Before the 2006 softball season began, Andrea Duran had enjoyed
a very productive three years as a regular in the Bruin lineup
““ enough to the point that coach Sue Enquist labeled her
“the best third baseman in the country.”
Still, no one at the beginning of the year could have foreseen
the standout season that Duran was about to have.
Duran established herself as one of the best overall players in
the nation, leading the Bruins in almost every offensive category
and racking up enough awards to fill a trophy room.
“In the (Pac-10), there are a lot of terrific ballplayers
that don’t get the national recognition,” Enquist said.
“I just think she’s drawn attention to what she’s
capable of doing, but at the end of the day, she plays the game to
win for her team.”
Duran was one of the players who didn’t get due
recognition during her first three years in the program, but her
play this season was simply too good to ignore.
As the team’s leadoff hitter, she led the Bruins in
batting average, triples and stolen bases, and she scored 26 more
runs than anyone else on the team.
But Duran also did what very few leadoff hitters ever do: She
led the team in RBIs and slugging percentage, while tying for the
team lead in home runs.
“I think I learned to simplify everything this year
instead of being so analytical about different things,” Duran
said. “I was able to just change my overall
mentality.”
Duran also continued to be a defensive cornerstone for the team,
using her speed, good arm and quick reflexes to consistently make
plays that few other third basemen in the country could make.
“She definitely makes my job (on defense) a lot
easier,” junior shortstop Jodie Legaspi said.
“She’s for sure the best third baseman I’ve ever
been in partnership with.”
For Enquist, Duran’s value was about more than numbers and
on-field production ““ it was the attitude she displayed on
and off the field. Enquist remembered Duran’s reaction when
she was told she was named Pac-10 Player of the Year.
“We’ve had players of the year before that you could
tell were kind of anticipating it, and I remember the day she was
told, she literally was caught off guard,” Enquist said.
“She has so much humility and I think that’s what makes
her the hardest working player on the team.”
Duran didn’t only get recognition for her play this year,
but for her work in the classroom as well. A sociology major with a
3.5 GPA, Duran became the first Bruin softball player to be named
first-team academic All-American since 1997, something she takes a
lot of pride in.
“There were stressful moments where I’d say to
myself, “˜I’m too tired, I just got home from
practice,’ stuff like that,” Duran said about the
challenge of being a successful student-athlete. “I just
learned how to manage my time well. If I had any kind of downtime,
I would pick up a book.”
In addition to earning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors, Duran
also was named first-team All-American and was one of only four
softball players nominated for the Honda Sports Award, which goes
to the top female athlete in the nation.
As for life after UCLA, it’s on hold for at least one more
year. Even though Duran could have graduated this year, the
coaching staff wanted her valuable clubhouse presence around next
year and convinced her to stay on as a volunteer assistant coach.
Duran will pursue an as yet undecided minor while continuing to
provide leadership to a team that will feature nine seniors next
season.