No. 2 overall seed UCLA crashes out of NCAA Tournament
UCLA entered the NCAA Tournament with a ton of expectations, hoping to make another trip to the Women’s College World Series. Their regular season was rewarded by being given the No. 2 overall national seed and the chance to host the Los Angeles Regional. But now, their season is over after crashing out in just two games.
Friday night was a shocking loss to Grand Canyon, losing a one run game, 3-2. Liberty was the opponent on Saturday and another close contest. UCLA’s first batter hit a home run but the offense was nonexistent for the rest of the game.
A massive upset for Liberty, pulling off the 2-1 upset at Easton Stadium. A truly incredible way for college softball’s postseason to get started.
Saturday marked a seventh loss of the season for UCLA but three of those came in a row. A Pac-12 Championship game loss came against Utah. Despite winning the regular season championship, the Bruins were not able to get the job done in Tucson.
Unfortunately, the same fate followed them into the NCAA Tournament. Liberty did pull off a great upset but are still on the verge of elimination in their own right. Taking down UCLA is an incredible accomplishment but another game will be taking place for the Flames later on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
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UCLA to miss Women’s College World Series
Had you asked most people, UCLA would have been near the top of their list of teams who were likely to appear in Oklahoma City. But in the blink of the eye, the Bruins are heading home and will now have to focus on the 2024 season.
The last time UCLA was not in Oklahoma City was in 2014. If you take out the COVID-19 affected year in 2020, the Bruins had made seven consecutive WCWS. A staple in college softball, the remaining parts of the 2023 Tournament will go on without them.
Florida State found itself in a similar position last season. They were the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament as well before crashing out. So, for the second consecutive season, one of the best teams in the country was packing their bags a few weeks early.
The moment stings for UCLA right now as the season comes to a close. But head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez will have a great motivating tool for her program moving into next year.