Friday, May 15
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
California Baptist University
vs
UCLA
Photo by: Matt Horrocks
SB Preview: Lancers Take on UCLA Friday Night in Regional Debut
5/14/2026 12:00:00 PM | Softball
LOS ANGELES, CA --- The road to Oklahoma City and the 2026 Women's College World Series gets underway on Friday. Making their NCAA Tournament debut after clinching an automatic berth as the WAC Tournament champions, the Lancers will begin the national tournament by squaring off with UCLA for the second time this season.
CBU is one of our four teams setting up shop in Los Angeles this weekend for the NCAA Regionals. The action gets underway at 4:30 p.m. with South Carolina battling Cal State Fullerton. The Lancers and Bruins will then take the field at 7 p.m., with the game being televised nationally on ESPN2.
Saturday's opponent will be determined based on Friday's results. The two winners from Friday night will meet at 2 p.m. at Easton Stadium. The two losers will play an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. The winner of the elimination game will meet up with the loser of Saturday's first game in the second elimination game of the weekend, with first pitch coming at 7 p.m.
The regional championship will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, with two teams vying for a spot in next week's Super Regionals. Should the team with one loss win on Sunday, an if-necessary winner-take-all game will follow at 7 p.m.
CBU will be making its second appearance at Easton Stadium. The Lancers lost to UCLA, 13-6, back on April 14. The Lancers scored the first four runs, including a three-run double by Malachy Russell-Millen in the top of the first. Russell-Millen later hit a two-run home run in the third. The game reached the bottom of the sixth tied at six, but UCLA posted seven runs to pull away.
The Lancers did not use WAC Pitcher of the Year Miranda De Nava in that April meeting. Madalyn Martin allowed five runs across 2.1 innings. Annika Hollingsworth tossed the next 3.2, allowing eight runs (seven earned).
De Nava has, however, faced Cal State Fullerton, a potential Saturday opponent for CBU. The Lancers lost 2-0 in their one meeting with Fullerton on April 21. De Nava allowed two runs across six hits and six strikeouts in a complete game performance.
A meeting with South Carolina on Saturday would mark the first-ever meeting between the Lancers and Gamecocks.
UCLA is the top seed in the Los Angeles regional and is one of eight teams eligible to host both a regional and a super regional this year. The Bruins are led by the combo of Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant. Woolery is batting .515 this season with 33 home runs and 107 RBI. Grant is hitting .475, and her 38 home runs are the most hit in a season in NCAA history. In the circle, Taylor Tinsley posted a 28-6 record with a 2.87 ERA.
South Carolina earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after a 30-26 season and a 7-17 mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks feature three hitters batting over .300, led by Karley Shelton, who added seven home runs and 38 RBI to her .357 average. Tori Ensley leads the Gamecocks with 13 home runs and 45 RBI. Jori Heard posts a team-low 1.95 ERA to pair with an 11-11 record.
Fullerton, the champions of the Big West, enter the tournament with a 40-13 record and a 24-3 run through the conference season. Sarah Perez leads the Titans with a .465 batting average. Colby McCinton is hitting .404 with 26 extra-base hits and 42 RBI. Trisha McCleskey leads Fullerton with a 17-9 record and a 2.62 ERA.
Tickets for this weekend's regional are sold out. Friday night's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Television networks have not been announced for Saturday's action.
CBU is one of our four teams setting up shop in Los Angeles this weekend for the NCAA Regionals. The action gets underway at 4:30 p.m. with South Carolina battling Cal State Fullerton. The Lancers and Bruins will then take the field at 7 p.m., with the game being televised nationally on ESPN2.
Saturday's opponent will be determined based on Friday's results. The two winners from Friday night will meet at 2 p.m. at Easton Stadium. The two losers will play an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. The winner of the elimination game will meet up with the loser of Saturday's first game in the second elimination game of the weekend, with first pitch coming at 7 p.m.
The regional championship will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, with two teams vying for a spot in next week's Super Regionals. Should the team with one loss win on Sunday, an if-necessary winner-take-all game will follow at 7 p.m.
CBU will be making its second appearance at Easton Stadium. The Lancers lost to UCLA, 13-6, back on April 14. The Lancers scored the first four runs, including a three-run double by Malachy Russell-Millen in the top of the first. Russell-Millen later hit a two-run home run in the third. The game reached the bottom of the sixth tied at six, but UCLA posted seven runs to pull away.
The Lancers did not use WAC Pitcher of the Year Miranda De Nava in that April meeting. Madalyn Martin allowed five runs across 2.1 innings. Annika Hollingsworth tossed the next 3.2, allowing eight runs (seven earned).
De Nava has, however, faced Cal State Fullerton, a potential Saturday opponent for CBU. The Lancers lost 2-0 in their one meeting with Fullerton on April 21. De Nava allowed two runs across six hits and six strikeouts in a complete game performance.
A meeting with South Carolina on Saturday would mark the first-ever meeting between the Lancers and Gamecocks.
UCLA is the top seed in the Los Angeles regional and is one of eight teams eligible to host both a regional and a super regional this year. The Bruins are led by the combo of Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant. Woolery is batting .515 this season with 33 home runs and 107 RBI. Grant is hitting .475, and her 38 home runs are the most hit in a season in NCAA history. In the circle, Taylor Tinsley posted a 28-6 record with a 2.87 ERA.
South Carolina earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament after a 30-26 season and a 7-17 mark in the SEC. The Gamecocks feature three hitters batting over .300, led by Karley Shelton, who added seven home runs and 38 RBI to her .357 average. Tori Ensley leads the Gamecocks with 13 home runs and 45 RBI. Jori Heard posts a team-low 1.95 ERA to pair with an 11-11 record.
Fullerton, the champions of the Big West, enter the tournament with a 40-13 record and a 24-3 run through the conference season. Sarah Perez leads the Titans with a .465 batting average. Colby McCinton is hitting .404 with 26 extra-base hits and 42 RBI. Trisha McCleskey leads Fullerton with a 17-9 record and a 2.62 ERA.
Tickets for this weekend's regional are sold out. Friday night's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Television networks have not been announced for Saturday's action.
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