#12 ARIZONA vs. OREGON
MARCH 15-17 • TUCSON, ARIZ. (HILLENBRAND STADIUM)
Game Notes: #12/12 Arizona Wildcats (20-7, 2-0 Pac-12) • RV/RV Oregon Ducks (11-12, 0-2 Pac-12)
MARCH 15-17 • TUCSON, ARIZ. (HILLENBRAND STADIUM)
Game Notes: #12/12 Arizona Wildcats (20-7, 2-0 Pac-12) • RV/RV Oregon Ducks (11-12, 0-2 Pac-12)
THE GAMES (Times MST)
26 | Friday, March 15 |
8, 
0 (6 inn.) | Recap | Box Score (PDF)27 | Saturday, March 16 |
8, 0 (5 inn.) | Recap | Box Score (PDF)28 | Sunday, March 17 (12 p.m.) |
vs. | Pac-12 Arizona/Oregon | Live Stats | Twitter Updates | TicketsWEEKLY NOTES
THIS WEEK: The nonconference portion of Arizona's season has come to an end and the Wildcats will now turn their attention to the grueling Pac-12 slate, which begins this weekend with a three-game series with Oregon. The 12th-ranked Wildcats are 18-7 through the first five weeks of 2019. For the first time this season, the Wildcats will not face a ranked team this week after Oregon fell out of the NFCA Top 25 following six consecutive losses entering this week. The Cats and the Ducks, the only two teams to have won the Pac-12 Championship over the last six seasons, are set to meet on Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.).
LEADING OFF
- The nonconference portion of Arizona's schedule is over and the Wildcats now turn their attention to Pac-12 play, beginning this week with Oregon in a three-game series at Hillenbrand Stadium, Friday-Sunday.
- Arizona enters Pac-12 play winners of 14 of its last 17 games, with its only three losses in that span coming to the current No. 2 (Oklahoma) and No. 3 (Florida State) ranked teams in the country by a combined four runs.
- Through 25 games, Arizona has played 10 games against ranked opponents and has a 5-5 record in those games. All five losses are to top-five opponents. In six games vs. (current rankings) No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Alabama and No. 7 Florida, UA has been outscored by just two runs (21-23) and has 11 more hits (40-29). The last time Arizona played 10 games vs. ranked teams through the first 25 games of a season was 1999.
- On Saturday, Arizona run-ruled then-top-ranked Florida State, 11-3, in five innings. UA became the first team since April 5, 2014 to run-rule the NFCA No. 1 team (#3 Oregon 12, #1 UCLA 4; 5 innings).
- This weekend's matchup will be between the NCAA's two top home run hitting teams. Florida State leads the country with 40 home runs in 24 games, Arizona is second with 39 in 22 games.
- Arizona leads the country in home runs/game. The Wildcats have hit 42 home runs through 25 games (1.68/game).
- Jessie Harper, who has hit seven home runs over Arizona's last 10 games, is second in the country with 13 home runs this season. Her 13th home run this season was her 50th of her career, becoming the 15th Wildcat and 36th player in Pac-10/12 history to record 50 home runs. It came in her 141st career game, third fastest in Arizona history.
- UA is one of two teams in the country (Mississippi State) that has two players with double-digit home runs. Jessie Harper is third nationally with 13 home runs and Dejah Mulipola is ninth with 10. The junior duo is 1-2 in the Pac-12 in both homers and slugging percentage (Harper: .902, Mulipola: .819).
- Arizona head coach Mike Candrea enters the weekend two wins shy of Michigan's Carol Hutchins for the most career wins in NCAA softball history. Candrea, who is in his 32nd year of coaching at Arizona, has won 1,481 wins while Hutchins has 1,483 over 36 seasons of coaching.
- Reyna Carranco is on a season-long seven-game hitting streak that includes six multi-hit efforts and is hitting .583 over her last 23 at-bats. She leads the team in both multi-hit games (14) and batting average (.434).
- Oregon is in week 6 of the Melyssa Lombardi era, which is off to an 11-10 start.
- The Ducks have played a very difficult schedule to begin 2019. Oregon has played nine games vs. ranked opponents (1-8) and has a win over No. 8 LSU (Feb. 15) under its belt.
- Oregon has lost six consecutive games entering this weekend, including a three-game sweep by No. 19 Oklahoma State last weekend in Eugene.
- The Ducks are led in the circle by Jordan Dail, who is 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA. She is third in the Pac-12 with 104 strikeouts and has pitched the most innings in the conference (96.2).
- Jasmine Sievers leads the offense with a .340 batting average and four doubles over 50 at-bats.
ARIZONA vs. OREGON
- Arizona is 83-31 all-time vs. Oregon, but the Ducks swept last season's series in Eugene and have won four consecutive matchups in the series.
- The Wildcats won the last series between the two teams at Hillenbrand when UA took two of three from the Ducks in 2017. Overall, Arizona holds a 48-15 advantage at home in the series.
LAST WEEK
Doubleheader vs. New Mexico State (2-0)
- Arizona swept New Mexico State in a Tuesday doubleheader in a pair of run-rule games. The Wildcats defeated NMSU 11-3 in six innings in game 1 and followed up with an 11-1, five-inning victory in game 2.
