UCLA Softball Dynasty Continues Led By SoCal Stars

(No. 1-ranked UCLA 2020 softball team. Photo courtesy of Jesus Ramirez/UCLA Athletics.)

Get ready, because CaliSports News is bringing a new segment of Where Are They Now? This time, we shall skip former Little League standouts, and move straight into softball. Each of my past two weekly articles discussed stars of that sport. Let us now make that three straight weeks.

Rabbi Rabbs mentioned in several prior stories that he is a longtime fan of UCLA softball. Last year, my Bruins won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship. This year, before the 2020 season got cut short due to government-mandated lock downs, the reigning national champs were on fire. UCLA rode a 10-game winning streak, and boasted a sizzling 25-1 record. The Bruins’ only loss came in extra innings against the no. 3-ranked team.

Sadly, in addition to the remainder of the regular season, officials cancelled the annual NCAA tournament and Women’s College World Series (WCWS). As such, record-holding 12-time NCAA champion UCLA finished the abbreviated season as the nation’s top-ranked team. The Bruins did so by receiving unanimous first-place votes in each of the two major collegiate polls.

UCLA long dominated in softball.

Finishing the season as the no. 1 team will not officially count as UCLA’s 13th NCAA title. However, historians could record 2020 as the Bruins’ 15th overall national championship, with three of the 15 containing asterisks. This year would mark the third of such asterisks. The first came in 1978, when UCLA won the WCWS, but softball was not yet sanctioned as an NCAA Division 1 sport. In this writer’s opinion, that WCWS win should count as the Bruins’ 13th title.

The second asterisk came in 1995, when UCLA won the NCAA-sanctioned WCWS amidst controversy involving the recruitment of the Bruins’ star pitcher. Later, officials ruled that the pitcher had been ineligible to compete, and they vacated UCLA’s national title. Without that controversy, the Bruins would now own 13 NCAA crowns. Maybe even 14, because as further punishment, the NCAA prohibited UCLA from competing in the 1998 post-season tournament.

We shall never know what would have otherwise happened in 1998. We do know that in 1997, the Bruins reached the NCAA finals, and in 1999, UCLA won the championship. So, since the Bruins reached the finals in the years immediately prior to and following 1998, it is not a stretch to speculate that UCLA would have likewise reached the finals in 1998. And, since the Bruins won it all in 1999, surely they could have done the same in the championship game one year earlier. Hence, that year could have easily counted as UCLA’s 14th NCAA crown. Add in 1978, and the Bruins earned 15 national titles. And then, this year makes 16. Yes, I am terribly biased.

Superstar pitchers.

Anyway, in Little League’s Female Stars Shine In SoCal, CaliSports News mentioned three leading players on the Bruins’ 2019 national championship roster. Megan Faraimo, Rachel Garcia, and Aaliyah Jordan. I wrote that each of those three grew up in Southern California, and had played for the Corona Angels travel ball club. It is time to provide updates on that trio.

Garcia, who is a red shirt senior, left the Bruins to play for Team USA. The superstar pitcher did so in preparation for what would have been this year’s Summer Olympic Games. However, host-nation Japan postponed the Olympics until next year. Garcia’s departure opened the door for Faraimo to take over as the Bruins’ ace. Despite the loss of 2019’s NCAA Pitcher of the Year in Garcia, UCLA did not miss a beat by inserting their sophomore on the mound. Faraimo turned into such a dominant hurler that she got named as this year’s NCAA Pitcher of the Year! I kid you not. Two years in a row. Two different Bruins pitchers snagged that award. Both hail from SoCal!

Faraimo pitched phenomenally. In her 14 appearances this year, she finished 13-1 with 10 complete games. Overall, she worked 90.1 innings, punched 149 strikeouts, and recorded a deadly 0.85 earned run average. Faraimo’s 11.5 strikeouts per seven innings ranked as the most from any pitcher in the country who tossed at least 80 innings during 2020. As for Jordan, the red shirt junior enjoyed another remarkable season, and got named as a first team All-American.

Freshman phenom.

I should mention that the Bruins’ Maya Brady got named as this year’s NCAA Freshman Player of the Year. Brady is likewise a product of SoCal. The top college freshman in the country had led Westlake Village’s Oaks Christian High School Lions, and played travel ball with the Orange County Batbusters. At UCLA, Brady batted .356, and led her Bruins with seven home runs. She tied for first on the team with 28 runs batted in. The good news for UCLA fans is that the star will play four more years for the Bruins. That news comes due to the NCAA’s decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to all athletes whose seasons were cut short due to the lock downs.

When Brady starred at Oaks Christian, she often faced its neighbors, Agoura Hills’ Agoura High School Chargers. That young superstar left a lasting impression on the Chargers’ head coach.

“From the first time Maya stepped on the field as a freshman, you could tell she had something special,” Head Coach Chance Redmond told CSN. “During the first time I went to go scout Maya’s team during her freshman year, in her very first at bat of that game, she hit an opposite field home run, standing in. Even more impressive were her next two at bats. She sneak-bunted for a base hit, and then hard-slapped a double. In all, she had gone three-for-three on the day, literally utilizing every type of hitting you can use: small ball, slap game, and power swing.”

High school star.

The Agoura High coach continued: “As the years progressed, Maya was one of the toughest outs there were, as she utilized all of those tools to keep the defense off balance. The only other player I have faced as a coach who was as tough of an out was the great Amanda Lorenz.”

In Female Stars Shine, CaliSports News mentioned that Lorenz got named all-CIF during each of her four years when she led the Moorpark High School Musketeers of Moorpark. CSN stated that after graduating, Lorenz then became an NCAA first-team All-American while playing for the University of Florida Gators. CSN even included into that article an embedded video containing a short speech provided by Lorenz. Interestingly, Brady lists Lorenz as one of Maya’s two favorite professional athletes. So, comparing Brady to Lorenz speaks highly of the Lions’ former star.

“That is great company to keep!” Redmond said. The coach added, “defensively, Maya was smooth, and could play any position. She made golden glove plays every game with ease.”

A stacked roster.

It should be noteworthy that although the Bruins’ roster still lists Brady as an infielder, this season UCLA quickly moved its star defensive specialist to fill the void created in center field, after First Team All-American Bubba Nickles joined Garcia on Team USA. Similarly, Brady filled Garcia’s spot as the clean-up hitter, batting fourth in the Bruins’ lineup. A freshman filling in for two top Olympians. Wow. Regarding that, Redmond joked, “as much as I enjoyed Maya, and she was special to watch, I’m glad she’s terrorizing opposing college teams now, and not my teams!”

Incidentally, in May, Garcia and Nickles returned from their tour of duty with Team USA. Each of those standouts will play for the Bruins in 2021, and then compete in next year’s Olympics. Just imagine the top two collegiate pitchers in the country, Faraimo and Garcia, sharing the same mound. And, if Nickles returns to center field, it should be interesting to see which position Brady plays, and where she bats in the order. No matter how we slice it, with Brady, Faraimo, Garcia, Jordan, and Nickles, the Bruins will wield a stacked roster. NCAA title no. 13 here we come!

The Brady Bunch.

I must point out that Brady has famous uncles. Her namesake, six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, and retired two-time World Series champion Kevin Youkilis. Tom’s sister Maureen is Maya’s mother, while the four-time Super Bowl most valuable player’s sister Julie married Youkilis. Maya lists Tom as her other favorite active pro athlete alongside Lorenz. That famous National Football League quarterback reportedly attended one of Maya’s UCLA games this year.

Maureen Brady likewise starred in college softball. Maureen got honored as an All-American pitcher when she twice led her California State University, Fresno, Bulldogs to the WCWS. As did Maya, Maureen’s daughter Hannah followed in Maureen’s footsteps. Hannah played softball at an early age in a youth organization called the Westlake Agoura Girls Softball Association (WAGS). Redmond coached that kid’s team. Small world, right? But, wait. It gets even smaller. Redmond’s own daughter Rylee played on Hannah’s WAGS team. And, that coach and his daughter share a relative whose name should be familiar to readers. CaliSports News featured that athlete last week in Softball News: Baseball Star Makes Big Splash In High School. That of course is Little League all-star turned-High School softball standout Abigail Steffen. You see, Maya’s uncle is Tom Brady. Steffen’s own uncle, Redmond, coached Tom’s niece, Hannah.

All In The Family.

Do you want me to make the world even smaller? I mentioned that Maya’s favorite athlete is Lorenz. In Lorenz’s speech recorded in that embedded video in Female Stars Shine, the Gators’ superstar credits her former softball coach at Moorpark High. In the same article, CSN quoted that coach saying that Steffen is “a stud”. But wait. There is more. That same coach also coached a Little League all-star team that lost in the SoCal championship last year to the all-stars from Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Little League. One year earlier, Steffen was a Sweetwater Valley all-star. Had Steffen been a year younger, she would have played in the finals against the coach Maya’s favorite player credited. Rather, Steffen would have faced the coach that her cousin Rylee’s teammate’s sister’s favorite player credited, the one who said Abby is a stud. So, I guess it is pretty serious. Okay, I admit I lifted that from this scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:

(Footage courtesy of Paramount Pictures.)

Incidentally, Hannah has since switched from softball to volleyball. Maya’s kid sister now plays for Reef Volleyball Club. Guess who owns and operates that club? The answer is Chance’s brother, Brock. You cannot make up that stuff. Two of Steffen’s uncles coached Tom Brady’s niece. While coaching Hannah, Chance got to know Maureen. The softball coach said: “the best part about Maya is her family. Mo [Maureen] and Hannah are top-notch people. Maya was always gracious, humble, and kind every time we played her. That stems from her upbringing.”

