Entering the weekend, UCLA softball is two and a half games back of Oregon for first place in the Pac-12.
With only three series left before the NCAA Regional, UCLA will put its seven-game win streak on the line against the other Oregon team: Oregon State.
No. 7 UCLA (38-8, 12-3 Pac-12) starts a three-game set on the road against Oregon State (24-19, 5-13) on Saturday at 1 p.m. The series will finish up with games on Sunday at 12 p.m. and Monday at 4 p.m. Up against one of the Pac-12’s worst-performing teams, UCLA has some good reasons to go for the sweep.
This weekend gives the Bruins a strong opportunity to gain some ground in the Pac-12 standings. Oregon (38-5, 16-2 Pac-12) is taking a break from conference play this weekend, instead playing a three-game series against Louisiana. With a sweep of Oregon State, UCLA would only be one game back of the Beavers going into its final two series of Pac-12 play.
“It’s always a good opportunity for us to kind of take this series and work hard while (Oregon’s) on their break,” said junior catcher/first baseman Brittany Moeai. “(Playing for the Pac-12 championship) is basically what me and all the girls wait for from offseason to now. It’s a good feeling, and I just can’t wait to get after it.”
This weekend figures to be pretty different from last weekend, as California is ranked while Oregon State is not. Even so, assistant coach Kirk Walker says he’s not worried about the possibility of a letdown.
“There really is no mental letdown of a team in this conference,” Walker said. “I think we’re fired up to have a good weekend and play well and go after Oregon State because they’ve been a notoriously tough opponent, even at the bottom of the conference.”
While UCLA may consider Oregon State to be a difficult opponent, the Bruins won all three games at home against the Beavers last year, and have won seven of their last nine meetings dating back to 2012.
In terms of pitching, the Bruins have a clear statistical advantage over the Beavers. Oregon State enters the series with a 4.50 ERA, second to last in the Pac-12, and an opponent batting average of .289, good for sixth in the Pac-12. UCLA is first in both categories, sporting a 2.21 ERA and a .207 opponent batting average.
“It doesn’t come easy. We practice every day. We pride ourselves on just hitting our spots with a one-pitch mentality,” said freshman pitcher Selina Ta’amilo. “We don’t really pay attention to stats, we just keep working.”
Lately, UCLA has featured some new batting orders, using two brand-new ones last weekend against Cal. Walker said the same can be expected this weekend, as the Bruins continue to make tweaks in preparation for the upcoming NCAA Regional.
“As one of those players that’s been getting in and out of the lineup,” Moeai said. “It was difficult at first, but I feel like as long as we keep a team mentality and know that we all have each other’s backs, we’ll be just fine.”