Bumped. -BN

Not many of us on BN will forget our softball team's triumphs last year at the Women's College World Series. Although I wasn't able to participate in the game threads I did read through every single one of them.  It's hard for me to fully express my gratitude towards everyone for your support of the team when they needed it most.  It was a very proud time to be a bruin!  

But, as Coach Wooden told Kelly Inouye-Perez when she took over as head coach, "yesterday is as old as dirt."  It is now a new year and a new season with very high expectations.   Winning a championship may instill confidence and a certain knowledge of "how to win," but it can also lead to complacency.  Since this was the first title won by any of the players and Coach Inouye-Perez's first as a head coach, only time will tell what kind of effect it will have on them.

Luckily we don't have to wait long.  The Bruins open their 2011 season at home on February 11 against Utah State. Here is my position break down:

Continue reading this post »

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N
 
via UCLA Softball

Softball season is here!  And with it comes another season of high expectations for fouth-year head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez and her loaded Bruin squad.  After a disappointing finish in 2009 that saw the team fall just short of the Women's College World Series, this year's team is hungry to improve from where they left off:

From the Daily Bruin:

"We didn’t want to look back at last season, but focus on this season and the future," senior pitcher Megan Langenfeld said. "You learn from the past but you don’t need to dwell on it, so we learned our lesson from last year and we were real excited to get going."

The #4 Bruins (5-1) return 7 of 8 position players and the entire pitching staff from last year's Pac-10 Championship team.   Joining the veterans are 4 highly-touted freshmen including outfielder B.B. Bates as well as sophomore transfer pitcher Aleah Macon.  With such a strong foundation it's easy to see why expectations are high. 

Continue reading this post »

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.  

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.   

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.

Bumped. Great story on a great Bruin. GO BRUINS. -N

Ramona Shelburne has written a wonderful article about UCLA Softball player Ashley Herrera.  The red shirt senior made her triumphant return to the Bruins starting lineup yesterday in a 2-1 victory over defending national champion Arizona.  Herrera has missed the last 38 games after suffering a dislocated ankle in the second week of the Bruins' season.  

As soon as Ashley went down that night, screaming in pain after a botched slide into 3rd base, all anyone could think of was... why her?  No one ever deserves to be injured, but with Ashley, something about it just seemed unfair considering her similar situation just one year before:  

From The Daily News:

Last season, she seemed primed for a breakout year. She had earned the starting job at third base, settled into her new role as a left-handed slapper and developed into a team leader.

Then, in the first game of the season, she blew out her knee. Her season was over as quickly as it had begun.

After being granted a medical red shirt to return for the 2008 Bruins, Herrera worked relentlessly to return to top form.  Her amazing work ethic and recovery to get back into the starting line up for this season made it that much harder to watch her go down for the second time.

Softball teammate Krista Colburn remembers:

"...When she went down again with the ankle injury, I just had this instant flashback on all that work she'd put in. It made all of our hearts hurt."

As things settled down and news from doctors became more and more optimistic, the posibility of Ashley returning to the softball field before season's end became a reality.  And now, during UCLA's senior weekend, Herrera will be able to line up with her teammates as the starting third baseman... just 10 weeks after her injury.  

It really is an amazing article about an amazing Bruin, and I encourage you all to read it.

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

The women of UCLA Softball have taken care of business since losing 2 of 3 in Arizona two weeks ago, beginning the second half of conference play by completing sweeps of #22 Washington, #21 Cal, and #7 Stanford.  

Things got started in Seattle, where the Bruins braved 40 degree temperatures and multiple rain delays to finish their 3-game series against Washington.  Despite such unfamiliar conditions, the Bruins racked up a combined 19 hits on their way to 2-1 and 4-0 wins over the Huskies.  In addition to an earlier win at home over Washington, these victories gave UCLA their first Pac-10 sweep of the season.

After Washington, the USA National Team came into Westwood on April 22 for an exhibition.  The game was highlighted by an emotional tribute to UCLA legend Lisa Fernandez.  Fernandez, who had been instrumental in Team USA's gold medals in 1996, 2000, and 2004, was surprisingly left off the final roster for this summer's Olympics in Beijing and was instead named as an alternate.  Lisa led Team USA in the circle against the Bruins, pitching 6 2/3 innings before handing the ball over to Jennie Finch for the final out of the 8-2 Team USA victory.  

