THIS WEEK'S GAMES (Times MST)
25 | Friday, March 16 |
4,
1 |
Box Score |
Recap
26 | Saturday, March 17 |
9,
4 |
Box Score |
Recap
27 | Sunday, March 18 |
10,
3 |
Box Score |
Recap
WEEKLY NOTES
THIS WEEK: After sweeping six games at the Wildcat Invitational, ninth-ranked Arizona (21-2) wraps up a 10-game homestand this week when it welcomes in Minnesota (14-10) on Wednesday before beginning Pac-12 play with Utah (14-7) in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday. The Cats and Gophers meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the final nonconference tuneup before league play. UA hosts Utah Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.) in a series televised by the Pac-12 Networks. Arizona will look to extend a seven-game winning streak; UA is 10-0 at home this season.
LEADING OFF
- Arizona will look to win its eighth straight game on Wednesday and remain perfect at Hillenbrand Stadium this season, where UA is 10-0. The Cats welcome Minnesota to Tucson for a final tuneup before Pac-12 play begins on Friday.
- UA went 6-0 at last week's Wildcat Invitational at Hillenbrand, including its sixth, seventh and eighth mercy-rule victories of the year. Arizona outscored the competition 41-7 in the six games, hitting .392 as a team, led by Alyssa Palomino's .632 weekend at the plate in her first stint as UA's leadoff hitter.
- After a brief power outage in Palm Springs and Texas, Arizona has returned to its forceful ways at the plate. Arizona has at least one home run in each of its seven games. At the Wildcat Invitational, UA hit 11 homers in six games to give it 36 homers on the season in 23 games. That's 1.57 per game, which is tied for the NCAA lead.
- Taylor McQuillin's consecutive scoreless inning streak came to an end at 30.1 innings last weekend, as did her 11 consecutive appearances allowing two-or-fewer hits (she threw consecutive four-hit shutouts to end the weekend). Still, over her last 77 innings, she has allowed three total runs (0.27 ERA) and 21 total hits (.087 opp. avg.). McQuillin leads the country with her 14 victories while her 121 strikeouts are fifth nationally.
- Arizona entered last weekend in search of a leadoff hitter. Over the first 17 games of the season, UA was hitting .254 and getting on base at just a .299 clip for the season from the leadoff spot. So, for the first time in her career, redshirt sophomore Alyssa Palomino got the nod atop the Wildcat lineup card. She responded with a .632 weekend at the plate with three homers, six RBI and seven runs scored. On the season, Palomino now sports a ridiculous .492/.568/.937/1.505 slash line. Of the 18 players in the country hitting above .490 on the season, Palomino is the only one with more than seven homers.
- With Arizona's 21-2 start to 2018 and Michigan's 18-6 start, Arizona head coach Mike Candrea (1,541 career wins) has cut Michigan's Carol Hutchins' (1,545) lead to four wins as the all-time winningest coach in NCAA softball history. A full breakdown of their chase can be found on page 2.
- UA's offense is tied for first in the NCAA in home runs per game (1.57), third in slugging percentage (.600) and sixth nationally in batting average (.352).
- The Wildcats are 18-for-18 stealing bases. That's tied for the most SBs without a CS in the country. UA's 18 steals in 23 games nearly equal its 61-game total from a year ago (19).
- Despite returning six starters and 12 letterwinners from the 2017 Pac-12 Championship team, seven of the nine positions featured a new face to start the 2018 season. Only two players (catcher Dejah Mulipola and second baseman Reyna Carranco) were in the same position as last year; Jessie Harper (1B to SS), Alyssa Palomino (CF to 1B), Ashleigh Hughes (RF to CF) all played new positions.
- Arizona is fielding .981 this season, 11th best in the country. And even when UA is committing errors, they're not coming around to bite it. Arizona has allowed just one unearned run all season (the first run of the year). The one unearned run allowed is the fewest in the country.
SCOUTING THE UTES: Utah (14-7) has won seven straight games after a 7-7 start ... Utah ranks second in the Pac-12, hitting 1.76 doubles per game ... Katie Donovan leads the pitching staff with a 9-1 record and a 1.80 ERA while Miranda Viramontes is 2-5 with a 2.32 ERA ... The Utes have already played four games against ranked competition (1-3).
ARIZONA vs. UTAH: Arizona is 33-12 all-time against the Utes. Utah won the series in Salt Lake City last season, taking games 2 and 3 to hand UA its first two conference losses in 2017 and end what was a 26-game winning streak for the Wildcats. Arizona has won 13 of the 14 all-time meetings at Hillenbrand Stadium.
