All of top-seeded UCLA softball’s success this year means
nothing now. Every team starts the NCAA Regionals on equal footing
““ two losses and your season ends. The Bruins are hosting a
regional, starting today, and will play Missouri State at 5 p.m. at
Easton Stadium. The other two teams in the regional, San Diego
State and Long Beach State, play at 2:30 p.m. “This is now a
new season; you can build it up as much as you want but at the end
of the day if you’re emotionally disciplined, the
game’s the same,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said.
“Sixty feet, turn left.” This year’s UCLA squad
knows how tough the postseason can be. Every player who played in
last year’s NCAA Championship Series is back this year and
experienced an extremely difficult postseason run. The 2005 Bruins
lost early in both the regionals and super regionals and had to
play the maximum number of games in both rounds to advance.
“I think what that team went through last year is not only
going to help them on the ball field but it’s going to help
them in life,” Enquist said. “I know that sounds kind
of deep, but to be able to buy into yourself regardless of the
results and then start getting the results was a great lesson that
if you remain true to your fundamentals, the game will pay you
back.” So the Bruins know that anything can happen, and their
No. 1 seed guarantees nothing. As recently as 2004, top-seed
Arizona was eliminated in the NCAA Regionals. “Everybody in
the postseason is very good and you’ve got to play your best
every game,” pitcher and first baseman Lisa Dodd said. The
Bruins are coming into the postseason without much momentum, having
lost their last two games of the regular season to Stanford.
Missouri State, meanwhile, is coming off a dominating conference
tournament run. “Our team understands that we gave away those
losses,” Dodd said. “We didn’t show up and we
didn’t play the way we needed to. I don’t think we have
a lack of confidence because we didn’t come up clutch.
We’re ready to move on to the postseason and forget
everything that happened.” The other teams at the regional
may present a challenge to UCLA. Long Beach State has split two
meetings with UCLA this year, and San Diego State played UCLA tough
in their only meeting this year, losing 2-1. In the game Long Beach
won, former Bruin Michelle Turner tossed a shutout against her
former teammates. But the Bruins are focusing on themselves, and
not their competition. “As long as we attack the strike zone,
put the ball in play, get the bunt down, be smart on the bases,
have good communication on defense, I look forward to seeing how
quickly we get into a comfortable place,” Enquist said.
“Right now, the team I’m most concerned about is our
team and what we need to do.” The regional lasts through
Sunday, with play starting at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on
Sunday. All seven games will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
DURAN, ENQUIST HONORED: Third baseman Andrea
Duran was named Pac-10 Player of the year and Enquist was named
Coach of the Year. Duran led UCLA in many offensive statistical
categories, including batting average (.352), runs (50) and runs
batted in (36), and tied for the team lead in home runs with 12.
Her Pac-10 batting average of .394 led the conference.
Enquist’s honor is her third Pac-10 Coach of the Year award.
Second baseman Caitlin Benyi, shortstop Jodie Legaspi and pitcher
Anjelica Selden, along with Duran, were named to the All-Pac-10
first team. Outfielder Krista Colburn and catcher Emily Zaplatosch
earned second-team honors, while Dodd, pinch runner Alissa Eno and
centerfielder Tara Henry earned honorable mentions.