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In the history ofcollege softball, there might be only one thing more terrifying than facing UCLA’s Lisa Fernandez in the pitching circle.
That’s dealing with the batting order she’s constructed at her alma mater.
This is a lineup that includes the most fearsome slugging duo in the game. A leadoff hitter with cleanup power. A No. 9 hitter who gets on base with the regularity of a leadoff hitter.
“At the end of the day,” Fernandez told The California Post, “we want to break records.”
They’ve done plenty of that, led bya dreaded offensethat’s about to be unleashed once more at the College World Series.
Seeded eighth nationally in the double-elimination tournament, the Bruins (52-8) will face top-seeded Alabama (54-7) at 4 p.m. PT Thursday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City after having rewritten the offensive record book.
Blending power with efficiency, UCLA has set single-season NCAA records with 200 home runs, 651 runs scored, 623 RBIs, 1,355 total bases and 323 extra-base hits.Megan GrantandJordan Woolery, the twosome known as the Bruin Bombers, have combined for 74 homers — more than 261 teams.
Behind the record-setting offense is a hitting coach who once broke all sorts of records herself while starring for the Bruins.
As a senior in 1993, Fernandez led the nation with a .510 batting average and a 0.25 ERA, driven to show she could accomplish seemingly impossible heights as a hitter and pitcher.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
