All year long, UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist kept saying that what pitcher Anjelica Selden was doing in the circle had never been done before by a Bruin freshman. And even before UCLA takes to the field in its first game at the Women’s College World Series on Thursday against Cal, Selden’s season will have already moved into historical status for a pitcher of any age. After her three complete games at the NCAA Super Regionals this past weekend against Georgia, Selden now ranks second in UCLA history for innings pitched in a season with 280 and appearances with 44. She broke the school’s single-season strikeout record two weeks ago, surpassing the old record by 67, and is on the verge of breaking many other UCLA single-season records. And when considering the history of the softball program at UCLA, through which many of the top pitchers in the sport have passed through, it makes Selden’s accomplishments all the more impressive. “What she’s doing in this new era of softball with more parity than ever before, it says even more about her,” Enquist said. “She’s carried the team.” Selden has said all year long she is aware of the records, but only because her teammates keep reminding her of them. “My main focus is just to win,” Selden said. Of the eight teams in the World Series, only UCLA uses a freshman as its primary pitcher. Typically, most of the great pitchers in UCLA’s history were brought in slowly as freshmen, with a more seasoned veteran usually carrying a bulk of the load. But that has not been the case for Selden. The Bruin freshman, who was originally supposed to split pitching time with Lisa Dodd, has pitched every inning in the postseason and started the bulk of UCLA’s games during the regular season. Despite all of Selden’s success though, Enquist maintains UCLA is a two-pitcher team, and she will likely have to count on Dodd to pitch some innings during the World Series. Then again, the Bruin coach said the same thing before both the Super Regionals and regionals, but left Selden in to pitch every game.
PINCH RUNNERS: Alissa Eno, UCLA’s first pinch runner off the bench, is on crutches after suffering an undisclosed injury and is listed as doubtful to compete in the World Series. That leaves Danesha Adams, a starting forward on the women’s soccer team, and Jaisa Creps as the two avaliable options to pinch run from the bench. Adams, however, who joined the team with one week left in the regular season, will miss Thursday’s game because of an agreement she made with Enquist that she would not have to miss class to compete for the team. Adams will be available to pinch run in games over the weekend.
HITTING WHEN IT MATTERS: Lisa Dodd leads the team in postseason hitting with a .375 batting average and five RBI after hitting only .168 during the regular season. Throughout the year, Dodd kept saying she believed she would be hitting well by the end of the season, and she has been right so far. “She’s been a huge punch for us in the bottom of the lineup,” Enquist said. “It says a lot about her competitive drive. She’s adapted and made the adjustments.”