After opening up Pac-10 play last weekend, this weekend the UCLA
softball team faces its toughest set of games so far this year.
The No. 3 Bruins (30-3, 2-1 Pac-10) travel to the desert to take
on No. 9 Arizona State (37-3, 1-0) today and No. 2 Arizona (30-4,
1-1) on Saturday and Sunday.
The Bruins’ normal practice schedule was cut short this
week because of stormy weather conditions plaguing the Southland.
UCLA was only able to get in one full day of practice this
week.
Still, coach Sue Enquist feels her team is prepared for the
challenge that lies ahead of them this weekend after opening up the
Pac-10 season 2-1 against two tough teams in California and
Stanford.
“Right now, we’re in a good place,” Enquist
said. “We’ve got momentum. We also have individual
things to work on in our offensive and defensive games.
“We’ll just try to be as productive as possible
despite the rain this week.”
While it wouldn’t be difficult to overlook the Arizona
State team in anticipation of the rivalry with Arizona, the team
realizes it cannot afford to do so this season.
The Sun Devils are riding a nine-game winning streak heading
into the matchup with the Bruins and have displayed the offensive
prowess of a contending team.
The Bruins will be facing the Sun Devils for the 100th time on
Friday, having won 81 of the previous 99 meetings, including three
shutout victories last season. This season however, is a totally
different challenge.
“You have a revised Arizona State club that is playing
excellent ball as a team and putting up great numbers
individually,” Enquist said. “They have a couple of
players that can change the game with one swing of the
bat.”
Things only get tougher for UCLA when it faces Arizona on
Saturday and Sunday.
Arizona, which has been the top-ranked team in the nation for a
good chunk of this year, has lost only four games this year by a
combined four runs. Two of those one-run losses were to current No.
1 Texas.
One big reason for the Wildcats success this year has been the
performances of not one, but two great pitchers.
Senior right-hander Alicia Hollowell has gone 15-1 in 17
appearances this season with a 0.60 ERA, 39 hits allowed and a walk
to strikeout ratio of 10/200 in 105 2/3 innings of work.
Sophomore Taryne Mowatt sports almost identical numbers with a
15-3 record, a 0.65 ERA, 46 hits allowed and a walk-to-strikeout
ratio of 13/191 in 18 appearances and 108 innings pitched.
“Both (Mowatt and Hollowell) can work both zones,”
Enquist said. “Both can throw off-speed. If we go in and
swing irresponsibly, we’re gonna struggle, but if we stay
within ourselves and have great plate discipline, it’ll be a
great matchup.”
Enquist also realizes that if the Bruins are to be successful
this weekend, the mentality of the team could be the X factor that
separates victories from losses.
“We have an emotional maturity this year that is
excellent, but that’s going to be important because the
talent level this weekend between the three clubs is very
close,” Enquist said. “Who can sustain the blow,
recover, and return it? I think that’s going to be really
important.”