Fernandez

UCLA’s Megan Grant is just like every other college senior her age.

Sure, it might not seem like it from the outside looking in. After all, how can someone who has hit 89 home runs across her college career — one short of the Bruins’ record — and helped one of softball’s most dynamic offensive teams check off a list of new NCAA and program records relate to the other sociology majors in her classes at UCLA?

Grant disappears into her head sometimes, something she readily acknowledges. But her solution might not be as accessible to all the other “Twilight”-binging, video-game-loving UCLA students. She has coach Kelly Inouye-Perez keep her, the Division I home run queen, from getting caught up in the moment.

“She does a really great job with just keeping me neutral,” Grant said. “Sometimes I may get in a little crazy headspace, but she does a really great job helping me get out of those feelings that I’m stuck in, and she pulls me out and makes me realize, ‘Hey, as long as I can be who I am, that’s enough.’”

UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez, left, confers with associate head coach Lisa Fernandez next to infielder Jordan Woolery during NCAA reigonal game on May 15.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Inouye-Perez and assistant coach Lisa Fernandez are some of the Bruins’ biggest keys to success as the team prepares for the start of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. The Bruins will face Texas Tech at 4 p.m. PDT Sunday in a game airing on ESPN.

UCLA closed its super regional with a single-season home run record (200) and a record for WCWS appearances (34).

Grant is no stranger to the work necessary to see that level of success. But even in her rare bad at-bats and struggles, Inouye-Perez and Fernandez allow her the space to fail. After all, there are nine places in the lineup. One person alone isn’t indicative of UCLA’s wins or losses, Inouye-Perez says.

“We really focus on succeeding and learning how to fail, so they can just get to the next pitch,” Inouye-Perez said. “We talk about the ability to slow the game down, to take deep breaths, to be able to enjoy the moment. It’s not on any one Bruin.”

That mentality doesn’t exist in a void. Inouye-Perez and Fernandez worked in tandem to create the powerhouse team, which is in the midst of one of the best offensive seasons in D1 softball history.

Inouye-Perez is in her 20th year coaching the Bruins and is the only NCAA softball player to win a championship as a player and a coach. She led the 2010 and 2019 teams to those titles. Meanwhile, Fernandez, in her 28th year coaching at UCLA and her fourth as associate coach, has taken primary responsibility for hitting — one of the Bruins’ biggest keys to success. The team leads the nation in batting average (.385), RBIs per game (10.38) and on-base percentage (.496).

“Me and her, we’re workhorses,” Grant said of Fernandez. “We work all day after practice hours together, and it just means the world. You can tell that she loves the game and her little nuggets that she teaches me.”

The Bruins’ success in the batter’s box also has helped raise the tide of a team that could’ve fallen into many pitfalls. The team has only one main pitcher, Taylor Tinsley, who’s spent the most time in the circle in the NCAA tournament with 29-1/3 innings pitched. The Bruins are also young. Of the 21 players on the roster, only eight are seniors, redshirt juniors or juniors.

Seniors Jordan Woolery and Grant are one pace to break NCAA records, but the underclassmen aren’t far behind. Redshirt freshman Aleena Garcia set a single-game RBI record (7) when she hit two three-run homers in UCLA’s 14-4 win over Central Florida in the Super Regional.

Much like Inouye-Perez, Fernandez’s best attribute is her ability to be a sounding board for Grant.

“You get her enthusiasm too,” Grant said. “If you mess up, she’s always there to have your back. She celebrates your wins as well, and she gets very ecstatic about it. It almost makes me laugh, because it makes things so much more fun. She just brings that out of people.”

Even when teams lose to UCLA and Fernandez, it’s still a positive experience for some.

UCLA associate head coach Lisa Fernandez huddles near the mound with starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley (23) during the fifth inning of a comeback win over California Baptist. The Lancers scored 10 runs in the fifth, but Tinsley bounced back from outing.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Central Florida coach Cindy Ball-Malone considered Fernandez one of the best softball players ever, calling her the Michael Jordan of the sport. But what makes her truly impressive, Ball-Malone said, is that Fernandez is an even better coach.

“She’s just a winner,” Ball-Malone said. “I kind of just want to rub up on her or something to get that mojo because she’s got it. Her attention to detail, her belief in the smallest things, that’s why she is so good at what she does.”

It’s no wonder then why so many people, regardless of team affiliation, want to see UCLA’s coaches in person.

If you’re a part of the Bruins, you get to learn from people who have brought the school championships. And, if you’re trying to beat UCLA, there’s no better accomplishment than saying you beat Inouye-Perez and Fernandez’s record-breaking team.

“[Fernandez is] going to push you, and it might be uncomfortable, but dang it, you have no choice but to get better,” Ball-Malone said. “If you can get through her, you can get through anybody, and I’m going to learn from that so I can bring that to this program.”

UCLA softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez expected sophomore Rylee Slimp to deliver under pressure.

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

“I 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,” Inouye-Perez said. “I 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.

“I think she wanted to be in this position this year. She wanted to be the leadoff and be an impact player.”

