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Mims’ versatility key to success in last year

Team looks forward to sophomore’s follow-up performance

Andrew Borders
Published: Thursday, March 1, 2001

MOHAMMAD ALAVI Tairia Mims leads the Bruins in home runs this season.

By Andrew Borders

Daily Bruin Contributor

There is, perhaps, no better talent-based rivalry in college softball than the one between UCLA and Arizona. UCLA is No. 1 in the current NFCA/USA Today poll; Arizona is No. 2. At least one of the teams has been involved in every Women’s College World Series championship game since 1987, including head-to-head matchups in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1997.

UCLA leads the all-time series 49-38, but Arizona has had more than a modicum of success in recent years. Since 1994, UCLA has gone 7-24 against the Wildcats.

Call it coincidence, but the home city of UCLA’s leading home run hitter this season, sophomore Tairia Mims, is the same city that hosts those pesky Wildcats.

“I grew up wanting to go to U of A,” Mims said. But as a college decision loomed closer, things changed. “UCLA actually, when it came down to it, was my first choice.”

Whether she chose UCLA or Arizona, the skills of the 1999 Salpointe Catholic High School graduate were well known to both schools’ coaches.

“She’s a great athlete. She’s got some things you can’t teach,” Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea said. “Tairia’s one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met and I knew that she would do well at the Division I level.”

“We knew she was very talented, and the number of different positions we put her in highlights her incredible athleticism and versatility,” UCLA Head Coach Sue Enquist said.

From the first game of her rookie season in 2000, Mims played as advertised. She started all 59 of UCLA’s games last season, hitting .300 and going errorless 98.2 percent of the time.

One might think that playing all 59 games would take a toll on a true freshman, but Mims and Enquist say that the grind was nothing unexpected.

“I don’t think it was difficult,” Mims said. “I didn’t really feel like there was a lot of pressure on me. I think it was a nice surprise to play all 59 games.”

“I think it was an opportunity she embraced and was excited about,” Enquist said.

However, her performance so far in 2001 proves that 2000 was not a peak for Mims, but only the start of her success at UCLA. Her last season total of nine home runs has already been eclipsed, and three times as fast. Mims has 10 home runs so far this year, putting her on pace for 29 for the season. The team record is 31, achieved by junior catcher Stacey Nuveman in 1999.

Nuveman is one person who understands the difficulty of Mims’ position.

“(It is tough to hit home runs) when you have a reputation, and she’s definitely earning one. She’s doing her job and it’s awesome for the team,” Nuveman said, “For her to have 10 at this point in the season, it’s huge. Going into the Pac-10 season and the tail end of our tournament season, it’s always a bonus.”

The reputation for being a player with a hot bat was no secret when Mims was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for Feb. 12-18. In that time, she had six home runs, batted .571, and went errorless defensively.

Mims says the round-trippers are just an unexpected bonus in what has been a sterling season so far.

“It’s a nice surprise. I’m not really trying to look for the home runs. That’s more Stacey’s department,” she said.

Nuveman does lead the team in batting average, but Mims had the third-highest average.

Mims’ talents are not limited to offense. Coach Enquist praises her willingness to play anywhere on the field.

“She has an attitude that basically states, ‘I’m here to make UCLA better, put me where you need me to go to make this team stronger.’ She is by far the best athlete we have at the majority of those positions,” Enquist said.

Mims accepts her role as someone who can be utilized anywhere.

“Almost every practice I’m at a different position. I’m not really more comfortable at one particular position,” she said.

Arizona’s Candrea also noticed the local’s talent at a variety of spots.

“The great thing about her is that she’s very versatile. She can catch, she can play at the corners,” he said.

As one of the key members of the 1999 NCAA title team, Nuveman knows what it takes to win, and sees those qualities in Mims.

“For our team’s success, it’s essential to have players that can do a multi-task type of a job and it’s been awesome to be a part of that,” Nuveman said. “As her teammate, I’ve been benefitting from her success as well.”

On April 7 and 8 Mims will see her hometown Wildcats for the fourth time.

“I try not to let it be any different than any game. I still get the butterflies, and I’m still nervous,” Mims said.

Enquist says that Mims chose to be a Bruin because of UCLA’s unique softball legacy.

“I believe what led Tairia Mims to UCLA was the overall package UCLA was able to provide for her: the diversity, the metropolitan influence, the great history in the softball program, and the academic challenges that she would be able to attack,” she said.

Arizona’s Candrea also understands why Mims chose palm trees over cacti.

“I think Tairia was just one of those that maybe was looking to venture out. She picked a good school,” he said, “Some kids in Tucson want to get out of Tucson. It’s like anywhere. Some kids in L.A. want to get out of L.A.”

Showing that the shedding of hometown allegiances is mutual, even for UCLA, Arizona has eight players from Los Angeles and neighboring counties on its roster.

When the season is done, the only statistics that will be important to Tairia Mims are abbreviated “W” and “L.” Even when the standings are put aside, Mims will gauge her success this season not in the home run column, not by slugging percentage, but by the runs she helped to create.

“I’m not really a big stats person, I don’t follow it too much, but I think RBIs would be the category I look at to see how I helped the team,” she said.

Enquist knows that this aspect of Mims’ personality is one of the most important attributes an athlete can have when playing a team sport.

