MOHAMMAD ALAVI Tairia Mims leads the
Bruins in home runs this season.
By Andrew Borders
Daily Bruin Contributor
There is, perhaps, no better talent-based rivalry in college
softball than the one between UCLA and Arizona. UCLA is No. 1 in
the current NFCA/USA Today poll; Arizona is No. 2. At least one of
the teams has been involved in every Women’s College World
Series championship game since 1987, including head-to-head
matchups in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1997.
UCLA leads the all-time series 49-38, but Arizona has had more
than a modicum of success in recent years. Since 1994, UCLA has
gone 7-24 against the Wildcats.
Call it coincidence, but the home city of UCLA’s leading
home run hitter this season, sophomore Tairia Mims, is the same
city that hosts those pesky Wildcats.
“I grew up wanting to go to U of A,” Mims said. But
as a college decision loomed closer, things changed. “UCLA
actually, when it came down to it, was my first choice.”
Whether she chose UCLA or Arizona, the skills of the 1999
Salpointe Catholic High School graduate were well known to both
schools’ coaches.
“She’s a great athlete. She’s got some things
you can’t teach,” Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea said.
“Tairia’s one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met
and I knew that she would do well at the Division I
level.”
“We knew she was very talented, and the number of
different positions we put her in highlights her incredible
athleticism and versatility,” UCLA Head Coach Sue Enquist
said.
From the first game of her rookie season in 2000, Mims played as
advertised. She started all 59 of UCLA’s games last season,
hitting .300 and going errorless 98.2 percent of the time.
One might think that playing all 59 games would take a toll on a
true freshman, but Mims and Enquist say that the grind was nothing
unexpected.
“I don’t think it was difficult,” Mims said.
“I didn’t really feel like there was a lot of pressure
on me. I think it was a nice surprise to play all 59
games.”
“I think it was an opportunity she embraced and was
excited about,” Enquist said.
However, her performance so far in 2001 proves that 2000 was not
a peak for Mims, but only the start of her success at UCLA. Her
last season total of nine home runs has already been eclipsed, and
three times as fast. Mims has 10 home runs so far this year,
putting her on pace for 29 for the season. The team record is 31,
achieved by junior catcher Stacey Nuveman in 1999.
Nuveman is one person who understands the difficulty of
Mims’ position.
“(It is tough to hit home runs) when you have a
reputation, and she’s definitely earning one. She’s
doing her job and it’s awesome for the team,” Nuveman
said, “For her to have 10 at this point in the season,
it’s huge. Going into the Pac-10 season and the tail end of
our tournament season, it’s always a bonus.”
The reputation for being a player with a hot bat was no secret
when Mims was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Feb. 12-18.
In that time, she had six home runs, batted .571, and went
errorless defensively.
Mims says the round-trippers are just an unexpected bonus in
what has been a sterling season so far.
“It’s a nice surprise. I’m not really trying
to look for the home runs. That’s more Stacey’s
department,” she said.
Nuveman does lead the team in batting average, but Mims had the
third-highest average.
Mims’ talents are not limited to offense. Coach Enquist
praises her willingness to play anywhere on the field.
“She has an attitude that basically states,
“˜I’m here to make UCLA better, put me where you need me
to go to make this team stronger.’ She is by far the best
athlete we have at the majority of those positions,” Enquist
said.
Mims accepts her role as someone who can be utilized
anywhere.
“Almost every practice I’m at a different position.
I’m not really more comfortable at one particular
position,” she said.
Arizona’s Candrea also noticed the local’s talent at
a variety of spots.
“The great thing about her is that she’s very
versatile. She can catch, she can play at the corners,” he
said.
As one of the key members of the 1999 NCAA title team, Nuveman
knows what it takes to win, and sees those qualities in Mims.
“For our team’s success, it’s essential to
have players that can do a multi-task type of a job and it’s
been awesome to be a part of that,” Nuveman said. “As
her teammate, I’ve been benefitting from her success as
well.”
On April 7 and 8 Mims will see her hometown Wildcats for the
fourth time.
“I try not to let it be any different than any game. I
still get the butterflies, and I’m still nervous,” Mims
said.
Enquist says that Mims chose to be a Bruin because of
UCLA’s unique softball legacy.
“I believe what led Tairia Mims to UCLA was the overall
package UCLA was able to provide for her: the diversity, the
metropolitan influence, the great history in the softball program,
and the academic challenges that she would be able to
attack,” she said.
Arizona’s Candrea also understands why Mims chose palm
trees over cacti.
“I think Tairia was just one of those that maybe was
looking to venture out. She picked a good school,” he said,
“Some kids in Tucson want to get out of Tucson. It’s
like anywhere. Some kids in L.A. want to get out of L.A.”
Showing that the shedding of hometown allegiances is mutual,
even for UCLA, Arizona has eight players from Los Angeles and
neighboring counties on its roster.
When the season is done, the only statistics that will be
important to Tairia Mims are abbreviated “W” and
“L.” Even when the standings are put aside, Mims will
gauge her success this season not in the home run column, not by
slugging percentage, but by the runs she helped to create.
“I’m not really a big stats person, I don’t
follow it too much, but I think RBIs would be the category I look
at to see how I helped the team,” she said.
Enquist knows that this aspect of Mims’ personality is one
of the most important attributes an athlete can have when playing a
team sport.
“We feel very fortunate to have her in our program.
She’s an old-school type of player in that she doesn’t
keep score on the attention she gets,” Enquist said.
