Bumped. Great story on a great Bruin. GO BRUINS. -N

Ramona Shelburne has written a wonderful article about UCLA Softball player Ashley Herrera.  The red shirt senior made her triumphant return to the Bruins starting lineup yesterday in a 2-1 victory over defending national champion Arizona.  Herrera has missed the last 38 games after suffering a dislocated ankle in the second week of the Bruins' season.  

As soon as Ashley went down that night, screaming in pain after a botched slide into 3rd base, all anyone could think of was... why her?  No one ever deserves to be injured, but with Ashley, something about it just seemed unfair considering her similar situation just one year before:  

From The Daily News:

Last season, she seemed primed for a breakout year. She had earned the starting job at third base, settled into her new role as a left-handed slapper and developed into a team leader.

Then, in the first game of the season, she blew out her knee. Her season was over as quickly as it had begun.

After being granted a medical red shirt to return for the 2008 Bruins, Herrera worked relentlessly to return to top form.  Her amazing work ethic and recovery to get back into the starting line up for this season made it that much harder to watch her go down for the second time.

Softball teammate Krista Colburn remembers:

"...When she went down again with the ankle injury, I just had this instant flashback on all that work she'd put in. It made all of our hearts hurt."

As things settled down and news from doctors became more and more optimistic, the posibility of Ashley returning to the softball field before season's end became a reality.  And now, during UCLA's senior weekend, Herrera will be able to line up with her teammates as the starting third baseman... just 10 weeks after her injury.  

It really is an amazing article about an amazing Bruin, and I encourage you all to read it.