Softball’s defense of NCAA title begins with ‘B’
Daily Bruin File Photo
Donna Kerr and the Bruins have finished the “˜fall ball’ portion of their offseason.
By Jacob Ruffman
Jan. 5, 2011 11:21 p.m.
The letter “˜B’ is littered throughout softball lingo ““ bat, ball, bunt, bloop, blast, etc.
For the defending NCAA champion UCLA softball team, the letter “˜B’ represents more than just jargon; it marks the beginning of a new season.
“Fall ball is what we in the program call our “˜B’ phase that eventually spells out Bruins,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “This is all about building a foundation, which means that we are conditioning five days a week, learning the language, learning the culture and most importantly, learning what it means to be a Bruin.”
Fall ball is a series of games in which UCLA competes against local colleges to establish a basis for the season both on and off the field.
“The preseason was really important for us because it helped us see what we need to work on, where we need to tweak a couple of things and just get out there and practice being in some real life situations,” senior pitcher Donna Kerr said. “I think we are looking strong so far and the team is working really well together.”
This season, the Bruins competed in games against Biola, Mt. San Antonio College, Fullerton Community College and Santa Ana College.
“These games were not used to focus on the other team as much as it was ourselves,” junior catcher Dani Yudin said. “It was a great opportunity to work on our signs, technique and other things.”
Due to the departure of three key seniors ““ pitcher/first baseman Megan Langenfeld, third baseman Julie Burney and catcher Kaila Shull ““ the Bruins will have to fill several holes, particularly in the infield.
Fortunately for the Bruins, they brought in yet another solid recruiting class led by infielders Kellie Fox and Talee Snow.
Fall ball was used as an opportunity for the Bruins to mix and match lineups while testing out their new freshmen to see where they fit in.
“We have a completely new infield this season and (senior third baseman GiOnna DiSalvatore) played at a different position last year than she will this year,” Kerr said. “The freshmen are doing a great job working really hard at practices, getting communication down, getting the plays down and everything. It’s really starting to come together.”
Yet another aspect of coach Inouye-Perez’s symbolic “˜B’ is the Alumni Game, an opportunity for the UCLA softball alumni to come back and compete against the current team for a good, spirited competition between Bruins.
“We have the best alumni around. When we were at the College World Series they were all there wearing their black John Wooden shirts and supporting us,” Kerr said. “So the Alumni Game is all about them and giving back to them. It was great to get on the field and have a lot of good laughs.”
The Bruins’ regular season will not start until mid-February, but they know the importance of fall ball being that they are the defending national champions.
“We know that now there’s a target on our back and everybody we play will be thinking, “˜We want to beat them,'” Yudin said. “We know this and we’re just going to focus on our game and be ready for the season.”
