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Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Softball: UCLA #2 national seed; Regional begins Friday
Posted Sun, May 12 6:47 pm
After all the handwringing because of UCLA's stumble down the stretch, the Bruins got the #2 seed. Looking over the entire body of work, the Bruins earned it. They have head to head wins over all of the top teams they've played, and they played a tough schedule. Now, they have to work on the offensive struggles that have cropped up over the past month, and possibly modify their approach against other power hitting teams with free-swinging Arizona going long early and often against all 3 Bruin pitchers this weekend.

UCLA has a scheduled start at 8pm PT on Friday (TV: ESPNU) against Weber State. Mizzou and Cal State Fullerton are the other two teams in the LA Regional. The Titans dropped UCLA into the elimination bracket last year with an upset on the opening night, and the Bruins had to beat them twice on the final day to advance. Fullerton plays small ball, and that style of play has given UCLA trouble in past postseasons.

On the other side of the bracket is the Ann Arbor Regional, hosted by #15 Michigan. The selection show point at that potential Super Regional matchup as a potential upset to watch out for.
newenglander
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 744
if anyone
Posted Mon, May 13 5:36 am
In response to Softball: UCLA #2 national seed; Regional begins Friday (Woochifer)
If anyone can beat us twice at Easton, then they deserve to advance. Hopefully our bats will come alive again. Also, instead of worrying about the super regional, perhaps it's better to just focus on one game at a time? lol In this day and age, all of these teams can play. There is an abundance of talent out there.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
More about the matchups
Posted Mon, May 13 3:24 pm
In response to if anyone (newenglander)
Like I said, the Bruins have run into trouble against small ball teams in the postseason. Part of this is because most Pac-12 teams are built for offense and big innings. Aside from hiccup in the Arizona series, UCLA has been beating big hitting teams.

Last season, I thought that Cal State Fullerton at times had the Bruins stymied with their speed and defense. The Titans are in the LA Regional yet again. Haven't seen Mizzou this season, but SEC teams are generally built around speed and defense as well. So, there are a lot of possible landmines to cross in the regional, beginning with Weber State on Friday.

The potential Michigan matchup could be another trap series. Recall that the Wolverines handed the Bruins their first loss. And they have a left-handed ace in Meghan Beaubien who shut down the Bruin lineup back in March.

Left-handed pitching is something to watch out for as well, since the Bruins load up on left-handed hitting.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
#2 UCLA vs Weber State; 8pm PT ESPNU
Posted Fri, May 17 12:00 pm (Edited Fri, May 17 12:00 pm)
In response to Softball: UCLA #2 national seed; Regional begins Friday (Woochifer)
The UCLA game will begin after the Mizzou v Cal State Fullerton game concludes.

Rain's in the forecast for tomorrow evening and Sunday. Plus, the UCLA Centennial celebration begins with Saturday's Alumni Day, and baseball has its final regular season home series this weekend. Gonna be a busy weekend on campus!
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Bruins lose to Mizzou 5-1, now face elimination game
Posted Sun, May 19 4:01 pm
In response to Softball: UCLA #2 national seed; Regional begins Friday (Woochifer)
The Bruin bats went cold (been saying that a lot over the past month), and Faraimo couldn't make it out of the 1st inning. This is not a worst case scenario, but it inches close to that when you also consider that Garcia had to throw nearly an entire game today with 108 pitches in relief. In an elimination game, it now seems almost certain that Garcia will pitch yet again because something's not right with Faraimo.

UCLA was in an elimination game last year in the regionals as well. But, that was a case where UCLA had to sweep and they took both Sunday games. The Bruins can still get things right, and they have the talent to do it. But, the Bruin bats are in a slump and they are pressing while swinging for the fences -- not a good combo. Up to this point, the pitching has bailed the Bruins out.

Going into the season (and last season and the year before that), I felt that the Bruins have a legitimate shot at the title IF Faraimo emerges as that elusive 2nd ace. All season, she has looked like the real deal. But, in the pressure of the postseason, she has now had 2 bad outings in a row. And UCLA will again lean heavily on Rachel. As we saw last year, she can take the team far. But, the wear and tear will show at some point, especially against the other elite teams. And not having a 2nd ace to back her up if Rachel gets into trouble, could again see Rachel trying to make perfect pitches rather than simply attacking the batters. That's what got her into trouble the last two postseasons.

If the Bruins somehow get through the elimination game, then in all likelihood Michigan awaits. And for the Bruins in their current state, that's not the matchup they want.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Looks like Rachel's starting the elimination game
Posted Sun, May 19 4:34 pm
In response to Bruins lose to Mizzou 5-1, now face elimination game (Woochifer)
The entire season will again ride on Rachel's arm. This will be her 4th time pitching in the Regional. Faraimo was supposed to give the Bruins the 1-2 punch they've lacked in the postseason for well over a decade. But, that hasn't happened yet, and I'm not sure the coaches will test her in an elimination game (and the only reason she would make it into a game would be if Rachel's in trouble, or if the game's a blowout).
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Could be another mercy rule win
Posted Sun, May 19 5:52 pm
In response to Bruins lose to Mizzou 5-1, now face elimination game (Woochifer)
Looks like the Bruins woke up the bats and are now pounding Mizzou 8-0 going into the 4th inning. I like that they are putting together rallies and taking advantage of Mizzou's miscues (3 errors so far), rather than just swinging for the fences. Keep the pressure on the Tiger pitching and good things will happen. Mizzou is not a WCWS caliber team, and the Bruins need to keep them that way.

