Destinee Herrera’s recruiting journey lasted less than a week.
Four days after NCAA Division 1 programs were officially allowed to contact the Oxnard High junior, Herrera committed to the UCLA softball program during an official visit to Westwood Sept. 5.
“It was wonderful,” Herrera said. “I couldn’t say no. It’s my dream school. The girls were so sweet.”
UCLA’s interest was obvious even before Herrera was named CIF-Southern Section Division 4 Player of the Year after pitching the Yellowjackets to the Division 4 title in May.
A member of The Star’s All-County softball first team, she was 14-4 with a 0.96 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 139 innings as a sophomore.
Not only did UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez watch her pitch against Camarillo High in February,
assistant coaches Mysha Sataraka and Will Oldham also watched the multisport star play basketball for the Yellowjackets.
“They’ve just invested so much time into me,” Herrera said. “They showed they really cared, going to watch my basketball games. No other school has done that.”
UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego and Houston were among the schools that contacted Herrera on Sept. 1, the first day NCAA Division 1 coaches are allowed direct communication with high school juniors.
"The dream is officially becoming reality," Herrera wrote in her commitment post on social media on Sept. 6. "I'm extremely grateful for everyone was has supported me and believed in me throughout this journey. This is only the beginning, and I'm ready for what's next."
Herrera did not allow an earned run in 37 innings in CIF-SS play, when opponents hit just .189 against her with 29 strikeouts. She did not walk a batter in the final 28.1 innings of the sectional.
The multisport star was a first-team All-Channel League selection in both softball and basketball.
She has starred in travel ball for Athletics Mercado. In 2025, she became the first pitcher to pitch her team to three of the top national tournament titles at P5 Patriot Games, Colorado Sparkler and Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF).
UCLA is perhaps the top softball team in the country, winning 12 national championships.
Former Camarillo High star Rylee Pinedo was part of the 2026 team, which went 53-10 and reached the Women’s College World Series.
Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard's Destinee Herrera commits to 'dream school' UCLA for softball
