Thursday, 5/22/97 It’s an all-California affair in Oklahoma
SOFTBALL: UCLA to face off against familiar competitors in Women’s
College World Series
By Melissa Anderson Daily Bruin Staff UCLA may be in Oklahoma
City today as it begins play in the Women’s College World Series,
but the Bruins will be surrounded by familiar faces. Up first for
fifth-seeded UCLA is No. 4 seed Fresno State, which swept the
Bruins at Bulldog Diamond in February. And if the Bruins hope to
make it back to the title game, they will have to knock off No. 1
Arizona, which also awaits in the top half of the eight-team field.
Familiarity is something the Bruins are looking forward to,
especially after the crowd they faced in the regionals at
Lafayette, La. – where every other team in the region was playing
in its home state. "I think playing (Fresno State) is an advantage
for UCLA," head coach Sue Enquist said. "It seems like we struggle
more against teams we have not seen. Fresno is an excellent
ballclub. They have got talent, they’ve got the pitching, they play
solid defense. But UCLA (45-12) is a different team than when we
met them three months ago. I’m looking forward to great competition
against them." In that first meeting, the Bulldogs posted a 4-2,
4-3 sweep against freshmen pitchers Christa Williams and Courtney
Dale. Though the starting pitcher for today’s 12:30 p.m. match-up
was not determined at press time, FSU can be sure it will not see
the same pitchers it did three months ago. In February, both
freshmen were still adjusting to the college game and struggled
early on. While Dale played primarily in the outfield the latter
part of the season, Williams went on to post a 16-5 record in the
regular season and recorded a decisive 9-0 win against Southwestern
Louisiana last weekend in regionals. Senior pitcher B’Ann Burns has
also been a huge force in the circle for UCLA, and as the only
pitcher with CWS experience, she is a likely candidate to face the
Bulldogs this afternoon. Fresno State enters the CWS after winning
its regional final against California at Bulldog Diamond. With a
52-12 overall record, FSU has played with confidence all year,
holding the No. 1 ranking in the nation for several weeks before
losing several key games down the stretch. What they better be
careful of this afternoon, however, is having too much confidence.
"There is a big revenge factor, and I think it’s to our advantage,"
UCLA center fielder Christie Ambrosi said. "From what I have heard,
they are not worried. That just lights a fire under us. Teams have
to be careful what they say because it can be a disadvantage to
them." A definite advantage for UCLA is its health. For the first
time all season, the Bruin lineup is at full strength. Julie Adams
proved she is ready to play after being named to the All-Regional
team last week, and both Laurie Fritz and Nicole Ochoa are back in
full swing as well. "It’s great to see everything starting to come
together," Enquist said. "I believe that no team is more deserving
than the 1997 softball team. They have been through so much
adversity. "They lost their head coach, we were inundated with
injuries for a two-month period. It takes a lot of courage and it
has paid off because they really are a unit right now." CHARLES
KUO/Daily Bruin B’Ann Burns is one of two starters who may pitch
today. Previous Daily Bruin stories: UCLA begins season with match
against LMU, January 29, 1997