UCLA long dominated in volleyball.

Before we move on, I want to mention something. Softball and volleyball seem to often go together like peanut butter with jelly. One Redmond brother coaches softball, the other coaches volleyball. One Brady sister plays softball, the other now plays volleyball. As mentioned in Star Makes Big Splash, one Steffen sister plays softball, while Paige plays volleyball. In that same article, CSN stated that Ava Chavarria plays two sports. What are they? Softball and volleyball.

But wait, there is more. I remember around 20 years ago joking with a fellow Bruins fan that the UCLA athletic department should only hold onto its teams in two sports, and then junk the rest. What were those two? Softball for women, and volleyball for men. UCLA absolutely owns those sports. In fact, the Bruins men’s volleyball team won 19 NCAA championships, and five more national titles from before the NCAA sanctioned that sport, for a whopping total of 24 banners!

Regarding UCLA softball, Faraimo shared pitching duties this year with her fellow San Diego County product, freshman Lexi Sosa. Last year, Sosa got named San Diego Section Player of the Year, when she led Chula Vista’s Mater Dei Catholic High School Crusaders. For the Bruins, Sosa appeared on the mound in nine games this year, each ending in a win. The freshman pitched 28 innings, and turned in a low 1.50 ERA. Good start to a promising NCAA career.

Small world.

At Mater Dei, Sosa teamed with her now-fellow UCLA-freshman Alyssa Garcia (no relation to Rachel). Alyssa, too, enjoyed a successful start with the Bruins. That freshman appeared in 19 games this year, finished with a .378 batting average, and a soaring .451 on-base percentage.

Prior to the Bruins, Alyssa played travel ball with the Athletics Mercado and for the Firecrackers. Sosa likewise played for the Athletics Mercado, while Steffen does so for the Firecrackers. In fact, Alyssa’s father, Tony Garcia, serves as one of Steffen’s Firecracker coaches. Small world! Incidentally, Mater Dei is not Chula Vista’s only source of talent. Chavarria and Steffen play for that city’s Eastlake High School Titans, while Jordan led the Bonita Vista High School Barons.

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Changing the topic, CSN once again thanks everyone that shares our articles. Teamwork makes the dream work. On that note, CSN thanks Sweetwater Valley, Little League’s California District 42, Eastlake Titans Softball, and Firecrackers MGV for sharing Star Makes Big Splash on Facebook. When sharing last week’s story, that Firecrackers page even added this caption to it:

“Abby has already caught the attention of many Power Five [Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conferences] schools, and will only get better. Keep an eye on this one if you’re looking for a game-changing player. Abby scored above 70 mph, both off a tee and with her overhand velocity, at a recent ODM [OnDeck Measurements] testing. She’s the real deal!!”

My two shekels.

My Bruins are a Power Five team. I would love to see Steffen join them in 2023. She seems to fit so naturally into the photo below spotlighting four of her potential future UCLA teammates. As mentioned, Steffen’s family knows one of the four, Abby’s coach is the father of another, two attended high school in Abby’s Chula Vista, while even Seneca Curo hails from Abby’s San Diego County. When CSN interviewed Steffen two years ago, Abby proclaimed that her dream was to play baseball for the San Diego State University Aztecs. Now that the young slugger switched to softball, I hope that my Bruins will replace those Aztecs as Abby’s dream team.

I promised in Where Are They Now?, “I will present more about current and past Bruins and Aztecs in upcoming articles.” Here is to switching that to “current, past, and future Bruins.”

Finally, in regards to softball, I must get the following off of my chest: We are in the midst of an election year. I am so beyond tired of candidates and political pundits referring to reporters’ easy questions as “softball questions.” That description is so insulting to the softball community. But yet, using it somehow became acceptable. I find myself as perhaps the only person refusing to use that description. Therefore, I challenge everyone else to stand in a batter’s box while Faraimo, Rachel Garcia, or Sosa stand on the mound. You think it is easy to hit one of those elite pitchers’ rising fastballs? Then go ahead and show us. Until then, please leave softball alone. Find another way to describe questions. Do it for Rabbi Rabbs. And those are my two shekels.

Congratulations!

And with that, we conclude the latest installment of Where Are They Now? Another such segment promises to follow. You do not want to miss that. Stay tuned !! Until then, congratulations to Faraimo, Rachel Garcia, Jordan, Maya Brady and her entire family, Lorenz, Nickles, Steffen and her family, Chavarria, Sosa, Alyssa and Tony Garcia, Curo, and the 15-time national champion** UCLA Bruins !! Go Bruins, Lions, Chargers, Musketeers, Crusaders, Titans, Barons, Angels, Batbusters, WAGS, Athletics, and Firecrackers !! Go USA !! Let’s Go SoCal !!

Stay with CaliSportsNews.com as we keep you up-to-date on all things UCLA Bruins softball and the rest of the Southern California sports teams! All Cali, All the time!

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