As the Pac-12 Conference era comes to an end after more than a century, we count down the top 50 moments in University of California sports.
moment: No one knew it at the time, but it all ended the moment UC junior right-handed pitcher Jocelyn Forrest took the mound in the top of the first inning in Game 2 of the 2002 Women’s College World Series. Forrest tossed three consecutive shutout wins as the Bears defeated Florida State 1-0, Arizona State 3-0 and Arizona 6-0 to claim their first WCWS title and UC’s first NCAA women’s team title in any sport.
story: How strong was Pac-10 softball in 2002? The eventual national champion Bears finished fourth in the conference. But once they got to the NCAA Tournament, Forest was on another level, and no one could match Cal.
Forrest dedicated the postseason to his 26-year-old sister, Erica, who died April 14 in a domestic dispute, and acknowledged he felt even more compelled to perform, perhaps on behalf of his parents.
“In a way, there was a lot of pressure because I wanted to make my parents proud,” Forrest said after the team’s back-to-back one-hit wins over Arizona in the WCWS finals. “They’ve sacrificed so much for me over the years.”
But Diane Neinmire, at the height of her illustrious 29-year career as head coach at the University of California, said Ace wasn’t going to be fazed. “She wasn’t going to be fazed by anything,” Neinmire said. “The whole situation fired her up.”
Forrest had an outstanding season, going 29-12 with a 1.11 ERA and 379 strikeouts in 283.2 innings, earning him second-team All-America honors.
She took things to the next level in the NCAAs, pitching every inning in eight straight wins, including five shutouts. She had a 0.50 ERA in four World Series games and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Forrest, who beat Arizona in Berkeley a month earlier, returned to action after taking a week off to mourn the death of her sister. Without even practicing, she threw a one-hitter against the Wildcats, the same pitch she used to win the NCAA championship on May 27.
The final game was scoreless until the seventh inning, when the Bears suddenly thrashed Wildcats ace and future Olympic star Jennie Finch and sealed the game with six runs, including a three-run double by Jessica Pamanian.
“Just being here wasn’t enough,” Forrest said after the championship game win that gave the Bears a final record of 56-19. “Everybody always underestimates us… The only people who believed in us were ourselves, and we came out here and got the job done.”
* Top 50 Moments No.39: BCS BS
* Top 50 Moments No.40: Western Glory
The Top 50 list only considers specific acts that occurred while a team or athlete was enrolled at UC and does not include season-long or career-long accomplishments.
Leslie Mitchell of the California Bears History Twitter site helped select the top 50 moments.
Follow Cal Sports Report’s Jeff Faraudo on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
