When the UCLA softball team travels to take on California today
and Stanford on Friday and Saturday, it still has to put the
finishing touches on a conference title.
With just one win, the No. 1 Bruins would clinch the Pac-10
title outright. The Bruins have not finished first in the Pac-10
since 2002, despite the fact that they won national championships
in 2003 and 2004.
More importantly, a successful weekend would end the regular
season on a high note as the Bruins (42-5, 14-3 Pac-10) head into
the NCAA Regionals ““ which they will most likely host at
Easton Stadium ““ with a surge of momentum.
“It’s always nice to be in a good place when you
enter (postseason play),” junior shortstop Jodie Legaspi
said. “It’s a completely different season.”
But success for the Bruins this weekend won’t be totally
defined by wins or losses.
UCLA coach Sue Enquist just wants her team to play with the same
consistency it has shown for most of the season.
“It would be nice to have momentum, but it’s not
vital,” Enquist said. “We have to go into each game
with the approach of, “˜What is this pitcher going to do to
us? And can we adjust and execute?’
“If we get the victory, great, but if we made adjustments
and did what we were supposed to do and we took a loss, I’m
OK with that.”
UCLA has not faced No. 6 Cal (42-11, 10-8) and No. 10 Stanford
(35-15, 7-11) since the very beginning of Pac-10 play, over a month
ago.
The Bruins split their two meetings with the Bears, dropping the
first game, 10-3, in what was by far the team’s most lopsided
loss of the season. However, they rebounded to win the next game,
3-1.
While junior pitcher Lisa Dodd was touched for eight runs in
UCLA’s first meeting with Cal, today’s starting pitcher
will be sophomore Anjelica Selden, who shut down the Bears the day
after that early loss.
The Bruins defeated the Cardinal, 5-4, in the teams’ only
meeting this season, when junior outfielder Whitney Holum hit a
walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“Facing (Cal and Stanford) on the road is
difficult,” Dodd said. “You’re in their house,
(with) their umpires; their comfort level. We need to keep our
heads down and focus on ourselves and if we do everything
we’re capable of, we’ll be fine.”
And if UCLA takes care of business, it will be able to call
itself Pac-10 champion and enter the postseason with a bit of
swagger.
“We’re on the rise right now,” Dodd said.
“Maintaining this momentum can boost our confidence even more
and just make it a lot more comfortable and relaxed to get into
regionals and super regionals.”