The No. 12 Bruins’ 2007 season thus far tells a tale of inconsistency with unanticipated losses against highly ranked opponents and unranked competition alike. Still, it bears signs of great potential.
The first day of the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament hosted at UCLA’s Easton Stadium demonstrated that same painfully familiar season-long struggle with consistency.
On the first day of the tournament, after the Bruins (15-6) trounced Long Beach State 11-0, they fell to No. 25 Illinois State (15-5). In the following two days, however, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s squad regrouped and grabbed a big win over No. 17 Florida (18-8) 10-2, along with a pair of victories over Loyola Chicago (1-5).
Friday’s split may have galvanized the Bruins. The Bruins that took the field during the weekend appeared to be an entirely new team. This Bruin squad showed composure, delivered excellent games of pitching and defensive play, and was a powerhouse on offense.
For the first time this season, the Bruins that took the field looked like the Bruins that were ranked No. 3 in the preseason.
“I think we were in a really good place prior to the start of the season,” Inouye-Perez explained. “(But) we’ve had a lot of unfortunate things happen ““ we haven’t had strong pitching as UCLA is normally known for due to some players falling to injury. But we’re seeing our pitching getting back to being strong.”
That return to greatness in the circle, and much of the Bruins’ success in this weekend’s highlight victory against Florida, can be attributed to junior pitcher Anjelica Selden, who clocked in nine strikeouts in six innings of play against the Gators.
“I felt really good about the overall game, but as far as my play, there’s definitely room for improvement,” said Selden, critical of her own performance in spite of an impressive showing. “I could be a lot better.”
But despite the pitching struggles and bouts with inconsistency, the Bruins showed promise in this weekend’s tournament. Their 2-1 loss to Illinois State came at the hands of a seventh-inning rally. And in fact, the Bruins outscored their opponents 34-5 in their five games this weekend, ending three by run rule, and two in shutouts.
A factor in UCLA’s motions toward consistency has been the play of their freshmen, particularly Megan Langenfeld and Kaila Shull. Langenfeld led a shutout against Loyola Chicago in her sixth start of the season as pitcher with three strikeouts, and Shull contributed base hits in each of the Bruins’ four victories in the tournament. Their efforts did not go unnoticed by Inouye-Perez.
“Thank God,” Inouye-Perez exclaimed. “I am so fortunate that they’re succeeding and defining their own roles and that they are able to step right in and execute, because we’re going to need them in the Pac-10 and postseason games.”
The freshmen, like the rest of the team, recognize the importance of late and postseason play as well.
“These little losses aren’t going to matter at the end,” Langenfeld said. “What we’re shooting for is the World Series.”