In addition to proving Team USA's talent, the exhibition also proved that the young Bruins could compete with the best.  UCLA scattered six hits off three-time gold medalist Fernandez, including a 2-run homerun by sophomore Julie Burney to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead early in the game.  Senior pitcher Anjelica Selden started the game for UCLA, striking out two Olympians before a scary incident in the third kept her from completing the game.  A ball sailing toward 2nd base to catch a runner stealing nailed Selden in the back of the head, and she was on the ground for a few minutes.  Selden tried to continue pitching after the accident, but was soon pulled after giving up a homerun and a base hit.  Sophomore Megan Langenfeld was solid in relief for Selden, striking out 2 and holding USA to 5 hits.  

Selden did not return to the circle until the final game of the Bay Area series.  But despite the absence of their ace, UCLA's valuable pitching depth proved itself at Cal and Stanford with stellar performances from both Langenfeld and freshman Donna Kerr.  

The Bruins completed their second Pac-10 sweep with a 7-2 win over Cal on Friday, and retained momentum heading into their showdown with #7 Stanford.  The Bruins held on for a 1-0 victory over the Cardinal on Saturday thanks to back-to-back doubles in the 4th inning from freshmen GiOnna DiSalvatore and Samantha Camuso, which drove in the game's lone run.  

Selden returned to the pitching circle Sunday against Stanford as she led the Bruins to a 4-0 victory to close out the sweep.  The game started off dramatically when Langenfeld jacked her 5th homerun of the season in the 1st inning to put UCLA up 3-0.  Those runs would prove to be all the Bruins needed to hold off the Cardinal, but that didn't keep senior Krista Colburn from hitting a round-tripper of her own in the 7th inning to give UCLA the 4-0 lead and eventual victory.

The final home games of the regular season will be played this weekend (May 2-4) when the Bruins host defending national champion Arizona on Friday, then battle Arizona State for the top spot in the Pac-10 on Saturday and Sunday.  Come on out to Easton Stadium for a guaranteed great game.

fun fact:  UCLA softball is 25-0 when they score in the first inning.

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

The UCLA Bruins Softball team began Pac-10 play with a bang, going undefeated through the first three weekends of play.

Friday, March 28 brought Oregon State to Easton Stadium for the 2008 Pac-10 opener. The Bruins handled OSU for a solid 3-0 win, highlighted by Senior Krista Colburn's 200th career hit. UCLA hosted Oregon Saturday and Sunday, earning two more victories by the scores of 2-0 and 12-0. Senior pitcher Anjelica Selden earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for her performances against the Oregon schools.

Anjelica Selden and the UCLA infield

Conference play continued with a mid-week battle against Washington on April 2. UW threatened early with a run in the top of the 1st. The Huskies freshman hurler Aleah Macon made things difficult for the Bruins on the offensive end, striking out the Bruins' first two hitters with speeds close to 70 mph. The freshman's adrenaline wouldn't last long, however, as the Bruins scored 6 runs in the 4th inning and seemingly wrapped up the game. But Washington had other plans, scoring 5 more of their own in the 5th off UCLA's freshman phenom Donna Kerr to tie the game at six apiece. The game would remain tied going into extra innings when the Bruins finally broke free victorious in a somewhat unconventional manner. With bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, UW's Macon walked freshman GiOnna DiSalvatore on four-straight pitches to bring in the winning run for the 7-6 UCLA win.

The week continued with three more home games, this time against Stanford and Cal. Like Washington, Stanford threatened with a run in the 1st inning. The Bruins managed to tie it up in the bottom of the 2nd and went on to win 3-1 with two more runs scored in the 3rd. The Bruins extended their winning streak against the visiting Cal Bears, earning victories on both Saturday and Sunday by scores of 2-1 and 5-0, respectively. Freshman Samantha Camuso earned Pac-10 Player of the Week for her combined .462 avegrage against Washington and the Bay Area Schools.

