UCLA softball to begin Pac-12 with high expectations
Along with two others, senior pitcher Jessica Hall contributed to UCLA’s second-ranked pitching and 0.96 team ERA.
(Dang-Co Vu/Daily Bruin)
By Matt Joye
March 13, 2014 12:39 a.m.
It won’t be long before the nation finds out just how good the UCLA softball team really is.
The No. 3 Bruins have succeeded in going 23-1 against their non-conference schedule to start the season. But now, a new challenge looms as UCLA begins the gauntlet that is Pac-12 play with a home series against No. 8 Arizona (23-3) this weekend.
In college softball, few conferences are as strong and deep as the Pac-12. Currently, five of the conference’s nine schools are ranked in the top 10 in the country.
If last year is any indicator, UCLA will not know if it truly belongs in the top 10 until it faces its Pac-12 schedule.
Akin to 2014, UCLA began last season on a hot streak, going 24-4 in non-conference play to start the season. And then, Pac-12 conference play started, and the team folded.
The offense went from averaging 6.4 runs per game prior to Pac-12 play, to just 4.5 during its 24 conference games. The Bruins lost nine of their first 12 conference games en route to a 10-14 conference record.
As UCLA heads into Pac-12 play this year, the situation looks similar on paper. But the Bruins have gained some advantages that cannot be depicted on a stat sheet.
“This team definitely has, if I had to describe them, perseverance,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.
That perseverance is embodied by a Bruins pitching staff which bolsters three players who endured the rough Pac-12 season last year.
“Last year, we weren’t as strong pitching-wise,” Inouye-Perez said. “(Now), we have a senior (Jessica Hall), a junior (Ally Carda), and a sophomore (Paige McDuffee), and they all just continue to get more experienced every year.”
As of last Sunday, UCLA’s pitching trio of Carda, Hall and McDuffee ranks second in the nation with a 0.96 team ERA. Last year, the Bruins allowed 2.18 runs per game in their games prior to Pac-12 play.
“I think for me, especially, I’ve just kind of got the whole mental aspect of it all figured out,” Hall said. “I’m not letting any outside factors influence me like i did before.”
UCLA’s pitching will be vital in this weekend’s series against Arizona, as the Wildcats lead the NCAA with a .389 team batting average, and rank second in runs scored.
“I think we’re just going to go into it knowing that we’re the better team, instead of just waiting to see what the outcome is,” Hall said.
The Bruins were the better team when they last faced one of the country’s top offenses. Last month, UCLA won 3-2 against No. 13 Oklahoma, which currently ranks fourth in runs scored per game.
“I do think that we’re a lot more prepared (for Pac-12 play) this year,” Carda said. “I think we’re a lot more confident.”
