Rachel Garcia is a pitcher and infielder for Team USA. In 2019, playing for UCLA, Garcia was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, NFCA National Pitcher of the Year, and was both the Pac-12 Player and Pitcher of the Year. A First Team All-American, she led the Bruins to a College World Series championship, where she was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after going 5-0 in the circle with a 1.75 ERA (and hitting a walk-off, three-run homer to send the Bruins to the Championship Series). After being named to Team USA, Garcia decided to redshirt this season in order to focus on preparing for the Olympics. 

I wanted to start with last year’s national championship, UCLA’s first in nine years. How was that team’s mentality different than in years before?  

The fall started out really rough for us. It’s always a struggle trying to find who you are as a team and identifying your core values. You have to get the freshman acclimated to the program. And we had lost Kylee Perez to graduation. She was our glue, our leader, our veteran, and we needed someone to step into that role. Things didn’t really begin to click till the season started, and it really took a group effort. We also started seeing a sports psychiatrist as a team, which really helped us. He was just super instrumental in guiding us through the process, and though we talked with him as a team, we could also individually see him off to the side if we wanted. Eventually, we were able to come together with a unified mindset, and we started playing for something that was bigger than ourselves. It was special, and you could definitely feel the “BruWin Magic.”

A WALK OFF TO HEAD TO THE 'SHIP!

Player of the year Rachel Garcia took matters into her own hands in the 10th ???? pic.twitter.com/5pMm71w7Qn

— ESPN (@espn) June 2, 2019

You hit a walk-off, extra-inning home run against Washington to put your team into the finals. Do you remember what was going through your mind then? 

You know, I honestly thought I was going to do it at the bat before. But when I did hit the walk-off, and I was running around the bases, all I could think about was my grandpa. I had lost him at the beginning of the season. I felt his presence there with me as I rounded the bases.

I’m sorry to hear about your loss. I can imagine that was quite a powerful moment against Washington. What’s it been like watching UCLA from afar this season? 

It’s exciting. And then also sometimes I miss it. But I am able to cheer them on. I recently went to watch the team play against Texas, and I was amazed at how the younger girls have stepped up to take on bigger roles since me and Bubba left. And I think it’s just going to be an exciting season for the Bruins. They have such a loaded hitting lineup, it’s going to be tough for other teams.

What were your thoughts when you heard that you made the Olympic roster?

The first person I actually contacted was Bubba Nickles, my former UCLA teammate, as she also made the team. That process was very emotional, because it’s something that you dream of when you’re a little girl, and then to think that softball was taken out of the Olympics for so long, there’s a missing generation that never got to experience this journey. So I just feel very honored and very humbled to be a part of it all.

Once you made the Olympic roster, did you already know you were going to take time off from UCLA? 

I didn’t know I would take time off. I tried to keep an open mind, and I weighed the pros and cons of sitting out a year. But when I made the initial roster, I was already enrolled in about three classes, and I had already missed the first two weeks of school. So I was so behind on everything. I decided to drop two classes and just be a part-time student for the fall. And then I just was like, you know, this is too much. I was playing too much catch up. So that was when I decided to defer this year of eligibility in order to focus on training with Team USA.

Is your plan to return to UCLA and the team next year after the Olympics? 

The plan is to definitely go back and finish school, but for now my plan is to focus on what’s in front of me. And the priority is to represent my country and win the gold medal.

Team USA just played in a couple of tournaments in preparation for the Olympics. How did that go?

It was fun. It was definitely a grind in the beginning, but once they kinda got going, things kind of slowed down a little bit and kind of got into the rhythm. And I got to play against some of my old teammates. But it’s been a journey.

What has the dynamic been like on the team given the mix of older players, younger players, players still in college? 

I think the best part about our team is that that age doesn’t really matter. I mean, you’re getting the opportunity to play at that next level so everyone is all in. It’s a great opportunity for the younger girls getting to experience it for the first time and for the older girls getting the opportunity to experience this again. Sharing that all together is pretty cool for everyone.

How would you define your personal role on the team? 

For me, it’s about being prepared to go in at any moment. It’s a lot different than in college, where things are a little bit more planned out. But with this team, it’s just a different mentality. The pace is a lot quicker.

Okay, last question, and it’s a big one: what does softball mean to you and how has it inspired your life? 

Softball has provided so much for me in my life. I mean, I never thought I’d be getting a full ride to UCLA. When I was younger, it was always a dream school for me, since they were the first collegiate softball game I ever saw. So the sport has provided me with a scholarship and an incredible college degree. It’s allowed me to play internationally and represent my country. And now it’s giving me the opportunity to play at the Olympics.

So I feel very fortunate, and I know it’s now time for me to start giving back to the sport. Whenever I get an opportunity, I go out to the local fields in my hometown to watch games or give lessons or help out with practice. Anything I can do to give back, especially since I come from such a small town, where it’s very rare to see athletes come out and be successful.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.