Softball vies for Pac-10 crown
By Rick Pal
Sunday will mark the battle in Seattle, Part II, as UCLA
softball hopes to follow the footsteps of the men’s basketball
squad by coming away with a championship of its own.
The Pac-10 title is on the line for the Bruins (40-5 overall,
22-3 Pac-10) who must sweep Washington to guarantee themselves at
least a share of the title. A victory would secure UCLA’s slot in
the NCAA Regionals and perhaps help them score home field
advantage.
Washington (41-20, 12-10), however, is no pushover. Currently
ranked No. 20 in the nation, the Huskies almost stole one at Easton
Stadium the last time the two teams met, losing in two hotly
contested games.
"We had them twice in the first time we played them in Los
Angeles and gave the game away both times," Washington head coach
Teresa Wilson said. "This time we are going to concentrate on
fundamentals and execute and see what happens.
"Our team doesn’t do any one thing better than anyone else in
the country, but hopefully our all-around game is fundamentally
sound."
The Huskies are a solid all-around team, but they have
tremendous strength in their pitching rotation of Stephanie Burns
and Eve Gaw. Burns owns a 16-11 record, which may be misleading
when one considers her 1.15 ERA. Gaw has had more success in the
win column with a 22-8 record and she sports an impressive 2.26
ERA.
"Our pitchers work very hard to make the ball break and we’re
going to try to move the ball around," Wilson said. "UCLA has
hitters that are difficult to contain, but we’ve got to play our
game, not the game plan that has worked for other teams that have
beaten UCLA."
The Husky offense is extremely well-balanced with 11 batters
hitting above .300. The 3-4-5 slots in the lineup, filled by Sara
Pickering, Jennifer Cline and Michelle Church, have dished out the
most punishment to opponents, racking up a collective 143 RBIs.
Despite UCLA’s recent losses to Cal State Northridge and Cal,
the Bruins remain confident with postseason play just around the
corner.
"You have to feel good the way you have played all season long,
although it is a little unnerving right now that we have decided
right now to go to the tank," UCLA co-head coach Sharon Backus
said. "If UCLA comes mentally prepared, we will battle."