The standard for UCLA softball remains the same every season — it’s national championship or bust.

And as the last program not named Oklahoma to have won a national title, the Bruins are chomping at the bit to try and knock the Sooners off of their perch.

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Once again, the most successful program in college softball history is bringing a loaded roster to the fold for 2025, and after getting back to the Women’s College World Series a year ago, the Bruins are laser-focused on getting the job done and bringing national title No. 14 to Westwood.

UCLA returns to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this season (which will be streamed live and exclusively on FloCollege later this month) and will play numerous foes that it could see down the line deep into postseason play, preparing the Bruins both for another potential trip to Oklahoma City and a first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

Never out of the national title picture for long, UCLA is trying to take back its status as the premier team in college softball. How it performs throughout nonconference play will be a major tell on if the Bruins are ready to do just that.

Here’s a look ahead at what to expect out of UCLA softball at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this month, which is to be streamed live and exclusively on FloCollege:

How To Watch UCLA Softball At The Mary Nutter 2025

You can watch UCLA Softball live at the 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic exclusively on FloCollege.

How Did UCLA Softball Do In 2024?

After the Bruins’ 2023 season ended in absolute disaster when they were the No. 2-ranked national seed for the NCAA Tournament but then failed to win a game in its own Regional, the 2024 campaign was closer to a return to form for UCLA — though the Bruins know that there’s still a lot of work to be done in order for them to win another national championship.

Reaching the 40-win mark for the 11th straight (completed) season, UCLA captured both the Pac-12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles in its final season in the league and looked razor-sharp for most of the postseason, winning both the Los Angeles Regional and Super Regional without a loss to make it back to the Women’s College World Series for the NCAA-record 32nd time. 

A first-round win in Oklahoma City over Alabama set the Bruins up with arch-nemesis and then three-time defending national champion Oklahoma in the quarterfinals, but a narrow 1-0 Sooners win put UCLA on its back foot before it was eliminated from the WCWS a day later by Stanford. The OU dynasty has to end sometime, however, and if any team in the country is most suited to finally slaying the Sooners when the chips are down, it’s the sport’s most successful program in history.

Who Coaches UCLA Softball?

From winning three national championships as a player for the Bruins before coaching the same program to two more national championships as a head coach — being the only person in college softball history to have won titles as both a player and a coach — Kelly Inouye-Perez has been involved in some capacity in some of the greatest stretches in UCLA softball history.

Inouye-Perez was a catcher for the Bruins from 1989-93 before immediately going into coaching at her alma mater after her playing career wrapped up, first serving as an assistant under Sharron Backus, then Sue Enquist after the former’s retirement in 1997. 

Once Enquist retired after the 2006 season, Inouye-Perez was then finally handed the keys to the program and has done nothing since but keep the lofty standards of Bruins softball sky-high. UCLA has made the NCAA Tournament in every season since she was hired and qualified to the WCWS 10 times, capturing national titles along the way in 2010 and 2019, and Inouye-Perez has also joined Backus and Enquist in being UCLA softball head coaches with over 800 wins to their names. 

The 2025 season will be UCLA’s first as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and as the program ushers in a new era, there isn’t a coach in the country that’s better suited to lead the Bruins forward. 

Has UCLA Softball Ever Won The Women’s College World Series? 

Yes, and in fact, no team in college softball history has won more national championships than the Bruins. 

UCLA has been the last school standing at the WCWS (across both the NCAA and now-defunct AIAW) a record 13 times, being the only program ever to have double-digit national titles, while it also holds records (including pre-NCAA tournaments) for the most championship series appearances (22), WCWS appearances (36) and NCAA Tournament wins (187). 

The Bruins are the bluest of blue bloods in college softball, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

Who Will UCLA Softball Play At The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic?

The Bruins will face Missouri (at 8 p.m. ET) and Nebraska (10:30 p.m.) on Feb. 20, Tennessee (7:30 p.m.) on Feb. 21, Baylor (3:30 p.m.) and Arkansas (6 p.m.) on Feb. 22 and Duke (noon) on Feb. 23 at the always highly-anticipated Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, scheduled to take place from Feb. 20-23 and be streamed live and exclusively on FloCollege. 

