MAIYA HOLLIDAY Sophomore pitcher Keira
Goerl is ready to take over as the No. 1 starter next
season .
By Jon Corwin
Daily Bruin Contributor
Fear is not in her vocabulary. Intimidation is not a factor in
her athletic pursuits.
One would think that entering UCLA’s illustrious softball
program would be slightly intimidating to an 18-year-old freshman.
But don’t tell that to UCLA sophomore pitcher Keira
Goerl.
All Goerl did her freshman season was tally a team-high 27 wins,
posting a 1.15 ERA in 194 innings pitched, good enough to earn a
second team All-Pac-10 selection for a team that finished second in
the country.
She led the team in wins, innings pitched, appearances and
strikeouts, all while being asked to pick up the slack for injured
No. 1 starter Amanda Freed, who suffered an arm injury in April and
was shelved for over a month.
“When Amanda went down last year, there were some critical
back-to-back Pac-10 games that Keira had to throw,” UCLA head
coach Sue Enquist said. “Her poise and success were a
testament to her competitive spirit.”
Goerl’s competitiveness was instilled in her by her
father, Glenn, who coached his daughter throughout her youth
softball career. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Glenn admired the
aggressive style of MLB’s Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose.
After the Goerl family settled in Moreno Valley, Calif., he passed
these feeling on to his daughter, who now wears Rose’s No. 14
for the Bruins.
Goerl’s mother, Jenifer, who could often be seen keeping
score as her daughter mowed down batter after batter, was always
there to support Goerl when times got tough.
“My parents have always supported me in everything I do
and have never pushed me to do something that I wasn’t
comfortable with,” Goerl said.
In her transition from family to school, Goerl has further
benefited from a superior coaching staff that has aided her
pitching. Former UCLA star and Olympian Lisa Fernandez has worked
with Goerl, along with past UCLA standout Kelly Inouye-Perez and
2001 teammate Steph Swenson.
“All the coaches have helped me in improving as a
pitcher,” Goerl said. “I knew coming in here that
I’d be able to learn a lot from Lisa.”
Although Goerl appreciates the impressive UCLA tradition, she
doesn’t allow it to overwhelm her.
“I use the great tradition as motivation for my
pitching,” Goerl said. “It helps knowing that I have
the UCLA name behind me when I compete.”
Going into this season, Enquist will be looking for Goerl to
improve by cutting down on walks and closing out games. But the
young sophomore’s most important quality is her
persistence.
“Keira wants to be out there when the game is on the
line,” said UCLA second baseman Monique Mejia, who has known
Goerl since the two were in elementary school.
Aside from admiring her athletic feats, Mejia appreciates
Goerl’s joking demeanor off the field.
“She’ll stand in front of you when you are trying to
see something or say something and not move. She never stops
talking,” Mejia said.
“She’s just a good person.”
Hopes are high for Goerl heading into her second collegiate
season, especially after her impressive summer.
Goerl was a member of the U.S. National Team that won the U.S.
Cup and took third at the Canada Cup. She also competed for the
Amateur Softball Association’s Phoenix Storm over the summer,
winning the ASA Women’s Open Major Fastpitch National
Championships. She earned first team All-American honors in
addition to the Pitcher of the Tournament for the second
consecutive year.
If Goerl’s success up to this point in her career is any
indication of what’s to come, she is sure to make her mark on
UCLA softball history.