The UCLA softball team could taste a national championship. All
they had to do was win one of their next two games against Michigan
to clinch the best-of-three series and win the national title.
But the Bruins couldn’t do it, losing the second game of
the series 5-2 and falling 4-1 in the third and deciding game in a
contested battle that went 10 innings.
Now, with all of their starters returning, the Bruins are more
determined than ever to get back on the field in search of the
title that eluded them last year.
“Of course we wanted to win (last year),” senior
second baseman Caitlin Benyi said. “But this year, it’s
just the same daily routine. We’re here to win a
championship.”
The expectations have been set very high for UCLA this year,
which travels to Long Beach State tonight at 6, after winning its
first five games last weekend in the Campbell/Cartier Tournament.
The Bruins were slotted as the No. 2 team in the nation by both
preseason polls and were picked to win a tough Pac-10 conference by
the coaches.
Coach Sue Enquist, now in her 18th year as UCLA’s head
coach, has the same high expectations for her team and has been
pleased with what she’s seen early on in the season.
“When you don’t graduate any starters, there’s
a continuity that appears fairly early,” Enquist said.
“We’re ahead of the game in terms of communication and
them understanding what they’re asked to do, and now,
it’s just a matter of going out there and getting it
done.”
If the Bruins are to expand on the success they had last year,
pitching is going to play a critical role. Sophomore pitcher
Anjelica Selden, who emerged as one of the top ace pitchers in the
nation as just a freshman last season, will be expected to carry
the pitching load once again, while senior pitcher Lisa Dodd, who
also had a strong season, will be looked to as the other reliable
pitching option.
Selden last season threw 325 of the 418 innings pitched by UCLA
players. In those innings, she recorded 485 strikeouts compared to
just 46 walks, allowed just 187 hits, and had a miniscule ERA of
1.10. In addition to those numbers, Selden pitched every inning of
the Women’s College World Series and had no-hitters on
consecutive days against St. John’s and Fresno State in the
middle of the season.
But Selden did not emerge from the season completely unscathed.
She came into the season feeling pain from the overuse of her arm
before college and was pitching through pain the whole season. By
the end of her first season at UCLA, Selden’s arm was really
feeling the effects. Doctors determined that she had a torn labrum
and a loose rotator cuff.
Although the topic of surgery did come up, Selden opted to not
pitch in any summer leagues and rehab the injury.
“Surgery was an option,” Selden said. “It all
depended on how I felt. I was scared and I didn’t feel like I
had enough pain. I thought the best thing was just to rest it and
it’s been the best decision so far.”
This season, Selden is throwing without pain, but will continue
to receive special treatment throughout the year. She believes that
the rest she got this summer will allow her to endure a similar
workload to last season.
“Being able to rest (my arm) this summer ““
I’ve never had that before,” Selden said.
“That’s been one of the things that has really helped
this year. My arm feels really good.”
Selden’s first test came this past weekend in the
Campbell/Cartier Tournament. In two starts and one relief
appearance, Selden pitched 15 innings, striking out 34 hitters
while allowing three hits, one walk and no runs. Most importantly,
Selden’s arm was feeling good during and after each game.
Just as impressive for the Bruins in the opening games of the
season was their offensive output. In its first five games, the
Bruins scored a whopping 54 runs, scoring at least eight runs in
four out of five games and doing twice what they didn’t do in
all 60 games last season: score double-digit runs in a game.
A veteran infielder leads the offensive attack this year for the
Bruins. Senior Caitlin Benyi, junior shortstop Jodie Legaspi,
senior third baseman Andrea Duran, and senior catcher/designated
hitter Emily Zaplatosch combined for 36 home runs for UCLA last
year and were the only Bruins to hit over .300 for the season.
Through five games this year, the four have combined to hit .485
with four home runs and 25 RBIs. Juniors Ashley Herrera and Lisa
Dodd also have had offensive success at first base throughout their
careers at UCLA.
The outfield is led by junior Tara Henry in center field and
sophomore Krista Colburn in left field and right field. Juniors
Herrera and Whitney Holum split duties in the other corner outfield
spot depending on who is pitching.
“They understand that there’s an emotional
discipline that has to be in them every day because they’re
experienced,” Enquist said. “They know from what they
experienced last year that the number one thing they have to do is
take care of each other.”
The heightened bonding experience of being on the cusp of
winning a national title only to see that dream fade away has given
the Bruins invaluable experience that they carry with them into
this year.
“We’ve seen moments of greatness and we’ve
also seen the bad times,
Legaspi said. “We’ve seen everything and we’re
right where we need to be. We’re definitely ready.”