Jan. 29, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With the Knights' 2009 softball season quickly approaching, the UCF Athletics Communications staff recently caught up with the upperclassmen on this year's squad to chat about the excitement leading up to the team's Feb. 6 season-opener at the ASU Kajikawa Classic. The Knights will square off with Texas Tech early in the day, before taking on defending national champion Arizona State in the nightcap.
In the fourth of seven installments, senior first baseman Breanne Javier (Castaic, Calif.) gives her predictions for the season to come.
What do you see as your role on the team this season?
"My role is to be one of the team leaders on and off of the field. My job is to make sure that the team has good chemistry and to pick us up if we get down."
What are your individual and team goals for the 2009 season?
"My personal goal for the season is to do better than I did last year and maybe hit a couple more home runs! As a team, I would like us to repeat as Conference USA Champions, play in the NCAA Regionals again and hopefully advance to the NCAA Super Regionals."
What do you think is unique about this year's team?
"We have a lot of newcomers that will be starting for us and making a big impact for the program, which has never been the case before."
Why did you decide to play softball at UCF?
"I fell in love with the campus and the team when I came on my visit. UCF is just a great place to be and I love the decision that I made to play here."
How do you think this year will be different than 2008?
"Since we won the C-USA Championship last year, everyone is going to be after us, which forces us to work that much harder to stay on top."
What are you most looking forward in 2009?
"I am very curious to see how our team is going to gel together on the field in a real game. I am also looking forward to the conference tournament because the C-USA Championship is always a fun tournament to play in. I also think that playing against Arizona State, being the defending national champion, is going to be an amazing experience."
Who do you think will have the greatest impact on the team this season?
"Hillary Barrow, because she is sitting right next to me! Haha, just kidding! But, she will have a big impact on the team with her solid defensive skills and her big stick. Natalie (Land) and Tiffany (Lane) are studs in the infield and are power hitters. I also think that Ashleigh (Cole) will do a great job for us on the mound. She is really going to step up."
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