Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 1995 UCLA Bruins

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Fall practice has wrapped up around the country in Division I, which allows us to set our sights on the 2024 season that lies ahead.

Early focus will be centered on the University of Oklahoma as they begin the quest to become the first team in Division I history to win four consecutive national championships.

The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the only teams to ever win three consecutive titles when they defeated Florida State to claim the 2023 title.

Extra Inning Softball will be reviewing the 41 national champions that have previously hoisted the trophy.

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*UCLA’s participation in the 1995 Women’s College World Series was later vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions

1995 UCLA Bruins

The Venue: ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Head Coach: Sharron Backus, Sue Enquist

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Nicole Odom, Felicia Cruz, Laurie Fritz, Kaci Clark, Sandra Burkey, Kari Robinette, Kelly Howard, Cindy Valero, B’Ann Burns, Ginny Mike, Tanya Harding, Jennifer Brewster, Alleah Poulson, Kim Wuest, Kathi Evans, Jennifer Brundage

The Regular Season: The 1995 UCLA Bruins cruised to a 43-6 overall record and a 23-4 record in the Pac-10 Conference during the regular season. The Bruins finished second in the Pac-10 standings behind Arizona who finished the conference slate with a 24-4 record. The Bruins were led by Jennifer Brundage who was named the Honda Sports Award honoree as the Player of the Year as well as garnering First Team All-America honors. She finished the season with a .518 batting average and added 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. Kelly Howard, Nicole Odom and Tanya Harding were named Second Team All-America and Alleah Poulson was a third team honoree. UCLA opened the season with a 15-game winning streak and later added a 19-game winning streak.

The Regional/Super Regional: UCLA hosted an NCAA Regional which included Hawaii, South Carolina and Campbell. The Bruins opened the postseason with an 8-0 victory over Campbell and followed with a 9-0 win over Hawaii. The Bruins met Hawaii for the regional title and captured a 4-3 victory to clinch a berth in the Women’s College World Series.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona, Cal State Fullerton, Iowa, Southwestern Louisiana, Michigan, Princeton, UCLA, UNLV

The Bruins at the Women’s College World Series: UCLA opened play at the WCWS against Iowa and fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but rallied behind the long ball and the pitching of Tanya Harding. With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Harding and Alleah Poulson hit back-to-back home runs to put the Bruins in front to stay. Harding went 7.0 innings and allowed just four hits and struck out six. Harding was even better in the Bruins next game against Southwestern Louisiana as she threw a no-hitter leading UCLA to a 3-0 victory. Nicole Odom and Jennifer Brundage each recorded two hits and Kathi Evans, Harding and Odom accounted for the RBIs. The bat and arm of Harding carried UCLA to a 5-0 victory over Iowa to keep the Bruins undefeated at the WCWS. Harding had two hits and drove in four runs, while Jennifer Brewster added a home run. With the win, UCLA secured its spot in the national championship game.

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