The Austin, Texas, native is hitting .428 with 16 home runs, 56 RBIs, and 94 runs. Slimp broke Natasha Watley’s UCLA single-season runs record of 75, set in 2001, with 94 runs so far this season.

The following interview with Slimp ahead of the Bruins’ WCWS opener against No. 1 seed Alabama on Thursday has been edited for length and clarity.

How do you feel about being recognized by national media, including ESPN, for your role in UCLA’s a lineup?

Slimp: It’s surreal. We’ve broken records and accomplished so much as an offense this year. I’m grateful to be the leadoff and for all of the publicity we’re receiving.

How did you get started playing softball?

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.

What inspired you to continue to work at softball so that you can compete at UCLA?

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.

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?

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. … I canceled all the other [visits] that I had, and I was like, ‘Oh, I know that this is the place for me, like, I don’t want to be anywhere else.’

What has helped the younger players on this year’s team stay calm under pressure?

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

What is something they have taught you?

Slimp: I think, honestly, that the game isn’t 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. … The game is meant to be fun, and you’re supposed to enjoy it.

What’s the story behind the Michael Jackson glove the team has been passing around the dugout and featuring on social media?

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’ve just been obsessed with all things Michael Jackson. … We got the gloves. We are doing the second base [celebrations.] We are all things Michael Jackson right now after that movie.

Who bought the glove?

Slimp: That’s a good question because I actually don’t 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’s really into stress balls. … But the home run boxing gloves came from Coach Lisa [Fernandez] and her boxing analogy.

We have a team motto that we’re like boxers. … That’s been the vibe and motto of this team this year to symbolize that. … One of the girl’s sisters bedazzled them, so they are wearing bedazzled boxing gloves that we put around our necks, whoever hits a home run.

Being from Texas, do you have an opinion on what’s better — Whataburger or In-n-Out?

Slimp: I need to be careful how I answer this question because I need to know my audience here, but y’all take your In-N-Out very seriously. I do have to say, I do like In-N-Out more.

What about Texas tacos versus Los Angeles tacos?

Slimp: Oh, yeah, I can talk tacos. The tacos in Texas are definitely better because we have flour tortillas, and apparently, flour tortillas aren’t a thing in California.

What is your go-to taco?

Slimp: I love steak fajita with flour tortilla, of course, cheese, and guac. And honestly, that’s it. I’m pretty simple.

Tottenham back in for Savinho, Yan Diomande tops Liverpool‘s list of Mohamed Salah replacements, Barcelona keen to make Marcus Rashford move permanent and Arsenal to swoop for Julian Alvarez.

Tottenham are rekindling interest in a £60m move for Manchester City and Brazil winger Savinho, 22. (Mail – subscription required), external

Liverpool will prioritise signing a replacement for Mohamed Salah, with RB Leipzig’s 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who has a release clause of £86m, their top target. Newcastle and England winger Anthony Gordon, 25, and Paris St-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola, 23, are also options. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)

Newcastle‘s Gordon is also wanted by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich who could use 29-year-old Germany goalkeeper Alexander Nubel as a makeweight in any deal for the 25-year-old winger. (Bild – in German, external)

Barcelona will hold fresh talks with Manchester United before the World Cup to try and sign Marcus Rashford, with the Spanish club already agreeing personal terms with the 28-year-old England forward. (Talksport, external)

Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, has emerged as Manchester City‘s top summer transfer target. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external

Roma are keen on Marseille’s English forward Mason Greenwood, 24, Manchester United‘s 25-year-old Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee and West Ham‘s 24-year-old Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville as they gear up for the Champions League next term. (La Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Julian Alvarez wants to leave Atletico Madrid with Arsenal set to make an aggressive move for the 26-year-old Argentina forward. (Teamtalk), external

Aston Villa are eyeing a move for Newcastle‘s 28-year-old England winger Harvey Barnes as they prepare for the Champions League next season. (Mail), external

Juventus are closing in on a deal for Liverpool and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson, who has just over 12 months left on his present contract. (Goal Italia – in Italian), external

Liverpool have entered the race to sign 16-year-old German midfield wonderkid Kennet Eichhorn from Hertha Berlin. (Sky Germany), external

Bernardo Silva has held positive talks with Atletico Madrid as the Spanish giants attempt to hijack Juventus’ move for the Manchester City and Portugal midfielder, 31, who is available on a free transfer. (Teamtalk), external

English managers, Scott Parker, 45, who recently left Burnley and Strasbourg’s Gary O’Neil, 43, are of interest to West Ham if they part company with Portuguese boss Nuno Espirito Santo, 52, this summer. (Guardian) , external

AC Milan have approached the representatives of Bournemouth‘s Spanish manager Andoni Iraola, 43, after the Serie A club sacked 58-year-old Italian head coach Massimiliano Allegri. (Sky Sports, external)

Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernandez has signed for American second-tier side El Paso Locomotive after a two-month trial.

The 35-year-old Mexican, who played Dani Rojas in the hit Apple TV+ programme between 2020 and 2023, will now take up a different role for the USL Championship side.

Fernandez played youth football in his home city of Guadalajara, but stepped away from the game at the age of 15 because of a knee injury.

Having moved to London, he was cast in Ted Lasso, which won multiple awards over its initial three-series run.

“Football has always been a huge part of my life and identity, and no matter where life has taken me, the dream of competing professionally never truly left my heart,” said Fernandez, who also trialled with the second team of Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire earlier this year.

“I’m incredibly grateful to El Paso Locomotive FC – the club, coaches, staff, and especially my team-mates – for opening the doors and giving me the opportunity to compete from day one.

“This journey back to professional soccer is about believing in yourself, taking risks, and continuing to chase your dreams no matter how unexpected the path may be.

“Maybe I’m just a crazy man with crazy dreams… so being here with the ‘Locos’ actually makes perfect sense.”

“Cristo is a great addition to our roster, adding another attacking threat to our forward line,” said Locomotive head coach Junior Gonzalez.

Fernandez enters office with her right-wing party holding absolute majority in the country’s legislature.

Laura Fernandez has been sworn in as Costa Rica’s new president and has vowed to fight rising crime in the Central American country, as well as maintain close ties with the United States.

Fernandez defeated a crowded field in the February 1 vote to replace outgoing president Rodrigo Chaves, who has remained a close ally of US President Donald Trump.

In an unorthodox move, Chaves is set to remain in the government as dual minister of the presidency and finance, assuring outsized influence in the incoming administration.

Further underscoring plans to maintain close ties with the US, Fernandez has appointed her second vice president, Douglas Soto, as ambassador to Washington.

Kristi Noem, the US special envoy spearheading the Trump administration’s militaristic approach to Latin America, dubbed “Shield of the Americas”, was at Friday’s inauguration.

So too was Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as part of efforts to boost ties with the region during the political fallout from the genocide in Gaza.

The 39-year-old Fernandez has vowed sweeping reforms to Costa Rica’s judiciary and security laws, as well as a broad crackdown on crime.

Last week, as she introduced her new security minister, Gerald Campos, Fernandez vowed “a war without quarter, a heavy-handed war against organised crime”.

Costa Rica has long been considered one of the most stable countries in Central America, but crime has surged in recent years as it has increasingly become a transit route for smuggling drugs to the US.

Costa Rica is building a maximum security prison modelled on El Salvador’s anti-terrorism CECOT centre, where hundreds of Venezuelans were held without trial after deportation ⁠from the US early last year.

Like El Salvador, Costa Rica has also agreed to accept non-citizens deported from the US per an agreement signed in March.

Rights groups have condemned the so-called “third-country agreements” for stranding deportees in countries in which they have no ties and could be subject to inhumane conditions.

Fernandez’s right-wing Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO) won 31 of 57 seats in the single-chamber legislature.

That gives her party an absolute majority as she takes office.

Costa Rica inaugurated right-wing president Laura Fernandez on Friday as supporters gathered in the national stadium. Fernandez promised to confront ‘organised crime’ while in office.

Enzo Fernandez is wanted by Manchester City, Aston Villa have identified James Trafford as a potential replacement for Emiliano Martinez, Manchester United are keen on Micky van de Ven and Carlos Baleba.

Manchester City are considering a move for 25-year-old Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez this summer. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Aston Villa are interested in Manchester City and England goalkeeper James Trafford, 23, as a potential replacement for Emiliano Martinez if the 33-year-old Argentina goalkeeper decides to leave. (Times – subscription required), external

Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid are keeping tabs on AC Milan and Portugal winger Rafael Leao, 26, who is valued at about £60m. (Mail), external

Manchester United are monitoring Tottenham and Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven, 25, along with Brighton‘s 22-year-old Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Manchester City are in pole position to sign Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 23, despite interest from clubs including Manchester United and Arsenal. (Sky Sports, external)

Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, currently on loan at Aston Villa, has given his approval for a return to Borussia Dortmund in the summer, with both parties holding concrete talks over a deal. (Sky Sport – in German, external)

Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande’s agents have already held discussions with Liverpool and Paris St-Germain, but RB Leipzig are keen on keeping the 19-year-old at the club for at least one more season. (Bild – in German, external)

Brighton centre-back Igor Julio could be set for a return to Brazil with Cruzeiro exploring the situation of the 28-year-old, who spent the first half of the season on loan at West Ham. (ESPN – in Portuguese, external)

Athletic Club are set to appoint former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic as their manager to replace Ernesto Valverde. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish, external), external

Wolves, Bournemouth and Sunderland are among the clubs interested in signing 25-year-old Queens Park Rangers and Jamaica striker Rumarn Burrell. (Football Insider, external)

Brentford have taken a strong interest in Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine striker Matviy Ponomarenko, 20, as a potential replacement for 24-year-old Brazilian Igor Thiago, who could be a summer target for Chelsea and Tottenham. (Teamtalk, external)

Nottingham Forest will attempt to sign Celtic midfielder Arne Engels in the summer after having a bid of £25m for the 22-year-old Belgian rejected by the Scottish club in February. (Teamtalk, external)

Tottenham are in talks with Sebastian Kehl over becoming their new co-sporting director after the 46-year-old German left Borussia Dortmund last month. (Sun), external