So after a solid Pac-10 start and seven-straight home games, it was time for the Bruins' toughest challenge: the Arizona road trip. UCLA battled at #1 Arizona State Friday night and was held to 4 hits by ASU's All-American pitcher Katie Burkhart. ASU would go on to win 3-0 for the Bruins' first Pac-10 loss.

Things didn't get much better for our Bruins on Saturday in a showdown with the two-time defending national champion Arizona Wildcats. The dominating UCLA Softball team we've seen all year seemed to be absent in an 0-8 loss to the #9 Wildcats. The tough loss was also the Bruins' first televised game of the season and unfortunately failed to showcase UCLA's true talent.

The Bruins remained determined after the televised loss and refused to return to Westwood without a win. Sunday afternoon's rematch vs. Arizona got off to a great start with an RBI double by sophomore Megan Langenfeld in the 1st inning. The score would remain 1-0 in the Bruins favor until Arizona answered back with a run of their own in the 6th to tie up the game. UCLA wouldn't wait long to respond, however, as junior catcher Jennifer Schroeder knocked a solo homerun over the right-center fence to give the Bruins the lead and eventual 2-1 victory.

Jennifer Schroeder

UCLA Softball continues Pac-10 play this weekend in Washington. When they return home, they have an even bigger challenge to look forward to as the Bruins take on the United States Olympic team in an exhibition game Tuesday night, April 22.

The final three home games of the season take place May 2 through May 4 against the Arizona schools. Try and make it if you can!

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

2nd-ranked UCLA Softball (25-2) completed their third-straight undefeated weekend on Sunday at the Long Beach State Invitational.  The Bruins are on a hot streak since finishing 5-0 in the prestigious Palm Springs Classic two weeks ago, which included victories over four teams ranked in the top 20.  

After Palm Springs, the Bruins headed down to San Diego to participate the much less demanding but no less important San Diego Classic Tournament.  UCLA outscored their five opponents 38-1 during the weekend.  The only battle came from #25 San Diego State, a team on the rise since downing defending national champion Arizona and #2 Northwestern the week before in Palm Springs.  With a 1-1 tie sending the game into extra innings, a sacrifice fly from freshman Samantha Camuso was all the Bruins needed to defeat the Aztecs 2-1 in 9 innings.  On the other side of an offense-heavy tournament for the Bruins, the weekend was highlighted by a career-first perfect game by freshman pitcher Donna Kerr against St. Peters College.  Kerr led the Bruins to an 8-0 victory in a game that would last only 58 minutes.

The Bruins faced some stiff competition at the local Long Beach Invitational this weekend, including Notre Dame, Rutgers, Long Beach State, #25 Virginia Tech, and a rematch with the now #8 Northwestern Wildcats (their first meeting in Palm Springs ended in a 6-2 Bruin victory).  It wasn't easy, but the Bruins came out unscathed yet again.  After fending off Virginia Tech and Notre Dame with one-run victories on Friday, the Bruin's bats finally came alive against Rutgers in a 9-0 victory Saturday Night.  Sunday afternoon's rematch with Northwestern remained locked at 0-0 until the 4th inning when sophomore Megan Langenfeld pounded a two-run home run over the 250-foot center field fence.  For comparison, the center field fence at Easton Stadium (the Bruin's home field) is only 210 feet.  Those two runs were all the Bruins needed for their 2-0 victory against the Wildcats.  Pitcher Donna Kerr had a career-high 15 strikeouts in the game.  Offensively, the Bruins were led by freshman Katie Schroeder who hit over .500 for the weekend.

Katie Schroeder (personal photo)


This finishes up pre-conference tournament play for the Bruins, who begin Pac-10 (aka Pac-8) on March 28 versus Oregon State.  UCLA has two home games this week before taking a week off for winter quarter finals.  The Bruins host Cal State Fullerton at 2:00PM Wednesday and then Cal State Northridge at 1:00PM Thursday.

The team is in a good place right now despite a relatively weak offensive statement at the Long Beach Tournament.  The large class of newcomers (8 freshmen and 1 transfer) play like veterans while seniors Krista Colburn and Jelly Selden act as anchors for the young team.  It's going to be an exciting year

Tickets are going fast for UCLA's exhibition game against the U.S. Olympic softball team on April 22. Here's the official write-up which includes a link to purchase tickets.