Culver City Observer -

UCLA softball is a super program. A dynasty. They are headed back to the College Softball World Series for the seventh time in a row. For the past 40 years the program has been one of the best in the nation. Thirteen National Championships is their calling card.

The head coach, Kelly Inouye-Perez is 267-102 in her 16 seasons as the manager of the Bruins. The Bruins will played Texas in the first round of the World Series last Thursday. If they win, they will play Saturday at 12 p.m. and if they lose, they play Friday at 4 p.m.

They reached the Series by beating Duke two out of three games in the Super Regionals last weekend at UCLA. "I could not be more proud of my Bruins," said Inouye-Perez last Saturday after they beat Duke 8-2. "It never gets old. We are going back to the World Series."

George Laase

UCLA junior Megan Faraimo (22-4) pitched seven innings allowing four hits and striking out 10 Blue Devils last Friday night. She also drove in the winning runs as a pinch-hitter

Getting back to the Series takes a combination of great players and great coaches. "I believe our culture is our strength," said Inouye-Perez. "We win because of our culture. We have a great deal of trust within our coaching staff. We all have different roles that we play but we are a family."

It does not hurt to have a truck load of high school All-Americans on your roster. The pitching staff is led by Megan Faraimo, Holly Azevedo and Lauren Shaw.

The offensive lineup is one of the best in the nation led by lead off hitter Kinsley Washington followed by Briana Perez. Batting third is powering hitting Delanie Wisz and in the fourth spot is Maya Brady, Tom Brady's niece. After that the Bruins have several other players that can hit the ball.

If the Bruins win another national title, they might sing 'We are Family' on the way home from Oklahoma City.