University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Official Athletic Site - Softball
 five stolen bases to break the UCLA single season record. |
Softball hosts Sacramento State, travels to Long Beach State.
February 23, 1999
Sat., Feb. 27 - Sacramento St. - Easton Stadium - 1 p.m.
This Week in UCLA Softball . . .
The No. 3 UCLA softball team hosts the Sacramento State Hornets this Saturday, Feb. 27 in a doubleheader at UCLA's Easton Softball Stadium beginning at 1:00 p.m. Also, Saturday is Little League Day - all kids in attendance (with chaperone) wearing uniforms will get in for free. The first 300 fans in attendance will also receive free UCLA seat cushions. Then, on Sunday, the Bruins will hit the road to face No. 13 Long Beach State in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Bruins Earn Co-Champion Honors at UNLV Classic . . . The Bruins are coming off a very successful road trip after taking first-place at the 1999 UNLV Softball Classic, Feb. 19-21 in Las Vegas, Nev. UCLA posted convincing victories over Kent State, No. 17 Hawaii, Pacific, Florida International and Portland State, en route to tournament co-champion honors. Oregon State was the only other school to finish 5-0, joining UCLA as co- champion.
Nuveman Named Pac-10 Player of the Week . . . Sophomore catcher/first baseman Stacey Nuveman was recently named Pac-10 Player- of-the-Week, coming off an outstanding performance at the UNLV Softball Classic. Nuveman hit a remarkable .636 on the week with six home runs, helping the No. 3 Bruins go 5-0 to earn tournament co-champion honors. For the weekend, she hit five home runs with 16 RBI, owning an impressive 1.611 slugging percentage. She registered her first grand slam of the season in UCLA's 9-5 win over Pacific. Against No. 17 Hawaii, she was a perfect 5-for-5, notching five RBI, a home run and three runs scored, helping UCLA to the 10-2 victory. On Saturday against Pacific, she was again perfect, going 3-for-3 with six RBI, two home runs and two runs scored. In addition to her tournament performance, she also blasted a home run earlier in the week against Cal State Northridge. This is Nuveman's second time winning the award.
Home Run Record Could Fall This Weekend. . . All-American catcher/first baseman Stacey Nuveman will likely make history sometime in the near future as she stands just two home runs shy of breaking UCLA's career home run record. Nuveman, who entered last week with 23, knocked out one against Cal State Northridge last Wednesday and then five more at the UNLV Softball Classic this past weekend, giving her nine this season and 29 for her career. She already holds the UCLA single-season mark, belting 20 during her 1997 freshman campaign.
Home Run Watch
Bruins Off to Best Start Since 1995 . . . With 14-straight victories to start the season, UCLA is off to its best start since the 1995 campaign, when the Bruins started a perfect 15-0. However, should the Bruins sweep Sacramento State this Saturday improving to 16-0, UCLA will be off to its best start since the 1992 season. That team started a remarkable 33-0 and went on to win the NCAA Championship.
On a Roll!
Ambrosi Extends Hitting Streak . . .
With 10 hits this past weekend in Las Vegas, leadoff hitter and center fielder Christie Ambrosi extended her hitting streak to 14 games. The only player to register a hit in every game this season, Ambrosi ranks No. 1 on the team in hits (26), runs scored (18), stolen bases (9) and at bats (51).
Catch Me if You Can . . .
Christie Ambrosi has not only been red hot at the plate, but on the base pads as well. Through the first 14 games, she is a perfect 9-for-9 in the stolen base department. Five more stolen bases and she will break the UCLA single season record, set in 1988 by Shana Flynn, who had 13. In addition, Ambrosi, only a junior, is also on pace to break the UCLA career mark of 29, held by Yvonne Gutierrez.
Sacramento State Hornets - Sat., 1 p.m. (Easton) Sacramento State heads into Saturday's game at UCLA with an overall record of 3- 3 after opening up the 1999 season last week at the Campbell/Cartier Classic hosted by San Diego State. At the Classic, the Hornets picked up wins over SDSU and Wichita State, including a 4-1 upset over No. 14 Stanford. Senior third baseman Jenn Handy has started all six games for the Hornets, posting a .444 batting average, with three RBI and a double. UCLA leads the series with Sacramento State 17-4 and has won the last 14 meetings dating back to 1979.
No. 13 Long Beach State 49ers - Sun., 1 p.m. (Long Beach) Ranked No. 13 in the NFCA/USA Today Preseason Top-25, Long Beach State enters Sunday's contest with the Bruins with a 6-4 overall mark. The 49ers have been hot as of late, winning four out of their last five contests. Melanie Muniz is one of only two Long Beach players to start and play in all 10 contests. She owns a .351 average and is tied for a team-best three doubles and four RBI. UCLA leads the all-time series with Long Beach 47-6, however the 49ers have gotten the best of UCLA in the last two meetings.
Bruin Hurlers Shut Down Opposing Batters . . . Led by two of the country's top pitchers in Courtney Dale and Amanda Freed, much of UCLA's early success can be attributed to excellent pitching. Dale stands at 6-0 on the season and owns an impressive 1.20 ERA. She owns a team-best 56 strikeouts and has a 13-1 career record. Freed, who pitched a no-hitter in her Bruin debut against Santa Clara, is 7-0 on the season with a remarkable 0.16 ERA. She has six shutouts and has given up just two earned runs in seven appearances. In addition, Stephanie Swenson saw her first action of the season last weekend, picking up the victory in a 13-5 win over Portland State.
Home Run Derby . . .
