Bruins Begin Postseason as Top Seed In Region II
May 13, 2003
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The Bruins will begin their 2003 postseason on Thursday afternoon in Fresno, CA. UCLA is the top-seeded team at NCAA Regional II and will face eighth-seeded Colgate at 12:30 pm on Thursday. Other teams at NCAA Regional II include (in order of seed): Georgia, Michigan State, Fresno State, Long Beach State, North Carolina and Long Island. 2003 marks the 19th NCAA Regional appearance for the Bruins, and UCLA holds a record of 50-5 (.909) in NCAA Regional play. The Bruins have won eight NCAA titles, most recently in 1999.
WATLEY, GOERL EARN TOP PAC-10 SEASON HONORS
UCLA captured two of the Pac-10's three individual awards for the 2003
season, it was announced on Tuesday. Senior shortstop Natasha Watley has
been named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, while junior pitcher Keira
Goerl has been named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year. Both players are
members of the All-Pac-10 first team. For the full list of Pac-10
honorees, see attached release.
ASA/USA SOFTBALL FINALISTS INCLUDE WATLEY
UCLA senior shortstop Natasha Watley has been named as one of three
finalists for the 2003 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.
The award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate
softball and is the only national player of the year award, is designed
to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate
softball players across the country. The winner will be announced May 21
at the opening ceremony of the NCAA Women's College World Series in
Oklahoma City, OK. Arizona's Lovie Jung and Texas pitcher Cat Osterman
are the other two finalists.
TURNER NAMED PAC-10 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
UCLA freshman Michelle Turner has been named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week,
it was announced on Monday. Turner was 2-0 last week with a 0.00 ERA.
She pitched both games of UCLA's doubleheader against Arizona State on
Saturday and started the evening by throwing the 87th no-hitter in the
history of UCLA Softball. Turner struck out five and walked one,
allowing just two Sun Devil baserunners in the game. Turner retired the
last 16 batters she faced, including striking out three of the last five
batters to step to the plate. She threw just 58 pitches in the game.
Turner then returned to the circle to pitch the second game of the
doubleheader against ASU, retiring the first two batters of the game
before allowing the first Sun Devil hit of the evening. Turner would go
on to complete the shutout as the Bruins won the game by a 9-0 margin (5
inn).
UCLA VS. NCAA REGIONAL 2 TEAMS
No. 2 Seed Georgia -- UCLA and Georgia met for the first time at last year's NCAA Regional in Columbia, SC, when UCLA's Tairia Mims hit a walk-off home run in the eighth inning to give UCLA a 2-1 victory. The Bulldogs were the SEC regular season champions, but qualified for the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection. They have a season record of 55-12.
No. 3 Seed Michigan State -- The Spartans and Bruins have met once before, a 6-3 UCLA win on Mar. 9, 1996. Michigan State earned an at-large bid out of the Big Ten, and has a 2003 record of 37-17.
No. 4 Seed Fresno State -- The Bruins and Bulldogs have a long history together, with UCLA holding a 33-10 all-time record against Fresno State, including a 5-0 win earlier this year. UCLA and Fresno State have met in four NCAA Championship games (1982, 88, 89, 90), with the Bruins bringing home the title all four times. The Bulldogs have a 33-20 record this season and earned an at-large berth out of the Western Athletic Conference.
No. 5 Seed Long Beach State -- UCLA holds a 55-7 all-time record against The Beach, with UCLA earning wins in two of the teams three meetings last season. Long Beach State earned an at-large bid out of the Big West Conference and has a season record of 29-17.
No. 6 Seed North Carolina -- UCLA and North Carolina have never met on the softball diamond. The Tar Heels earned an at-large bid to the Tournament. North Carolina is 39-20-1, and plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
No. 7 Seed Long Island -- UCLA defeated the Blackbirds by a score of 7-0 at the FAU Worth Invitational in February. That was the first-ever meeting between the Bruins and LIU. Long Island head coach Roy Kortman is a member of the NCAA softball committee. The Blackbirds earned an automatic bid to the Tournament as the Northeast Conference champions.
No. 8 Seed Colgate -- Thursday's game will be the first meeting between the Bruins and Red Raiders. Colgate is the automatic qualifier from the Patriot League, and has a record of 31-13