One of the highlight nonconference college softball events of the season, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic — held every season at the Big League Dreams Complex in Cathedral City, California — features one of the most stacked fields that you’ll find at any college softball showcase this season outside of the Women’s College World Series. 

Powers of the sport like Baylor, Tennessee, Duke, and Arkansas are among those going to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this season, being all part of a stacked slate that you won’t want to miss any part of.

Notable UCLA Softball Returning Players

Megan Grant, UTL

She’s an All-American, a member of Team USA, and a two-time All-Pac-12 First Team selection — and the new heartbeat of the Bruins following the graduation of two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady. Grant, who has started in all 113 games she’s played in for UCLA over the past two seasons, held a career slash line of .334/.411/.628 entering the 2025 season with plenty of extra power in hand to boot, most notably when she exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2023 by smashing 15 home runs with 58 RBIs while simultaneously playing six different positions throughout the season as the Bruins’ Swiss Army knife. 

She’s twice represented the U.S. at the annual Japan All-Star Series in the summer, too, and as she now enters her upperclassman years, she’ll be aiming to leave a decorated legacy behind with the hopes of bringing the Bruins a 14th national championship. So far in 2025 through five games, things are going to plan for Grant; she’s batting .385 with two homers and seven RBIs, early trends that (if they hold) would see her smash her current career highs and likely be in the national player of the year conversation.

Kaitlyn Terry, LHP/OF

From Lisa Fernandez to Rachel Garcia to Megan Faraimo, those who are considered to be the ace of the UCLA pitching staff in a given year are also often considered among the best of the best in the nation on the mound. 

Terry, after an electric first year with the Bruins a year ago in which she was named both the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Pac-12 First Team, is now growing into her own as one of the country’s best arms, as well. Through 28 starts in 2024, Terry went 21-3 (with 16 complete games and eight shutouts) to go with a 2.38 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 182 innings — impressive numbers for anyone, but especially so as a freshman going through one of the toughest schedules in college softball. 

Inouye-Perez also trusted Terry in the big moments despite her lack of experience, starting her in all three of the Bruins’ WCWS games and the first game of the Super Regional against Georgia last season, and has started her twice to begin the 2025 campaign to be 2-0 with no runs and just two hits given up across 10 innings pitched. It’s a lot of pressure to be the most trusted name in UCLA’s pitching staff, but in her still-young career, Terry is only getting better and better as she gets more and more comfortable with her role on the team.

Notable UCLA Softball Newcomers

Jessica Clements, OF

Going from Cal Poly to UCLA seems like a big step at first glance until you see the types of numbers that Clements was putting up with the Mustangs, especially in the case of last season. 

Last year’s Big West Conference Player of the Year opted to hop into the transfer portal after an eye-popping 2024 season that saw her hit .464 — the third-best mark nationally and a single-season school record — with five home runs, 11 doubles and 21 RBIs while slugging .686 to boot, and the Bruins managed to snap up Clements, primarily a center fielder at Cal Poly, as one of the most highly-coveted offseason transfers. Clements is a career .414 hitter, which puts her first in program history at Cal Poly, and a three-time NFCA West All-Region choice who is also dependable in the outfield, holding a .979 fielding percentage with just five errors in 241 total chances with the Mustangs. 

As for her time with the Bruins, she’s already been stellar, batting .529 through five games played as of Tuesday night with nine hits, six runs, and five RBIs, adding even more firepower to an already-loaded UCLA lineup.

Rylee Slimp, OF

The latest freshman to stand out right away at UCLA, Slimp’s great start to the 2025 season has seen her bat .417 with five hits, four runs, a stolen base, a home run, and three RBIs across five career college games. Perhaps that should’ve been expected, though, as a top-10 recruit nationally in the class of 2024 and one of the best high school players last year in the softball-mad state of Texas. 

Tabbed as the No. 8 overall recruit in the country by Extra Inning Softball, USA TODAY’s Texas Softball Player of the Year last season batted .521 for her school located in the Austin suburbs with six home runs, 42 RBIs and 66 runs scored, all while additionally holding a ridiculous perfect 49 for 49 mark on stolen bases. That blinding speed, which Slimp also honed as a track star in high school in sprints and relays, will make her especially dangerous at the college level and for a UCLA team that didn’t swipe away many bases last year as Jadelyn Allchin led the Bruins last year with only 10 stolen bases. 

