UCLA Basketball Star Casually Joins Softball Team For Postseason After Not Playing Since HS

In my opinion, the Division I College Softball postseason is one of the most underrated sporting events of the year. This weekend, 64 teams, including perennial power UCLA, will start their quest to reach the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in two weeks.

UCLA, the sixth-overall seed, opens up play on Friday night at home against Grand Canyon in their four-team, double-elimination regional.

When they take the field on Friday, they will have a new weapon on their team in the form of UCLA star basketball player Gabriela Jaquez.

Jaquez, the younger sister of former UCLA standout and Miami Heat breakout rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., is expected to be a weapon on the base paths for head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.

Jaquez had a great sophomore campaign for a UCLA team that reached the Sweet 16, eventually falling in a back-and-forth game to Angel Reese and LSU. She averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds a game for a program that is very much on the upswing.

Apparently, the 6-foot forward decided that she didn’t have enough on her plate balancing the demanding schedule of a D1 women’s basketball player while also attending classes at one of the nation’s top public universities.

As a senior at Camarillo High School in Southern California, Jaquez batted a respectable .244 in 41 at-bats and stole two bases in two attempts as well. That average might not look that impressive, but the quality of softball played in Southern California can rival some college leagues across the country. It is the biggest hotbed of talent in the country.

That being said, UCLA is arguably the sport’s bluest blue blood. Their 12 national titles are more than anyone else, and they have a recent one, capturing the 2019 crown. They recruit as well as anyone, and pretty much everyone on the roster was a top-100 recruit that has dedicated their life to softball. Will Gabriela Jaquez really be able to help them on the field? Is this a publicity stunt (probably not)? Is this a team chemistry move? It’s hard to say at this point. But, I’m sure a national title-winning coach like Kelly Inouye-Perez, one of the best in all of college softball, has a method to her madness on this one.

In the meantime, I’m sure that UCLA Women’s Basketball Head Coach Cori Close would just like Jaquez to stay healthy.

Oklahoma are the three-time defending national champions, but Texas beat out the Sooners for the top-overall seed in this year’s field.

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