Wednesday, January 29, 1997
SOFTBALL:
UCLA begins season with match against LMUBy Melissa Anderson
Daily Bruin Staff
The easiest way to take down an opponent is to look for its weak
link and attack it, full speed ahead. But what if that opponent is
so well-rounded that its weaknesses are hard to spot?
That’s the dilemma opponents will face when they play the UCLA
softball team this season, which kicks off for the Bruins today
with a noon match-up at Loyola Marymount.
In years past, the Bruins have had standout leaders to rely on
in their quest for the championship. Legends like Debbie Doom and
Lisa Fernandez helped guide UCLA to three of its nine national
titles.
This year, all of that has changed.
While the Bruins are young and lack the experience of defending
NCAA Champion Arizona, they have a talented crop of newcomers, and
just enough veterans to remind them what is needed to win a
title.
Unlike previous years, however, UCLA will need more than one
person to shoulder the load. Luckily, it has just the squad to do
it.
"What we bring to the game in ’97 is balance," UCLA Head Coach
Sue Enquist said. "We’re solid defensively; we have a pitching
staff that I believe is going to be effective right away."
Pitching is without a doubt the Bruins’ strong suit this year.
Two of the nation’s top freshmen join senior B’Ann Burns to
make-up, what many feel, is the strongest pitching staff in the
country.
Olympian Christa Williams won gold in Atlanta last summer as the
youngest member of the U.S. team, and comes to Westwood as the top
pitching prospect in the country. Fellow freshman Courtney Dale,
considered the top all-around freshman in the nation, will see time
on the mound as well as in the outfield.
"Our game revolves around pitching and it’s nice to see that
we’re not only strong; we’re deep," Enquist said.
Deep enough to be picked by Pacific 10 coaches to finish second
in this year’s conference race, behind first-ranked Arizona.
Senior first baseman Alleah Poulson brings experience to an
infield which lost two key starters this year. The graduation of
four-year starter Kelly Howard at second base opened the spot up to
junior Laurie Fritz, who played most of last season in the
outfield. Sophomore Christie Ambrosi replaces shortstop Nicole
Odom, who will redshirt this season after undergoing shoulder
surgery. Sophomores Julie Adams and Julie Marshall return at third
base and catcher, respectively.
Offensively, junior Kim Wuest returns after hitting a
career-high 13 home runs as a sophomore and is expected to provide
the fire to a solid corps of UCLA hitters. With 15 career home
runs, Wuest is just five short of the all-time UCLA career home run
record.
"In 1997 you are going to see a lot of offensive heroes,"
Enquist said. "Literally in years past, teams could throw around
our good hitters. That’s not going to happen this year because (our
strong hitters) are all back-to-back-to-back.
"You can’t throw around three people in a row and stay in a
ballgame. We are more deep in the middle of the line-up than we
have ever been, and that’s exciting as a coach."
With head coach Sharron Backus announcing her retirement on Jan.
6, 22 years after taking over the helm, Enquist  who served
as co-head coach with Backus for eight years  is on her own
for the first time. Although she says the team has made a fairly
smooth transition on the field, Backus is sorely missed outside the
white lines.
"We’ve been together for 22 years because I played for her in
her first three years here. We share so much history, and I think
that’s what I miss the most," Enquist said.
Daily Bruin File Photo
Senior first baseman Alleah Poulson brings her experience to an
infield that lost two key starters.