Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

I know many of you are wondering how the most successful softball program in history could bow out in Super Regionals.  Well, it all came down to execution.  They executed in the 2nd game, but something was different in the 3rd game.  Perhaps they were overconfident after an emotional win.  I don't know what was going on inside those girls' heads, but here are some factors from the outside looking in:

It all started with the umpire.  The home plate umpire had a very, very tight strike zone.  A pitcher should be able to get a strike called by placing only a piece of the ball over the plate-- this guy wanted the whole thing.  This forces pitchers to bring the ball over the middle of the plate and makes them easier to hit.  For pitchers, especially pitchers like Megan Langenfeld, this is a nightmare.  She relies so heavily on hitting the corner edges of the plate that when she isn't getting the call, she turns into a mere mortal and becomes very hittable.  I've heard grumblings that Kelly should not have started Lang because Missouri had seen her twice already, but I disagree.  Langenfeld gave them the best chance of winning that game, things just didn't go her way.

So while the umpiring may have taken away our pitching, it should have meant good things for our hitters.  The umpire gave more or less the same strike zone to Mizzou pitcher Stacy Delaney, the Bruin hitters just didn't capitalize like the Tigers did.  Missouri got 3 quick runs on the board and the Bruins started to panic and try to force things to happen.   They had opportunities to get a rally going, like Monica Harrison's 1 out homerun in the third, but it ended right there.  There were a lot of popups and ground outs with only a handful of well-hit balls.  To manage only 2 hits with an umpire like the one they had is pretty pathetic. 

In my opinion the seeding by the NCAA was flawed.  As I mentioned in my super regional preview, Missouri was seeded unfairly.  I also feel like the Bruins had it a bit too rough for being the #2 seed in the country.  The #3, #4, #5, and #10 seeds destoyed their super regional opponents with combined scores of 14-1, 18-0, 15-2, and 14-0.  How does UCLA, a higher seed, get stuck with a team like Missouri?  I'm not making excuses, the Bruins flat out lost, but they could have had it a little easier considering our high seeding. 

Only 4 players on this year's roster were there 2 years ago when UCLA was eliminated in regional play.  Now the rest know what it's like not to make it to the end, and I can only assume it will motivate them for next year.  They lost, they feel terrible about it, and now they have to make sure it never happens again.  Losing 2 of 3 to a very good Missouri team is not the end of the world.

From the Daily Bruin

“I had a blast,” [Amanda] Kamekona said. “It was a great experience, both academically and softball-wise. It was nice to be on a team where everybody is on the same page and is on a mission to accomplish what you want to do.”

For the rest of the Bruins, they’ll have no other choice but to look to next season and go at it again.

But according to Inouye-Perez, the team won’t have to start from scratch. Rather, the pieces are in place for another title run.

“This weekend was a very frustrating one,” she said. “But I wouldn’t change a thing. We’re on the right track, we have great experience ... and we’re shooting for a championship every year."

I'll be rooting for Missouri when the Women's College World Series kicks off tomorrow. 

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

A place in the Women's College World Series is on the line as our softball team takes on unseeded Missouri in a best of 3 series beginning tonight at 6:30PM PST.  The Bruins went 3-0 in their regional last weeked to get to the Supers, defeating Long Beach 4-2 and a feisty Fresno State twice by scores of 4-2 and 9-5.  The Bruins didn't catch a break from NCAA despite their #2 overall seed--  The Los Angeles regional was one of the toughest in the nation with all 4 participating teams in the top 50 RPI.  All 3 games saw the Bruins lose their lead early, but as is common with UCLA softball, clutch hitting, solid defense, and efficient pitching pushed the Bruins through to the next round.

 
via UCLA Softball Flickr

Let's be clear:  Missouri is dangerous.  Many were shocked they weren't one of the 16 seeded teams, seeing as they spent almost the entire season in the top 25 and defeated #7 seed Oklahoma 5-0 in the Big-12 Championship.  The Tigers handled #15 seed DePaul during regional play, defeating the Blue Demons 1-0 to advance.  Missouri is anchored by a deep pitching staff, helmed by freshman Chelsea Thomas and senior Stacey Delaney.  Between 4 pitchers, Missouri boasts a meager 1.27 ERA.  On the other side of the ball, the Tigers get it done while averaging 5.7 runs per game.  The offensive player to watch is sophomore leadoff Rhea Taylor, who boasts a .422 average and 35 stolen bases. 