“We feel very fortunate to have her in our program. She’s an old-school type of player in that she doesn’t keep score on the attention she gets,” Enquist said. “You have to have players like that. Teams that win have more unselfish players than selfish players. We are extremely lucky to have somebody as talented as Tairia and as unselfish. Usually, they don’t go hand in hand.”

Mims says the feeling is mutual.

“I was happy with my choice,” she said.

EASTON CLASSIC SCOUTING REPORTS UCLA Bruins Head Coach: Sue Enquist (13th year) 2001 Record: 21-0 Season-so-far: The top-ranked Bruins have been mowing down competition so far this season, outscoring opponents 170-18. The Bruins combine an unforgiving offense with a smothering pitching staff. Strengths: With depth and flexibility, UCLA manages to get production from the entire line-up. The team's batting average is hovering around .400 and team speed has resulted in 42 stolen bases. The Bruins also boast a deep pitching rotation, which at times overpowers their opponents. Weaknesses: Minor problems that the UCLA squad is trying to fix include base running blunders and an inconsistent defense once the team takes a big lead. Key Player: Junior ace Amanda Freed has a minuscule 0.13 ERA in 56 innings of work, while also sporting a .368 batting average. Cal State Northridge Matadors Head Coach: Janet Sherman (7th year) 2001 Record: 6-4 Season-so-far: Since their 1-2 start, CSUN has rebounded to go 5-2 thanks in large part to their pitching. Sherman is not worried about the team's hitting woes, as she feels their hard outs will soon turn into hits. Strengths: CSUN lives and dies with its pitching & defense. So far this season the Matadors are 1-3 when the opposition scores more than one run. Senior Sarah Farnworth (4-2) has a 2.45 ERA in 40 innings of work while junior Tanya Ledesma (2-1) has a 2.67 ERA in 21 innings of work. Weaknesses: Currently the Matadors' team batting average is under the Mendoza line (.200), and they have managed to score more than two runs only twice. CSUN still requires top notch execution to put runs on the board. Key Player: Farnworth is the do-it-all player for for the Matadors. Last Friday against Loyola Marymount, Farnworth pitched a perfect game and went 2-for-3 from the plate with her first home run of the season. Colorado State Rams Head Coach: Mary Yori (1st year) 2001 Record: 2-6 Season-so-far: The Rams have been outscored 50-18. CSU struggled in the New Mexico Diamond Invitational and have worked to correct their problems . The more aggressive style produced a 3-2 extra inning victory in their last game . Strengths: With a struggling pitching staff, CSU is relying on its situational hitting to deliver some runs. Defense is also crucial for the Rams, as they can't afford to give their competition extra chances to strike. Weaknesses: When a team allows over six runs a game, chances are that the pitching is not producing. Senior Kyla Kiester came out of the Diamond Invitational having allowed 15 runs in 11 1/3 innings of work while freshman Megan Masser took her lumps, going 0-4 with a 9.90 ERA over 20 innings. Key Player: Sophomore outfielder Brooke Boyer came into last weekend leading the team in batting average (.444). Oregon State Beavers Head Coach: Kirk Walker (7th year) 2001 Record: 15-4-1 Season-so-far: The only other ranked team, No. 16 OSU just completed one of their better weekends, with victories over two ranked opponents. Strengths: The Beavers are a very balanced team, with a solid lineup from top-to-bottom drive in runs. Pitching-wise, OSU packs a powerful 1-2 punch with junior Crystal Draper (10-1, 1.17 ERA) and freshman Monica Hoffman (3-3, 1.46). Weaknesses: Offensive consistency is something that OSU has lacked this season. Walker is excited about the offensive production the team is capable of putting up, but the team has yet to hit a hot streak together. Key Player: Draper is undoubtedly the team's ace and a leader. She has pitched 78 of the team's 140 innings, while only allowed 51 hits and striking out 60. South Florida Bulls Head Coach: Ken Eriksen (5th year) 2001 Record: 11-9 Season-so-far: They recently won the Wilson Tournament, and are riding a 7-game winning streak after starting out the season 0-5. They have recovered from their dismal start by staying focused and continuing to play solid defense. Strengths: They play solid defense and give their pitchers confidence by not making mistakes and then capitalizing on opponents errors to gain the edge. Weaknesses: Other than third baseman Ginny Georgantas (.365), they are struggling offensively as a team, and are lacking power (the team only has three home runs). Past Jesse Kowal, they don't have another front line pitcher. Key Player: On the mound they are led by Kowal (8-3, 0.55 ERA), who was recently named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, after winning four of the Bulls five victories in last weekend's Wilson Tournament. UNLV Running Rebels Head Coach: Shan McDonald (15th year) 2001 Record: 9-7 Season-so-far: Having an up and down season. They have alternated between winning and losing almost on a game-to-game basis, and haven't yet managed to put together any sort of winning streak. Strengths: Their defense has been solid and their pitching has been keeping them in games. They are a very balanced offensive club that doesn't rely on one single player to supply their offense. Weaknesses: No dominant offensive player to rely on and no dominant pitcher that can chew up innings in important games. Key Player: No standout players, but led by Linda Garza (.389 avg.) and Carrie Bayless (.343 avg.) offensively, while on the mound Kacey Ellis (3-2, 2.28 ERA), Nicole Truax (2-1, 2.42 ERA), and Geney Orris (2-2, 2.67 ERA) propel the Rebels. Original graphic by VICTOR CHEN/ Daily Bruin Web adaptation by STEPHEN WONG