The greatest show on dirt returns.

Eight teams are set for the final showdown of the 2026 softball campaign.

No. 8 seed UCLA softball (52-8, 20-4 Big Ten) will face No. 1 seed Alabama (54-7, 19-5 SEC) in the first round of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon. The game marks the Bruins’ third consecutive World Series appearance and 34th overall.

“For me, it’s so easy,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “It’s all about the people you surround yourself with. I have the best coaches, and we’re able to recruit the top 1% in the country, … and they understand that they’re here to be a better version of themselves, but the lessons that they’ve learned allow them to come together and get back to the World Series.”

UCLA is coming off a 10-run win against UCF on Saturday. Home runs accounted for eight of those runs.

And redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia plated more than half of the scoring runs herself – good for a UCLA single-game record – and lifted two three-run home runs.

“Honestly, I didn’t realize that I even hit two home runs,” Garcia said. “I do a really good job at separating at-bats. My coaches preach that all the time. So, my whole mindset is score the run in your hand.”

Redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez joined in on the action, hitting a solo home run and a two-run double. She went four-for-five on the night and helped senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley achieve a season-high 11 strikeouts while allowing just three walks across seven innings.

Tinsley – who started the postseason campaign by giving up nine runs in an inning – has since bounced back, helping spearhead a four-game winning streak.

“Getting to work with Taylor and be a part of her world is really special, and it’s a blessing to me,” Ramirez said. “Her mentality when she’s out there – we say it’s nine-on-one, and she truly believes that. She’s able to get herself back into a rhythm, focus on deep breaths, and our connection is something that I value a lot.”

Focusing on that rhythm could prove to be key in the Bruins’ World Series opener.

Their first game in Oklahoma City is against No. 1 overall seed Alabama, which won its regional with three shutouts and its super regional with back-to-back takedowns of LSU on Friday and Saturday.

UCLA has only lost to Alabama once in their 14 matchups and most recently beat the Crimson Tide 6-3 in February 2025.

However, the Bruins sustained their sole loss to the Crimson Tide in Oklahoma City, where they fell 6-0 on June 4, 2021 before heading to an elimination game.

But the two squads that will go head-to-head Thursday are completely different teams from their past renditions.

And for some of the players taking the field, it is their first taste of the WCWS.

Freshman infielder Bri Alejandre will be one of the athletes heading to Oklahoma City for the first time, and junior utility Soo-Jin Berry will make her first WCWS trip as a Bruin as well, where she will face off against former teammate and current Alabama infielder Jena Young. Berry and Young occupied Iowa’s middle infield positions in 2024 and 2025.

“We talk about the ability to slow the game down, to take deep breaths, to enjoy the moment,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s not on any one run. There’s a lot of teaching on how to be at your best and how to play big on a stage. I’m proud of them because this is a young team, they don’t have a lot of experience, but they have played the game from a very young age, and the opportunity to play on this big stage is what you look for.”

Bruin pair Alejandre and Berry have made an impact in the lineup, with Alejandre plating two runners on a solo home run and a hit-by-pitch in the Bruins’ latest game. Berry has come up in crucial moments, lifting a grand slam against Wisconsin and a two-run home run against California Baptist in UCLA’s 12-11 walk-off victory.

“They are going to go down in Bruin history as the most offensive … team,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s awesome to see that it’s so spread out.”