DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Junior second baseman Monique Mejia takes off
after connecting for a hit against Riverside early in the
season.
By Bruce Tran
Daily Bruin Reporter
[email protected]
The UCLA women’s softball team is hoping the third time
will be the charm.
After winning a national championship in 1999, the Bruins have
failed to claim the NCAA title despite making it to the final game
twice. In an attempt at redemption, and one year wiser, the Bruins
return to Oklahoma City to vie for softball’s ultimate
prize.
“Each year we come here, there is a greater level of
appreciation to be here,” UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said.
“We bring experience to the postseason. We know how to handle
pressure situations and what to do when our “˜A’ game
hasn’t shown up.
“Our key is to get into our game as quickly as possible
and take care of the ball on defense while making good
choices.”
UCLA joins an eight-team field that comprises the College World
Series. The tournament is double-elimination, culminating with the
national championship game on May 27.
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Last year, the Bruins lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Arizona in the
title game, and this year, the Wildcats figure to again be
UCLA’s biggest obstacle. Should both teams make it to the
championship, UCLA will likely face Wildcat senior pitcher Jennie
Finch in the circle.
The senior pitcher tossed the championship shutout last year and
was named the 2002 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year. While the Bruins
have taken two of three meetings against the Wildcats, Arizona
seems to be peaking at the right time.
“The thing we haven’t done real well this year is
play with a lot of emotion,” Arizona head coach Mike Candrea
said.
“Obviously, at this time of the year that’s pretty
important. Finally, in the last game at the regional, I really
thought that we played probably our best game overall. So I’m
very excited to see what happens once we take the field in Oklahoma
City.”
There are many other talented teams in the College World Series.
The tournament has a distinct Pac-10 flavor to it, with fellow
conference foes Cal and Arizona State joining the Bruins and
Wildcats in Oklahoma. In fact, the top four seeds in the tournament
are from the Pac-10.
UCLA’s first foe will be Florida State, who finished 53-18
on the year. Senior pitcher Leslie Malerich, who was named the most
valuable player of her team’s regional, leads the Seminoles
with a 33-12 record and a 1.29 ERA.
Offensively, Brandi Stuart and Jess van der Lind have formed the
slugging core of the lineup and provide a formidable 3-4
combination. Stuart led the Seminoles with 10 home runs while van
der Lind is batting .352.
The Bruins will counter with its own regional most valuable
player ““ pitcher Keira Goerl, who, in 20 innings at the
regional, struck out 33 and allowed only an unearned run. Equally
up to the task of the pressure of the College World Series is
senior pitcher Amanda Freed, who pitched in last year’s
national title game. Freed, with her shutout victory over Liberty
in the first game of the regional, has taken over as UCLA’s
career leader in wins, with 97.
The concerns rest squarely in the batter’s box and in the
field. At times, the Bruins have struggled offensively.
Nevertheless, catcher Stacey Nuveman has been UCLA’s
offensive stalwart, adding to her NCAA-record 89 career home runs
this past weekend. Her offensive power will be essential to
UCLA’s title hopes, as proven by her role in their victories
over Arizona.
“The numbers she puts up at the plate haven’t been
seen by the game in a long time,” Enquist said. “She
doesn’t get much credit for how incredibly disciplined she
is. She has great home run and RBI numbers, but at the same time
she doesn’t strike out much.”
Defensively, UCLA has been shaky. In their last three games, the
Bruins have coughed up eight errors, leading to a pair of unearned
runs. One error led to the only UCLA loss in the regional, a 2-1
South Carolina victory. The loss forced UCLA to eke out a 1-0
victory in the final game.
“I’ve been here a lot, but it has only once ended
the way I wanted it to,” Nuveman said. “Experience is
great, but you want to win when you get here. A goal for me coming
back this year was for me to finish the season off the way I want
it to.”
UCLA looks primed to make another title run. Should the Bruins
make it to the title game without losing two games, it will be
UCLA’s fourth consecutive appearance in the championship
game. The last two times haven’t been all that pleasant. The
team is hoping that the third time will be the charm.