2025 UCLA Softball Roster (Name, Position, Class, Hometown)

• Kate Blunt, UTL, Sr., Ladera Ranch, Calif.
• Kaniya Bragg, INF/UTL, Fr., Garden Grove, Calif.
• Jayla Castro, C, Sr., Rocklin, Calif.
• Jada Cecil, RHP, Sr., Temecula, Calif.
• Jessica Clements, OF, Gr., Salinas, Calif.
• Seneca Curo, INF, Gr., Barona, Calif.
• Maggie Daniel, C/UTL, Fr., Hoover, Ala.
• Addisen Fisher, P/UTL, Fr., Bend, Ore.
• Aleena Garcia, INF, Fr., Pico Rivera, Calif.
• Megan Grant, UTL, Jr., San Bruno, Calif.
• Lauren Hatch, OF, Sr., Sugar Land, Texas
• Gabriela Jaquez, UTL, Jr., Camarillo, Calif.
• Sofia Mujica, C/DP, Fr., San Diego
• Liesl Osteen, OF, Soph., Simi Valley, Calif.
• Rylee Pinedo, UTL, Jr., Camarillo, Calif.
• Savannah Pola, UTL, Sr., Santa Ana, Calif.
• Alexis Ramirez, C/UTL, R-Soph., Whittier, Calif.
• Rylee Slimp, OF, Fr., Georgetown, Texas
• Taylor Stephens, UTL, Sr., Lynwood, Calif.
• Ramsey Suarez, DP/INF, Jr., Temecula, Calif.
• Kaitlyn Terry, LHP/OF, Soph., Glendale, Ariz.
• Taylor Tinsley, RHP, Jr., Lawrenceville, Ga.
• Jordan Woolery, INF, Jr., Walnut Creek, Calif.

Full Game Replay: Nebraska vs UCLA Softball | 2024 Mary Nutter

2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Full Schedule

All Times Eastern

Thursday, Feb. 20

Wrigley Field

• 12:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Arkansas
• 3 p.m. – Cal State Fullerton vs. Arkansas
• 5:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Baylor
• 8 p.m. – Missouri vs. UCLA
• 10:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. UCLA

Yankee Stadium

• 1 p.m. – California vs. Oregon
• 3:30 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Oregon 
• 6 p.m. – Tennessee vs. Oregon State
• 8:30 p.m. – Washington vs. BYU
• 11 p.m. – Washington vs. UC Riverside

Fenway Park

• 1 p.m. – Nevada vs. Baylor
• 3:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Missouri
• 6 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. Nevada
• 8:30 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. UC Riverside
• 11 p.m. – CSUN vs. BYU

Des Moines Field

• 6 p.m. – California vs. Cal State Fullerton
• 8:30 p.m. – CSUN vs. Oregon State

Friday, Feb. 21

Wrigley Field

• 1:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Tennessee
• 4 p.m. – Duke vs. Nebraska
• 6:30 p.m. – Tennessee vs. UCLA
• 9 p.m. – Arkansas vs. Loyola Marymount
• 11:30 p.m. – California vs. Washington

Yankee Stadium

• 1 p.m. – Missouri vs. Baylor
• 3:30 p.m. – Missouri vs. Minnesota
• 6 p.m. – BYU vs. Hawai'i
• 8:30 p.m. – BYU vs. UC Santa Barbara
• 11 p.m. – Oregon State vs. UC Santa Barbara

Fenway Park

• 1:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Utah
• 4 p.m. – Oregon vs. San Diego State
• 6:30 p.m. – Howard vs. Duke
• 9 p.m. – Northwestern vs. Seattle
• 11:30 p.m. – Howard vs. San Jose State

Des Moines Field

• 1 p.m. – Fresno State vs. Minnesota
• 3:30 p.m. – Fresno State vs. Seattle
• 6 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Utah
• 8:30 p.m. – Nevada vs. UC Riverside
• 11 p.m. – Nevada vs. Hawai'i

Pawtucket Field

• 1 p.m. – Cal State Fullerton vs. Bethune-Cookman
• 3:30 p.m. – Rutgers vs. Bethune-Cookman
• 6 p.m. – Cal State Fullerton vs. Saint Mary’s
• 8:30 p.m. – San Jose State vs. CSUN
• 11 p.m. – Saint Mary’s vs. CSUN

