After demolishing Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, the No. 12 UCLA softball team seems to have found its groove.
UCLA (16-6) looks to continue on its roll as it heads to Lakewood for the Long Beach State Invitational. UCLA will face Southern Utah (10-10) and Eastern Kentucky (5-7) today, Canisius (3-4) and Long Beach State (6-13) on Saturday, and Notre Dame (7-7) on Sunday.
The Bruins have won four straight games and eight of their last nine, taking great strides to quash any early-season doubts. In the last three games, UCLA has out-scored opponents 27-4.
The offensive attack that started off so strong has only been getting better and more consistent as the season has progressed.
The Bruins were expected to lose some pop in their lineup with the losses of graduated seniors Andrea Duran, Caitlin Benyi and Emily Zaplatosch, but through 22 games, UCLA as a team has equaled and even exceeded the offensive output the team had last year.
UCLA as a team is currently hitting .351 and is slugging .594. The Bruins’ 32 home runs have come from eight different players, each of whom has at least two and none of whom has more than six.
The Bruins’ 8-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton was particularly impressive considering they scored eight runs off of the reigning national Player of the Week, senior Candice Baker. Baker came into the game with an 8-3 record and a 1.10 ERA.
“Coach (Kelly Inouye-Perez) gave us some leeway to do what we wanted off of (Baker),” junior outfielder Krista Colburn said. “We took one pitch and sat on it.”
One of the most impressive statistics in the early-season has been the .449 on-base percentage.
“We keep a stat on our discipline in the strike zone,” Inouye-Perez said. “We succeed more than we fail, especially when we get to a 3-2 count.”
The Bruins continue to get increased production out of their freshmen. While catcher/outfielder Kaila Shull, second on the team with six home runs, and first baseman/pitcher Megan Langenfeld (.390 BA, 1.56 ERA) have been key contributors all year long, third baseman Julie Burney has been holding her own as well.
Burney, who has started all but one game after taking over for injured senior Ashley Herrera, is hitting .278 with three home runs. Burney’s three-run blast in the third inning of Wednesday’s game against Cal State Fullerton broke open the game and helped give UCLA a big win.
“The freshmen are doing a phenomenal job,” Colburn said. “They’ve been doing a great job of bouncing back. We feed off that.”
With reports from John Earnest, Bruin Sports contributor.