Wednesday, April 10, 1996
Pitcher rebounds from two injuries to win all-state honorsBy
Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Contributor
"I just wanted to see how far I could go," Kaci Clark said of
her decision to transfer from Georgia State to UCLA after her
sophomore season.
That one statement seems to sum up the entire career of the
senior pitcher, who has battled through two major injuries en route
to becoming one of the upper echelon pitchers in the country. She
has never failed to reach for her dreams  even after doctors
told her those dreams would come to an end before they ever got
started.
By earning all-state honors in all four years of high school in
Brentwood, Tenn., her goal of playing Division I softball was
virtually assured of being realized, with the only question being
which school she would choose to attend.
Then came the first injury.
During the last weeks of her senior season, Clark was sliding
into third base only to be involved in a collision that very well
could have ended her career. During the play, she suffered a
fractured ulna, a ripped triceps muscle, a compression fracture,
and the tearing off of the tip of her elbow. According to the
emergency room doctor, Clark’s softball career was over.
But Clark knew otherwise.
Instead of giving up and conceding defeat, she immediately went
into therapy.
"The therapist gave me a 50-50 chance to return to the diamond,"
Clark said. "I took the good 50."
As a result, she was able to battle back at a very quick pace,
and became a star player the very next season at Georgia State.
That year, she became the Panthers’ all-time record holder with 237
strikeouts, placing her 11th in the nation and first in the Trans
America Athletic Conference. That same year, she threw 15 shutouts
and finished 22-11. Accomplishing all of this less than a year
after what was thought to have been a career-ending injury earned
her the GSU Ron Curry Determination Award, as well as features by
both Sports Illustrated and CNN.
The following year, she continued her dramatic comeback,
finishing 20-13 and leading the Panthers to their second
consecutive TAAC title. In addition to her contributions from the
mound, she finished her GSU career with a .297 batting average,
usually hitting second or third in the Panther lineup. This
combination of skills on the mound and at the plate earned her two
consecutive team MVP awards and GSU Female Athlete of the Year
honors.
Little did she realize, however, her incredible comeback was
just beginning.
In the final game of the season  a loss to South Carolina
in the NCAA regionals  she suffered her second major injury.
Chasing down a runner between first and second base, Clark tried to
change directions, catching her feet in the ground and, in the
process, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament.
Once again, it was believed she may not be able to return to
full strength, and recovering required an immense amount of
rehabilitation and patience. It was another challenge, and that
meant Clark was ready for it.
"I could never look to the end. I couldn’t even take it one day
at a time  I had to take it one hour at a time," Clark said.
"But when I started to improve, it was so elating that it made all
the time and work seem worthwhile."
Although not recovering completely until last summer, her
determination was rewarded when she transferred from Georgia State
and earned a scholarship to UCLA the following season. It seemed
that luck  which Clark had been lacking the past couple of
years  was on her side this time and it played an integral
role in becoming a Bruin.
UCLA was sent to the same bracket as the Panthers for the NCAA
regionals, and GSU drew a match up with the Bruins in the opener,
the day before her season-ending injury. Clark was given the
responsibility of shutting down the heavily favored Bruins, and she
did not disappoint, giving up only four hits as the highly
under-matched Panthers barely fell, 2-1.
As a result, after the season concluded, she called current UCLA
head coaches Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist and was given the
opportunity to transfer to Westwood.
"There is good possibility that if they had not seen me pitch
that game, I wouldn’t have been able to come here," Clark said.
"We were real impressed with her performance," Enquist said. "It
certainly solidified our interest in her."
Although her pitching time was cut dramatically a year ago after
Australian pitcher Tanya Harding joined Bruin ace B’Ann Burns in
the rotation, and she saw no time in the batters box because of
UCLA’s powerful hitting lineup, Clark could not have been happier
with her decision.
"UCLA is at the top and that’s where I wanted to be," Clark
said. "The championship season of a year ago was just an incredible
experience that I’ll never forget."
Clark certainly did her fair share in bringing the title back to
Westwood, going 10-0 on the season and maintaining a 0.88 ERA. In
addition, in the NCAA regionals, she returned to the same field
that had almost ruined her career the previous season, and defeated
Campbell 6-1 in the opening round.
"It wasn’t really in my head that much, any feelings that I had
weren’t really important at that moment," Clark said. "We were so
focused on playing that game that the injury didn’t really occur to
me."
Enquist knew the distractions wouldn’t affect Clark.
"She’s really had to overcome a lot of adversity," Enquist said.
"She believes a lot in herself and that is why she is where she is
today."
Despite losing to Arizona last weekend, Clark has continued to
impress this year, with an 8-3 record and the third spot in the
conference in strikeouts per game with 6.26. Despite playing only
two years with UCLA, Clark is one win shy of becoming 10th on the
all-time Bruin victory list.
"It’s not too hard to win when you have a club like this behind
you," Clark said. "The way the catchers and pitchers work together
is great. This team is just so amazing."
Although Clark’s Bruin career will end at the conclusion of this
year, she has no intention of giving up softball. Next year, she
plans on returning to school to earn her teaching credential,
enabling her to coach softball in high school and college.
"If I can make just one girl happier and make them enjoy
softball as much as I have, I will be a success," Clark said.
"(Softball) has given me a great education and I would love to give
something back to the game that has given me so much."
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Overcoming physical adversity, senior pitcher Kaci Clark has
managed to earn a spot in UCLA softball’s upper ranks."… When I
started to improve, it … made all the time and work seem
worthwhile."
Kaci Clark
UCLA Softball Team