Friday, February 7, 1997
SOFTBALL:
Bulldogs project record attendance at diamond for this weekend’s
doubleheaderBy Melissa Anderson
Daily Bruin Staff
It’s always important for a team to be able to win on the road.
But when your schedule slates 15 of its next 16 games at an
unfamiliar venue, importance turns into necessity.
That is the dilemma the UCLA softball team faces starting this
weekend when it heads north to Fresno State for a Saturday
afternoon doubleheader with the third-ranked Bulldogs in its first
real test of the season.
Second-ranked UCLA virtually coasted through its first four
games, but Fresno State will likely be a different story. Picked by
coaches as the unanimous choice to win the Western Athletic
Conference title this year, the Bulldogs return all but three
players from last year’s squad, which split a doubleheader with
UCLA in the 1996 season opener.
Once again, the Bulldogs open their season with the Bruins and
are looking to surpass last year’s record attendance mark of over
5,000 spectators at Bulldog Diamond. Though such large crowds are
distracting to many visiting teams, UCLA head coach Sue Enquist
feels the hostile surroundings could actually help her team.
"It’s funny people say that Fresno is tough to play in because I
think, actually, that when you are a player, you thrive on that
type of environment," Enquist said. "As a coach I look forward to
those opportunities because it’s going to test us  where we
are physically and mentally.
"I want our club to go in there and play our ball game and not
get caught up on anything that’s happening on the outside. If you
do, they’ve got you beat."
High attendance marks, however, are not the only thing Fresno
State has got going for it. The Bulldogs return four All-Americans
in outfielders Laura Berg and Robyn Yorke, infielder Nina
Lindenberg, and pitcher Lindsay Parker, which means UCLA probably
won’t get to put on an offensive show like it did last week in its
11-0, 13-0 wins over St. Mary’s.
"(The St. Mary’s win) is good momentum, but the players need to
keep it in perspective," Enquist said. "If they think we are going
to go up there and do that to Fresno, they are on the wrong
page."
Daily Bruin File Photo
Julie Adams of the UCLA softball team.