One-hit wonder
By Bob Costa
April 29, 2003 9:00 p.m.
UCLA’s Keira Goerl is as hard to hit as her name is to
pronounce.
In 32 starts thus far this season, the junior pitcher has thrown
19 complete-game shutouts and 12 one-hitters, leading the Bruins to
a No. 2 national ranking.
But in spite of all her success this year, Goerl expects more
from herself.
“I always want to be perfect,” Goerl said.
“It’s not going to happen all the time but that’s
what I am aiming for.”
While Goerl can find flaws in every one of her pitching
performances, her teammates and coaches are much less critical. In
fact, UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist has said in the past that
Goerl embodies the tradition of UCLA softball.
Enquist, who has been involved with the team as a player and
coach since the program’s inception in 1975, is hesitant to
make comparisons between eras, but believes that Goerl is among the
best pitchers ever to don the blue and gold.
“She is on that very short list as one of the best players
we have had in the circle,” Enquist said. “To compare
her to Lisa Fernandez or Debbie Doom or Tracy Compton, I think is
always kind of tricky, but she is going to go down as one of the
strongest pitchers we have had. Knowing that she has another year,
the sky’s the limit for her.”
That she has another year of eligibility remaining must be a
frightening thought for opposing teams given her success in 2003.
She has been the workhorse for the Bruins this season, tossing 220
innings and posting a 29-5 record in 35 appearances. Goerl has
started the last 12 games for the Bruins and is tied for first
place in the Pac-10 in games started.
Unless an injury robs her of playing time, Goerl will likely set
UCLA single-season records in appearances (held by B’Ann
Burns 43), innings pitched (Lisa Longaker 259.1) and victories
(Courtney Dale and Lisa Fernandez 33).
As the season winds down, Goerl has already begun to scale the
UCLA career charts.
Right now she is fifth on the UCLA all-time career victories
list with 87, fourth in appearances with 108, sixth in innings
pitched with 660 and fifth in strikeouts with 728. With another
year of excellence she will be standing at the top of them all.
Even though she will probably hold numerous records by the end
of her career in Westwood, she is quick to acknowledge that advice
from assistant coach Lisa Fernandez has been a big boost throughout
her career.
“Lisa is always very positive,” Goerl said.
“She challenges us, and I really like that. She and
(assistant coach Kelly Inouye-Perez) both know how to challenge us
and get us to be positive and confident.”
Goerl has taken that advice to heart and uses it in mentoring
freshman Michelle Turner, who might be the next in the lineage of
standout Bruins to take the circle.
“Having her every day in the bullpen, we help each other
out with different pitches,” Turner said. “If I have
problems, she will help me out when Lisa isn’t here. She is
just like another coach.
“She helps me prepare for games, and she helps my pitches
break more. If she sees something I don’t see she always lets
me know right away.”
Goerl and Turner have amassed a combined ERA of 0.68 on the
season, but the self-effacing Goerl believes she can do even
better.
“I am happy but I am not completely satisfied,”
Goerl said. “I have always been like that.”
