Megan Faraimo

Personal: Faraimo's personal life includes being the daughter of Marcie and Bill Faraimo and one of four children in her family. Her brother, Matthew, was a member of USC men’s volleyball team from 2017-20. She majored in communications at UCLA and lists Shemar Moore as her favorite actor and Etta James as her favorite singer. Her hobbies include going to the gym, reading, writing, watching Netflix, and spending time with friends and family. Faraimo likes to eat Eggo waffles with syrup and whipped cream and lists Serena Williams as the athlete she admires the most. Her favorite movie is “V for Vendetta,” and she has a dog named Mojo. Faraimo lists her travel coach, Marty Tyson, as a person who has made a difference in her life. She was involved in church choir as a child along with playing basketball and volleyball. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked as a package handler at FedEx. Her walk-up song is “Fire” by Ohio Players.

2023 AUX Season: Faraimo performed exceptionally well, earning 824 leaderboard points and securing the 19th place on the final leaderboard in her inaugural professional season. She accumulated 570 win points and 154 stat points. Faraimo was one of only six players to receive 100 or more MVP points. She was selected as the Game MVP twice, including an MVP 1 distinction on June 19 after Team Leach's 13-3 victory over Team Filler. Throughout Series Two, Faraimo amassed 466 leaderboard points. She made seven appearances in the circle, starting two games. Faraimo achieved a 2-1 record with a save and a 4.41 earned run average over 27.0 innings. Her 27 strikeouts ranked her second in the league. Faraimo claimed her first professional win on June 12 against Team Garcia, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts and two hits. She also earned a win over Team Filler on June 19, conceding two runs with seven hits over 6.1 innings. Faraimo showcased her pitching skills with six strikeouts in three appearances, including consecutive outings against Team Filler (June 21) and Team Garcia (June 24). Faraimo was one of the 14 players selected in the Athletes Unlimited Softball College Draft.

International Experience: She has also had international experience, leading Team USA to a Gold medal at the 2022 World Games and the 2022 Pan American Championship. Faraimo was a member of the Team USA roster for the 2022 Japan All-Star Series and led Team USA to the 2022 Canada Cup title with a 2.33 earned run average and two strikeouts along with a save. She also guided Team USA to a Bronze medal at the 2019 USA Softball International Cup, collecting a 3-1 record with a 0.71 earned run average and 24 strikeouts over 19.2 innings. Faraimo was a member of the 2019 WBSC U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup champion squad and posted a 3-0 record with 43 strikeouts and 0.32 earned run average in 21.2 innings. She was named to the Team USA roster for the 2023 WBSC World Cup Qualifier.

Other Professional Experience: She was also the No. 3 overall selection in the 2023 Women’s Professional Fastpitch Draft by USSSA Pride.

At UCLA: She attended UCLA and played softball there for five years, appearing in 156 games in the circle from 2019-2023. During her time at UCLA, she had a 101-16 career record with a 1.44 earned run average and became one of four pitchers in school history to win 100 or more games in a career. Faraimo is third in program history with 1,000 strikeouts over 707.2 innings and posted two seasons with 200 or more strikeouts, including a career-best 292 strikeouts in 2022. She owns four career perfect games, including three solo efforts, and was a three-time selection as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist, including Top 10 distinction in 2023. Faraimo was named the 2023 Pac-12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned NFCA All-America accolades three times, including First-Team nods in 2022 and 2023. She also garnered Second-Team All-America notice by Softball America and D1Softball in 2022 and 2023. Faraimo was a four-time NFCA All-West Region and All-Pac-12 First Team honoree. As a redshirt senior, she had a 1.42 earned run average with a 29-3 record and also garnered a save against Kentucky on February 24, 2023, and Howard on March 7, 2023. Faraimo tallied 232 strikeouts with six games of 10 or more strikeouts. As a senior, she boasted a 24-5 record with a 1.98 earned run average and established a UCLA single-season record with seven saves, which led NCAA Division I. She was named to the 2022 NCAA Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team after becoming the sixth player in program history to pitch and hit a home run in the same WCWS game against Northwestern on June 3, 2022. Faraimo posted 10 strikeouts in a complete game effort against the Wildcats while adding a solo home run in the sixth inning. She also notched perfect games against Fresno State (March 3, 2022) and CSU Bakersfield (March 11), while combining with Lauren Shaw for a perfect game against Penn on March 10, 2022.