Lisa Dodd came into the 2007 season determined to show what she was capable of doing.

With an improved swing and a renewed sense of focus, Dodd’s senior season was by far the best of her Bruin career.

Prior to this season, Dodd was a career .236 hitter and her single-season highs in home runs and RBI’s were 9 and 31, respectively.

All of those numbers were vastly improved on this season.

Dodd was second on the team with a .367 batting average and led the Bruins with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs. Dodd also led the team in slugging percentage (.694) and was a close second in on-base percentage (.479).

Dodd, the team’s second pitcher in her first three seasons, was limited on the mound this year, coming off of offseason knee surgery.

But Dodd actually credited the knee surgery for helping her at the plate this season.

Not only was she able to concentrate more on her hitting with pitching not as much of a focus, but she was also forced to refine her mechanics at the plate.

Dodd’s tremendous 2007 season netted her a plethora of honors and awards. In addition to being named first-team all-Pac-10 and first-team all-Pacific Region, she was named second-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and most recently was named as an Easton first-team All-American.

Dodd inherited a passion for the game early on in life from her dad, who played baseball for UC Irvine in the 70s, and she hopes to continue her involvement in the sport as either a player or a coach.

She will continue on at UCLA as a graduate assistant for the team during the 2008 season and is considering playing professionally in Europe next summer.