By Andrew Borders
Daily Bruin Reporter
OKLAHOMA CITY “”mdash; The first day of the 2001 Women’s
College World Series provided a testimonial to the influence that
Southern California talent has on college softball.
In fact, you could put together an all-star lineup of players
only from Southern California that would render the WCWS a
one-sided farce because of that team’s domination.
On this team, UCLA junior Stacey Nuveman’s 19 home runs
wouldn’t top the list and junior Amanda Freed wouldn’t
have the best win-loss record in the circle. Arizona senior Toni
Mascarenas, batting .411 with 23 home runs (including the game
winner Thursday over Cal), would make her the leading third
baseman.
Mascarenas is from Freed’s alma mater, Pacifica High
School in Garden Grove. UCLA sophomore and Woodbridge (Irvine) grad
Natasha Watley (.421) brings her cannon arm to the shortstop
position, with fellow Bruin sophomore Monique Mejia (from Corona)
at second. Arizona Wildcat freshman first baseman Leneah Manuma of
San Diego is hitting .364 with 19 home runs.
The pitcher-catcher battery would include Bruin junior Stacey
Nuveman (La Verne) and her .453 average with 19 home runs behind
the plate, and Arizona junior Jennie Finch of La Mirada (30-0, 0.38
ERA) in the circle.
Finch said that the good weather of Southern California helps
foster a continuous competitive spirit.
“You get to play year-round here. We’re brought up
playing eight or nine games a weekend,” she said.
In the outfield, Arizona senior Lauren Bauer of Santa Ana, who
bats .450 with 12 home runs, would be paired with Stanford junior
Jessica Mendoza of Camarillo (.415, 14 HR) and Arizona senior
Nicole Giordano of Saugus, who is hitting .400.
Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea said that the power hitters and
dominating pitchers that Southern California athletes see in the
Pac-10 now are the same ones they played with before. That gives
Southern California athletes the advantage of experience.
“When they get to college, they’re not oohing and
aahing about who they’re playing with because they’ve
played against them before,” he said.
Even though Southern California natives make up more than half
of UCLA’s and Arizona’s rosters, the other six teams in
the WCWS have harvested players from the area as well.
One-third of the participants in the WCWS this weekend are from
Southern California, with Oklahoma, LSU and Iowa having two
Southern California denizens each, and SoCal locals making up a
little less than half of the rosters of Cal and Stanford. Even
Michigan has five players from this area.
“There’s a lot of great talent out there. Orange
County is a particular hotbed,” said Michigan Head Coach
Carol Hutchins.
No matter what team wins the WCWS this weekend, a part of that
trophy will be coming back home to the softball mecca of Southern
California.