THE GAMES (Times MST)
1 |  4,  3 | Box Score | Recap
2 |  5,  2 | Box Score | Recap
3 |  8,  0 (5 inn.) | Box Score
 

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THIS WEEK: It's senior weekend for third-ranked Arizona (45-4, 15-3 Pac-12), which hosts rival Arizona State for the final regular season series at Hillenbrand Stadium in 2017. Arizona will celebrate the careers of its eight seniors, Nancy Bowling, Alexis Dotson, Michelle Floyd, Katiyana Mauga, Mo Mercado, Danielle O'Toole, Mandie Perez and Eva Watson in a postgame ceremony on Sunday. The Wildcats will look to carry momentum from a series win over sixth-ranked Oregon into its three-game Territorial Cup series vs. ASU. The Wildcats meet the Sun Devils on Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (5 p.m.) in a series televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
CATS AT A GLANCE

• Arizona is off to its best 49-game start (45-4) and 18-game conference start (15-3) since 2004. Arizona's 45 victories already eclipse its last six seasons' win totals.
• The Wildcats are second in the NCAA RPI, a metric relied on heavily for seeding the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12 has four teams in the top seven in the rankings. Arizona was second in the NCAA Softball Committee's initial top-10 rankings.
• Arizona has five finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year (Katiyana Mauga, Mo Mercado, Danielle O'Toole, Mandie Perez and Taylor McQuillin), the most in the NCAA. The Wildcats also have the most finalists for NFCA DI Freshman of the Year, three (Jessie Harper, Dejah Mulipola and Alyssa Palomino).
• Four seniors were selected in this week's NPF Draft, the most of any school in the country (no other school had more than two). UA had three of the first nine picks and four of the first 19 overall. Katiyana Mauga (#6) went to the Texas Charge, Danielle O'Toole (#8) went to the Chicago Bandits and Mo Mercado (#9) and Mandie Perez (#19) went to the USSSA Pride.
• Katiyana Mauga is heating up. She has 11 home runs in her last 47 at-bats, hitting .468 with 24 RBI in those 15 games. She has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week three of the last four weeks and four times overall this season.
• Mauga hit five home runs last week, including her 88th career homer in the series clincher vs. Oregon. That broke the Arizona career record and moved her to within seven of the NCAA mark. She leads the Pac-12 and is second in the country with 21 home runs; she's the only player in NCAA history with 20-plus homers in every season in her career.
• Through 49 games this season, Arizona has outscored its opposition by more than 300 runs (383-61). Its offense has hit more home runs (NCAA-most 82) than its opponents have total runs (61). UA has nearly 200 more hits (449) than its opponent has total bases (282).
• All four of Arizona's losses are to teams currently ranked in the top 10, and three of those losses came by one run. The Wildcats have played 11 games against current top-10 teams and are 7-4.
• Head coach Mike Candrea became the first coach in NCAA softball history to reach 1,500 Division I victories earlier this season vs. Washington. Candrea, who is 1,513-383-2 (.800), trails only Michigan's Carol Hutchins (1,518 wins) in NCAA history. Candrea's victories have occurred over 30 years of coaching while Hutchins is in her 34th year (including a season in a lower NCAA division).
• Candrea is the fastest coach in NCAA history, in any sport, in any division, to record 1,500 career wins.
• UA leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.608), on-base percentage (.443), runs scored (383), hits (449), RBI (346), doubles (77), home runs (82), walks (211), ERA (1.17), opposing batting average (.174), strikeouts (343) and fielding percentage (.977).
• Individually, Arizona has the Pac-12's leader in slugging percentage (Mauga - .926), runs scored (Perez - 58), hits (Mercado & Perez - 59), RBI (Palomino & Mauga - 53), home runs (Mauga - 21), total bases (Mauga - 113), ERA (O'Toole - 0.93), strikeouts (O'Toole - 171) and wins (O'Toole - 24).
• Arizona has thrown 20 shutouts in 49 games, already its most since 2010 (23). In 41 of the 49 games, the Cats have limited the opponent to two or fewer runs.
• While Arizona has many eye-popping stats in many different categories, softball is simply a game of scoring more runs than your opponent. Well, Arizona leads the country in runs scored (383) and is second in runs allowed (61). The Wildcats are second in the nation with a 1.17 team ERA. Meanwhile, the UA offense is scoring 7.82 runs per game, second best nationally.
• Through 11 weeks, Arizona has earned 13 of the 33 Pac-12 weekly awards (Player, Pitcher and Freshman), by seven different players. Arizona has had three Pac-12 Players of the Week (Katiyana Mauga – 1, Mo Mercado – 3, Jessie Harper – 6, Katiyana Mauga – 8, Katiyana Mauga – 9, Katiyana Mauga – 11), three Pac-12 Pitchers of the Week (Danielle O'Toole – 3, Michelle Floyd – 5, Danielle O'Toole – 7) and three Pac-12 Freshmen of the Week (Dejah Mulipola – 2, Jessie Harper – 5, Jessie Harper – 6, Alyssa Palomino – 8).
• Arizona has scored 100 runs in the first inning this season. That's nearly double its pitchers have allowed all season (61) in all innings combined.
• Arizona's freshmen have more combined home runs (43) than all but 25 teams in Division I.