Led by Stacey Nuveman, seven different Bruins have all went yard sometime this season. In UCLA's opener against Santa Clara, Nuveman, Courtney Dale, Julie Adams and Julie Marshall all left the park. At the Fiesta Bowl two weeks ago, Marshall and Adams blasted three apiece and were joined by newcomer Lyndsey Klein, who knocked out two of her own, including a crucial solo shot in the seventh inning during UCLA's 5-4 extra-inning win over Texas. Here's a look at UCLA's home run breakdown:
Scoring Machine . . .
As amazing as it sounds, UCLA has outscored its opponents 108-17 through the first 14 games. The Bruins have scored most of their runs in the first inning (29), making opponents play catchup for most of the game. In fact, UCLA has trailed only twice all season. The Bruins trailed Texas 2-0 before rallying to win 5-4 in the eighth inning and they trailed Portland State 1-0, prior to winning 13-5 in six innings.
Bruins on TV . . .
The only scheduled regular-season TV game for UCLA this year will be against No. 3 Washington in Seattle on April 3. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net beginning at 12:00 p.m.
Bruins No. 2 in Real Sports Poll . . .
The inaugural issue of Real Sports Magazine recently featured a preseason softball poll highlighting the top-10 teams in the country. The Bruins were picked to finish No. 2, behind 1998 NCAA Champion Fresno State.
Blue Edges White in Annual Alumnae Classic . . . A standing room only crowd was treated to an exciting day of softball at Easton Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 7 as they watched both former and current Bruins do battle in the 1999 UCLA Alumnae Classic. United States Olympic Team members Dot Richardson, Lisa Ferndandez, Sheila Cornell-Douty and Jennifer Brundage were all on hand for this festive occasion. However, in the end, it was current Bruin Courtney Dale who stole the show as her grand slam to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning helped the UCLA Blue Team to a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over the UCLA White Team.
UCLA & The United States National Team . . . The Bruins have seven current players associated with the United States National Team Program. Among the elite are Julie Adams, Christie Ambrosi, Crissy Buck, Amanda Freed and Stacey Nuveman, who have all been designated in USA Softball's Top-60 pool. In addition, Courtney Dale and Lyndsey Klein have both seen time on various U.S. teams.
Head Coach Sue Enquist . . .
Sue Enquist is in her third season at the helm of the nation's winningest softball program after sharing the role for eight seasons with former coach Sharron Backus. A member of the U.S. National Team Coaching Staff, associated with the 1996 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Team, Enquist is in her 20th year as a member of the UCLA coaching staff and 24th as either a player or coach. One of only three softball players in the prestigious UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, Enquist owns an overall record of 477-97, with three NCAA and four Pac-10 titles.
Win Streak: 14
Lose Streak: 0
Sun., Feb. 28 - #13 Long Beach St. - Long Beach, CA - 1 p.m.
Career
1. Kim Wuest 30 1995-98
2. Stacey Nuveman 29 1997-Present
3. Julie Adams 24 1996-Present
4. Jennifer Brundage 20 1992-95
4. Julie Marshall 20 1996-Present
Single-Season
1. Stacey Nuveman 20 1997
2. Jennifer Brundage 14 1995
3. Kim Wuest 13 1996
4. Lisa Fernandez 11 1993
4. Yvonne Gutierrez 11 1992
Enquist Closes in on No. 500. . .
With 484 career victories, UCLA head coach Sue Enquist will likely surpass the 500 mark sometime this season. She entered the year with an overall mark of 470-97 (.829) through 10 seasons. The 1999 campaign marks Enquist's third season solely at the helm of the UCLA program, as from 1989-96 she shared the role of head coach with Sharron Backus. In addition, her .829 winning percentage ranks her tied for first among active Division-1 coaches.
Here's a look at UCLA's
Best Starts Ever
1. 1992 33-0
2. 1991 32-0
3. 1995 15-0
4. 1999 14-0
5. 1987 14-0
6. 1985 11-0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total
UCLA Bruins 29 16 16 11 14 14 7 1 108
Opponents 3 0 5 3 1 2 3 0 17
A Look Ahead . . .
Following this weekend, UCLA will hit the road again, rounding out its 1999 tournament schedule in Fresno and Chattanooga, Tenn. First off will be the Annual Fresno State Softball Classic, where UCLA will have five tough games before rounding out the tournament with No. 1 Fresno State. The following weekend, UCLA will be in the Frost Cutlery Tournament, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. There, the Bruins will play four games, including one against No. 19 Alabama. Following its trip to Tennessee, UCLA will host the University of San Diego, prior to opening up Pac-10 action at home on Saturday, March 27 against Cal.
W L T Pct.
Total 14 0 0 1.000
Conf. 0 0 0 .000
Non-Conf 14 0 0 .000
Home 4 0 0 1.000
Neutral 10 0 0 1.000
Day 12 0 0 1.000
Nite 2 0 0 1.000
vs. Left 1 0 0 1.000
vs. Right 13 0 0 1.000
1-Run Games 1 0 0 1.000
2-Run Games 1 0 0 1.000
5+Run Games 10 0 0 1.000
Extra Inns 1 0 0 1.000
Shutouts 9 0 0 1.000
UCLA's Probable Lineup
1. Christie Ambrosi CF
2. Amanda Freed P/LF
3. Julie Marshall C/1B
4. Stacey Nuveman C/1B
5. Julie Adams 3B
6. Courtney Dale P/LF
7. Lyndsey Klein 2B
8. Crissy Buck SS
9. Lupe Brambila RF