For over a month, the Bruins seem to have been playing down to the level of their competition at times. In an elimination game, they're now playing more like the Bruins.

So far, Rachel has thrown only 38 pitches. But, you have to wonder if at some point, Garcia should shift back over to 1B and have Faraimo or Azevedo finish out the game. Of course, if the Bruins can maintain this score, they only need 2 more innings.

Oh, Rachel just gave up a solo HR. There goes the mercy rule. If the Bruins score again, then it back on.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Mizzou's out, Bruins advance!
Posted Sun, May 19 6:29 pm
In response to Could be another mercy rule win (Woochifer)
Much like last year, the Bruins had to play an extra game in the Regional. And Rachel had to pull the Bruins through. In today's 2nd game though, UCLA's lineup did what they needed to manufacture runs. They had extended rallies in every inning, and that's what they'll need to do against Michigan (presuming they advance out of their regional). The UCLA Super Regional matchup is the one that the ESPNU hosts circled as ripe for an upset. And the matchup is indeed a tough one for UCLA. The Wolverines go with a left handed ace, which the Bruins have not dealt with much in the Pac-12 now that Giselle Juarez transferred from ASU to Oklahoma (Juarez is 30-0 this season, and has given the Bruins trouble in the past and didn't pitch when UCLA routed OU earlier in the season). Survive and advance!
Evangsmith2002
Joined: 9/19/15 Posts: 943
I think Faraimo is fine
Posted Sun, May 19 8:48 pm
In response to Bruins lose to Mizzou 5-1, now face elimination game (Woochifer)
She got the hook after 2 bloop singles, which was surprising to me.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Interesting note about Rachel
Posted Sun, May 19 10:59 pm
In response to Bruins lose to Mizzou 5-1, now face elimination game (Woochifer)
Someone on the 24/7 board posted that Rachel's pitches got called from the dugout for the 2nd game against Mizzou today.

I know that with Rachel at least, the battery had been calling the pitches this season. Having the battery call their own pitches is very old school, but it's approach that UCLA had relied on until about a couple of years ago when I saw more of the pitches obviously getting called from the dugout.
Glenn79
Joined: 4/05/18 Posts: 73
Flat team came alive in second game
Posted Mon, May 20 10:58 am
In response to Interesting note about Rachel (Woochifer)
From the first game yesterday I had a bad feeling that UCLA wouldn't make it out of the regionals. Mediocre defense, no hitting rallies, lots of pitching mistakes. Off days happen, but this was combined with Megan's ineffectiveness. But in the second game a lot of the ship was righted. Pitches exclusively called from the bench made for a more broad assortment and seemingly more speed changes. Hitting much better though Mizou's pitchers were getting exhausted. Aggressive base running also was noteworthy.
What I have been noticing is how many of the bruin batters keep failing on the same pitches. The opponents know their weaknesses and adjustments have been slow, e.g. Godin on a high outside pitch, Brianna on low pitches not over the plate, Paige on inside pitches that all get weakly hit to the first baseman. I presume the team looks at films of how they are being pitched. It's not easy to make quick adjustments but very important to realize what to lay off, etc.
I presume Michigan is the next opponent, and they are top 5 quality the last month. Possibly the biggest sleeper matchup in the tournament. It's unknown to me what's going on with Megan, but pulling her so fast, likely necessary, is not confidence producing. Success probably depends on her or Holly being able to spell Rachel, at least for a little.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
Super Regional vs James Madison; Michigan out
Posted Mon, May 20 1:43 pm (Edited Mon, May 20 1:46 pm)
In response to Softball: UCLA #2 national seed; Regional begins Friday (Woochifer)
The Wolverines got rained out yesterday and played the Regional Final today instead. They lost twice to James Madison, so they're now the first seeded team to be eliminated. Michigan had beaten UCLA earlier in the season. And with a left-handed ace, they would have been a bad matchup for the Bruins.

I don't know enough about James Madison to know if this is a case of being careful about what you wish for, but Michigan was not a matchup I was looking forward to. Hopefully, with the Bruin bats getting back to manufacturing runs and Rachel having the pitches called from the dugout, UCLA now has a clearer path to the WCWS regardless of who the opponent is.
UclanDoIt
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 3,919

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Bruins need to be wary of James Madison
Posted Mon, May 20 3:06 pm
In response to Super Regional vs James Madison; Michigan out (Woochifer)
On paper, you have to think this favors the Bruins since James Madison was not ranked by the NCAA Tournament committee. However, I found the following link and it notes that JM felt snubbed by the NCAA because they were actually ranked higher than Michigan in the national polls but were sent on the road and not given the chance to host the first round. They beat Michigan 3-0 in 9 innings during the regular season as well.