Saturday, Feb. 22

Wrigley Field

• 1 p.m. – Baylor vs. Arkansas
• 3:30 p.m. – Baylor vs. UCLA
• 6 p.m. – Arkansas vs. UCLA
• 8:30 p.m. – San Jose State vs. Nebraska
• 11 p.m. – Howard vs. Nebraska

Yankee Stadium

• 12:30 p.m. – Oregon vs. Missouri
• 3 p.m. – Utah vs. Cal State Fullerton
• 5:30 p.m. – Utah vs. Northwestern 
• 8 p.m. – Saint Mary’s vs. Northwestern
• 10:30 p.m. – Saint Mary’s vs. Hawai'i

Fenway Park

• 12:30 p.m. – BYU vs. Duke
• 3 p.m. – Minnesota vs. Duke
• 5:30 p.m. – Minnesota vs. Tennessee
• 8 p.m. – UC Riverside vs. Rutgers
• 10:30 p.m. – UC Santa Barbara vs. Washington

Des Moines Field

• 12:30 p.m. – Seattle vs. Long Beach State
• 3 p.m. – Oregon State vs. Long Beach State
• 5:30 p.m. – Oregon State vs. Rutgers
• 8 p.m. – UC Santa Barbara vs. San Diego State
• 10:30 p.m. – UC Riverside vs. San Diego State

Pawtucket Field

• 12:30 p.m. – Bethune-Cookman vs. Fresno State
• 3 p.m. – CSU vs. Nevada
• 5:30 p.m. – Seattle vs. California
• 8 p.m. – Loyola Marymount vs. California
• 10:30 p.m. – Loyola Marymount vs. San Jose State

Sunday, Feb. 23

Wrigley Field

• Noon – Duke vs. UCLA
• 2 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Utah
• 4 p.m. – San Diego State vs. Hawai'i

Yankee Stadium

• 12:30 p.m. – Washington vs. Fresno State
• 2:30 p.m. – Hawai'i vs. Loyola Marymount
• 4:30 p.m. – Howard vs. Loyola Marymount

Fenway Park

• Noon – Northwestern vs. California
• 2 p.m. – San Diego State vs. Saint Mary’s

Des Moines Field

• 12:30 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Minnesota
• 2:30 p.m. – Long Beach State vs. Howard

Pawtucket Field

• Noon – Seattle vs. Oregon State
• 2 p.m. – San Jose State vs. UC Santa Barbara

2025 Mary Nutter Team List

As of Sept. 4, 2024

• Arkansas
• Baylor
• Bethune-Cookman
• BYU
• Cal-Berkeley
• CSU Fullerton
• CSUN
• Duke
• Fresno State
• Hawai’i
• Howard University
• Long Beach State
• Loyola Marymount University
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• Northwestern
• Oregon
• Oregon State
• Rutgers
• Saint Mary’s College
• San Diego State
• San Jose State
• Seattle
• Tennessee
• UC Santa Barbara
• UCLA
• UC Riverside
• Utah
• Washington

Ranked Teams In The 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

• UCLA
• Tennessee
• Duke
• Arkansas
• Missouri
• Baylor
• Nebraska
• Northwestern

When Is The 2025 Mary Nutter Softball Tournament?

The 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic will take place Feb. 20-23.

Games begin Thursday and culminate with the final games on Sunday. 

Where Is The 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic?  

The Mary Nutter Classic returns to the Big League Dreams Complex in Cathedral City, California. The complex has five fields available. 

About Big League Dreams Cathedral City

The Big League Dreams Sports Parks are scattered throughout the United States and provide recreational and tournament players of all ages the chance to compete on world-class fields, often built as replicas of famous stadiums from the storied history of Major League Baseball.

Along with the nostalgic fields, the Big League Dreams venues include a restaurant and bar, batting cages, play area for children, stadium seating and space for other sports (hockey, soccer, sand volleyball), events and competitions. 

Big League Dreams Cathedral City was the first of the eight BLD properties to open, doing so in 1998. The park includes five fields. Among them, Boston’s Fenway Park, Chicago’s Wrigley Field and New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Who Was Mary Nutter?

Mary Nutter was an All-American softball player and a pioneer in the sport. 

She was a coach at Pittsburgh State and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997.

Nutter died in 2012. 

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