The season opener may still be months away, but for the UCLA softball team, it’s never too early to dust off the cleats.
The Bruins wrapped up their fall ball campaign with a 6-0 record against six junior college and Division II teams. More important than the wins, however, was the opportunity to establish an infrastructure that will be key in the team’s success.
“The emphasis isn’t really on how many runs we scored or any of that,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “It’s about building our foundation so that when we hit the ground in January, our foundation is solid.”
If anything, the foundation has helped form a common ground among the players, rookies and veterans alike. Last year, UCLA had eight freshmen on the roster, and now with a season under their belts, those eight players along with the other veterans on the team have been sharing their knowledge with others new to the program.
“Last year, (the freshmen) really didn’t know what to expect,” sophomore infielder GiOnna DiSalvatore said. “Now, we’re a year more experienced, and coming into this year, we can help out the new freshmen get prepared for the season.”
Nevertheless, with foundation and all, the Bruins displayed encouraging performances during fall ball.
The pitching staff in particular dominated the opposing batters. Pitchers Whitney Baker, Donna Kerr and Megan Langenfield combined to yield zero runs and only one hit over the six games.
“Our pitchers have been staying on top of their games,” DiSalvatore said. “They look very confident on the mound, which is huge for our team.”
Also noteworthy has been the performance of the freshmen class, two of whom Perez believes will have an immediate impact to the lineup.
“One of our key freshmen players is Andrea Harrison, who is an outstanding hitter,” Inouye-Perez said. “The other is Dani Yudin who is going to bring the kind of power to the lineup that UCLA softball is historically known for.”
But perhaps the single telltale sign of fall ball has been the Bruins’ stellar play on defense.
“Defensively, we were able to turn some double plays, and our catchers were able to throw runners out,” Perez said. “Not many balls were put in play due to our dominating pitching, but when they were put in play, our defense executed effectively, and that is what I am most proud of this fall.”
Indeed, the coaching staff believes that defensive execution will not only win ball games, but will also go a long way toward UCLA’s attempt to win a 12th NCAA softball championship.
“Defense is one of our main goals this year,” Perez continued. “There is no doubt that this team can hit, but our ability to play defense is what is going to win us the championship.”
For now, however, the Bruins seem to be off to a good start. From the foundation to the defense, their performance has shown glimpses of what is to come.
“Bottom line, I was very pleased with how we were able to execute a lot of the things we worked on in practice,” Inouye-Perez said. “It was a very productive fall for us.”