THIS WEEK: After sweeping six games at the Wildcat Invitational, ninth-ranked Arizona (21-2) wraps up a 10-game homestand this week when it welcomes in Minnesota (14-10) on Wednesday before beginning Pac-12 play with Utah (14-7) in a three-game series, Friday-Sunday. The Cats and Gophers meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the final nonconference tuneup before league play. UA hosts Utah Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.) in a series televised by the Pac-12 Networks. Arizona will look to extend a seven-game winning streak; UA is 10-0 at home this season.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS: Minnesota (14-10) is in the second half of west-coast swing that has seen it play five games in San Diego for the San Diego Classic (2-3), five games in Phoenix/Tempe for the GCU Invitational/at ASU (2-3) one game in Tucson and then three in Las Cruces this upcoming weekend ... Minnesota has already played eight games against ranked opponents (1-7) ... Minnesota's pitching staff has a 2.60 combined ERA, led by Carlie Brandt's 0.56 figure, which is 10th nationally ... The offense is led by Ellee Jensen (.373 avg) and Kendyl Lindaman (.290 avg, 7 HR, 18 RBI).
ARIZONA vs. MINNESOTA: Arizona is 22-3 all-time against Minnesota. The last time the two teams met was in the 2015 Tucson Regional, when the two teams met three times. Arizona won the first meeting to get to the regional final. On the final day, Minnesota, needing to win twice to advance, forced a game 7 with a walkoff grand slam in the first game of the day. In the winner-take-all game, Minnesota scored four runs in the top of the seventh to erase a two-run deficit and put the Wildcats on the brink of elimination, only to see UA score two in the seventh to force extras, where they walked off in the eighth to head super regionals. Minnesota's win in the 2015 Tucson Regional was its first in the series since 1988.
WHO'S HOT?
Taylor McQuillin: In her last 13 appearances dating back to Feb. 11, 12 of which span at least five innings, McQuillin has not allowed more than four hits and has only allowed single runs in three of those appearances. Over those 13 appearances, she is 12-0 with a 0.28 ERA, has allowed three runs and 21 total hits (.088 b/avg) with 106 strikeouts in 75.0 innings pitched. She has allowed 34 total hits this season, 13 of which occurred in her first eight innings. Over the 77 innings since, she's allowed 1.9 hits per seven innings, which would be second in the country. McQuillin leads the country with 14 victories, eight shutouts and is fifth with 121 strikeouts.
Malia Martinez: After starting the season 1-for-her-first-14, she is 22-for-45 (.489) since and is on a career-long 10-game hitting streak. She has three doubles and three homers in the hitting streak. With her hot streak, she has vaulted to third on the team with a .390 average.
Alyssa Palomino: The redshirt sophomore, coming off her second ACL surgery in the offseason, started the season 3-for-14 (.214). Since that time, Palomino may have the best numbers in NCAA softball. She is 28-for-her-last-49 (.571) with six homers and three doubles. Palomino is the only player in the country hitting at least .490 (.492) with more than seven home runs (8). Palomino is on a career-long seven-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in eight of UA's last 13 games, including three, three-hit games last weekend.
Reyna Carranco: The sophomore had at least one hit in every game during the Wildcat Invitational, where she went 9-for-17 (.529) with two doubles, four RBI and seven runs scored. She also drew three walks, helping her to a .619 on-base percentage. Carranco's two doubles brought her to a team-best seven on the year. She already has nine extra-base hits in 23 games this year after posting five in 57 games last year.
Dejah Mulipola: The sophomore has nine RBI in UA's last seven games and hit three home runs at the Wildcat Invitational this weekend, bringing her season total to six in 2018. Mulipola hit .412 and led the team in RBI (8) last weekend.
LAST WEEK
- Arizona swept its six-game slate at the Wildcat Invitational last weekend, outscoring its opposition 41-7.
- UA opened up the event with a 9-1, five-inning win over South Dakota, the first of three mercy victories on the weekend.
- The Wildcats swept Saturday's doubleheader, using an Alyssa Palomino homer to defeat Wisconsin, 1-0, before run-ruling San Diego, 10-2.
- On Sunday, Taylor McQuillin shutout No. 24 USC Upstate 3-0 before Arizona downed Wisconsin, 9-3.
- Arizona wrapped up the event with a 9-1, five-inning victory over the 24th-ranked Spartans.
- UA hit 11 home runs on the weekend, including three apiece from Alyssa Palomino and Dejah Mulipola. The 11 homers brought UA's season total to 36 in 23 games.
- Three players -- Alyssa Palomino (.632), Reyna Carranco (.529) and Malia Martinez (.529) hit over .500 for the weekend.
- Taylor McQuillin went 3-0 with an 0.37 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19 innings.
THE CHASE FOR HISTORY: When the season began, Arizona head coach
Mike Candrea trailed Michigan's Carol Hutchins by seven wins for the all-time lead in career NCAA victories. Over the first five weeks of the season, that margin has shrunk to four wins after UA's 21-2 start and Michigan's 18-6 beginning. Here are some notes on the battle between the two Hall of Fame head coaches.
- Last year Candrea became the first coach in NCAA softball history to reach 1,500 Division I victories earlier this season vs. Washington. Candrea, who is 1,541-390-2 (.798), trails only Michigan's Carol Hutchins (1,545 wins) in NCAA history. Candrea's victories have occurred over 31 years of coaching while Hutchins is in her 35th 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.
CIRCLE IT: Arizona has finished second in the Pac-12 in each of the last two years (2016 - 2.67, 2017 - 1.45). This season, UA will need to replace 2017 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-American
Danielle O'Toole, who led the conference in ERA (1.21) and finished second in strikeouts (210) and victories (30).
