This weekend the UCLA softball team heads to the Bay Area, planning to storm into the second half of Pac-10 play just as dominant as during the first half.
The No. 4 Bruins (38-5, 10-2 Pac-10) face No. 21 Cal (36-18, 4-8) today, then move on to face No. 7 Stanford (41-8, 6-6) on Saturday and Sunday. Both Cal and Stanford are looking to avenge their close losses to the Bruins that came earlier in the season.
“You can’t take a team like Stanford or Cal for granted,” catcher Jennifer Schroeder said. “I know that they think that they can hang with us right now ““ the game last time wasn’t a huge deficit to them ““ so we just need to come out with vigor, score in the first, score late, and score often.”
The Bruins won’t have the ace card they had in their last win against Cal. Senior ace pitcher Anjelica Selden will miss today’s game after she was hit in the head with a ball in an exhibition game Tuesday night.
“(Selden) is kind of a big leader for the team; she’s a senior so it’s kind of her team,” center fielder Katie Schroeder said. “So it will be different without her on the mound.”
Sophomore Julie Burney is confident in the pitching staff’s ability to step up when the need calls.
“I think we’ll be fine because the pitchers behind her are ready to step in and have her back,” Burney said.
But for Jennifer and Katie Schroeder, this weekend is more than just another series on the road. Their two games against Stanford will be slightly more competitive with their sister Michelle Schroeder sporting a Cardinal jersey in the opposing dugout.
“It’s really fun and exciting just to still have that competitive edge with your family even though your family is like the closest thing to you,” Jennifer Schroeder said. “It’s competitive. She’s really fast so she likes to try and steal, and she’ll do whatever she can to try to get that next base on me. So it’s definitely more competitive than friendly.”
This is not the first time that Katie Schroeder has felt the sister rivalry on the diamond, and she expects to stay just as aggressive as always.
“I’ve never been on the same team as either of my sisters, so playing against my sisters is kind of normal for me,” Katie Schroeder said. “But it’s still hard because you want to win but you also want your sister to do well too.”
Despite the friendly rivalry the Schroeders are sure to face, Jennifer still recognizes how important this weekend will be for her team.
“We’re getting to a part of the season where everything is just getting a little rougher, the stakes are a little bit higher, and people are tired because we’re getting to the end of Pac-10 and almost on to championship play.
“That’s the really fun stuff.”