Currently on a seven-game winning streak, the UCLA softball team
will today face the last team that beat them ““ Oregon.
The most recent time the two teams met, it was in a two-game
series in Eugene, Ore. Oregon won the first game 5-4 and UCLA won
the second 9-3.
“I would be shortsighted to say that there’s not
some extra motivation to beat them,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist
said.
The Ducks haven’t been a softball powerhouse in the past,
but they’re ranked No. 20 nationally right now and have
clinched a winning record, making them eligible for the NCAA
regionals for the first time since 2000.
Teams with winning records from major conferences always get in.
And Oregon (28-15, 6-9 Pac-10) can’t finish worse than
28-23.
The Ducks will play the Bruins just once, at 1 p.m. today.
Oregon State will also come to Easton Stadium for games on Saturday
and Sunday.
Saturday will mark the first night game ever in Easton Stadium
history, starting at 7 p.m.
“I’m thrilled for the current team that gets to make
history,” Enquist said. “We’ve come a long way. I
hope someday the lights are a permanent part of the environment at
Easton Stadium in my lifetime.”
The lights are only temporary, as they were put up to comply
with the NCAA’s rules for NCAA regional host sites. The sites
were announced earlier in the week, and UCLA was not on the list,
despite its No. 2 ranking and 40-5, 8-3 Pac-10 record.
“When are we going to get the most important thing which
is the playing surface?” Enquist asked.
“Is it much of a difference to sit on wood or stadium
seats? Our playing surface can go head to head with any. Our
grounds crew is the best in the country.”
Regional sites were given based on geography and quality of the
facility, not based on the team’s quality of play.
Oregon State can also clinch a winning record with a
double-header sweep against Portland State Thursday night. That
would mean all eight teams in the Pac-10 would have winning
records.
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Bruins Keira Goerl, Tairia Mims and Natasha Watley were three of
the 10 finalists for the 2003 Collegiate Softball Player of the
Year Award presented by the Amateur Softball Association.