The UCLA softball team has hit the books.
To prepare for a Thursday night matchup against Cal State Fullerton, each player on UCLA is taking out her own notebook to write down her personal goals for the game.
“I’ve asked for them to be able to take notes,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “I’ve asked them to be able to also reflect when they’re in a good place, or vent when things that they just want to put on paper and dump.”
Two things that UCLA players might have dumped over the past week are the first two games of their series against the Oregon Ducks last weekend. The Bruins lost both games by a combined 10 runs and made six defensive errors in the two games.
“We totally think we’re the better team and, if anything, we beat ourselves,” said senior outfielder Alyssa Tiumalu.
After dumping some of their thoughts about missed opportunities, UCLA players put their pens down and took a step back.
When they returned to their notebooks, they had a different outlook. They turned the page and focused on the positives, such as the third game of the Oregon series.
“After those two losses against Oregon, coach (Inouye-Perez) brought us together and she didn’t harp on us about what we did wrong. … She kind of let us (know), ‘You know tomorrow’s a new day,’” Tiumalu said.
The Bruins came back to win the final game of the series against Oregon handily. UCLA didn’t commit a single error in the game and looked more like the team that entered the game with the nation’s No. 1 ranking.
Now, as No. 3 UCLA (34-4, 9-3 Pac-12) awaits its game against Fullerton (23-14-1, 4-2 Big West) on Thursday, each player turns the page again, and jots down a few new goals.
“We write down a goal for each day, not just of the whole series,” Tiumalu said. “Each game one, this is my goal, this is my defense goal and my offense goal. Did I accomplish it, did I not? … And the next (game), don’t even look at those goals, (it’s a) new goal.”
These goals are not getting a base hit, hitting a home run or making a diving catch. They are controllable goals.
Sophomore pitcher Paige McDuffee said that her goal in the Oregon series was to focus on making a specific plan on how to pitch against every Oregon batter.
“I think that helped me once I was able to actually go into the game with like my pitch count … because I had a plan beforehand,” McDuffee said.
After the Fullerton game, the Bruins will return to their notebooks and see whether or not they accomplished their goals.
“It really comes down to the student-athlete, and their ability to set a goal, fully commit to it and go for it to attain it,” Inouye-Perez said.
Then comes a new day, and a new page.