UCLA softball aims to oust Oregon as Pac-12 leader

The UCLA softball team’s journey to a Pac-12 regular season championship has built up to a climax over the past several weeks.

Three weekends ago, the Bruins faced the No. 6 team in the country and swept the series. About two weeks ago, they faced the No. 5 team in the country and won two of three. After a handful of wins against unranked teams last week, the gauntlet resumes, as No. 1 UCLA (33-2, 8-1 Pac-12) travels to Eugene, Ore., to battle No. 3 Oregon (32-4, 6-0) this weekend.

“Our competition in the Pac-12, it’s so strong,” said freshman shortstop Delaney Spaulding. “Anything can happen in conference.”

The Bruins’ Pac-12 title hopes may depend on the outcome of this series. Oregon ranks first in the conference standings, just one spot ahead of UCLA. The three-game series this weekend represents the lone meeting between the two teams this season.

“They’re just a really good team,” said sophomore third baseman Mysha Sataraka. “They have a strong pitcher, a lot of breaking balls. … We have to make adjustments at the plate and kind of have a game plan.”

To prepare for the weekend, UCLA has added some new features to its game-planning strategy, paying more attention to detail than before. The Bruins now benefit from having video footage of their Pac-12 opponents, such as the Oregon Ducks. The video footage is something that the Bruins lacked earlier in the season, when they were facing some nonconference opponents that had less video exposure.

“We now have videos of what we did last year – previous at-bats up against Oregon pitchers,” Sataraka said. “We also have this year’s videos … Just being able to check out our own swings and Oregon’s pitching – it’s a great tool for us.”

Now that the Bruins are about to play the highest-ranked team they have played all season, the video scouting game has become even more complex and meticulous.

“We recently all got iPads to start looking at film of ourselves as far as our swings and of our opponents,” said freshman outfielder Gabby Maurice.

Maurice said that she and her teammates have taken a close look at Oregon pitcher Cheridan Hawkins, who ranks fourth in the nation in pitching victories and 12th in ERA.

“We were just trying to get the tendencies, the pitch patterns, and then work on what (Hawkins’) strength is so we can just master this weekend,” Maurice said.

From not knowing what to expect from an opponent to examining individual players’ tendencies and pitch patterns, the Bruins believe they have made the adjustments necessary to remain ahead in the evolutionary arms race that is Pac-12 play.

“I think our adjustments are happening a lot sooner now that we’re more prepared, as far as knowing other teams’ tendencies,” Maurice said. “I think it will be a good matchup.”