The UCLA softball team is reloading, not rebuilding.
Despite losing All-American Amanda Freed and NCAA all-time home
run leader Stacy Nuveman, the Bruins are the preseason favorites to
win the Pac-10, a conference in which seven of its eight teams
advanced to last year’s postseason.
“We’re going to have a different look this
year,” head coach Sue Enquist said. “We’re going
to be more athletic and versatile.”
Preseason No. 1 UCLA may have lost two All-Americans, but three
are returning in Keira Goerl, Natasha Watley and Claire Sua.
Goerl went 32-5 last year with a microscopic ERA of .48.
“I’m really excited about playing well in the
(spring),” the junior pitcher said. “I’ve been
working hard, I’ve been working on new pitches, and
I’ve been working on hitting my spots.”
The pitches Goerl has been working on include her curveball and
her flip-drop, which she’s been trying to make more
effective.
Watley, a senior shortstop and leadoff hitter, hit .485 last
season with 39 stolen bases and a UCLA-record 112 hits.
Sua, a junior infielder and a designated player, hit .291 last
season with 13 home runs and 58 runs batted in.
The Bruins have also added a talented freshman class, as Caitlin
Benyi, Andrea Duran, Michelle Turner and Emily Zaplatosch are
expected to contribute right away.
“I believe in the freshmen,” Enquist said. “We
don’t wait a year for them to produce.”
The second Bruin pitcher will be Turner, the two-time Los
Angeles Times Softball Athlete of the Year.
“I just want to work on trying to hit my spots and do the
best I can and just help out the team and keep my ERA low,”
she said.
Turner will also play left field and designated player.
Zaplatosch, another versatile freshman, will play several
different positions, including catcher, first base, right field and
designated player.
“I’ll contribute any way I can,” Zaplatosch
said.
Duran will see playing time in left field and third base, and
Benyi will see playing time in the outfield.
The freshmen believe that their teammates are helping them
adjust to the collegiate level of play and get better.
“When we make a mistake or if we’re not focused or
something, they’re always helping us out,” Turner said.
“They’re pushing us, telling us what we’re doing
wrong, what we need to improve on, just telling us to play our game
and be confident in ourselves.”
The other starters returning from last season include Tairia
Mims, Stephanie Ramos and Toria Auelua.
“Ramos, Watley and Mims will have to be leaders for us
offensively,” Enquist said. “They will have to deliver
for us.”
Mims, a senior first baseman and catcher who hit .360 with 15
home runs and 55 RBI last season, agrees with her coach’s
assessment.
“I’ve got to step up and be one of the
leaders,” she said.
Ramos, a junior center fielder hit .275 with three home runs and
27 RBIs.
Auelua, a senior, will play third base and catcher. She batted
.218 last season with one home run and ten RBIs.
Before Pac-10 play starts in late-March, the Bruins will only be
at home for two weekends. This weekend, they host the Stacy
Winsberg Memorial Tournament, and on Feb. 28, they host the UCLA
tournament. In between those two homestands, they will play in
several tournaments on the road.
The Pac-10 season takes place from late March to mid-May,
followed by the Women’s College World Series.
“Our ultimate team goal is to win the World Series,”
Goerl said.
The Bruins think they have the talent to get there, too.