{"id":334327,"date":"2026-05-27T12:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/334327\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T12:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:16:09","slug":"how-ucla-softball-leadoff-hitter-rylee-slimp-manages-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/334327\/","title":{"rendered":"How UCLA softball leadoff hitter Rylee Slimp manages pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UCLA<\/a> softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez expected sophomore Rylee Slimp to deliver under pressure.<\/p>\n

Slimp earned first-team all-Big Ten honors as the leadoff hitter for a Bruins team that features slugging stars Megan Grant<\/a> and Jordan Woolery. She leads a group of underclassmen who helped send UCLA to the Women\u2019s College World Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have seen Rylee Slimp just play big from travel ball to big moments in high school, and she came here to play on this big stage,\u201d Inouye-Perez said. \u201cI think her biggest asset, besides the fact that she can hit a home run, is that she can hit to all areas of the field, and she has such a good eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she wanted to be in this position this year. She wanted to be the leadoff and be an impact player.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Austin, Texas, native is hitting .428 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 94 runs. Slimp broke Natasha Watley\u2019s UCLA single-season runs record of 75, set in 2001, with 94 runs so far this season.<\/p>\n

The following interview with Slimp ahead of the Bruins\u2019 WCWS opener against No. 1 seed Alabama on Thursday has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n

How do you feel about being recognized by national media, including ESPN, for your role in UCLA\u2019s a lineup?<\/p>\n

Slimp: It\u2019s surreal. We\u2019ve broken records and accomplished so much as an offense this year. I\u2019m grateful to be the leadoff and for all of the publicity we\u2019re receiving.<\/p>\n

How did you get started playing softball?<\/p>\n

Slimp: I played T-ball. My dad gave me lessons and stuff on hitting when I was four. My dad was the one who taught me everything from a young age and kind of grew with me through the sport, and as I got older.<\/p>\n

What inspired you to continue to work at softball so that you can compete at UCLA?<\/p>\n

Slimp: It was this dream I had when I was a little girl, just starting off playing. I always looked up to the girls playing in the College World Series, and I knew that was a dream of mine very early on.<\/p>\n

What was your first contact with the UCLA coaching staff while you were in high school and how did that impact your decision to join the Bruins?<\/p>\n

Slimp: Coach Lisa [Fernandez] saw me play at a tournament the summer of my sophomore year. It was right before Sept. 1st and all of that big recruiting stuff. So it happened pretty late in the process with UCLA for me. Coach Lisa saw me play a tournament, and then a few days later, I was out of camp and it kind of took off after that. \u2026 I canceled all the other [visits] that I had, and I was like, \u2018Oh, I know that this is the place for me, like, I don\u2019t want to be anywhere else.\u2019<\/p>\n

What has helped the younger players on this year\u2019s team stay calm under pressure?<\/p>\n

Slimp: We do have a new team. We have 10 returners and 10 new Bruins. So we are pretty young as a team. \u2026 I think the upperclassmen like Taylor [Tinsley] and Megan [Grant], the seniors, do a good job of sharing their wisdom and helping us grow.<\/p>\n

What is something they have taught you?<\/p>\n

Slimp: I think, honestly, that the game isn\u2019t as deep as we make it. I think sometimes, as underclassmen, we can make it the end of the world if we go 0 for 3 in a game or we have a bad outing. \u2026 The game is meant to be fun, and you\u2019re supposed to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the story behind the Michael Jackson glove the team has been passing around the dugout and featuring on social media?<\/p>\n

Slimp: We went and saw the [Michael Jackson] movie as a team. I think 12 of us went, something like that, and since then we\u2019ve just been obsessed with all things Michael Jackson. \u2026 We got the gloves. We are doing the second base [celebrations.] We are all things Michael Jackson right now after that movie.<\/p>\n

Who bought the glove?<\/p>\n

Slimp: That\u2019s a good question because I actually don\u2019t know the answer. I think most of our props and stuff just pop up. I think the [stress ball in the shape of] butter started with [Tinsley] because she\u2019s really into stress balls. \u2026 But the home run boxing gloves came from Coach Lisa [Fernandez] and her boxing analogy.<\/p>\n

We have a team motto that we\u2019re like boxers. \u2026 That\u2019s been the vibe and motto of this team this year to symbolize that. \u2026 One of the girl\u2019s sisters bedazzled them, so they are wearing bedazzled boxing gloves that we put around our necks, whoever hits a home run.<\/p>\n

Being from Texas, do you have an opinion on what\u2019s better \u2014 Whataburger or In-n-Out?<\/p>\n

Slimp: I need to be careful how I answer this question because I need to know my audience here, but y\u2019all take your In-N-Out very seriously. I do have to say, I do like In-N-Out more. <\/p>\n

What about Texas tacos versus Los Angeles tacos?<\/p>\n

Slimp: Oh, yeah, I can talk tacos. The tacos in Texas are definitely better because we have flour tortillas, and apparently, flour tortillas aren\u2019t a thing in California.<\/p>\n

What is your go-to taco?<\/p>\n

Slimp: I love steak fajita with flour tortilla, of course, cheese, and guac. And honestly, that\u2019s it. I\u2019m pretty simple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UCLA softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez expected sophomore Rylee Slimp to deliver under pressure. Slimp earned first-team all-Big Ten…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[8932,138283,67023,111201,84445,9251,48,52,51,18726,47,50,49,22864,10500,138282,427,564,1092,138284,72],"class_list":["post-334327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-bruins","tag-coach-lisa","tag-fernandez","tag-flour-tortilla","tag-glove","tag-home-run","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-leadoff-hitter","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-michael-jackson","tag-pressure","tag-slimp","tag-team","tag-texas","tag-ucla","tag-wcws","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=334327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}