Pac-10 notes
This could be the decisive weekend in the Pac-10. The four top
teams in the conference, also the top four teams in the country,
all square off against each other. If either second-ranked Arizona
or third-ranked UCLA is going to make a run at first place and
top-ranked Washington, this is the time to do it. Both schools are
tied for second with a 10-4 conference record.
On Friday, UCLA plays at Arizona State, with Washington at
Arizona. On Saturday and Sunday, UCLA will be at Arizona, and
Washington at Arizona State.
Washington stands at 12-2 and fourth place Arizona State is way
back at 7-8. The fact that a team with an under .500 record is
ranked fourth in the country demonstrates the dominance of the
Pac-10 over other conferences.
Once again, all Pac-10 teams are ranked, with the top four
teams, seven in the top 12, and the eighth, Oregon State, ranked
No. 17.
Bruin standings
UCLA, interestingly enough, seems to enjoy playing on the road
better than at home. In Pac-10 games, they are 3-3 at home but a
conference best 7-1 on the road, including a 1-0 win over the No. 1
Huskies. The Bruins’ only away loss was to the Huskies, the
day before the win.
As far as the conference standings, UCLA will have to work a tad
harder than Arizona to finish in second.
Arizona’s matchup with Oregon State last weekend was
rained out, and the game, per Pac-10 regulations, will not be
rescheduled unless it will affect the conference title. This means
UCLA will play one more game than the Wildcats.
Basketball player throws out first pitch
Maylana Martin, the first UCLA women’s basketball player
to be drafted as a collegian, threw out the first pitch at
Sunday’s softball game against Cal.
On April 25, Martin was taken by the Minnesota Lynx with the
tenth overall pick. Most softball games at Easton do not have
ceremonial first pitch but Martin, one of the best women’s
basketball players to come through UCLA, was deemed worthy of the
honor.
Martin, who is friends with many members of the softball team,
tossed a low and away pitch to catcher Julie Marshall.
On Saturday, head coach Sue Enquist was honored before the game
in a ceremony that retired her No. 6 jersey.
UCLA won both games, 8-0 on Saturday and 5-0 on Sunday.
Break them records
Several Bruins are on the move in the UCLA record books.
Freshman Natasha Watley is already second on UCLA’s
single-season list and tied for tied for fifth on the career list
with 22 stolen bases. She is third in Pac-10 in stolen bases.
Watley also leads the conference with four triples, along with
second baseman Lyndsey Klein and Arizona’s Chrissy Gil.
She needs three more stolen bases to tie Christie
Ambrosi’s single-season record of 25, set in the 1999 season.
Ambrosi finished with 31 in her career.
Julie Marshall has taken over the Bruins’ career record
for RBIs and needs just two more to become the first Bruin to ever
record 200 in a career. Marshall is also ranked second all-time in
home runs with 45. She is also fourth in the country with 1.12 RBIs
per game.
Stacey Nuveman, who is redshirting the season to train for the
Olympics, has 162 RBIs and 51 home runs, as well as two more years
of eligibility.
Julie Adams is right behind Marshall and Nuveman in home runs
and RBIs. She has 39 home runs and 154 RBIs.
Notes compiled by Greg Lewis, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.