Both teams have an all-star pitcher. Both teams have found success at bat. Both teams are gaining momentum and coming into their own. And both teams have wins against Northwestern and losses to top-ranked and undefeated Tennessee.
The No. 16 UCLA softball team will face a deceptively similar opponent in the surging Cal State Fullerton Titans today at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton.
The last time the two perennial softball powerhouses met was last season, with the Bruins winning 1-0.
The Bruins are fresh off of a 4-1 performance at this past weekend’s Stacy Winsberg Classic, hosted at UCLA’s Easton Stadium. In their highlight win against then-ranked No. 17 Florida, the Bruins run-ruled the game in six innings, winning 10-2.
First-year coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has been key in leading the team back on track after several unexpected losses and injuries plagued the Bruins early in the season.
“I tell the girls right now where we stand compared to last year’s team,” Inouye-Perez said. “Our batting average, RBIs, on-base percentage, is higher.”
The Titans are coming out of a 4-1 performance at a tournament which they hosted.
At this past weekend’s Worth Invitational, quality wins over No. 12 Stanford and No. 17 Oregon State energized the Titans and showcased some of their biggest talent.
The Bruins will face Fullerton’s best talent when at bat, as the Titans’ senior pitcher Candice Baker is coming off her first career no-hitter against a very talented Stanford squad.
Baker has held opponents to a .126 batting average and maintained a 1.10 ERA.
The Bruins’ counterpart in the circle is no slouch either. Junior righthander Anjelica Selden recorded nine strikeouts against Florida on Saturday. Selden too is 8-3 in starts this season, with an ERA of 2.50 while holding opponents to a batting average of .187. Undoubtedly, Selden’s return to high performance in the circle is helping the Bruins gear up for an intense slate of both non-conference and conference play.
“I think we’re on a really good roll right now,” Selden said. “We’re heading in the right direction.”
Outside the circle, the Bruins will find support at bat from the likes of freshman Kaila Shull and senior Jodie Legaspi.
Shull is batting an average of .421, and led the Pac-10 early in the season in home runs, while Legaspi is batting an also impressive .415, recording multiple doubles in an 11-0 rout of Long Beach State last Friday.
Fullerton has similarly found success at bat, especially from junior Amanda Fernandez, batting an average of .400, with four home runs on the season.
Despite early-season inconsistency and slip-ups in the rankings, the Bruins remain confident.
“I think it’s a good thing for us to endure some early struggle, so that when we get to the end, we’ll be fine,” Selden said.
Regardless of rankings and tournament performance, the nation’s most prestigious softball program still recognizes that it is always a target.
“Everyone wants to beat us,” Inouye-Perez said. “And we’re ready for that challenge.”