CORVALLIS GAZETTETIMES Stacey Nuveman celebrates after she broke
the NCAA home run record of 85.
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
There wasn’t drama or tension, as much as there was
excitement.
Entering the seventh inning of Saturday’s softball game at
Corvallis, Ore., UCLA was comfortably ahead of Oregon State 5-0.
For all intents and purposes the game was over, but UCLA still had
one detail left to take care of.
Stacey Nuveman was 1-for-3, her double and pair of flyouts all
hit in the direction of the scoreboard in left field.
The senior slugger had tied the NCAA career home run record of
85 the previous Saturday at Stanford. It was a mark she had been
chasing since her sophomore season. The 31 home runs Nuveman hit
that year left her 34 shy of breaking the mark.
In the circle for OSU was Kristen Hunter, who according to
Nuveman has a “slow and slower mentality” in her
approach to pitching. The idea was to look for a change-up.
As Hunter released the first pitch, there it was ““ the
change-up.
Nuveman took her hack and instantly laid claim to the record
with a solo blast to lead off the top of the seventh in a 10-1
demolition of the Beavers. Nuveman then extended her own record to
87 home runs with her 17th home run of the season, a three-run shot
in Sunday’s 8-0 win at the OSU Softball Complex.
It may not have been dramatic, but history won’t remember
that.
Nuveman could breathe a sigh of relief as her home run over the
left-field fence, just below the scoreboard, got the job done
““ and that’s all that matters.
“To punctuate it and put my name by itself at the top of
the list is a great feeling,” Nuveman said, “and more
importantly to get it over with and move on to the rest of the
season.”
The on-field celebration didn’t last long. Bruin head
coach Sue Enquist said that was out of respect for everyone on the
playing field.
After the game, behind closed doors, the team could praise
Nuveman. This was her moment.
“It was awesome. It was her day,” said pitcher Keira
Goerl, one of many teammates who mobbed Nuveman at home plate.
“Everyone knew she was going to do it. It was just a matter
of when.”
The whole day seemed like it was building up to just such a
finale.
“I really had a good feeling because she was seeing the
ball so well, and she had hit the ball so hard,” Enquist
said. “You never know when it’s going to happen, but
she was in a really good place.
“And the wonderful thing about the home run was that it
was decisive. It was a great hit. The minute it was hit, you
knew.”
The weekend didn’t get off to such a glorious start.
Top-ranked UCLA (47-6, 15-3 Pac-10) held on for a 2-1 win Friday
against conference cellar-dweller Oregon (23-26, 1-15).
Nuveman went 0-for-1 at the plate, to go along with three
walks.
That’s why the pair of road victories over No. 16 OSU
(38-20, 7-11) stand out, especially following the commotion of
Saturday.
According to Enquist, it was important that the team did not
take Sunday’s game for granted.
“They know that they don’t walk on water, and I
think that’s a good mind-set to have,” Enquist
said.
Goerl (27-4) was strong Friday against Oregon, but was
lights-out Sunday against OSU. Goerl’s ability to mix up
pitches allowed a single hit while striking out 12. She had a
no-hitter through five innings, but that was broken up in the
bottom of the sixth after a 34-minute rain delay.
The Bruins now have a 14-game winning streak and a shot at the
conference title with the regular season ending this upcoming
weekend.
“We have good momentum going, so I think everyone feels
like they’re in a good place,” Goerl said.
No. 2 Arizona, the previous home of the home run mark, is coming
to Westwood Friday. Laura Espinoza set the record in 1995 and Leah
Braatz tied it in 1998.
Is it satisfying to take a record away from arch-rival
Arizona?
“I don’t think it would’ve mattered really who
it was on top of the list,” Nuveman said, diplomatically.
“It’s just nice to break it.
“Definitely the rivalry between us and Arizona is storied
and long and it continues on this upcoming weekend. That carries
enough of its own pressure and excitement. You don’t need to
throw on any kind of a home run record on top of that.”