UCLA Tandem Has Plenty of History to Back It Up

Second baseman Caitlin Benyi and catcher Emily Zaplatosch, both key members of the UCLA softball team, have been teammates and close friends nearly as long as they can remember.

Since they were 8 and playing in youth leagues around Scottsdale, Ariz., they have been a tandem. And now the sophomores are hoping to add a second NCAA championship to their list of shared memories.

“It’s kind of amazing that we’re together at this level, especially when you look back at what we were like when we were kids,” Zaplatosch said. “Just messing around, playing baseball and softball together. Now we’re here, going after this and going after Team USA together.”

Both women have important roles in the Bruins’ quest for a record 11th national championship in softball. UCLA (43-9) opens play in the Women’s College World Series against Pacific 10 Conference rival Stanford today at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, trying to become the first team to repeat as champion since Arizona in 1997.

After a solid freshman season highlighted by her game-winning single in a national semifinal against Texas, Benyi has developed into one of college softball’s top hitters.

Benyi’s 22 home runs are one behind national leader Christina Clark of Fresno State. She also leads the Bruins with a .395 batting average, 48 runs scored and 39 runs batted in.

Her RBI total is especially impressive considering that she has batted leadoff in all but seven of UCLA’s games.

Benyi’s work at the top of the order is what has thrilled Bruin Coach Sue Enquist, because that was a formidable void left by Natasha Watley, a member of the U.S. Olympic team. As a senior, last season, Watley won the Broderick Award as the nation’s top female athlete.

“How about the shoes she had to step into at that leadoff spot?” Enquist said. “There’s a special kind of makeup to be that one-spot person and then on top of it, a mental psyche knowing that you’re going to follow Natasha Watley.

“[Caitlin] said, ‘I know I can do it.’ It’s neat because she made my job really easy.”

As UCLA swept to a regional victory last weekend, Benyi had five hits -- including two home runs -- in 10 at-bats and three intentional walks.

“I think I had more intentional walks this weekend than I had in my whole life,” Benyi said. “It’s nice knowing I’ve got eight people in the lineup that are going to make people pay for doing that.”

Zaplatosch is batting only .248 but has thrown out 15 of the 23 baserunners who have attempted to steal and has only one error and one passed ball this season. She is also durable, having played in all 52 games.

Enquist said Zaplatosch’s toughness was critical because of how “physically demanding it is” to catch Bruin ace Keira Goerl.

“A lot of times a pitch doesn’t go where it’s supposed to,” Enquist said, “and when it’s going 69 [mph], that’s tough.”

Winning championships is nothing new to Benyi and Zaplatosch, who were teammates on several softball and soccer club and school teams in Arizona. They concluded their high school soccer careers by leading Scottsdale Horizon to the 2001 state championship as Benyi set a state record for career goals and Zaplatosch recorded one for career shutouts.

Both were highly recruited in soccer and softball. Benyi put all her focus on softball, but Zaplatosch has moonlighted as a backup goalie for the Bruin soccer team.

Benyi said there were several reasons why she chose UCLA over staying near home and attending softball power Arizona. That Zaplatosch had already committed to the Bruins was one factor.

“I didn’t think any other place could be better for me,” Benyi said. “I’m not going to say Emily’s commitment didn’t play a part in it because it obviously did, but I didn’t go into the process saying I’m going to go where Emily goes.”

Said Zaplatosch: “People say, ‘Gosh, you guys are just like sisters.’ We haven’t had one fight. We haven’t argued about one thing.

“People change but that hasn’t happened between us.”