The numbers don’t lie.
The No. 2-seeded Bruin softball team (41-9, 16-5) has steam-rolled impressively through Pac-10 competition heading into the postseason, winning 15 of their final 16 matchups. After opening conference play at a dismal 1-4, the young Bruin team members say they have overcome the emotional and physical learning curve and feel more than prepared for regionals after being tested by a Pac-10 schedule that featured a seven-game road trip.
“Our ability to stay true to the game, play the game pitch by pitch, and work together as a team has built that confidence back,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said.
It is apparent that the Bruins have a renewed confidence and a different dynamic heading into the postseason, so much so that a 2-1 loss earlier in the season to the Bruins’ first-round foe Long Beach State (34-19, 15-6) is an acute, yet distant memory. The untested Bruin team was riding an 18-game winning streak, yet hadn’t endured those four consecutive Pac-10 losses.
And it certainly was missing junior pitcher Megan Langenfeld in the lineup ““ missing her 14 wins, 0.93 earned-run average, and a .344 batting average.
Long Beach State does have its share of pitching might in sophomore All-American Brooke Turner, who limited the Bruins to three hits in the last meeting.
“We hit the ball well last time, but (the Long Beach State defense) made plays,” Inouye-Perez said. “I believe we will be able to make adjustments, and swing at good pitches and be able to get a different outcome the second time around.”
The Bruins will host Long Beach State at 3:30 p.m. today, and the victor of the contest will face the winner of the game between Fresno State (36-18) and UNLV (31-19) on Saturday.
There has been talk of the Bruins’ explosive offensive and the emergence of the pitching staff, yet it has been the defense that the team has entrusted and has had the most confidence in.
“Our defense has given us a safety net to fall back on,” senior Amanda Kamekona said.
The Bruins are 10th in the country, hitting a team average of .322; they are fifth in the country with 1.44 home runs per game, and they have a team ERA of 2.10. But the defense is the biggest factor in renewing UCLA’s confidence, leading the nation in fielding percentage at .980.
“Our pitching has been dominating and has been keeping the hitters off-balance … so when the ball is put in play, we can make plays,” sophomore GiOnna DiSalvatore said.
SEVERAL BRUINS HONORED: Eight members of the UCLA softball team were named to the All-Pac-10 team Wednesday, and Inouye-Perez was honored as the conference’s top coach.
Furthermore, five of the eight picked up more hardware and were named to the NFCA All-West Region Team. Kamekona, Langenfeld, junior Kaila Shull and sophomore Katie Schroeder were named to the All-Pac-10 First Team and the All-West Region Team.
DiSalvatore and Monica Harrison were named to the All-Conference Second Team, and DiSalvatore was also selected to the All-Region Team. Junior Julie Burney and freshman Andrea Harrison were named Pac-10 honorable mentions.
Inouye-Perez was awarded Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the first time in her three-year tenure as coach, leading her Bruins to a Pac-10 Championship.
With reports by Matt Stevens, Bruin Sports senior staff.