Posted on: Thursday, May 17, 2001
Wahine softball team hanging loose in Arizona
| • | Gonzales, Duran on All-West Region team |
By Ann Miller
Advertiser Staff Writer
Today, the University of Hawai'i finds itself at the gates of softball heaven, surrounded by NCAA champions (Arizona and Cal State-Fullerton), Texans (Southwest and Tech) and, of course, St. Peter's (New Jersey).
Nothing could be finer than to be in Arizona in the postseason.
The Wahine (46-16) open NCAA Region 1 play against 19th-ranked Southwest Texas State (52-10) today at 11:30 a.m. HST.
The Bobcats are Southland Conference champions with a roster full of Texans. The only exception is exceptional: Junior pitcher Jessica Chase, from Florida, is 28-3 with a 0.55 earned run average — one of the lowest in the country.
"Ironically, I looked them up last week because they have such a phenomenal record," UH coach Bob Coolen said. "I wondered, 'Who has this team played?' They beat some quality teams early and as the season unfolded they lost a few. They still have a good record."
Southwest Texas has lost just twice the last six weeks. Hawai'i comes in with a 12-game winning streak and a focus that is short on seriousness and long on living for the moment.
"To play our best, it takes a lot of fun, and clowning, and just being our team," says Kristin Anderson, the Wahine's most vociferous element the past four seasons. "It's the way we've always been. Some people on this team are crazier than I am, especially the freshmen. It's just that I'm the only one not embarrassed to show it."
It is a team that plays best on its own loony terms, which Coolen has come to accept in the course of this surprisingly successful and satisfying season. He has even joined the nearly team-wide penchant for water fights, purchasing three squirt guns for protection.
"I think he has a lot of faith in this team so he's been calm and never gives up, even when they're down," says Coolen's wife, Nanci. "He's stayed very calm compared to over the years. He knows no matter what's going on with each of them, on or off the field, to have faith in what's going to happen."
He has faith that his team will not wilt in the dry heat of Tucson, and that it won't be dry. This might be the high-pressure pinnacle of many softball careers, and Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium one of the sport's hallowed grounds, but the Wahine are adamant about maintaining their wacky image.
Even some of the least wacky — senior pitchers Janelle Gonzales and Desiree Duran — know the value of occasional outrageousness.
"The team is getting along well," Duran starts . . .
"And it's the little things — like the water gun fights — that help," Gonzales adds. "Anything to help us relax."
Are these two soft-spoken, gentle seniors packing in the postseason?
"We brought the big one on the road," Duran says. "The water rifle."
By all appearances, the Wahine's only fear is flooding. Southwest Texas is obviously good, top-ranked Arizona perennially great and 10th-ranked Fullerton — a possible opponent tomorrow — has been a nuisance, beating UH three times this season. But even Coolen refuses to show concern.
"I've just got to leave them alone and let them play their style," he says. "All year, we've been in their heads about the mental aspect. They've got their booklets with goals and we're making them think about the game before we practice and play. I can't put pressure on them right now because all year they've been loose.
"They've realized if we make mistakes we're vulnerable, but we can't tell them now it's do or die. We just have to let them go out and have fun. That's their whole demeanor all year. We can't change that now because it's worked."
SHORT HOPS: KCCN (1420 AM) is scheduled to broadcast all Wahine games live. ... If Hawai'i beats Southwest Texas today, it plays tomorrow (2 p.m. HST) against the winner of today's Fullerton-Texas Tech game. If UH loses today, it plays a loser-out game at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow.