Taylor McQuillin has filled that void thus far. She leads the country in wins (14) and shutouts (8) and is fifth with 121 strikeouts.
HARPER HOMERS: Power-hitting shortstop
Jessie Harper matched her jersey number with 19 home runs in her rookie campaign and became Arizona's first true freshman to earn first-team NFCA All-America honors since Kenzie Fowler in 2010. The Stevenson Ranch, California native is off to a hot start in 2018, she recorded back-to-back two-homer games vs. Fresno State and New Mexico in week 1, the first time a Wildcat had accomplished that since 2013 (Lauren Young). Her eight home runs are third in the Pac-12 while her team-high 26 RBI are tied for seventh in the league. Harper was one of four Wildcats named to the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 "Watch List".
GEAUXING OUT WITH A BANG: Two-time NFCA All-American outfielder
Aleah Craighton is set to finish her career in Tucson after a decorated three-year career at Louisiana Lafayette. Craighton hit .365 in her Ragin Cajun career with 48 homers, 154 RBI and a .794 slugging percentage. She was named a Hero Sports Preseason All-American and is on the USA Softball Player of the Year "Watch List". Craighton is hitting .328 with five doubles, five homers and leads the team with 14 walks.
DEJAH VU: Dejah Mulipola will look to duplicate her impressive rookie campaign in year 2 in Tucson. As a freshman, Mulipola, who was one of 25 finalists for NFCA DI Freshman of the Year, hit .335 with 12 doubles, 12 homers and three triples. Mulipola has caught 83 of UA's 84 games in her career. The sophomore, who will play for USA Softball this summer, was selected to the USA Softball Player of the Year "Watch List". She is hitting .358 with six homers, third on the team, and 21 RBI, second on the team.
TAYLOR'S TIME: After complementing ace
Danielle O'Toole during McQuillin's freshman and sophomore seasons, it's now the junior's time to shine. McQuillin one of the most decorated high school pitchers in recent history was terrific in her complementary role. Last year, McQuillin was one of 34 finalists for USA Softball Pitcher of the Year; this year, she begins the season on the Top 50 "Watch List". McQuillin, the week 3 ESPNW Player and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week, leads the country with 14 wins and eight shutouts. The strikeout specialist who finished 12th in the country last year, averaging 9.2 strikeouts per seven innings, and is fifth with 121 strikeouts is rapidly climbing the UA career strikeout charts.
MINOR SETBACKS, MAJOR COMEBACK: A torn right ACL on day 1 of fall practice cost
Alyssa Palomino her true freshman season in 2016. In her return in 2017, she was among the conference leaders and national freshman leaders in home runs (16) and RBI (54) heading into the postseason. Two days prior to last year's Tucson Regional, Palomino tore her left ACL in practice. Now, the redshirt sophomore is ready to overcome both devastating injuries. Palomino, who made the switch from the outfield to first base and, recently, a middle-of-the-order hitter to a leadoff hitter, leads the team in batting average (.492), on-base percentage (.568), slugging percentage (.937) and home runs (8).
HOME RUN U
- Arizona has hit 2,047 home runs since softball became a Division I sport in 1982, the most of any team in NCAA history.
- Arizona has four of the top six home run hitters in NCAA history, including Katiyana Mauga, who hit a Pac-12 record 92 from 2014-17, three shy of the NCAA record.
- The Wildcats led the country with 94 home runs last season, their third time in the last nine years pacing the NCAA. Overall, UA has led the country nine times since 1994.
- Arizona has hit 100-or-more home runs six times in program history. Only two other schools have hit the century mark more than twice (UTSA and Louisiana Lafayette).
- UA leads the country, averaging 1.57 home runs per game this season.
BEATING THE BEST: Since 1994, Arizona is above .500 against ranked teams, top-10 teams and top-five competition. UA is 560-251-1 (.690) against ranked competition, 263-163 (.617) against top-10 teams and 129-111 (.536) against top-five teams.
R31GNING SUPREME: Arizona has appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 1988,
Mike Candrea's second year on campus. That's an NCAA-Record 31 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. The 31 straight seasons breaks Fresno State's inactive 30-year streak.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: This fall, Arizona brought back Wildcat All-American, National Champion and 2007 Women's College World Series MVP
Taryne Mowatt as an assistant coach, joining
Caitlin Lowe on
Mike Candrea's all-Arizona staff. Mowatt and Lowe were teammates on both the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Championship squad. Their combined four NCAA titles in addition to Coach Candrea's eight give Arizona's coaching staff a total of 12 as either a head coach or player, the most in NCAA softball. Add in Director of Recruiting-Operations
Stacy Iveson, who helped lead UA to three NCAA titles as an assistant coach (96, 97, 01) before winning four NJCAA titles as a head coach at Pima and Yavapai College, you won't find a staff with championship pedigree quite like Arizona's.
FOLLOW THE TEAM: Be sure to follow the Wildcats on their social media platforms. To stay up-to-date on all the latest happenings with the team, follow Arizona softball on Twitter and Instagram (@ArizonaSoftball).
