WEEKLY NOTES
 

THIS WEEK: After wrapping up nonconference play with an 8-0 five-day trip to Southern California, the Pac-12 season is here for the Wildcats (26-1). Arizona concludes a stretch of 11 consecutive games on the road with a three-game series vs. Oregon State to kick off league play. Arizona will go for its fourth straight series victory over the Beavers; UA has lost just two series to Oregon State (2005, 2013). Arizona heads into conference play winners of 11 straight, including a thrilling walkoff victory over No. 9 Oklahoma on Tuesday. That win was Arizona's third in four tries vs. a ranked opponent this year, with UA's lone loss coming by one run to the top ranked team in the country, Florida State. The Wildcats and Beavers square off Friday (1 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.) to wrap up the Wildcats' road stretch.
 
CATS AT A GLANCE

• Arizona heads into Pac-12 play 26-1 and ranked No. 5 in the country. The one loss is the fewest since entering Pac-10 play 36-1 in 2004 and the No. 5 ranking is the highest heading into conference play since being ranked third after week 8 in 2010.
• Through 27 games this season, the Wildcats are outscoring their opponents 220-25. Their offense has hit more home runs (38) than their opponents have total runs (25). UA has over 100 more hits (246) than its opponent has total bases (138).
• Head coach Mike Candrea is six wins away from his 1,500th win at Arizona. Candrea, who is 1,494-380-2 (.797) is the sport's Division I wins leader and trails only Michigan's Carol Hutchins (1,498 wins) in NCAA history. Candrea's 1,496 victories have occurred over 30 years of coaching while Hutchins is in her 36th year (including a season in a lower NCAA division).
• Arizona has not allowed more than three runs in a game this season. The Wildcats are second in the nation with a 0.83 team ERA. Meanwhile, the UA offense is scoring 8.15 runs per game, fourth best nationally.
• The Wildcats have two pitchers in the NCAA's top 10 in ERA (T9 - Danielle O'Toole and Taylor McQuillin, 0.65 ERA) and three hitters in the top 10 in home runs (T8 - Jessie Harper, Katiyana Mauga and Dejah Mulipola, 8).
• In her first start of the season, Michelle Floyd threw the ninth perfect game in Arizona history, retiring all 15 Hartford batters she faced in an 18-0, five-inning Wildcat victory. She was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.
• Five weeks into the season, six different Wildcats have received Pac-12 weekly awards. Katiyana Mauga was Pac-12 Player of the Week in week 1, Dejah Mulipola was Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in week 2, Danielle O'Toole (pitcher) and Mo Mercado (player) were honored in week 3 and Michelle Floyd (pitcher) and Jessie Harper (freshman) were cited in week 5.
• Katiyana Mauga's career home run chase is off to good start. The senior has eight homers in 28 games, tied for eighth in the NCAA, giving her 75 career homers, 12 shy of Stacie Chambers and the Arizona record and 20 shy of Oklahoma's Lauren Chamberlain and the NCAA record.
• Danielle O'Toole is 13-1 with a 0.65 ERA in 86.0 innings. She is tied for fifth in the NCAA in wins and 22nd with 93 strikeouts. Her 0.65 ERA ranks ninth in the country, but second among pitchers with at least 70 innings. The senior has a 93/12 strikeout to walk ratio and has limited opponents to a .165 batting average.
• Taylor McQuillin has not allowed a run in her last 21.1 innings. She's allowed just 12 hits in that span and fanned 40 batters.
• Arizona is one of four Pac-12 teams in the top 10 in this week's NFCA poll, and one of seven league teams overall. The Wildcats, who were picked second in the conference's preseason coaches poll, have the Pac-12's second best record at 26-1.
• Arizona has scored an average of 2.37 runs in the first inning this year. Its opponents are averaging 0.93 runs per game.
• Arizona's freshmen have more combined home runs (22) than 261 Division I teams.
• Two Wildcats (Dejah Mulipola - 34, Mandie Perez - 33) have scored more runs individually than UA's opponents combined (25). Mulipola (31), Alyssa Palomino (27) and Jessie Harper (25) have driven in at least as many runs as opponents have scored total.