 
ARIZONA vs. ARIZONA STATE: Arizona is 92-51-1 all-time vs. ASU, including a series victory in Tempe in 2016 (full recap on page 6).
 
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS: Twenty-third-ranked Arizona State (27-14, 6-9 Pac-12) is coming off a series loss at home vs. No. 10 Utah ... The Sun Devils will bring a very solid pitching staff (1.79) and a very powerful offense (44 home runs) to Tucson ... Breanna Macha (1.52 ERA - 7th) and Dale Ryndak (1.88 ERA - 8th) both rank in the top 10 in the conference in ERA ... Chelsea Gonzales (.744 slg% and 10 HR) leads the offense.
 
WHO'S HOT?

• Katiyana Mauga: The senior is 22-for-her-last-47 (.468) with 11 home runs and 24 RBI. She has received three of the last four Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Mauga leads the Pac-12 in home runs (21 and slugging percentage (.926).
• Reyna Carranco: After having just eight hits in her first 56 at-bats of 2017 (.142), Carranco is 25-for-her-last-52 (.481), and leads the Pac-12 with a .447 batting average in league play.
• Alyssa Palomino: The freshman has homered in eight of Arizona's last 18 games and slugging .942 over her last 52 at-bats.
• Mandie Perez: The senior has had at least one hit in 22 of Arizona's last 25 games, slashing .415/.510/.622 in that time frame. She has scored 29 runs and driven in 22 more in those 25 games.
• Ashleigh Hughes: After entering her junior year a career .277 hitter in 242 at-bats, Hughes has had a breakout campaign in year 3. Hughes is hitting .384 this season and over .400 in Pac-12 play (.404).

 
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 13. Here are some notes:

• Mauga has hit 88 career home runs in 224 games played. She now holds the Arizona career record and is two shy of the Pac-12 record (90 - Stacey Nuveman, UCLA, 97-02) and seven shy of the NCAA record (95 - Lauren Chamberlain, Oklahoma, 12-15).
• The senior leads the Pac-12 and is second in the NCAA with 21 home runs this season.
• With 20 homers as a freshman, 26 as a sophomore and 21 as a junior and now 21 as a senior, Mauga is the only player in NCAA history to hit 20 home runs in every season of her career.
• Mauga's 88 career homers lead all active hitters in the NCAA by a wide margin. No other player has more than 65 career homers.
• Arizona now has four of the top six home run hitters in NCAA history. Mauga joins Chambers (4th - 87), Leah Braatz (t5th - 85) and Laura Espinoza (t5th - 85). Additionally, Shelby Pendley, whose 84 homers are seventh, played at Arizona before transferring to Oklahoma.

