Although the Pac-12 and the NCAA playoffs are a month away the UCLA Bruins baseball, softball and track and field teams seem to be in mid- season form. Last weekend on the UCLA campus the baseball team won two out of three games against Oregon State, the track and field teams produced dominating performances at the Legends Invitational meet and the softball team battled No. 1 Oregon in a three game series.
The softball series against Oregon did not produce the type of results the Bruins were looking for, but that’s what happens when you face the top team in the nation. UCLA won the first game of the series last Friday 8-1, but loss Saturdays’ game 6-4 and Sundays’ game 10-0.
The Bruins, who are 31-8 and ranked No. 8 in the nation, are in second place in the Pac-12. UCLA also has one of the best pitchers in college softball in senior Ally Carda. Despite the two losses to Oregon, she thinks the Bruins are a very good team. “We are very versatile this year,” said Carda after Saturdays’ game. “We have a lot of good freshmen that have come into the program and we have some solid upperclassmen. We are in a good place right now but there is always room for improvement.”
UCLA softball travels to Stanford this weekend for a three game series against the Cardinals and they return home the following weekend for a three game series against California. If the Bruins want to continue to play at a high level they will have to rely on the leadership of Carda and the rest of the juniors and seniors. “As a senior I know I have to lead by example and try to help the underclassmen be the best they can be.”
The UCLA baseball team’s next home games are Tuesday April 14, at 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium and they face the California Golden Bears on April 16, 17 and 18. The Bruins next track and field meet will be this Saturday when they will host the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at 11 a.m. The UCLA women’s basketball team won the NIT championship Saturday when they beat West Virginia on the Mountaineer’s home court.