The Bruins faced the Tigers on March 1 during the San Diego Classic .  The Bruins came out on top 2-1 thanks to a wild pitch by Chelsea Taylor in the bottom of the 7th that allowed UCLA pinch runner Grace Murray to score from third.  Each team only managed 3 hits off the other.  UCLA needs to be much more patient this time around against Taylor, a junk ball pitcher with lots of movement.

As in any sport, it is a huge asset playing against a team they've faced before.  The team can review video and hopefully pick up on things they missed the first time.  It also doen't hurt that the Bruins are peaking at just the right time.  They have won 18 of their last 19, earning a Pac-10 title along the way.  The Bruin offense is one of the most potent in the country with a team slugging percentage of .554 aided by 77 homeruns.  The lineup is intimidating 1 through 9, so opposing teams don't get much of a break. 

On defense, look for Megan Langenfeld to start in the circle.  Langenfeld has been very consistant with hitting her spots, meaning she won't get tons of strikeouts (à la Anjelica Selden) but instead will jam opposing hitters into routine ground balls or fly outs.  Her only downfall, if this is really a downfall, is that she tends to either finish hitters off in 2 pitches or 10 pitches and not much in between.  If the latter is the case and Lang takes too many batters into marathon at-bats, she runs the risk of tiring.  She's a workhorse, though, and I don't expect this to be much of an issue. 

All games will be televised on ESPNU.  Game 1 begins at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Easton Stadium, with Game 2 slated for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. An if necessary Game 3 will be played 30 minutes after Game 2 on Sunday.   If you have a chance to make it out to a game, please come.  The team could use as much support as possible!

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Just a few days before they kick off the postseason, the Bruin softball team was honored for their fantastic Pac-10 finish.  From the official site:

The Pac-10 Champions garnered four first-team honors, the most of any team. Senior Amanda Kamekona, juniors Megan Langenfeld and Kaila Shull and sophomore Katie Schroeder all received first-team accolades. Earning second-team plaudits were sophomores GiOnna DiSalvatore and Monica Harrison, while junior Julie Burney and freshman Andrea Harrison received honorable mention accolades. Harrison was also honored on the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team, as was Dani Yudin, who earned an honorable mention award.

Third-year head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez recieved some recognition as well, being named Pac-10 Coach of the Year after leading the Bruins to their 9th conference title. 

Image via Daily Bruin

I'm sure the team doesn't  focus very much on individual accolades, but this has to be a nice perk going into the postseason.

UCLA plays Long Beach State at 3:30PM this Friday. 

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Hopefully some of you caught our softball team on FSN this weekend against the #4 Arizona State Sun Devils.  The #2 Bruins (35-8, 10-4) put a drubbing on the defending national champions, winning Saturday's televised game 9-1 in only five innings.  The momentum carried into Sunday with a 10-4 victory on ASU's Senior Day.  The weekend sweep puts their current winning streak at 9.

Of the 19 runs scored, 18 of them came via home run.  UCLA is seeing the ball perhaps the best it has all season.

With all the long balls, a few school records were broken.  UCLA's 7 home runs on Sunday tied a single-game record.  Individually, 9-spot regular Monica Harrison hit 3 home runs Sunday, a first in the history of UCLA Softball. 

 
Monica Harrison is greeted at home plate after a home run, via www.azcentral.com

On the other end of the ball, it seems the Bruins have a certified ace in junior Megan Langenfeld.  After the graduation of Anjelica Selden, the Bruin pitching staff struggled to find a rhythm (and an agreeable depth chart) for much of the season.  Langenfeld has come through at just the right time.  Beginning with her relief stint against Arizona three weeks ago, Langenfeld (11-0) has shut down some of the Pac-10's most dangerous hitters, highlighted by a no-hitter against then-#2 Washington on April 11. 

The Bruins travel to Seattle for a rematch against the Huskies this Wednesday.  The team will then be home for the final two weekends of the regular season.  Regionals begin May 15.  If you haven't made it to a game yet, I encourage you to come out... this is an exciting team to watch. 

The UCLA-ASU game will be re-aired multiple times this week on the Fox College Sports channel. 

For some photos from the season, check out my Flickr site.