 
ARIZONA vs. OREGON STATE: Arizona is 96-14 all-time vs. Oregon State. The 96 wins are the most vs. any school for the Wildcats. Arizona has won eight of the last nine vs. Oregon State, including a series victory in Tucson last season (full recap on page 5). The Cats have dropped just two series to Oregon State (2005, 2013).
 
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS: Oregon State (15-8) is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Fresno State Classic before falling in a midweek game against No. 7 Minnesota ... The Beavers have been hurt by 42 errors defensively, helping lead to 39 unearned runs ... The pitching staff is led by Taylor Cotton (6-2, 1.48 ERA, 58 Ks, 56.2 IP) ... The offense is led by McKenna Arriola (.400 avg, 3 2B, 18 R, 15 RBI).
 
WHO'S HOT?

• Mandie Perez: Over Arizona's last seven games, Perez is hitting .476 with three home runs and a team-high 10 runs scored. After not hitting a home run in UA's first 24 games of 2017, she has three home runs over the last three, including a two homer game against Bryant.
• Jessie Harper: The freshman has at least one hit in 10 of Arizona's last 11 games, going 16-for-her-last-33 (.485) with four doubles, three homers, 12 RBI and a .939 slugging percentage. She was named the week 5 Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after hitting .500 with two homers and 11 RBI at the CSUN/LMU Tournament.
• Taylor McQuillin: The sophomore has pitched 21.1 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing just 12 hits with 40 Ks in that time span.
• Michelle Floyd: In her first start of the season, Floyd threw a perfect game against Hartford (3/11). She struck out six Hawk batters in the ninth perfect game in Arizona history. Floyd, who has not allowed an earned run this season, was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.
• Ashleigh Hughes: In her last 18 at-bats, Hughes is hitting .500 in a span stretching eight games. Hughes, who hit her first home run of 2017 vs. Hartford (3/11), is hitting a career-high .386 this year.

 
THE KATI WATCH IS ON: Though Katiyana Mauga's focus remains on OKC, her chase for history is on. How many #MaugaBombs can she hit? A complete breakdown of where she stands in the UA, Pac-12 and NCAA record books can be found on page 12. Here are some notes:

• Mauga has hit 75 career home runs in 202 games played. That's 12 shy of Arizona's record (87 - Stacie Chambers, 08-11), 15 shy of the Pac-12 record (90 - Stacey Nuveman, UCLA, 97-02) and 20 shy of the NCAA record (95 - Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma, 12-15).
• The senior is tied for eighth in the NCAA with eight home runs this season.
• With 20 homers as a freshman, 26 as a sophomore and 21 as a junior, Mauga is the only player in NCAA history to hit 20 home runs in each of her first three years.
• Mauga's 75 career homers lead all active hitters in the NCAA by a wide margin. Only one other player has more than 55.

 
RAISE THE A: Arizona started a new tradition in 2016 -- raising the "A" flag in Candrea's Corner, the left field bleachers, after home victories. The flagpole may get a workout, considering Arizona's 677-86 (.887) record all-time at Hillenbrand Stadium. Arizona has won 15 straight games at Hillenbrand Stadium.
 
RED, WHITE AND BLUE TAKES ON A DIFFERENT MEANING: Arizona's long-standing tradition with USA Softball will continue this summer. Senior Danielle O'Toole was named the U.S. Women's National Team while freshmen Jessie Harper and Dejah Mulipola were named to the U.S. Junior Women's National Training Team following a selection camp in January. Arizona's ties to USA Softball run deep, most memorably as skipper Mike Candrea served as the head coach for Team USA's 2004 (gold medal) and 2008 (silver medal) teams. In 2016, a pair of Wildcats received the Association's highest honors as Kellie Fox (2014-15) was named USA Softball Athlete of the Year and redshirt freshman Alyssa Palomino was named USA Softball Junior Athlete of the Year.
 
CIRCLE IT: After a five-year span in the circle in which Arizona put up a combined ERA north of 3.50 from 2011-15, pitching has returned as Arizona's strength the last two years, coinciding with the arrival of Danielle O'Toole and Taylor McQuillin in 2016. After Arizona finished second in the Pac-12 in ERA last year (2.67), the pitching staff put up a combined 0.83 ERA 27 games into 2017.
 
SENIOR SALUTE: Arizona eight-player senior class is its largest since the eight seniors in 2001 went out on top, winning the program's sixth NCAA title. In 2017, UA will bid adieu to eight players who have been invaluable to the program. All eight have either been full or part time starters during their time. The octet includes four all-Pac-12 first or second teamers and has played a combined 2,038 games at Arizona, combined for 761 hits, 136 home runs, 546 RBI, 763.2 IP, 692 strikeouts and 83 pitching victories. Here are some notes on each senior's career contributions:

• Nancy Bowling: A 37-game starter in her career in the circle, plus 32 games at first base. Has not lost a pitching decision since her freshman year (16-0 from sophomore year on).
• Alexis Dotson: A 79-game starter since transferring from local Pima College after her sophomore year. Owns a career .314 average and has scored 47 runs.
• Michelle Floyd: Arizona's ace in 2015, a season in which she tallied the most innings pitched (183.2), wins (19) and strikeouts (135) while helping lead Arizona to a 41-win season and a super regional appearance. Threw the ninth perfect game in Arizona history in 2017.
• Katiyana Mauga: On pace to leave Arizona as the school's all-time leader in home runs. Has put up single-season home run totals that rank in UA's top-20 in each of her previous three years.
• Mo Mercado: Has started every game (209) of her Arizona career and has put up a .60 average in 633 career at-bats, the most among active Wildcats. Three-time all-region performer.
• Danielle O'Toole: Led the Pac-12 in wins in her first season at Arizona (26) while becoming Arizona's first, first-team all-Pac-12 pitcher since 2010. Tied for ninth in the NCAA in ERA this season.
• Mandie Perez: A 193-game starter who was named first-team all-conference as a redshirt junior in 2016. Owns a career .336 average and a stellar .433 on-base percentage.
• Eva Watson: Has battled injuries, but led Arizona in batting average in 2016 (.387). Has appeared in 154 games in her career, including 68 starts.

 
OVER THE HILL: Arizona has appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 1988, Mike Candrea's second year on campus. That's 30 consecutive years in the tournament for Arizona. Not only is that the longest active streak, but it is seven years longer than the second longest streak. If Arizona makes the NCAA Tournament in 2017, it will be the longest streak in NCAA softball history, breaking Fresno State's inactive 30-year streak.
 
BEATING THE BEST: Since 1994, Arizona is above .500 against ranked teams, top-10 teams and top-five competition. UA is 546-244-1 (.700) against ranked competition, 257-162 (.624) against top-10 teams and 128-111 (.549) against top-five teams.
 
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: Arizona was ranked No. 10 in the Preseason NFCA Top 25, its highest preseason ranking since 2012, and picked to finish second in the Pac-12 by the coaches prior to the season, its highest since 2011. Why?

• Arizona returned eight starters, four pitchers and 16 total letterwinners from a 40-win team in 2016. In all, the Cats return 90% of their hits (420-of-465), 91% of their home runs (61-of-67) and 90% of their RBI (268-of-298). Additionally, all four pitchers return from a staff that was second in the Pac-12 in ERA.
• The Wildcats' senior class of eight is its largest in 16 years, when the eight seniors in 2001 went out by winning national championship.
• Those seniors will play a key role in mentoring Arizona's seven-player freshman class. The six true freshmen -- Dejah Mulipola (No. 5 recruit, FloSoftball), Reyna Carranco (No. 16), Jessie Harper (No. 43), Malia Martinez (No. 57), Carli Campbell and Jaycee Lindley -- were rated as the No. 3 recruiting class in the country. Add in redshirt freshman Alyssa Palomino, the 2016 USA Softball Junior Athlete of the Year who missed last season with a torn ACL, and the Wildcats have plenty of fresh talent to go with their experienced core.

 
FOLLOW THE TEAM: Be sure to follow the Wildcats on their various social media platforms. To stay up-to-date on all the latest happenings with the team, follow Arizona softball on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@UA_Softball).