Few in the world of NCAA Div. I collegiate softball have had the success both as a player and as a coach that current UCLA Head Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has enjoyed.
Next spring will be her 13th year as the head coach for the fabled Bruins program after she took over the reins from legendary Hall of Fame Coach Sue Enquist in 2007… and what a Bruin career Coach Inouye-Perez has had at all levels!
As a head coach she led UCLA to the 2010 NCAA Championship and under Coach Enquist was an assistant for three more titles (1999, 2003 and 2004).
Before that, the Southern California native was an outstanding catcher during her days in Westwood winning three World Series titles as a player (1989, 1990 and 1992) making it an impressive seven National Championship trophies she’s helped win.
And combining her playing and coaching days in the Bruin Blue and Gold, Coach Inouye-Perez has made it to the Women’s College World Series an amazing 22 times!
She even won four club national championships in her teen years, three with the famed Gordon’s Panthers (1984, ’85 and ’89) and one with the Raiders (’86).
You don’t have that type of success as a coach without a great eye for talent and, along with a stellar staff that includes outstanding assistant coaches Lisa Fernandez and Kirk Walker, Coach Inouye-Perez annually gets many of the top prospective student-athletes in the country to seriously consider being a part of the winningest program in NCAA Div. I history and one of the most reputable academic universities in the world.
We recently reached out to the UCLA coach to ask her thoughts about the new recruiting rules and how it’s worked out so far, especially as we approach the Signing Period for the 2019 class which kicks off Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.
