will not struggle much in their matchup against either No. 11 Penn State or No. 6 Northwestern. The team will likely play No. 2 Oregon in the semifinals, and I think UCLA will beat its opponent with ease. After sustaining a series loss to the Ducks last weekend, I still believe the Bruins are the stronger team.

With the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Draft likely on seniors’ minds facing the Ducks this past weekend, the series loss is not as jarring as people may think.

Since utility Megan Grant, infielder Jordan Woolery and pitcher Taylor Tinsley were selected in this draft, I think this will bolster the Westwood squad’s confidence when entering the tournament. If the Ducks are not the Bruins’ second-round opponent, the Bruins will have an even easier path to the championship game.

No. 1 seed Nebraska will likely be the last hurdle for UCLA before coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s team hoists the championship trophy. Although the Bruins lost their three-game series to the Cornhuskers in late March, the Huskers will not beat them twice.

The Bruins have one of the nation’s best lineups and two of the best hitters. This will be how they take home the Big Ten championship.

The Bruins’ bullpen scares me, but I am also scared when about to get on a roller coaster. But I get off the roller coaster safely every time.

And just like a rollercoaster, the tournament will end just how I want it to.