DUST STORM ECR'S ENEA HITTING AGAIN AS CAREER AT OKLAHOMA NEARS.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

One reason El Camino Real softball catcher Christina Enea committed early to Oklahoma was to get it out of the way so she could enjoy her senior season without worrying about her future.

Instead, it only added stress. As a result, her batting average dropped early in the season compared to past years and her frustration climbed.

``It made me press, I felt like I had to back it up,'' said Enea, one of the area's top power hitters. ``I knew players from other teams were probably thinking, 'Oh, that's the girl who's going to Oklahoma. I wonder if she's really as good as people say she is?' It was like I was going up to bat looking to hit a home run every time.''

Of course, the last thing you want to do at bat is force the issue.

``I wasn't relaxed at all, I was struggling,'' Enea said.

That was earlier in the season. Thanks to numerous talks with her father, Sal, coach Lori Chandler and teammates like pitcher Melissa Coogan, Enea finally settled down and let the game come to her.

As a result, she's playing more like the Enea who tormented opponents since earning the starting catching job as a freshman. Enea had eight home runs and 29 RBI, batting .506 that first year, then followed with a .494 average, eight home runs and 46 RBI as a sophomore. Last year, she hit .547 with seven home runs and 37 RBI.

Those are the kind of numbers she hopes to post over the next two weeks in the City Championship playoffs. The Conquistadores (23-6) open the postseason against Washington at 2:30 p.m. today at ECR.

This year, Enea is batting .371 with two home runs and 21 RBI.

``She's just hitting the heck out of the ball the last two weeks or so,'' Chandler said. ``It's really good to see. Even her outs are hard-hit balls, where as before she'd hit popups or grounders.''

It helped Enea that Coogan was in the same situation. Coogan, headed for Hawaii next year, also tried to validate her scholarship with spectacular performances. Although Coogan has enjoyed a more consistent season in the pitching circle than Enea has in the batter's box, she can relate to what her friend was going through.

``You feel like you have to prove yourself,'' Coogan said. ``Instead of just relaxing and letting things come naturally, you want to try to be perfect.''

Now that Enea is coming around and Coogan is pitching as well as she has all year, the Conquistadores are primed for a strong run in the postseason. Unlike past years, this isn't a typical, dominating ECR team that features three or four outstanding hitting stars. For the Conquistadores to succeed, role players will have to do their jobs and Enea and Coogan will have to play as they are capable.

Coogan is 23-6 with a 0.40 ERA and 254 strikeouts.

``I know I'm feeling a lot better,'' Enea said. ``And the team does, too. We're playing well at the right time. This is when you want to be getting hot.''

Coogan agrees.

``I like our chances,'' she said. ``We've been playing well lately.''

Coogan and Enea enjoy a close relationship away from softball, which helps them succeed on the field. Enea, a fiery competitor who takes her leadership role just as seriously as her catching and hitting duties, is close enough with Coogan that she isn't afraid to yell at her if need be.

``I am totally fine with that because I know all she wants to do is win and help me do better,'' Coogan said. ``I like the fact that she'll get on me if she doesn't think I'm pitching as well as I can. It helps me. we all need that sometimes.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) COOGAN

(2) El Camino Real's Christina Enea awaits the start of her career at the University of Oklahoma.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer