As the No. 10 UCLA softball team (13-2) heads south for the San Diego Classic this weekend, it is important to remember one thing after 15 games: The season is young.
The team is too. Junior pitcher Jessica Hall insists that you wouldn’t know it by looking at them.
“Coming into this year, it’s obvious we are a young team, but the game doesn’t know how young you are. You can’t even tell our freshmen apart – they’re competing with the best of the best,” Hall said.
For the Bruins, one of the biggest concerns heading into the 2013 season was the team’s collective inexperience. They returned only five players from the 2012 season that had started in more than half of last year’s games, so the Bruins would need key contributions from a variety of fresh faces. With approximately one quarter of the season gone, the freshmen have certainly answered the call by helping the team to 13 wins in their first 15 games.
“It’s the same game they’ve played their whole lives, and that’s what we preach here – slow the game down and play it one pitch at a time,” Hall said.
The 2013 edition of UCLA softball regularly features three freshman in the starting lineup, infielder Brittany Moeai, center fielder Allexis Bennett and third baseman Mysha Sataraka, while pitcher Paige McDuffee (4-0, 0.58 ERA) has been a big contributor for the Bruins in the circle.
Thus far the young Bruins seem to be heeding Hall’s advice; Sataraka ranks second on the team in batting average (.410), Moeai has been solid on both sides of the plate, and Bennett has delivered highlight reel plays in the outfield, including an impressive diving catch against Tennessee last weekend.
“The potential is there. … It’s something we are all excited about,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “What I told them this (past weekend) is that this is a great opportunity to learn about ourselves … and the freshmen stepped up.”
Perhaps the best example of the team’s potential came in this past weekend’s game versus No. 11 Louisiana State in the Mary Nutter Classic.
McDuffee pitched all seven innings for the Bruins in the 2-0 victory, her first-ever complete game shutout. Meanwhile, Sataraka, Moeai and Bennett stepped up behind the plate, delivering all three of UCLA’s hits, none bigger than Moeai’s single to center in the bottom of the second inning. Following a double by Sataraka, Moeai stepped to the plate with a runner on second and third. With the count 2-0, Moeai produced the biggest hit of her young career, smacking the ball to center, driving in both runs, in what would prove to be the difference in the ball game.
“It felt great to be a freshman and to come up big for my team. It felt amazing,” Moeai said of her timely hit. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for. That’s what I want to do and that’s what I’m hoping to do for future games.”