NCAA-Most Four Wildcats Named to USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List
01/30/2019 | Softball
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Four Wildcats -- junior shortstop Jessie Harper, senior pitcher Taylor McQuillin, junior catcher Dejah Mulipola and redshirt junior outfielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza -- were named to the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, announced Wednesday by USA Softball.
Arizona's four players are tied with Washington as the most in the country. In all, the Pac-12 has 12 of the 50 players on the list, second to the SEC (13).
Harper, McQuillin and Mulipola are all making their second consecutive appearance on the Watch List, while Palomino's selection is her first; McQuillin was also one of 34 finalists for the award in 2017.
Harper was a first-team all-conference and all-region player in 2018 after a first-team All-America campaign as a freshman in 2017. The shortstop hit .340 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI last season and enters her junior season with 37 career homers, 21st in Arizona history after just two seasons. The junior has finished second in the Pac-12 in home runs each of the last two seasons.
McQuillin led the NCAA in shutouts a season ago (15) in a first-team all-Pac-12 and all-region season. McQuillin went 28-12 with a 1.68 ERA as the team's ace last season and struck out 287 batters, third most in the Pac-12 and 11th most in the country. The Mission Viejo, California native, who has won 56 games in her Wildcat career, enters her senior season eighth in UA history in career strikeouts (287).
Mulipola was a second-team all-conference and first-team all-region player in 2018 after hitting .313 with 12 homers and 36 RBI. The two-year starter at catcher and member of the Pac-12 all-defensive team in 2018 was selected to the U.S. Women's National Team, which will train and compete this summer in its continued preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Palomino-Cardoza was a first-team All-American in 2018 after leading the Pac-12 in home runs (19) and slugging percentage (.750) and hitting .363 in 56 starts last season. The redshirt junior hit .363 with 42 RBI as a sophomore after returning from her second torn ACL of her collegiate career. Palomino-Cardoza has hit 35 career homers in two seasons, 23rd most in Arizona history.
Arizona Softball Notes
Arizona's four players are tied with Washington as the most in the country. In all, the Pac-12 has 12 of the 50 players on the list, second to the SEC (13).
Harper, McQuillin and Mulipola are all making their second consecutive appearance on the Watch List, while Palomino's selection is her first; McQuillin was also one of 34 finalists for the award in 2017.
Harper was a first-team all-conference and all-region player in 2018 after a first-team All-America campaign as a freshman in 2017. The shortstop hit .340 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI last season and enters her junior season with 37 career homers, 21st in Arizona history after just two seasons. The junior has finished second in the Pac-12 in home runs each of the last two seasons.
McQuillin led the NCAA in shutouts a season ago (15) in a first-team all-Pac-12 and all-region season. McQuillin went 28-12 with a 1.68 ERA as the team's ace last season and struck out 287 batters, third most in the Pac-12 and 11th most in the country. The Mission Viejo, California native, who has won 56 games in her Wildcat career, enters her senior season eighth in UA history in career strikeouts (287).
Mulipola was a second-team all-conference and first-team all-region player in 2018 after hitting .313 with 12 homers and 36 RBI. The two-year starter at catcher and member of the Pac-12 all-defensive team in 2018 was selected to the U.S. Women's National Team, which will train and compete this summer in its continued preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Palomino-Cardoza was a first-team All-American in 2018 after leading the Pac-12 in home runs (19) and slugging percentage (.750) and hitting .363 in 56 starts last season. The redshirt junior hit .363 with 42 RBI as a sophomore after returning from her second torn ACL of her collegiate career. Palomino-Cardoza has hit 35 career homers in two seasons, 23rd most in Arizona history.
Arizona Softball Notes
- Arizona was ranked No. 7 in the NFCA Preseason Top 25 and No. 6 in the USA Softball Preseason Top 25, both released on Tuesday. The Wildcats were also ranked seventh in last season's NFCA preseason poll, but UA's No. 6 ranking in the USA Softball preseason rankings is its best since 2011 (No. 1).
- Harper, McQuillin, Mulipola and Palomino-Cardoza were also named Justin World of Softball Preseason All-Americans, also announced on Wednesday. Mulipola and Palomino were first-team selections while Harper and McQuillin were picked to the second team. Arizona's four preseason All-Americans were the most of any school in the country.
- The Wildcats are nine days from their 2019 season opener. The Wildcats begin their season in the USF Opening Weekend Invitational (Feb. 8-10) in Tampa, Florida where they will take on No. 18 Michigan, (RV) South Florida, No. 5 Florida, Illinois State and North Carolina State.
- Arizona unveiled its brand new Nike Vapor Elite 2.0 uniforms for 2019 on Monday. The Wildcats were one of five programs nationally chosen by Nike to debut the uniforms this season. The uniforms can be found in this Twitter thread.
- Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium is on-schedule to be complete for Arizona's home opener on Feb. 14 vs. New Mexico. You can purchase tickets for the grand opening HERE. Follow along with the construction of the $8 million renovation on the live stream.
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