“You have to have players like that. Teams that win have more
unselfish players than selfish players. We are extremely lucky to
have somebody as talented as Tairia and as unselfish. Usually, they
don’t go hand in hand.”
Mims says the feeling is mutual.
“I was happy with my choice,” she said.
EASTON CLASSIC SCOUTING REPORTS UCLA
Bruins Head Coach: Sue Enquist (13th
year) 2001 Record: 21-0
Season-so-far: The top-ranked Bruins have been
mowing down competition so far this season, outscoring opponents
170-18. The Bruins combine an unforgiving offense with a smothering
pitching staff. Strengths: With depth and
flexibility, UCLA manages to get production from the entire
line-up. The team’s batting average is hovering around .400 and
team speed has resulted in 42 stolen bases. The Bruins also boast a
deep pitching rotation, which at times overpowers their opponents.
Weaknesses: Minor problems that the UCLA squad is
trying to fix include base running blunders and an inconsistent
defense once the team takes a big lead. Key
Player: Junior ace Amanda Freed has a minuscule 0.13 ERA
in 56 innings of work, while also sporting a .368 batting average.
Cal State Northridge Matadors Head
Coach: Janet Sherman (7th year) 2001
Record: 6-4 Season-so-far: Since their
1-2 start, CSUN has rebounded to go 5-2 thanks in large part to
their pitching. Sherman is not worried about the team’s hitting
woes, as she feels their hard outs will soon turn into hits.
Strengths: CSUN lives and dies with its pitching
& defense. So far this season the Matadors are 1-3 when the
opposition scores more than one run. Senior Sarah Farnworth (4-2)
has a 2.45 ERA in 40 innings of work while junior Tanya Ledesma
(2-1) has a 2.67 ERA in 21 innings of work.
Weaknesses: Currently the Matadors’ team batting
average is under the Mendoza line (.200), and they have managed to
score more than two runs only twice. CSUN still requires top notch
execution to put runs on the board. Key Player:
Farnworth is the do-it-all player for for the Matadors. Last Friday
against Loyola Marymount, Farnworth pitched a perfect game and went
2-for-3 from the plate with her first home run of the season.
Colorado State Rams Head Coach:
Mary Yori (1st year) 2001 Record: 2-6
Season-so-far: The Rams have been outscored 50-18.
CSU struggled in the New Mexico Diamond Invitational and have
worked to correct their problems . The more aggressive style
produced a 3-2 extra inning victory in their last game .
Strengths: With a struggling pitching staff, CSU
is relying on its situational hitting to deliver some runs. Defense
is also crucial for the Rams, as they can’t afford to give their
competition extra chances to strike. Weaknesses:
When a team allows over six runs a game, chances are that the
pitching is not producing. Senior Kyla Kiester came out of the
Diamond Invitational having allowed 15 runs in 11 1/3 innings of
work while freshman Megan Masser took her lumps, going 0-4 with a
9.90 ERA over 20 innings. Key Player: Sophomore
outfielder Brooke Boyer came into last weekend leading the team in
batting average (.444). Oregon State Beavers
Head Coach: Kirk Walker (7th year) 2001
Record: 15-4-1 Season-so-far: The only
other ranked team, No. 16 OSU just completed one of their better
weekends, with victories over two ranked opponents.
Strengths: The Beavers are a very balanced team,
with a solid lineup from top-to-bottom drive in runs.
Pitching-wise, OSU packs a powerful 1-2 punch with junior Crystal
Draper (10-1, 1.17 ERA) and freshman Monica Hoffman (3-3, 1.46).
Weaknesses: Offensive consistency is something
that OSU has lacked this season. Walker is excited about the
offensive production the team is capable of putting up, but the
team has yet to hit a hot streak together. Key
Player: Draper is undoubtedly the team’s ace and a leader.
She has pitched 78 of the team’s 140 innings, while only allowed 51
hits and striking out 60. South Florida Bulls
Head Coach: Ken Eriksen (5th year) 2001
Record: 11-9 Season-so-far: They recently
won the Wilson Tournament, and are riding a 7-game winning streak
after starting out the season 0-5. They have recovered from their
dismal start by staying focused and continuing to play solid
defense. Strengths: They play solid defense and
give their pitchers confidence by not making mistakes and then
capitalizing on opponents errors to gain the edge.
Weaknesses: Other than third baseman Ginny
Georgantas (.365), they are struggling offensively as a team, and
are lacking power (the team only has three home runs). Past Jesse
Kowal, they don’t have another front line pitcher. Key
Player: On the mound they are led by Kowal (8-3, 0.55
ERA), who was recently named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week,
after winning four of the Bulls five victories in last weekend’s
Wilson Tournament. UNLV Running Rebels
Head Coach: Shan McDonald (15th year) 2001
Record: 9-7 Season-so-far: Having an up
and down season. They have alternated between winning and losing
almost on a game-to-game basis, and haven’t yet managed to put
together any sort of winning streak. Strengths:
Their defense has been solid and their pitching has been keeping
them in games. They are a very balanced offensive club that doesn’t
rely on one single player to supply their offense.
Weaknesses: No dominant offensive player to rely
on and no dominant pitcher that can chew up innings in important
games. Key Player: No standout players, but led by
Linda Garza (.389 avg.) and Carrie Bayless (.343 avg.) offensively,
while on the mound Kacey Ellis (3-2, 2.28 ERA), Nicole Truax (2-1,
2.42 ERA), and Geney Orris (2-2, 2.67 ERA) propel the Rebels.
Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/ Daily Bruin Web adaptation by
STEPHEN WONG