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Thursday, May 21, 1998

Texas reaches College World Series as 2-year-old program

By CHIP BROWN / AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN (AP) -- The Texas Longhorns softball team, which takes the field in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, has come a long way from a 1-23 season as a club team three years ago.

No official NCAA records are kept for the length of time taken to reach a World Series after becoming a varsity sport. But Texas officials are calling the Longhorns' two-year rise the fastest in college softball history.

"This is nice," said junior Nikki Cockrell, who transferred from Texas A&M to help start the Texas program three years ago as one of four scholarship players on the Longhorns' club team.

"A lot of people asked why I would go to Texas without the school having an established program, but now there is redemption. I say, ÔHa, right back at 'em.' "

In the first round of the eight-team, double-elimination World Series, the sixth-seeded Longhorns face third-seeded Michigan, a team they have already beaten this year.

"I don't think this team is simply satisfied to be here," said Texas coach Connie Clark, who just this year got around to hiring a second assistant coach allotted by the NCAA.

"I think they believe a national championship can be a reality if we do the right things. I'm proud regardless, and I want them to enjoy it. But this team has a loose focus and gets businesslike at game time."

The team has ridden the pitching of sophomore Christa Williams, who transferred to Texas from UCLA last year after the Bruins' program was reprimanded for rules violations.

"I was recruited by Texas the first time around but went to UCLA because I wanted four chances to win a national championship," said Williams, who was 3-0 at the NCAA regional tournament and has a .380 ERA.

"At the time, I didn't feel like Texas, with the club here, was going to be in contention for a national championship. But things didn't work out at UCLA and here I am with Texas at the World Series. I'm real happy."

Clark laughs when she thinks back to her club team three years ago that went 1-23. There were four scholarship players, and the rest were walk-ons collected at a university tryout.

"It's almost humorous to think about that team, but I hold them dear to my heart," Clark said. "They didn't have the talent level, or the softball backgrounds, but they worked hard and improved."

Cockrell, a top high school player out of Pasadena, Texas, remembers the lessons from that first year.

"I learned patience, big-time patience," Cockrell said, smiling. "You talk about going from playing good, quality softball (at A&M) to the opposite end. If we could make it around the infield without making one error in the day's practice, that was a good day."

Last year -- Texas' first as a varsity squad -- the Longhorns got a solid recruiting class and finished 30-24.

This year, Texas added Williams on the mound and got solid offense from sophomore Jodi Reeves (.401 average), Cockrell (.350) and freshman Trisha Tatro (.315) in building a 49-14 record, including a 3-0 sweep of the NCAA regional tournament.

"When we were still a club team, the main thing was the girls had a lot of heart," Cockrell said. "Putting on a Texas uniform, even back then, was a privilege.

"As far as talentwise, we are much, much better now. We recruited a lot of great players. But this year's team has a lot of heart, just like the first-year team."

In a year in which Texas suffered its first losing season since 1954-55 in all three of the major men's sports -- football, basketball and baseball -- the women's track team (NCAA Indoor champs) and softball team have provided some positives.