For the UCLA softball team, the final home stand of the regular season will provide the Bruins an opportunity to exact a measure of revenge.
Conference rivals No. 10 Arizona (31-15, 8-7 Pac-10) and No. 1 Arizona State (52-3, 14-1) come to Easton Stadium after the Bruins (41-5, 13-2) dropped a game to each school three weeks ago.
This weekend will also be the final home stand for the seniors on the team, and each want to make sure that it is a memorable one.
“I’m just really excited to play Arizona,” senior Krista Colburn said. “They are our biggest rival in the Pac-10. Arizona State has also become one of our big rivals in the Pac-10. With us trailing Arizona State by one game in the (conference), this is going to be the weekend that decides who wins the Pac-10.”
Yet coach Kelly Inouye-Perez wants the team to focus on playing their game.
“From the outside perspective, everyone is waiting to see what happens,” Inouye-Perez said. “But from my perspective it’s just an opportunity for us to practice one more time.”
With a crucial Pac-10 series this weekend that could determine the conference champion, Inouye-Perez believes the most important thing is to focus on playing well in conference games to prepare for the postseason, not on winning the Pac-10 title.
Senior Ashley Herrera agreed with her coach’s outlook.
“It kind of gives us more external motivation, but ultimately we just have to stick to the game plan,” Herrera said.
The Bruins know that they will need to focus on producing runs this weekend, as the lone win on the road trip came when the team was able to score early and keep the momentum going.
“I think that offensively we are very stacked, one through nine,” Colburn said. “Anyone and everyone has come through in those key moments. I just hope we play our game. If we do that, we can beat anyone in the country.”
Herrera added that if the Bruin hitters step into the box with confidence in their ability to hit, then the offensive troubles that hobbled them in the two lopsided losses on the Arizona road trip will not be repeated.
The Bruins feel that their defensive play can keep them in games and carry them to a victory.
“Defense is what wins us championships,” Colburn said. “We’re always looking to have no defensive mistakes. I think that with the strength of our pitching, defense is the easier of the two.”
This weekend’s play is big for the determining the Pac-10 championship, but the Bruins are continuing to look ahead to the post-season.
“This will give us a great feel for what it is going to be like during the postseason,” Inouye-Perez said. “We know we are going to postseason now, and with that, brings a sense of accomplishment.”
The Bruins may have help on the way as Herrera could be close to returning from an ankle injury she sustained in February. While Inouye-Perez did not give a specific date, she is confident that she will return this season.
“I think that she is working really hard and doing everything that she can to put herself in a position to help this team,” Inouye-Perez said. “She is a big part of our future.”