JMU appears to have a strong pitching staff - Michigan managed only 2 runs in their 3 games against JMU (or 4 if you include the regular season game). Michigan won the first matchup during the regional 1-0 in 12 innings. Michigan lost the next 2 games to JMU 3-0 and 2-1 today to lose the regional.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2019/05/20/james-madison-too-good-michigan-softball/3740492002/

JMU is 51-8 this season so they know how to win. If you look at their schedule, 7 of their losses were to ranked teams or to teams from power conferences (such as Arizona, Minnesota, Arizona St, Kentucky, and Virginia Tech). The Bruin offense needs to resemble the team that showed up in the second game on Sunday, not the first or they could find themselves in trouble.
Evangsmith2002
Joined: 9/19/15 Posts: 943
James Madison has gaudy statistics
Posted Tue, May 21 7:43 am
In response to Bruins need to be wary of James Madison (UclanDoIt)
Granted, they don't play in a powerful conference, but James Madison is up with Ucla and Oklahoma in the national softball stats:

Batting average:

1. Oklahoma .359
2. Ucla .345
....
4. J. Madison .338

ERA:

1. Oklahoma. 1.10
2. Ucla. 1.39
....
6. J. Madison 1.55

Scoring:

1. J. Madison 7.78
2. Oklahoma. 7.75
3. Ucla. 7.02

James Madison is probably better than Arizona, which just took 2 of 3 from the Bruins. Ucla needs to bring their A game.
KFlo1
Joined: 2/06/18 Posts: 22
All this speculation
Posted Tue, May 21 8:18 am
In response to James Madison has gaudy statistics (Evangsmith2002)
about gaudy numbers against ‘inferior conference’ competition is about to be settled in the next few days.
Finally
Joined: 2/07/09 Posts: 1,636
Statistics aside
Posted Tue, May 21 10:01 pm
In response to James Madison has gaudy statistics (Evangsmith2002)
they pass my eyeball test. They play with grit and sharpness. They are well-coached and their 5th year senior ace is pretty dang good, as in, ranking 1st or 2nd in some major career NCAA categories. Perhaps the saving grace of her pitching style is that she throws some serious heat (70-71 mph) like Rachel Garcia does. If Rachel throws against her own squad in practice, they should be ready with her style.

Hopefully JMU gets a little overwhelmed by the history of Bruin softball but I seriously doubt that will happen. They punched Michigan in the mouth and never looked back. Their 3rd baseman eats everything up. The only time I saw a little bit of a crack in that deciding game was when the pitcher gave up the bottom of 7 dinger. There was some concern in their eyes but ultimately the pitcher kept it together. They all can move on the bases.

It’s going to be a tough series for the Bruins. Hopefully we start strong out of the gate and never look back. It should be a heck of a matchup.
Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,124
JMU has already arrived in LA
Posted Tue, May 21 11:37 am
In response to Bruins need to be wary of James Madison (UclanDoIt)
Looks like they traveled straight from Michigan to LAX. This is only JMU's 2nd trip to the Super Regional, so it's a huge deal for them.

https://twitter.com/JMUSoftball/status/1130882564590194688
Finally
Joined: 2/07/09 Posts: 1,636
Interesting
Posted Tue, May 21 9:50 pm
In response to JMU has already arrived in LA (Woochifer)
When I went to the NCAA tourney as a coach, the NCAA paid for travel, food, and lodging, but for only a few days. Being this early to LA, JMU athletics must be footing the bill for the extra days. Good for their team.

On a related note, and I don’t know if this is still true, but the money made from Men’s and Women’s BB and men’s wrestling NCAA tourneys would fund the costs of all tourney teams’ travel, lodging and food for all other athletic tournaments (FB bowls are on a totally different financial system).

Think about that. That’s a lot of cash to be made in those two sports respective tourneys. Not sure today as it seems that softball does well in OK.
UclanDoIt
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 3,919

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Probable pitching duel in game 1
Posted Thu, May 23 5:03 pm
In response to Bruins need to be wary of James Madison (UclanDoIt)
It looks like it will be a potential pitcher's duel between UCLA and James Madison in game 1. Rachel Garcia for the Bruins, Megan Good for the Dukes. They are 2 of the 3 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year.
UclanDoIt
Joined: 1/13/14 Posts: 3,919

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Need to jump on them early
Posted Thu, May 23 6:06 pm
In response to Probable pitching duel in game 1 (UclanDoIt)
Hope the Bruins can score runs early and take any momentum or hope from the Dukes. You don't want to keep an underdog in the game too long or bad things can happen - defending National Champion Florida State (the 4th seed) just lost the 1st game of their series to Oklahoma State 3-1. FSU scored the first run and didn't generate much offense after that allowing OSU to tie the game in the 6th and win it with a 2 run homer in the 9th inning. FSU now needs to win 2 games in a row to advance.