Georgia softball hopes to play its best out West when it battles traditional powerhouse UCLA with a trip to the Women’s College World Series on the line.

The No. 11-seeded Bulldogs (43-17) beat the No. 6-seed Bruins (40-10) by a 7-2 count on Feb. 16 in Clearwater, Fla., tourney game en route to winning 16 of their first 17 contests.

Georgia has not finished as strong as it started, winning just seven of its most recent 13 games, including the two elimination games it needed to defeat Liberty to advance out of the Athens NCAA regional.

UCLA will enjoy the home field advantage for this best-of-three NCAA Tournament series that begins at 9:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN2) on Thursday with the second game set for 10 p.m. on Friday.

Georgia is just 1-6 against UCLA in postseason action, dating back to the Bulldogs first trip to the WCWS in 2002.

The Bulldogs are making their 22nd-straight NCAA tournament appearance in search of what would be their sixth WCWS appearance — and first since 2021.

Georgia has an experienced and talented team featuring powerful and timely hitting, along with a strong staff ace.

North Carolina transfer Lilli Backes pitched 20 innings in NCAA regional action and allowed just two walks while fanning 10 batters.

Georgia seniors Sara Mosley and Jayda Kearney have provided power in the lineup all season becoming the first UGA teammates to each hit 20 home runs in a season.

The Bulldogs look to get off to a strong start with leadoff hitter Dallis Goodnight, who has enjoyed the strongest season of her career.

Goodnight, a transfer from Alabama, leads UGA with a .352 batting average.

UCLA features back-to-back Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady, who leads the team with a .418 batting average and a Pac-12-high 65 RBIs and 53 runs scored.