KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Wahine third baseman Trisha Ramos and shortstop Kate Judd play their last home series this weekend.
Seniors made
world of differenceRamos and Judd have been
instrumental in the Wahine's
surge to the top of the WACThey're as different as poi and Vegemite, as different as Kauai and Canberra. They were born 45 days apart on opposite sides of the equator and the international dateline.
But Trisha Ramos and Kate Judd know that coming from different worlds hasn't made much of a difference when it comes to playing softball. They ended up as close as two position players could get on the field: Judd, the Australian, at shortstop and Ramos, the Kauai High product, at third.
UH vs. SJSU
When: 6 p.m. today and 1 p.m. Saturday (both doubleheaders)
Where: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
TV: KFVE, tonight only
The two seniors for the Hawaii softball team have played major roles in the Wahine's rise to the top of the Western Athletic Conference standings this season. The pair finish out their home careers with doubleheaders against San Jose State tonight and Saturday, four games that could help Hawaii clinch its first-ever WAC championship.
"Winning the WAC ... if we do that, it will be huge," said Judd, the two-time defending WAC Player of the Year. "Beyond that will be a challenge for us.
"I've been to regionals once, Trisha twice. For me, winning a game at regionals would be huge. We were two-and-out (in 2001). I think we were just happy to be there. This time, it will be all about finding what it takes to go beyond that, actually winning a game."
Hawaii has won 29 games so far this season against 16 losses. The Wahine will put their 10-2 WAC record and eight-game winning streak on the line against the Spartans in tonight's doubleheader at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Saturday's Senior Day will come too soon for the two infielders. Judd has started at shortstop for 193 consecutive games, 217 starts overall; Ramos has been a mainstay at third for most of her 196 games in a Wahine uniform.
In high school, neither thought about playing for Hawaii. Wahine coach Bob Coolen was the only one to approach either Judd or Ramos about continuing their careers in college.
"Juddie's first reaction when I talked to her in the stands is exactly how she's been the past four years," Coolen said of Judd. "I was Down Under, scouting a tournament. When I spoke to her in the stands it was, 'Oh, OK. Scholarship? Sure. Talk to me when I'm done playing.' There was such a coolness about her and I knew we were getting a bargain, an arm of gold and someone who can hit the ball a country mile.
"And Trisha has been a steady force, someone who puts the integrity of the program first. She's seen it all in her five years, the highs and lows and in-betweens. We recruited her to play shortstop for her quickness, but then we got Juddie. They both have incredible arms."
Just ask junior first baseman Stacey Porter.
"They're fantastic over there," said Porter. "They make my job a lot easier. You see that I have over 300 putouts and give them credit for a lot of those. It's easier when you know the ball is going to be there. There's not many times when I have to move to make the catch.
"I'm going to miss them on the field, but I'll miss them as teammates, too. They're both fun to be with. Juddie's been my roommate and Trisha has a funny side that a lot of people don't get to see."
Judd and Ramos have shared quite a few laughs over the past few years, from a recent batting cage incident where Ramos beaned a pesky bird to watching diet guru Richard Simmons jump into the arms of Coolen during a layover at Los Angeles International last February.
But it's getting serious now with nine regular-season games left in their Wahine careers. Hawaii finishes the year on the road; how long they'll be gone past next weekend's finale at Louisiana Tech is a big question mark.
Both also wonder what they'll be doing in a few years. Judd expects to return to Australia with her kinesiology degree, and Ramos, who graduates this fall with a sociology degree, may become a social worker.
"This season has gone by ridiculously fast," said Ramos, who sat out 2000 with knee problems. "I'm going to miss it. I've spent a lot of time in softball.
"We have a real diverse team, players from every walk of life. We're different, but we can be on the same page. We're just one big clique."
"This season's been pretty good from where I'm sitting," added Judd. "I'm not ready for it to be over."
UH Athletics
