Callista Balko is very familiar with one of Arizona softball's most heated rivalries.
She and the No. 2 Wildcats have packed their bags, ready to write the next chapter.
Arizona (31-4, 5-2 Pacific 10 Conference) plays Washington today at 1 p.m. in Seattle and meets two-time defending national champion No. 13 UCLA at 2 p.m. tomorrow and
1 p.m. Sunday in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (20-10, 1-4) lost their first four Pac-10 games before winning 2-1 over No. 3 California Sunday.
"I remember in high school, UCLA was always up at the top," said freshman catcher Balko, who played for Tucson's Canyon Del Oro High School from 2001-2004. "You know, there was Cal and Arizona, but it's different this year."
The Bruins graduated three of their top players from last season, pitcher Keira Goerl, center fielder Stephanie Ramos and first baseman Claire Sua.
UCLA lost two of three regular-season games to Arizona in 2004 and struggled through the conference schedule before turning it on in the postseason.
Juniors Andrea Duran (.374, three home runs, 16 RBIs) and Caitlin Benyi (.312, four home runs, 14 RBIs) lead an offense whose .276 team average is tied with Washington's as the second worst in the Pac-10.
The difference?
Washington is among the conference's top three in home runs and runs scored, while UCLA lies at or near the bottom in both categories.
Huskies senior catcher Kristen Rivera, one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, is tied with teammate Aimee Minor with 11 home runs, second in the Pac-10.
Washington has three players - Rivera, Minor and junior first baseman Sarah Hyatt - with 10 or more home runs and at least 30 RBIs this season.
"It's a offensive battle with that team," Balko said. "But we've got great pitching to back us up. The good teams find a way to get on it, and so it's just we have to battle that and match that."
Bruins freshman Anjelica Selden (12-6) replaced Goerl with dominant performances in non-conference play and took a no-hitter into the final at-bat against Cal.
Still, Selden, whose nine earned runs allowed and 247 strikeouts trail only Arizona's Taryne Mowatt and Alicia Hollowell among Pac-10 pitchers, has three losses in four conference starts.
Senior third baseman Jackie Coburn said Selden's lack of experience should give the Wildcats an advantage at the plate.
"Hopefully, that's going to help us out," Coburn said. "When we overanalyze too much, that's when we start not to hit the ball, because 'Oh, well, we're looking for this certain pitch in this certain count,' and then we're not hitting the ball."
Bruins' sophomore Lisa Dodd (6-4, 2.16) could start Sunday, while the Huskies bring out either senior Ashley Boek (12-6, 2.70) or freshman Caitlin Noble (7-6, 2.23).
Arizona assistant coach Larry Ray said he hopes Hollowell (21-3, .70 ERA) throws two of the three games this weekend, provided Mowatt (8-1, .91) or junior Leslie Wolfe (2-0, 1.68) can step in for a start.
"Again, just like last weekend, we've got to get some contributions from the other two," Ray said. "Fortunately, we got five good innings out of Taryne (Saturday against Oregon). If we can do that every weekend, we're going to be in good shape."
Ray said he found it interesting to see both UCLA and Washington struggling early in Pac-10 play.
"It's odd to see both of them not towards the top (of the conference standings)," he said. "They're generally two powerhouses that are experiencing a little bit of different things going on with their programs. I think youth has a big part to play with that."
No one has counted out the Bruins, who carried a 12-8 conference mark last season.
"They were there last year and, all of a sudden, they win the World Series twice," Coburn said. "I'm just going to say it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Just like us, with a couple of losses, that doesn't matter right now, just as long as we get our job done and be where we want to be in June."