Earning the spotlight in her own right

Earning the spotlight in her own right

Junior second-baseman

Kelly Howard is no longer

following her sister’s footsteps

By Melissa Anderson

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

When Kelly Howard was seven years old, her older sister, Kristy,
handed her a softball glove and started teaching her to play catch.
The elder Howard throws right-handed and although Kelly does nearly
everything left-handed, she learned to throw and bat from the right
side. That was just the beginning of Kristy’s influence over her
younger sister.

The decision to follow in Kristy’s footsteps and play for the
UCLA softball team acquired Kelly the nickname "Little Howie." Now
a junior and a major factor in the Bruins’ return to the No. 1
ranking this season, Kelly’s contributions have been anything but
little.

As a freshman, Kelly came in and started every game for the
Bruins, earning second-team All-America honors and helping UCLA to
the finals of the NCAA tournament. Though Kristy was a senior and
one of the team’s leaders, the bond between the two off the field
made for strong performances on the field.

"Since Kelly was second base and I played shortstop, we had
really good karma between us," Kristy Howard said. "We knew what
each others’ moves were going to be. I don’t think I could play
with anyone as smoothly as I could with her ­ it made me play
better knowing that I would have to show her the way."

For Kelly, she says that the chance to start off her college
career playing with her sister was the main attraction UCLA held
for her, although the fact that the Bruins were the defending
national champions didn’t hurt either.

"Playing with my sister was the best experience I’ve ever been
through in my life. We played together a year in high school and so
coming to college and getting to play another year was even
better," Kelly said of her freshman season. "The program was No. 1
in the nation and there were so many pluses to coming here. But the
deciding factor was that my sister was here and there was no way I
was going to go somewhere else and play against her."

Knowing what Kristy had done in her first three years as a
Bruin, it would have been easy for the coaches to compare Kelly to
Kristy and expect her to play like her older sister. Instead,
co-head coaches Sharon Backus and Sue Enquist tried to make sure
that Kelly was given her own identity.

"The relationship Kelly has with her sister is really special.
There was a real bond there and it was fun to watch it be carried
out on the field," Enquist said. "But the thing that impressed
Sharon and myself most about Kelly was her consistency. She doesn’t
get real high and she doesn’t get real low. That mindset, combined
with her physical ability is a great recipe for success."

"The coaches made a big point in letting me know that I wasn’t
just going to be ‘Kristy’s little sister’ or ‘Little Howie’," Kelly
said. "They made sure I was treated like an individual rather than
just a tag-along."

There was never any question as to whether Kelly Howard had
great ability, but it wasn’t until after her sister graduated that
she really became a vital ingredient to the team’s success. In last
year’s regional final, she hit two solo home runs against UNLV to
give UCLA a 2-1 victory and broke the teams’ record for doubles in
a single season with 15.

"I think Kelly has ascended to where she is today at UCLA not
because Kristy is gone, but because she proved to herself that she
could be a real gamer for UCLA," Enquist said. "I think last year’s
regional was a real turning point for her. She came in and decided
‘I’m going to be the one’.

"When Kelly Howard gets on base, we win ball games ­ that’s
the bottom line. She is probably one of the lowest profiled players
on the team that is one of the most important."

As the leadoff hitter for this year’s squad, Howard has made a
habit of getting on base any way she can. Sporting a .398 batting
average and a .427 on-base percentage, she is among the team’s top
five in both categories. But it is the four home runs ­ more
than she hit in her first two seasons combined ­ that tell the
real story.

"When they started me as the leadoff hitter, my goal has always
been just to get on base," Howard said. "Whether it was reaching by
an error or a walk or leaning into it and taking it for the team, I
wanted to get on and I think that still stands today.

"I’d never really hit home runs, so when I hit two in one game
at the ’94 regional and then two grand slams (earlier this season)
it was like ‘Whoa, where did that come from’."

Enquist, however, wasn’t surprised by Howard’s emergence as a
power hitter.

"We’ve got the best of both worlds because if she wants to, she
can dump a bunt anytime and yet she can also be an RBI-person late
in the game," Enquist said. "She is really one of the most
versatile leadoff people in the country."

Kristy Howard, who is currently an assistant coach at Stanford,
is proud of the player "Little Howie" has become and looks forward
to watching her play later this week when the Bruins host the
Cardinal for the first time this year.

"She has really matured and taken over much more of a leadership
role. When I was there, she looked to me as a leader and now, I
think the team looks to her as a leader," Kristy said. "It’s fun to
watch her now. I’ll always be a Bruin, but since I coach for
Stanford now, obviously I want Stanford to win. I’m rooting for her
to do well, but at the same time I’m rooting for Stanford to
win."

For the younger Howard, Thursday’s double-header will be a sort
of reunion between the two sisters, who talk every night on the
phone because visits are few and far between.

"It will be really fun (playing Stanford)," Kelly said. "I’m
excited to see her and our whole family will be there. I am so
proud of her and what she’s done ­ she’s a great coach."

As for what Kelly has done and strives to do, it will take
winning a national title or two in order to make her UCLA career
complete.

"My main goal here at UCLA is to win a national championship,"
Kelly Howard said. "I want that more than anything."