 
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 687-87 (.887) record all-time at Hillenbrand Stadium. Arizona is 25-1 at Hillenbrand Stadium this year.
 
PACK THE PLACE: Arizona is averaging 2,187 fans per home date this season, second best average attendance in the country behind Alabama (2,351/date). This would mark the ninth straight year averaging more than 2,000 fans for Arizona.
 
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 leads the Pac-12 with a 1.15 ERA 49 games into 2017. O'Toole and McQuillin have ERAs of 0.93 and 1.52, respectively.
 
TOOLE TIME: Danielle O'Toole is 24-3 with a 0.92 ERA. O'Toole, who is third in the NCAA is victories and fifth in ERA, has been named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week twice and was national pitcher of the week after her first career no-hitter vs. No. 6 Washington (3/24) and posting a 0.00 ERA in two starts vs. the Huskies. O'Toole leads the Pac-12 in strikeouts (171). She's trying to become the first Wildcat to post an ERA under 1.00 since Alicia Hollowell (0.89) in 2006.
 
SOMETHING TO HARP ON: Jessie Harper is second in the Pac-12 with 16 home runs in her freshman campaign. In weeks 5 and 6, Harper was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks as well as Pac-12 Player of the Week in week 6. During that two-week 11-game roadtrip in southern California and Oregon State, Harper went 18-for-34 (.529) with five doubles, five homers and a 1.177 slugging percentage. For the season, Harper is hitting .331 and has a .736 slugging percentage, fifth in the Pac-12.
 
MO HITTER: Mo Mercado leads the Wildcats with a .407 batting average and is UA's active leader in career hits (254). At the Mary Nutter Classic in week 3, Mercado went 11-for-13 (.846) with three doubles, a homer, 11 RBI and six runs scored. She was named national and conference player of the week.
 
PERFECTION! 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 on March 11. She was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week. Floyd has yet to allow an earned run in 16.1 innings this season.
 
D UP: In addition to its stellar offense and pitching staff, Arizona's defense has also been rock solid in 2017. The Wildcats are 10th in the country with a .977 fielding percentage. Arizona is the only team in the country to be top-10 in ERA, batting average and fielding percentage.
 
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 2,135 games at Arizona, combined for 839 hits, 155 home runs, 609 RBI, 849.1 IP, 771 strikeouts and 93 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 .320 average and has scored 49 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: The best power hitter in Arizona history with 88 career long balls, third in NCAA history. On pace to leave UA as the all-time leader in slugging percentage.
• Mo Mercado: Has started every game (229) of her Arizona career and has put up a .361 average in 703 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.
• Mandie Perez: A 210-game starter who was named first-team all-conference as a redshirt junior in 2016. Owns a career .343 average and a stellar .441 on-base percentage.
• Eva Watson: Has battled injuries, but led Arizona in batting average in 2016 (.387). Has appeared in 171 games in her career, including 68 starts.

 
FAB FRESHMEN: In addition to Arizona's spectacular senior class, UA's freshmen have been instrumental to Arizona's success as well. The Cats start four freshmen in their usual lineup, Dejah Mulipola (C), Alyssa Palomino (CF), Jessie Harper (1B) and Reyna Carranco (2B). Palomino is third among freshmen in the NCAA in RBI (53), Harper is secod among freshmen in the NCAA in home runs (16). Reyna Carranco leads the league with a .447 average in Pac-12 play and Dejah Mulipola is top-10 in the Pac-12 in runs scored, slugging percentage and RBI.
 
PICK YOUR POISON: Certainly Arizona's offense does have its share of standouts, but the success of the lineup is due to its depth. The Wildcats can score in any inning in a variety of ways. The five batters in the 2-through-6 holes have combined for 72 home runs. The 7-8-9-1 hitters in the UA lineup are all getting on base at a .420 or better clip on the year.
 
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).
 
UP NEXT: Arizona closes out the regular season at UCLA May 5-7.