Conference win high on softball list
By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Contributor
Completing a 50-win season and winning the national championship
last year should have fulfilled any aspirations the UCLA softball
team had at the start of last season. However, there was one goal
they fell short of in 1995 – winning the Pac-10 Championship.
So once again, the conference title is high on the list of
priorities for this year’s squad.
"On the forefront of our minds is winning the conference and
post-season play," UCLA co-head coach Sharron Backus said. "But we
know it will be tough because the whole conference is improved this
season."
One of the most improved clubs in the Pac-10 is Stanford, who
UCLA will meet Sunday in a 1 p.m. matchup at Easton Field to open
the conference schedule.
Last season the Cardinal finished a lowly 1-27 in conference,
and 15-37 overall, but was a very young team, losing only two
starters.
"Stanford is going to surprise some teams this year," Backus
said. "They could have one of the stronger pitching staffs in the
conference, and should be much improved over a year ago."
After struggling in their doubleheader sweep over Loyola
Marymount on Saturday, the Bruins (2-0) will have to step up their
performance in order to start the Pac-10 season off on the right
note.
"We saw a lot of good things, but a lot of bad things too,"
co-head coach Sue Enquist said of the team’s opening weekend. "The
second game was kind of disappointing, and we need to improve
before we face Stanford."
Particularly impressive were the 10 hitless innings thrown by
B’Ann Burns, a 5-for-8 afternoon for Kelly Howard, and clutch
performances by their freshman trio – Julie Adams, Julie Marshall
and Christie Ambrosi.
But in the second game, a 5-4 victory over the Lions, the bats
were silent except for a fourth-inning rally which ultimately won
the game for the Bruins. Starting pitcher Kaci Clark allowed all
four of LMU’s runs before Burns relieved her in the second
inning.
"She just had an off day, she’s a good pitcher and will be ready
to go against Stanford," Enquist said.
Clark is 10-0 lifetime as a Bruin, and will try to remain
perfect in the second game of the doubleheader.
UCLA has won all 10 meetings between the two clubs including
four contests last year in which the Bruins outscored the Cardinal
by a combined score of 46-3.
However, UCLA knows that it cannot go into the game
overconfident. It realized last week that having the title of
national champions means there is a target painted on its chest,
and everyone will be gunning for them.
"We just need to discipline ourselves to take the season one
game at a time, and we should be able to do just fine," Backus
said.
PATRICK LAM
Senior second baseman Kelly Howard.
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