It only seems like the No. 1 Bruins get a hit every time up at
bat. Their .386 team batting average is 50 points higher than any
other team in the country right now. Even last year’s No. 1
UCLA team “only” hit .336.
“The team is just getting in their reps and becoming more
confident,” senior catcher and first baseman Tairia Mims
said.
Mims is leading the Bruins with a blistering .576 average, but
she isn’t the only one hitting well. Senior shortstop Natasha
Watley is hitting .500, and two other Bruins (Stephanie Ramos and
Emily Zaplatosch) are over .400.
“We’ve had consistency at the plate, and everybody
is contributing,” Watley said. “We’re not relying
on just one person.”
Typically, a leadoff hitter’s role is to get on base in
order to be driven in by the next hitters, and isn’t always
called upon to be the run producer. However, with the bottom of the
order frequently getting on base, Watley has 11 RBI in 11
games.
“The bottom of the order getting on base helps us out a
lot,” the leadoff hitter said. “It’s good to bat
in different situations.”
UCLA’s bottom of the lineup, often the weakest part of the
batting order, has hit .361 this season.
“I knew that once (the players at the bottom of the
lineup) started getting to the point where they’re
comfortable ““ first in practice, and then in the game ““
that we’d be reaping the benefits,” head coach Sue
Enquist said. “The bottom of the lineup hitting brings
confidence to everyone.”
It’s not as if the hits were against inferior opponents
either. Over the weekend, the Bruins played three ranked teams, No.
4 Nebraska, No. 7 LSU and No. 20 South Carolina, and beat them by a
combined total of 19-1.
“We did really good, it was fun to see everyone
hitting,” Watley said. “It was a good test to see how
good we really are.”
The team seems to get its runs in bunches. They had six
different innings where they scored at least three runs in last
weekend’s UNLV Desert Classic.
“We’re doing a great job of (keeping our) hitting
really disciplined,” Enquist said. “We’re
executing deep in the count. When you’re aggressive early in
the game, you set the tone, and dictate the tempo.”
With reports from Robert Costa, Daily Bruin Contributor.