UCLA Meets Utah in Softball Opener

Top-seeded UCLA plays host to Utah today and Saturday in one of eight regionals in the NCAA Division I women’s softball tournament.

The Bruins have a 47-2 record and topped the NCAA poll all season. They have won six national championships since the tournament began in 1982, three in a row from 1988-90. UCLA has never finished lower than third in the tournament.

UCLA’s Lisa Fernandez (23-0), the Pacific 10 Conference player of the year, has an 0.17 earned-run average, 181 strikeouts and 17 shutouts in 161 1/3 innings. Her 23 consecutive victories match her NCAA record.

Utah (25-18), Western Athletic Conference champion, is seeded last in the 20-team field. Janet Womack (19-9) leads Utah with an 0.94 ERA in 200 1/3 innings and has shut out six of the last seven teams she has faced.

Utah and UCLA, which will play a best-of-three series, did not meet during the regular season.

In other regionals: third-seeded Fresno State (48-14), Big West Conference champion, plays host to ninth-seeded Cal State Northridge (45-23-1) in a best-of-three series today and Saturday; fifth-seeded Cal State Fullerton (43-18), Big West runner-up, plays host to 16th-seeded Toledo (39-20) and 15th-seeded Cal State Long Beach (36-29) in double-elimination play Saturday and Sunday.

Northridge split a doubleheader at Fresno State on Feb. 9. The Matadors, who joined Division I last season, are making their first tournament appearance.

Fullerton and Fresno State are the only teams that have participated in every tournament.

Regional winners will play in the national tournament May 21-24 at Oklahoma City.