Soo-Jin Berry accepts smaller role at UCLA to part of a winner
Soo-Jin Berry is grateful that her name inspired fans in the Korean community to connect with her.
“For me, it’s nice to be able to represent something much bigger than softball,” Berry said huskily after cheering on her UCLA teammates during the Bruins’ NCAA regional victories.
“My name is Korean, so I have a lot of Korean fans who come up to me and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, are you Korean? Me too!'”
Berry thrived at Iowa as one of the Big Ten’s hardest hitters, but she chose to end her college career at UCLA, even though it meant taking on a smaller role with significantly reduced playing time. She’s now a reliable option as UCLA faces Central Florida in the Super Regional, a three-game series that begins Friday at 6 p.m. at the Bruins’ Easton Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
UCLA’s Soo-Jin Berry celebrates his home run against California Baptist on May 15.
(John McCoy / Ap Photo/John McCoy)
Berry said she joked with her family that UCLA called her when she was considering leaving Iowa for other schools before meeting the Bruins. Then associate head coach Lisa Fernandez emailed Berry. Bruins head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez then called Berry and they had a two-hour conversation.
“We talked about my experience living in Iowa, and then I knew from the beginning what I wanted, so I shared those desires with him,” Berry said. “I just want to grow. I just want to play a role on this team because it would mean a lot to me. I feel like growing up, everyone’s dream is to go to UCLA, especially for softball.”
When she stepped foot on the UCLA campus during her recruiting visit, a quarter of the team greeted her, including her former high school teammate and Bruins star Jordan Woolery.
“Jordan was the main person who helped me during my visit,” Berry said. “Actually, we arrived together.”
Since transferring to UCLA, Berry said she has learned she can raise her level of play while having the best time possible.
While UCLA was a dream destination, Berry was the last Hawkeye to enter the transfer portal late last season.
“Iowa is a very special place to me, so I have no regrets about going there. I loved my time there,” Berry said. “There were just differences between administration and coaching that I didn’t agree with.”
Berry faced the Bruins last season, helping Iowa beat UCLA by going 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs and two home runs – the second in the fifth to help the Hawkeyes extend their lead to 7-4.
Inouye-Perez said after UCLA’s regional win over South Carolina on Saturday, she hasn’t forgotten last season’s game when Berry got the better of the Bruins.
“This girl beat us last year — she’s a pure hitter,” Inouye-Perez said, with Berry sitting next to her.
In 52 games played at Iowa, Berry led the Hawkeyes in RBIs (33), slugging percentage (.589) and extra base hits (21) while recording a .335 batting average (53-158). Her nine home runs rank 10th in Hawkeyes single-season history.
Her numbers have dropped since joining the UCLA roster, but her confidence is higher than ever thanks to the supporting techniques provided to the Bruins.
“I feel like in general I feel more comfortable being myself and being more open with my teammates about certain things, so journaling definitely helps me because I can write down ‘I belong here,’” Berry said.
She added that she was able to simplify the situation by trusting the process the coaching staff put in place for the team.
“Failure is part of the game, and it’s going to happen, and there’s nothing you can do to avoid it,” Berry said. “So just being OK with failure and knowing if I strike out at this bat, what can I change at the next one?”
Berry agreed to come off the bench and play any position needed.
“It depends on the process we go through in practice,” Berry said of getting playing time. “Coach Lisa [Fernandez]coach Mysha [Sataraka] and coach [Rob] Schweyer has everyone’s confidence in me.”
When her time was called during the playoffs, she helped push the Bruins forward as they strive to win a national title.
During the regional round, she made points. In the Bruins’ 12-11 win over California Baptist in the regional opener, Berry hit a three-run home run that helped UCLA take a 7-1 lead.
Berry said she didn’t get the results she wanted earlier in the season, but being there for her team when her name was called is special.
