CARDINAL NO SOFTBALL SOFT TOUCH.

Byline: Lee Barnathan University Beat

Jessica Mendoza sees fear on the faces of opposing softball teams and thinks, ``This isn't normal.''

What used to be normal was Stanford would be beaten, often handily. Teams saw Stanford on the schedule and thought, ``Easy victory.''

Not anymore. The Cardinal is 38-12 and ranked 12th in the country. It won the prestigious Campbell Cartier Classic, has put together win streaks of seven, nine and 12 games, and it has beaten perennial powers Arizona and Fresno State - on the road.

``We've got so much talent,'' pitcher and Chaminade of West Hills graduate Maureen LeCocq said, ``and when we put it together, good things are going to happen. We expect good things to happen.''

Good things are happening, in part, because of an infusion of local talent. Mendoza, a sophomore outfielder from Camarillo who was the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, leads the team with a .463 batting average (79 points higher than anyone else), 74 hits (14 more), 15 doubles (one more), 118 total bases (47 more) and a .514 slugging percentage (90 points higher).

LeCocq, a freshman who beat Sacramento State on Tuesday, is 6-3 with a 1.15 ERA. Opponents are batting .195 against her. At the plate, she's batting .263 with one home run and 29 RBI.

``To bring in quality people like Jessica Mendoza and Maureen LeCocq will only help us,'' Stanford coach John Rittman said. ``Our goal is to keep signing players like Jessica and Maureen.''

Mendoza took recruiting trips to UCLA and Arizona, who have combined to win 14 national titles, but chose Stanford not just for academics but because she believed in Rittman's recruiting pitch about building the program into a national power.

``At Arizona and UCLA, you're a small fragment of what happens,'' she said. ``Here, we're breaking records and making things happen.''

Of course, it's not perfect. Stanford is 4-8 in the Pac-10 heading into Friday's game at UCLA. Plus, the student body hasn't rallied behind the team as it has other nonrevenue sports such as volleyball (the Cardinal is one of two conference teams not to play in a stadium).

But from hardship comes strength, Mendoza said.

``It's hard,'' she said. ``You're dealing with a lot of setbacks, but the four (conference) wins are so great. We appreciate it isn't easy to beat Pac-10 teams and go to the (College) World Series.''

--On the court: Although neither Pepperdine men's volleyball coach Jeff Stork nor USC coach Pat Powers says it, they know there's additional motivation for winning tonight's MPSF Tournament semifinal at Pepperdine: a berth in the NCAA Final Four.

Even though they would still have to play in Saturday's MPSF championship match, a trip to Indiana-Purdue at Ft. Wayne the following week is virtually guaranteed.

Reasons: USC (22-4) is ranked No. 1 in the nation, and Pepperdine (21-4) is second. Both had strong regular seasons, which included victories over UCLA and Loyola Marymount, the other MPSF semifinalists. Plus, USC twice swept Penn State, the expected East region representative, and Pepperdine is 2-0 against USC this season and swept Ohio State, the expected Midwest participant.

Of course, the coaches don't want to hear this.

``I'm sure everybody will want to make it to Saturday's final to increase their chances,'' Stork said. ``Is it a sure thing? I don't know. I don't know what the (three-person NCAA men's volleyball) committee is looking for. I don't want to speculate.''

So tonight, the Trojans and Waves go at it again. They controlled their weaknesses - Pepperdine at setter, USC's lack of depth - which is why they're here.

Those shortcomings remain. Stork said setter Kurt Nelson is limited physically and needs a good pass. Plus, backup middle blocker Tim O'Connell has a sprained ankle, which limits his lateral movement, ``which is not good for a middle blocker,'' Stork said.

USC relies heavily on opposite Brook Billings and setter Donald Suxho - who Wednesday was named American Volleyball Coaches Association's Player of the Year - and needs increased production from outside hitters Eli Fairfield and Trevor Julian and middle blocker Beau Rawi.

UCLA, meanwhile, doesn't have as sure a road if it beats Loyola Marymount today. True, the Bruins (25-5) are ranked third and have a victory over Pepperdine. But beating fifth-seeded Brigham Young and eighth-seeded Loyola probably won't impress the committee.

Besides, UCLA coach Al Scates remembers 1991, when UCLA lost in the MPSF final, only to have USC win the at-large berth. Last year, USC lost in the final, and Long Beach State earned the at-large berth.

--Honors: Beside Suxho, Pepperdine hitter Scott Wong and UCLA setter Brandon Taliaferro made the AVCA All-America team. It was Taliaferro's fourth time being honored. Billings and Pepperdine's Andre Breuer and Brad Keenan made the second team.

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Photo: Maureen LeCocq, shown in her Chaminade days, is a prime reason for Stanford's improvement.

Daily News File Photo