- The Wildcats hit four home runs in the two games; Jessie Harper homered twice in game 1 to take the NCAA home run lead and join the UA career 50 club while Reyna Carranco (game 1) and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza (game 2) also left the park.
- Palomino-Cardoza drove in eight runs in the doubleheader, including a season-most six RBI in game 2.
- In game 1, went 4-for-4 with two home runs and finished a triple shy of the cycle to lead the Wildcat offense.
- In game 2, Gina Snyder allowed just one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in a complete-game victory.
Three-Game Series vs. #1 Florida State (1-2)
- Despite outscoring Florida State 17-12 and out-hitting the defending national champs, 25-16, the Cats dropped a three-game series to Florida State, two games to one.
- In the series, UA became the first team since 2014 to run-rule the No. 1 team in the nation with its 11-3, five-inning win in game 2. The two losses came by a total of three runs with a 5-3 loss in game 1 and a 4-3 loss in game 3.
- Dejah Mulipola hit three home runs in the series, two of which came during the Cats' 11-3 win in game 2. She led the team with five RBI.
- Reyna Carranco led the team with six hits in nine at-bats (.667), extending her season-long hitting streak to seven games.
- Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza also recorded a hit in every game to extend her season-long hitting streak to seven games as well.
WHO'S HOT?
- Jessie Harper: The junior has seven home runs over her last 10 games, vaulting her into the Pac-12 lead and third in the nation with 13 home runs this season. Included in this 10-game stretch was a span of seven games with seven home runs, the most powerful stretch by a Wildcat since Stacie Chambers in 2009. She leads the conference with a .902 slugging percentage. Last week, she became the third fastest player in Arizona history to hit 50 career home runs (141 games).
- Reyna Carranco: The junior is on a season-long seven game hitting streak and has at least two hits in six of them, including a 3-for-3 effort vs. Florida State's Meghan King on Sunday and is hitting .583 over her last 23 at-bats. She leads the team in multiple-hit games (14) and batting average (.434). Carranco has already posted a career-high in home runs (3), 25 games into the season.
- Hannah Martinez: The sophomore has made the most out of her playing time and has now started each of the last seven games in one of the corner outfield spots. In her 10 starts this season, she has multiple hits in four of them and is hitting .440 over her last 25 at-bats with two doubles, a triple and five RBI.
- Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza: The 2018 first-team All-American has been a consistent force all season long and is hitting .395 with seven home runs and is second in the Pac-12 in RBI (31) and doubles (10). Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza has doubled in each of the last five games and has hits in each of the last seven, with 15 RBI in that span. Her five consecutive games with a double is the longest by a Wildcat since Brigette Del Ponte did so from March 25-April 2, 2011.
- Hanah Bowen: The sophomore carries a a 0.64 ERA this season and has thrown 7.1 straight scoreless innings spanning five appearances, including three straight perfect innings of relief in her last three outings. Bowen has 11 strikeouts over her 11 innings and has not allowed a hit since Feb. 22 (Long Beach State) and has not allowed a run since Feb. 9 (Illinois State).
RANKINGS
- This week, Arizona remained 12th in NFCA Top 25, moved up to 12th in the USA Softball Top 25 (from 13th) and remained 13th in the Softball America Top 25.
- The Wildcats started the season ranked seventh in the NFCA Top 25 and Softball America Top 25 and sixth in the USA Softball Top 25.
- Arizona is one of four Pac-12 teams in the top 25 (all in the top 17).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- When it's all said and done, Arizona will play what is sure to be among the toughest schedules in the country. Arizona's schedule includes each of the top seven teams from the final 2018 NFCA Top 25 (and 11 total ranked teams), 17 games against 2018 WCWS teams, 21 2018 NCAA Tournament teams and home series vs. the defending national champions (Florida State; March 8-10) and national runners up (Washington; May 3-5).
- The Wildcats will play or have already played six of top seven teams in the current NFCA Top 25. In all, UA's schedule includes 11 teams currently ranked in the top 25.
- Arizona played at least one ranked team in each of the first five weeks of the season, including top-10 teams in four of them. The Wildcats are currently 5-5 vs. ranked teams this year.
- Since 1994, Arizona is above .500 against ranked teams, top-10 teams and top-five competition. UA is 569-267-1 (.690) against ranked competition, 266-179 (.617) against top-10 teams and 130-126 (.536) against top-five teams.
STATISTICAL TRENDS AND NUGGETS
- Arizona is 15-0 when scoring more than three runs and 3-7 when scoring fewer.
- The Wildcats have yet to commit an error away from Hillenbrand Stadium this season (11 games, 281 chances).
- Six of Arizona's seven losses have come during the day; UA is 9-1 at night and 9-6 during day games.
- Arizona has scored double-digit runs in seven of its first 25 games, already more than UA's 59-game total from last season (6).
- The Wildcats' junior class (Reyna Carranco, Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, Jessie Harper, Malia Martinez, Dejah Mulipola) is hitting .383 with 34 of UA's 42 home runs.