The softball team takes on Cal State Bakersfield today at Easton Stadium at 2:30 p.m., and the Bruins have plenty of reasons to enter the game with confidence.
Last weekend, UCLA swept through the Palm Springs Classic, defeating Massachusetts, Georgia, Baylor, Hawai’i and then-No. 2 Northwestern.
The hot streak propelled the Bruins to a 13-2 record and a No. 4 ranking in this week’s ESPN/USA Softball Top 25.
“I think it’s just more of a confidence builder and a reassurance that we’re doing everything right,” junior infielder Amanda Kamekona said of the weekend victories. “Just the five wins reaffirm that we’re going in a good direction.”
Despite the momentum, the Bruins aren’t taking Bakersfield lightly in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
The Bakersfield Runners fell to 6-5 overall last Saturday with a 8-0 loss to UC Davis. But before that loss, Bakersfield collected wins against San Jose State, Northwestern State and Providence College.
While Bakersfield may not pose the biggest challenge to the Bruins, the team is still putting plenty of preparation into improving before the Pac-10 season begins. Offensively, the Bruins are looking to continue a one-play-at-a-time strategy.
“Just hitting together as a team is important,” Kamekona said. “We do have the people who can come up with big hits, but we want to focus more on hitting as a team. We want to work more on getting the person on and (sacrificing) them over and having someone to come up with the single to score.”
The Bruins may not make any specific adjustments to their philosophy before facing the Runners today, simply because they are not that familiar with their opponent.
“There’s not much we can do video-wise to prepare,” freshmen Donna Kerr said. “We just have to go in there pretty much with our best effort.”
For coach Kelly Inouye-Perez, the matchup may be most important for the practice and experience it provides this young team.
“It’s going to be just an opportunity to get more experience,” Inouye-Perez said. “I wouldn’t treat (Cal State Bakersfield) any differently.”
The teamwork aspect has also been crucial for the Bruins in the successful start. The team features seven freshmen, so building chemistry is definitely important for Inouye-Perez’s team.
“We all have to get out there on the field,” Kerr said. “If we’re bonding together, we’re all on the same page and everything runs smoothly.”
On a different note, sophomore Megan Langenfeld, whose hometown is Bakersfield, is excited about the game.
“It’s kind of cool,” Langenfeld said. “We’ve never played Bakersfield in our history. I’ve had people from my hometown calling me and wishing me luck. I think it’s going to be really fun and exciting.”
Inouye-Perez is also anticipating a chance for Langenfeld to perform well against her hometown’s school.
“I think it will be a good opportunity for Megan to get out there and play some people while representing her hometown,” Inouye-Perez said.