The UCLA softball team let out a collective yell as players jogged across the field during Wednesday morning’s warmups.
“It’s a stress day,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said.
The No. 1 Bruins (12-0) are at a challenging point in the season. They’re playing 18 games in 18 days across three tournaments with midterms going on, too.
This weekend’s tournament is the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City. Three teams from last season’s Women’s College World Series will be there in No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida and No. 19 Northwestern.
There’s a winter storm in this weekend’s forecast, too, and it’s unclear what the contingency plan is for weather, according to UCLA athletics staff.
“I 1,000% prefer 110 degrees over cold because I feel like my fingers freeze up,” redshirt-senior pitcher Megan Faraimo said. “But I’m excited. The Mary Nutter’s always a really good tournament so I’m happy we get to go.”
Faraimo (7-0, 69 strikeouts) said she’ll be keeping her hands dry with plenty of chalk and a towel. Freshman Jordan Woolery said she’ll be taking a similar approach at the plate, keeping her hands dry with dirt.
Woolery hit her first home run as a Bruin with a grand slam in the first inning against Alabama and had two RBI doubles against Nebraska during the Clearwater Invitational. She’s one of 11 new players on the team this season.
Megan Grant has 15 RBIs and Woolery has 14, which ranks them first and second in the country in the category among all freshmen. Redshirt-junior Maya Brady leads UCLA with 15 RBIs.
“I feel like the pressure’s not on me or the other freshmen in general because no one really knows who we are,” Woolery said. “So I think that having that mindset of having to just prove ourselves is one of the biggest things.”
Faraimo said Woolery reminds her of the color yellow because of her “light spirit,” even in high-pressure situations, but also added that all…
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