By Bruce Tran
Daily Bruin Contributor
It’s hard to imagine ways to improve on the sweep the
women’s softball team completed this past weekend at the CSUN
Early Bird Classic. UCLA won all three games by a combined score of
19-0, and Opening Day pitcher Keira Goerl even threw a
no-hitter.
But head coach Sue Enquist can think of several ways.
“This is a team that has to work on being present,”
she said. “We have good talent, but with good talent comes
the responsibility to show off that talent for the full seven
innings, and that’s what I’m looking for.”
The second-ranked softball team travels to Phoenix, Ariz., to
participate in the Fiesta Bowl Classic ““ and to refine their
game. Among other things, Enquist wants the Bruins to make better
decisions at the plate, stay focused defensively and run the
basepaths aggressively.
That doesn’t sound like the coach of a team that dominated
its previous tournament. However, the CSUN Early Bird Classic
featured No. 23 San Diego State, Louisiana-Monroe and San Jose
State ““ none of them true national powerhouses. The Fiesta
Bowl Classic will pit the Bruins against the likes of No. 12
Nebraska, No. 17 Southwest Texas State and Texas.
“Last week, we got away with a lot because their pitchers
put the ball right over the plate,” Enquist said. “This
weekend, that won’t happen. The talent in this tournament is
going to be very apparent, and every team is capable of beating us
if we just decide to have that feeling of entitlement (to
victory).”
The Bruins are likely to see better pitching, as several
preseason All-American pitchers are in the tournament. For senior
catcher Stacey Nuveman, it should mean a chance to swing the
bat.
“My theme for the year is to take what I can’t
get,” said Nuveman, who, despite being walked four times, is
hitting .667. “If they pitch to me, I’ll be ready. If
not, I’ll take the walk. Everybody else is hot right now, so
we’ll be fine.”
In what could be the marquee matchup of the tournament, the
Bruins will probably face Texas’ freshman left-hander Cat
Osterman, the 2001 National Gatorade Player of the Year and
Nuveman’s teammate this past summer for Team USA.
“We’ll definitely be tested, and it’ll give us
a chance to see how we do and where we stand,” junior
shortstop Natasha Watley said.
Indeed, for the Bruins, the tournament will serve as a barometer
on the national softball level and as a gauge for the team’s
progress.
Said Enquist, “The bottom line is that we just go out
there and play Bruin softball. If we do that, then good things will
come our way.”
And thus far, they have.