The last challenge: NCAA softball preview

  NICOLE MILLER/ Daily Bruin Freshman Keira
Goerl pitches to Cal State Northridge in the NCAA
Regionals last weekend at Easton Stadium.

By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Reporter

When you climb Mt. Everest, there are camps where you rest along
the way. The UCLA softball team is getting ready to break the final
camp and make the arduous run to the summit of their own Mt.
Everest.

Beginning with today’s 6:30 p.m. game against Iowa in
Oklahoma City, the Bruins are on a determined journey to claim
their ninth NCAA crown at the Women’s College World
Series.

“We haven’t peaked yet and we’re starting to
peak now,” UCLA freshman outfielder Stephanie Ramos said.
“We’re gelling and we’re getting all of our
injured people back. We’re actually starting to get together
now.”

The second-seeded Bruins (59-5) come in as the favorites after
demolishing the competition in last week’s NCAA Regionals. In
four games, UCLA defeated its opponents by a combined score of
31-1.

The seventh-seeded Hawkeyes (49-12) already pulled off a mild
upset when they twice defeated Notre Dame, the top seed in their
region, to make it to the WCWS.

So there’s a possibility that an overconfident Bruin squad
could come in and take the Hawkeyes for granted. But UCLA Head
Coach Sue Enquist doesn’t foresee that happening.

“This team is smarter than that,” Enquist said.
“I think they know enough about the competition in the
country, and we have a handful of kids that have been there before.
Once the game gets going and the butterflies land, it’s that
same game.”

The Bruins are one of those rare teams that manage to turn it up
come playoff time, like the Lakers are doing in this year’s
NBA playoffs.

Pac-10 Player of the Year Stacey Nuveman (.453 batting average,
19 home runs, 73 RBIs) and NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player
Tairia Mims (.378, 17, 71) are a fearsome duo that will give Iowa
junior ace Kristi Hanks a lot of trouble.

But the Bruins speak of how stats are meaningless now. Each game
is a new season, and mistakes won’t be forgiven in Oklahoma
City. Mistakes like failing to score a run with the bases loaded
and no outs, as the Bruins did Sunday against San Diego State in an
11-0 rout.

“Even though we’ve had our wins right now,
we’ve been humbled in the past,” sophomore second
baseman Monique Mejia said. “There were a couple of games in
the Regional where we did walk away with a lopsided win, but (at
points) we broke down with our plan.”

To further strengthen UCLA’s chances in the WCWS, junior
ace Amanda Freed made her return to the pitcher’s circle last
Friday after almost a month-long hiatus due to an injury to her
forearm.

In two pain-free starts, Freed shut down her opposition,
allowing only two hits in 10 innings of work.

Along with freshman Keira Goerl and senior Courtney Dale,
Freed’s return gives the Bruins three top-notch pitchers to
use, a great advantage considering the amount of games to be played
in such a short time span.

But regardless of how many pitchers a team has, and how powerful
its lineup is, execution and concentration will determine whether
UCLA can lay claim to its ninth NCAA title.

“You have to give it everything you’ve got every
game,” Bruin freshman first baseman Claire Sua said.
“It’s one game, one pitch at a time.”

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES 1)
If Game 9 winner defeats Game 5 winner in Game 11, then Game 13 is
necessary

2) If Game 10 winner defeats Game 6 winner in Game 12, then Game
14 is necessary

3) If Game 14 is the only Game Sunday evening, it will be played
at 3 p.m.

SOURCE: NCAA Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/Daily Bruin Web
adaptation by ROBERT LIU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff