Arizona softball recap: Wildcats run-rule ASU on senior day to clinch series win

The Wildcats’ final regular season home game had an ideal ending

The words ‘thank you, seniors’ were displayed on the videoboard in right field of Hillenbrand Stadium as the venue emptied after the series finale between Arizona and ASU.

For the last time in the regular season, the Wildcats’ senior class took the field at their home ballpark, and the end result couldn’t have been any better as far as Mike Candrea is concerned.

The Wildcats run-ruled ASU 8-0 in five innings on Sunday to clinch the series victory over their in-state rival.

Afterward, the eight seniors — the UA’s largest senior class since 2001 — received a framed jersey, a bouquet of flowers, and one last cheer from a sold-out crowd.

There was no shortage of tears.

“You couldn’t write the script any better than that,” Candrea said. “Senior Day, it’s always one of my favorite days, but you never know how it’s going to turn out. And I would have to say that a majority of the time we’ve been on the victory end, but the way we did it tonight against ASU was pretty special.”

Especially since the win came one night after the Wildcats lost 5-2 to the Sun Devils — which was just their second home loss all season.

“That was frustrating, so we wanted to come out today and close the series well,” said senior shortshop Mo Mercado.

That they did.

Danielle O’Toole tossed a one-hit shutout while freshman first baseman Jessie Harper led UA’s offense with three hits, including two homers, one of which was a fourth-inning grand slam to break the game open.

“I really wanted to do it for our seniors,” said Harper, who has 18 home runs this season. “I know yesterday was a little bit of an upset, but we just had to come out here strong. This whole year has been about the seniors. This is the year for them. I think this is a year for us to bring back Arizona softball and re-live the tradition that’s within the school. So I’m just overly proud of the seniors and I thank them all for teaching me, bringing all our freshmen up. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be as comfortable as I am now.”

Mercado and Harper hit back-to-back homers in third inning to start the Wildcats’ offensive flurry.

An inning later, Mercado drew a bases loaded walk to extend UA’s lead to 3-0 before Harper hit a grand slam to right to put UA up 7-0.

The freshman stole the show on senior day, going 3-for-3 with five RBIs and making a leaping catch in foul territory to help O’Toole escape a jam in the fourth inning.

The seniors didn’t mind.

“This a group,” Mercado said. “We were like ‘yeah, steal it girl.’”

O’Toole starred, too, pitching five scoreless innings in her final regular season game in the circle at Hillenbrand Stadium.

The redshirt senior, who decided to transfer to Arizona after two seasons at San Diego State, allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out five.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” she said of transferring, while holding back tears. “It’s the best decision of my life.”

O’Toole is 26-3 with a 0.92 ERA in her final season in Tucson.

“It’s nice to have Tooly on the mound,” Candrea said. “We always feel good with her.”

Meanwhile, ASU was forced to use three pitchers as each proved to be ineffective. Breanna Macha (11-8) started and only lasted only 2 ¹⁄₃ innings before being removed after giving up back-to-back homers to Mercado and Harper.

She was replaced by Giselle Juarez, who stymied the Wildcats on Saturday night, but she couldn’t replicate her success. Juarez lasted just one inning, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks.

Dale Ryndak relieved Juarez and immediately walked Mercado to bring home a run before giving up a grand slam to Harper and, one batter later, a solo homer to Alyssa Palomino to increase UA’s lead to 8-0.

“She had a good weekend, to say the least,” Candrea said of Harper. “We needed it. We’re struggling a little bit offensively and hopefully that will get us back, but this team has responded good all year. And I thought yesterday we were a little flat. From batting practice on, we just weren’t quite there. They got things corrected today and played a hell of a game.”

Arizona tallied seven hits and was flawless in the field, finishing without an error.

The Wildcats improve to 47-5 overall, their highest win total since 2010 when they made their last College World Series appearance.

And, if they can stave off Utah, they’re on track to win their first Pac-12 title since 2007.

Just as the videoboard said after the game: Thank you, seniors.

“They really put us back on the map to be honest with you,” Candrea said. “We’ve had a little bit of a struggle, to say the least, for a few years. I think this senior class really wanted to get Arizona softball back where it was a factor.

“And this year, they’ve done that. They played the game hard, they’ve had great leadership, brought in a great freshman class, but really the seniors did a tremendous job of teaching them what’s expected and what Arizona softball looks like and I really believe this senior class raised the bar. They did. They raised the bar in all aspects and I’m so happy for each and every one of them.”

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Arizona baseball: Not panic time yet for Wildcats after Stanford sweep

Arizona softball recap: ASU evens the series with 5-2 win over the Wildcats

The rubber match is on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Normally, a dominant performance by a left-handed pitcher along with an offensive outburst is a recipe for success for the Arizona Wildcats at Hillenbrand Stadium.

But not on Saturday. Instead, they got a taste of their own medicine.

ASU lefty Giselle Juarez tossed a complete game and the Sun Devils had three key extra base hits, propelling them to a 5-2 road victory over No. 3 Arizona to even up the three-game series.

“That’s what we do to other teams,” Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said.

Juarez (6-4) allowed six hits and one walk while striking out seven. The freshman had a shutout going into the bottom of the sixth when Katiyana Mauga blasted a two-run homer to left to cut ASU’s lead to 5-2.

“You have to tip your hat to the pitcher,” Candrea said. “...She just had our number. It took us a while to figure it out. By the time we figured it out it was a little bit too late. We gave away a lot of at-bats tonight.”

Down by three in the seventh, singles by Tamara Statman and Ashleigh Hughes put the tying run at the plate for Arizona with one out, but the Wildcats couldn’t rally.

Mandie Perez grounded out sharply to first and Hillary Edior grounded out to second as Juarez was able to end UA’s comeback bid.

“She’s young and we didn’t make any adjustments as fast as we should have,” Hughes said of Juarez. “None of us have ever seen her before. She’s new. To us, we need to make adjustments a little bit quicker and be able to get on somebody like that.”

Juarez out-pitched Taylor McQuillin (15-2), who surrendered five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks, while striking out 11.

McQuillin gave up a solo homer to Ulufa Leilua in the second inning for the game’s first run, then surrendered three more runs in the fourth.

With runners on first and second and two outs, ASU’s Nichole Chilson hit a towering drive to deep right field, which hit off the top of the wall after it was misplayed by Hughes.

Hughes initially broke to her right before drifting to her left, but could not recover in time to make the play.

“It was just moving and moving, so those are always kind of hard to catch,” Hughes said, adding that the wind was a factor. “It just got the best of me.”

After slamming off the wall, the ball rolled back toward the infield and Hughes collected it and fired an errant throw toward third base, allowing Chilson to score, giving ASU a commanding 4-0 lead.

“I think that ball should have been caught,” Candrea said. “That was a mistake that, with three runs in two outs, really changed the complexion of the game.

“Most of the time in big games like this, you can’t make defensive mistakes.”

It was a one-run game, until this happened! Flip on over to @Pac12Network to follow this one! #IgniteTheFight http://pic.twitter.com/ZN7cLPTBMn

— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 30, 2017

ASU wasn’t done as Marisa Stankiewicz homered off McQuillin in the sixth to extend its lead to 5-0 before Mauga’s two-run shot.

“They’re a good hitting team and I definitely think that I started to improve as the game went on, but obviously I fell short today,” McQuillin said.

McQuillin is 1-2 in her last three starts in conference play, allowing 16 earned runs in 16 innings in that span. Her ERA now sits at 1.70, despite it being 0.66 on April 9.

“It’s that time of the year right now where you’re not just going to out-talent people,” Candrea said. “You gotta outplay people and tonight we didn’t outplay them. Tomorrow we need to outplay them.”

Saturday’s loss was the Wildcats’ second home loss this season and they have dropped two of their last three games in total, falling to 46-5 overall and 16-5 in the Pac-12.

ASU improves to 28-15 and 7-10, respectively.

The rubber match is set for Sunday at 5 p.m. and it will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

“I just told the kids I don’t know if we came out hungry enough today,” Candrea said. “ASU is a good team and they come in here ready to fight and we better be ready to do the same.”

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Scary moment

In the bottom of the first, a pitch from Juarez hit Arizona catcher Dejah Mulipola in the mouth, forcing her to leave the game.

Mulipola was bleeding as she moved slowly with trainers to the dugout, but Candrea said the freshman is all right.

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “She got hit in the mouth. Nothing moved. She should be able to recoup from that.”

Edior was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Mulipola’s place. Mulipola is hitting .350 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs this season.

Edior is batting .313 in 32 at-bats with two homers.

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Arizona WR Trey Griffey will reportedly sign with the Indianapolis Colts

NFL Draft results: Arizona and Oregon only Pac-12 schools without a player selected

This is weird

Just over two years ago, the Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks were playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game against each other.

Now, in April 2017, they are the only two teams in the Pac-12 to not have a player selected in the NFL Draft.

Crazy, right?

Here’s a look at all the Power Five schools that didn’t have a single player have their name called over the seven round and three day event:

P5 programs without a draft pick: Syracuse, UVA, Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Rutgers, Oregon, Arizona, Kentucky, South Carolina.

— Paul Myerberg (@PaulMyerberg) April 29, 2017

The other fun Arizona tie in here....South Carolina. You know, where Rich Rodriguez almost went last year.

For Arizona and Oregon, this is certainly a player development issue. The Ducks went ahead and fired Mark Helfrich because of this during the offseason, while the Wildcats still have Rodriguez at the helm.

Since 2012, Arizona has not had a player drafted in the first three rounds, and this is the third time in the last five years that not a single Wildcat was selected. This is definitely an issue for the program moving forward.

Utah won the Pac-12 battle this year, and look at Colorado with a few picks. That’s player development.

Draft picks by Pac-12 schools.

Utah 8
UCLA 5
USC 5
Washington 5
CU 4
Cal 3
Stanford 2
Oregon St. 2
ASU 1
WSU 1
Arizona 0
Oregon 0

— Jason Clay (@j_clay) April 29, 2017

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2017 NFL Draft results: Arizona Wildcats linebacker Paul Magloire signs with Tampa Bay Buccaneers as undrafted free agent

Arizona Wildcats football 2017 undrafted free agent tracker

Where will everyone get signed?

After zero Arizona Wildcats were taken in the 2017 NFL Draft, they will all have to rely on making teams as undrafted free agents.

As those signings are made public, we will keep track of them below, so be sure to keep checking in:

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Arizona basketball recruiting: Cameron Johnson and Chase Jeter visiting Tucson next weekend

Two big time transfer candidates will be on campus

The Arizona Wildcats will have a couple of transfer candidates coming to Tucson next weekend.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, both Pitt grad transfer Cameron Johnson and Duke transfer Chase Jeter will be visiting Arizona together, and despite what this actual tweet says, it appears to be happening next weekend.

Cam Johnson will be joined by Duke transfer Chase Jeter on visit to Arizona this weekend, source told ESPN. Johnson can play immediately.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 29, 2017

Pittsburgh grad transfer Cam Johnson, who visited Kentucky earlier this week, will visit Arizona next weekend, source told ESPN.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 29, 2017

Pittsburgh grad transfer Cam Johnson expected to visit Ohio State on Monday, source told ESPN. So, Buckeyes Monday and Arizona next weekend.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 29, 2017

Jeter is currently on a visit to Gonzaga according to Evan Daniels, and will then visit Tucson next weekend.

Duke transfer Chase Jeter is currently on a visit to Gonzaga, he says. Plans to visit Arizona next week.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) April 29, 2017

The two of them are in slightly different situations, but could play together in 2018-19 thanks to Johnson’s unique status. Even though he is a grad transfer, he’ll have two years of eligibility left, and he’ll be able to play immediately.

Jeter will have to sit next year, and then have two years of eligibility remaining after that. He has already visited Cal and San Diego State, and appears to be set on playing somewhere out west.

Duke transfer Chase Jeter visited both Cal and San Diego State last week, per sources. Arizona, UCLA, USC, UNLV, Washington, Gonzaga in mix.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 27, 2017

Jeter went to high school at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, so moving closer to home certainly makes sense with that situation.

If Arizona is able to land both of these players, it will help next year and certainly in 2018. Earlier in the week, we went over some of the gaps that the Wildcats will be dealing with in two years, but adding two experienced guys like Johnson and Jeter will solve a lot of that.

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Arizona basketball recruiting: 5-star point guard Trevon Duval to commit ‘soon’

Duke is widely considered the favorite

Will the Arizona Wildcats be landing the top point guard prospect on the market?

We should know sooner rather than later.

2018 five-star recruit Trevon Duval told USA Today that he plans to choose a school “soon” and that he is “ready to get (the process) over with.”

No. 1 PG Trevon Duval on his impending decision: "I'm ready to get it over with. I'm gonna do it soon." Duval's Blog coming soon...

— Jason Jordan (@JayJayUSATODAY) April 27, 2017

The McDonald’s All-American is considering Arizona along with Duke, Kansas, Baylor, and Seton Hall.

Duke is widely considered to be the favorite, as 247Sports’ Crystal Ball overwhelmingly predicts Duval will be a Blue Devil.

Duval is the No. 5 player in the 2017 class and the No. 2 point guard, only behind Alabama signee Collin Sexton.

The NCAA’s late signing period ends May 17, so Duval has to make a decision within the next two and a half weeks.

Arizona currently has the No. 3 recruiting class in the country and already signed a point guard in Alex Barcello, who is the No. 78 player in the 2017 class.

Unlike Barcello, Duval profiles as a one-and-done. DraftExpress.com currently projects Duval as the 11th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Arizona is also waiting for Brian Bowen to make his decision. Bowen, the No. 18 player in the 2017 class, is deciding between Arizona, Michigan State, Creighton, Texas, and N.C. State.

The 6-foot-7 McDonald’s All-American said he plans to commit by the end of April. The most recent Crystal Ball predictions have Bowen choosing Creighton.

The Bluejays hired Alan Huss as an assistant coach on April 20. Huss was an assistant coach at New Mexico the last three years, but was the head coach at La Lumiere School — Bowen’s school — prior to that. Huss did not coach Bowen while there, however.

Bowen said he is waiting to see how the rosters of the schools in his top five change before making a decision.

Arizona is in wait-and-see mode, in that regard. Rawle Alkins and Chance Comanche both declared for the NBA Draft but have yet to hire an agent, leaving the door open to a return.

Alkins’ decision could greatly impact Bowen’s choice, as Alkins would likely be penciled in as a starter for Arizona, potentially leaving only a bench role for Bowen since Allonzo Trier will presumably start at the other wing spot.

Alkins and Comanche have until May 24 to decide if they will be returning to Arizona next season, so it would not be surprising to see Bowen push back his decision date (again) as a result.

In the meantime, Duval appears to be on the verge of making his decision.

Duval could become Arizona’s highest-ranked point guard commit in the Sean Miller era. Currently that title is held by Josiah Turner, who was the No. 3 point guard in 2011.

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Arizona baseball recap: Wildcats drop fifth straight Pac-12 game, lose to Stanford 4-3

Trending the wrong way

For the fifth consecutive time, the Arizona Wildcats lost a Pac-12 game when they fell to the Stanford Cardinal on Friday night by the score of 4-3.

Arizona is now 9-11 in conference play, while Stanford improves to 10-7.

After not pitching last weekend, Arizona ace JC Cloney returned to the mound for this one, but it was not a friendly welcoming at Sunken Diamond.

On the very first pitch of the game, Stanford first baseman Matt Winaker took a pitch right over the middle well over the fencing in Palo Alto.

1 pitch. 1 run. @mattwinaker has Stanford off to a good start #GoStanford https://t.co/qs3hrJXQzT

— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) April 29, 2017

This was the only run on the board for a while, and then the fun started.

Cory Voss picked up Arizona’s first hit of the night off of Cardinal starter Andrew Summerville in the fifth inning. A few hitters later, Louis Boyd came up and delivered the signature Arizona safety squeeze bunt to tie the game up at one.

☕️! @LouisBoyd2 drops down a perfect safety squeeze to score Voss and tie this game up at 1!https://t.co/3L1Tbvc0aX

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) April 29, 2017

However, Cloney would be unable to keep this game tied for very long. He walked the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the fifth, and then Winaker was ready to do more damage.

He hit a lined single over the extreme Arizona shift to drive home Brandon Wulff to give Stanford the one-run edge again.

Matt Winaker keeps on WINNING

He gives @StanfordBSB the lead with an RBI single!

Watch: https://t.co/ZLABag9Ytt https://t.co/KHVbnB0m0A

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) April 29, 2017

Arizona came right back. Cal Stevenson, who made a spectacular catch in the fifth after Winaker’s single, led the top of the sixth off with a walk.

Jared Oliva reached after an error on his sac bunt attempt, bringing JJ Matijevic up to the plate with no outs and runners on the corners.

Matijevic lined one to the right side, easily scoring Stevenson and tying the game at two.

Alfonso Rivas followed this up with a nubber off the end of the bat. The ball slowly rolled up the third base line, which scored Oliva from third, giving the Wildcats their first lead of the night.

And we take the lead on this rocket from Alfonso Rivas! https://t.co/qePDm6YYi6

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) April 29, 2017

Stanford would bring Tyler Thorne out of the bullpen after this, and he would keep the Arizona lead at one with a sac bunt, a check swing strikeout by Nick Quintana, and a Cesar Salazar pop out.

The Cardinal tied the game back up right away with Daniel Baskt’s first career home run, which was a lined shot over the left field wall on the second pitch of the sixth.

B6: All square ⬛️ at Sunken!@DanielBakst's first career HR is a big one #GoStanford https://t.co/UihrBXwExD

— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) April 29, 2017

Thorne mowed down Arizona in order in the 7th, giving Stanford an opportunity to retake the lead after the stretch.

And they did just that.

With two down in the inning and Rio Gomez now on the mound, Winaker kept his hot night going with a check swing single to left.

Another single went to left, but it got through Rivas’ legs, allowing Winaker to score and Nico Hoerner to get to third, giving the Cardinal a 4-3 lead.

The Arizona dugout called for an intentional walk, which would be the last better of Gomez’s night — his first relief appearance of the year.

Tylor Megill would induce a fly ball to end the threat, keeping Arizona within one this time.

Thorne retired the side in the top of the eighth, giving him a perfect nine up, nine down outing. The combination of Megill and Robby Medel allowed the Wildcats to stay within one heading into the ninth inning.

That’s when Stanford closer Colton Hock took the mound for the second straight night. Hock, who picked up a two inning save on Thursday night, allowed a walk and infield single, but struck out pinch hitter Mitchell Morimoto looking on a nasty pitch on the outside corner to end the game.

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Arizona and Stanford finish the three-game series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2 PM PT. It will be streamed here. The Cardinal are likely to start LHP Chris Castellanos. Arizona will probably either throw Randy Labaut or Cody Deason based on how the first two games have gone.

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Pac-12 Notes

• Oregon pitcher David Peterson struck out a program record 20 ASU batters on Friday as the Ducks took down the Sun Devils 2-0
• Drew Rasmussen made his season debut for Oregon State, picking up a two-out save in a 3-1 win against USC. Luke Heimlich allowed just one hit over eight innings, and has only surrendered three hits total in his last two outings.
• Washington scored three times in the eighth to down Cal 5-2

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Arizona softball recap: Jessie Harper, Danielle O’Toole lead Wildcats past ASU, 4-3

Harper was 3-for-3 with three RBIs as O’Toole tossed a complete game

Jessie Harper entered Friday with three hits in her last eight games, putting her in a 3-for-23 slump.

She picked a good time to break out of it.

The UA first baseman was 3-for-3 with three RBIs as No. 3 Arizona squeaked past No. 23 ASU 4-3 in the series opener at Hillenbrand Stadium.

“I’m definitely trying to work my way up to where I started,” said Harper, who is hitting .344 this season. “I’m gonna finish out the second half of the season and postseason strong hopefully.”

With Arizona trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the third, Harper singled through the left side, scoring pinch runner Eva Watson from second to tie the game.

Two innings later, Harper laced an RBI double down the right field line, scoring Mo Mercado from first to give Arizona a decisive 4-3 lead.

“Those few hits in the beginning weren’t anything special but … there was a runner on and I was able to move her and score, so that’s all that really mattered,” Harper said.

Harper accounted for half of Arizona’s hit total, and knocked in a run in the first inning which put UA up 2-0 at the time.

The Wildcats’ first run scored via an ASU error.

“We were slow at making adjustments at the plate, which we’re usually pretty good at,” head coach Mike Candrea said. “Harper did a nice job but we had some kids that did the same thing three times in a row without making an adjustment.”

Katiyana Mauga, Alyssa Palomino, and Ashleigh Hughes were the only other Wildcats to register in the hit column, and they each had one hit apiece.

“I just thought we came out a little bit flat tonight, to be honest with you,” Candrea said. “And I told the team that. We have to bring a little more energy to the ballpark.”

He added, “I’m not saying that this team was not prepared to play tonight, I’m just thinking right now that there’s a learning curve for freshmen and that learning curve is that they don’t really understand (the rivalry).

“They think the rivalry with us is UCLA. And so there’s a learning curve and tonight I thought it was a good one.”

Danielle O’Toole understood what was at stake, however.

O’Toole (25-3) tossed a complete game for the Wildcats and retired 13 of the final 15 batters after allowing three runs in the first three innings (one was unearned).

Credit Mercado with an assist.

“I had a little bit of trouble with the strike zone in the first couple innings, and then after that Mo had actually said something to all of us,” O’Toole said. “She told us that we needed to be better and we’re not going to let them win this. It’s not OK. And I really kinda took that and said, ‘she’s right. I need to be better. I need to light a fire.’

“And I did.”

ASU only mustered four hits off O’Toole, but did take advantage of an Arizona miscue early in the ballgame.

In the second inning, ASU second baseman Marisa Stankiewicz laid a bunt down the third base line, which was collected by Mauga.

However, Reyna Carranco could not corral the throw at first, allowing Chelsea Gonzales to score, cutting UA’s lead to 2-1.

Emma Ramelot then hit a sacrifice fly to score Ulufa Leilua, who advanced to third on Carranco’s error, to knot the game at 2-2.

An RBI single by Gonzales gave ASU a 3-2 lead in the third.

“Normally, it takes me about two batters to figure out (the strike zone),” O’Toole said. “It took me about two innings (tonight).”

Still, O’Toole eventually settled in and was able to out-duel ASU starter Breanna Macha (11-6), who allowed six hits and two walks while striking out four.

Two of the four runs Macha surrendered were unearned as ASU committed two errors of its own.

In the first inning, a grounder off Mercado’s bat skipped past Gonzales at short, letting not-so-speedy Mauga to score all the way from first for the game’s first run.

“There’s a different intensity when you get to these games and you can throw out records,” Candrea said. “Anything can happen in every sport that we play in.”

Except home runs, apparently.

Despite the wind blowing out all game and Arizona and ASU being notorious home-run hitting teams, neither team was able to lift the ball out of the park.

“It’s amazing that nothing did go out,” Candrea said. “I walked out here and the wind’s blowing 40 miles per hour and it’s blowing straight out, I’m thinking wow, we elevate a few balls and it could be fun, but it was a completely different game.”

The victory improves Arizona’s record to 46-4 overall and 16-3 in the Pac-12, while ASU falls to 27-15 and 6-10, respectively.

Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 6 p.m and it will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Candrea would like to see his team make one adjustment before the first pitch is thrown.

“Bring some more energy,” he said. “A little more sense of urgency.”

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Minnesota grad transfer Gaelin Elmore down to Arizona and East Carolina

Wildcats or Pirates

Originally, Minnesota Golden Gophers grad transfer Gaelin Elmore was going to decide on where he would play football next year on Friday.

Early in the day, he said he would just announce his top two “because of some complications”.

Those top two? The Arizona Wildcats and East Carolina Pirates.

My final two schools:
Arizona #BearDown
ECU #PIRATES

— Gaelin Elmore (@GIVE_87) April 28, 2017

As we wrote on Wednesday, Elmore would be a very welcome addition to the Arizona defensive line. He would be the tallest lineman, standing at 6-foot-6, and he brings in plenty of high-level experience with him, having played in 38 games the past three years at Minnesota.

It appears the final decision is coming next Friday, but Arizona should feel good that it beat out the likes of South Carolina and Houston, schools that Elmore has visited already. Elmore also held offers from places like Oregon, Texas Tech, and West Virginia.

The addition of Elmore would be a huge boost for this team as it heads into the summer months.

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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star WR Jaden Mitchell verbally commits to Wildcats

Mitchell’s new home will be in Tucson

The Arizona Wildcats held their spring scrimmage at the end of March and hosted a bunch of recruits for it.

One particular recruit really enjoyed his second visit to Tucson last month, so much so that he decided to stay.

Jaden Mitchell — 3-star receiver from Desert Pines High School (Las Vegas, NV) — gave the Wildcats his pledge on Friday.

Breaking: Wide receiver Jaden Mitchell of Las Vegas, Nev./Desert Pines commits to #Arizona.

— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) April 28, 2017

He visited Tucson in early March with other Vegas-area recruits and really enjoyed his time on campus.

“It went really well,” Mitchell said of his visit. “They have a beautiful campus, beautiful facilities. There are nice people down there and have a good coaching staff.”

While on his first visit he managed to catch up with freshman sensation Tony Fields, who played at Desert Pines.

“We talked about the university, practices, and what it is like there,” Mitchell said of his conversations with Fields.

Arizona has a couple of other incoming freshmen from Desert Pines in cornerback Tony Wallace and offensive lineman Edgar Burrola. The Wildcats have been working rather hard to rebuild a pipeline into Las Vegas and so far it has been a success.

When it comes to Mitchell, I really like what he brings to Tucson and think he’ll fit in well with the offense. He is very decisive in his actions on the field and that is not a bad thing. His elusiveness and speed are definitely attributes to pay attention to. He has good hands and has good concentration to make tough catches. His initial burst of speed is quite violent, but he has a finesse about his game that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Mitchell finished his junior — and final — season at Desert Oasis High School with 18 catches for 264 yards and two touchdowns. At quarterback he totaled 150 passing yards with one touchdown plus 336 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

His junior season highlights can be viewed here.

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Arizona softball: Mike Candrea may be an ASU alum, but he’s no Sun Devil

Candrea may have two degrees from ASU, but he’s a full-blown Wildcat

If there is anybody who knows what it means to be an Arizona Wildcat, it’s Mike Candrea.

The Hall of Fame coach has been at the University of Arizona for 32 years, making him (by far) the school’s longest tenured coach.

On top of that, he’s at the helm of arguably the school’s most successful program, winning eight national championships and over 1,500 games in those 32 years.

The weird part? He’s actually a Sun Devil — or at least used to be.

Candrea earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree at ASU in the 1970s, roughly a decade before he took over the reigns of Arizona softball.

“It’s honestly weird, because even though I knew he was an alum there, I never really thought of him being an ASU person,” said UA pitcher Taylor McQuillin.

UA pitcher Danielle O’Toole, who transferred from San Diego State, was just as surprised to hear about Candrea’s past as anybody.

“I was like ‘really?’” she said. “But it makes sense. He grew up in that area, so it’s not a big deal and he never talks about it.”

He never talks about it because, as UA and ASU gear up to face each other this weekend, it’s clear Candrea is not an “ASU person”, even if his degrees say otherwise.

“Every time we have conversations (about ASU), he’s just like, ‘shove it up their butt.’ All this kind of stuff,” McQuillin said. “He’s getting us pumped up just like we’re trying to get ourselves pumped up, so it’s really weird.”

Added UA left fielder Mandie Perez: “I think he put that on the back burner and he’s all about being at the UofA, but I think it’s surprising to think about. It’s kinda funny to say that he has some stuff from ASU. But I don’t really think it’s as big of a deal as I thought it would be. I think it’s more funny than anything.”

Now that Candrea has been at Arizona for more than three decades, rarely, if ever, does he think about his ASU ties.

“It’s another Pac-12 team. I mean, I’ve been around long enough to have a rivalry with everyone,” he said.

You sure as heck won’t find Candrea rooting for ASU softball, but what about its other teams? Does he have any love for his alma mater?

“No, absolutely not,” he said. “If you cut my veins now, they’d be red and blue. I’m way beyond that.”

As McQuillin put it, Candrea has “found his way.”

“I think he’s always been an Arizona person at heart,” she said. “But he just had the wrong school from the start.”

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Arizona softball: Wildcats to host ASU for rivalry weekend and senior weekend

It’s rivalry week!

If there’s one thing the Arizona softball team is grateful for, it’s that they don’t have have to travel to Tempe for rivalry weekend this year.

The Wildcats will host ASU for a three-game series this weekend, starting on Friday at Hillenbrand Stadium.

“I actually hate going over there,” said UA ace Danielle O’Toole of Tempe. “I’ve only been there a couple of times. I went there when I was at San Diego State for a regional and I was like ‘I freaking hate this place’ and then I came here (to Arizona) and I hated it even more. I don’t like playing up there. I don’t know what it is. I really don’t.”

Mandie Perez says it’s the weather.

“I hate going over there, because it’s so hot,” the UA left fielder said. “I love that [this year’s series] is at Hillenbrand, that my family can come, and I love that we don’t have to travel over there. I’m just happy that they’re coming to our place because it’s going to be full of our fans and I’m kinda excited because they bring people too. They bring busses full of their fans, so it’s kinda exciting to see a bunch of different people coming to watch.”

Arizona (45-4, 15-3 Pac-12) is coming off its first home loss of the season, when it dropped a 4-3 ballgame at the hands of the Oregon Ducks, who were able to avoid a three-game sweep.

“I think we should’ve had it and I take the responsibility for that loss,” said O’Toole, who surrendered two late solo homers to allow the Ducks to escape with the win in the series finale.

“We need a sweep here. I know we should be looking at it a game at a time, but we’re looking to go for it.”

The rare home loss to Oregon kept the Wildcats at third in the national rankings, but they still hold a slim first-place lead over the Utah Utes, who possess a 12-4 conference record.

“I think the first thing our team is thinking of is the rivalry weekend and senior weekend versus ASU, but also finishing off Pac-12 strong and trying to get a Pac-12 Championship under our belts because Arizona hasn’t had it for a while,” said UA pitcher Taylor McQuillin. “That’s the first thing on our mind, and then obviously we’re going to focus on one game at a time.”

Arizona has not won the Pac-12 since 2007, and will have to get through No. 23 ASU and No. 12 UCLA to close out the regular season to change that.

ASU enters this weekend’s series 27-14 overall with a 6-9 mark in conference play. The Sun Devils dropped two of three to Utah last weekend in Tempe.

ASU is seventh in the conference in runs scored, but is fourth in the Pac-12 in homers (44). Shortstop Chelsea Gonzalez spearheads the Sun Devils’ offense, leading the team in batting average (.372), home runs (10), RBIs (41), slugging percentage (.744) and several other categories.

In the circle, ASU is third in the conference in ERA (1.79) and leads the Pac-12 in strikeouts.

The Sun Devils don’t have a prototypical ace, as they have three pitchers that have tossed 70 innings or more, but all three have ERAs under 3.00.

Breanna Macha (1.52 ERA) and Dale Ryndak (1.88 ERA) both rank in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in ERA.

“We’re looking forward to coming back and getting back on track,” Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said. “ASU is a good team and it’s the Territorial Cup and rivalry weekend and all that good stuff and hopefully we’ll come out and do what we’ve been doing and that’s play the game hard.

“I think it’ll be a good crowd and I think it was good that we had Oregon last week so they could kinda get a feel for what it’s like when this place is rocking.”

Even though it is senior weekend, the Wildcats are likely to have at least a few more home games this season, seeing that they are in a strong position to host a regional, if not a super regional, next month.

They certainly won’t be playing any games in Tempe, though, and they don’t mind.

“I’m excited that we’re here (in Tucson) because I hate going up there,” said O’Toole, who will likely be starting in the circle in Friday’s game.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and all three games of the series will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

Arizona won two of three versus ASU last season in Tempe. The Wildcats are 92-51-1 all-time against the Sun Devils.

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Arizona baseball recap: Wildcats drop series opener to Stanford 3-2

The Cats are now below .500 in conference play

The Arizona Wildcats lost their fourth consecutive conference game on Thursday night, and the third straight week this team lost on a Thursday. In Palo Alto, the Stanford Cardinal came back for a 3-2 victory to open the three-game set.

Arizona is now 9-10 in Pac-12 play. Stanford improves to 9-7 against conference foes.

U of A got on the board right away. After a pair of singles put runners on the corners, Jared Oliva hit a sac fly to center to score Cal Stevenson, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

Mid-3rd on TheFarm, @ArizonaBaseball leads Stanford 2-0 on Cal Stevenson's leadoff single/run in 1st & Louis Boyd's bloop RBI single in 3rd http://pic.twitter.com/aMqtNsUmmM

— Eric Sorenson (@Stitch_Head) April 28, 2017

The lead doubled in the top of the fourth. Cesar Salazar appeared to have grounded into a double play, but the throw to first got away, allowing the Arizona catcher to reach base and advance to second.

This brought Louis Boyd up with two outs, and he delivered an RBI single to center, scoring Salazar from second.

Louis Boyd bloops one in to score Cesar Salazar and make it 2-0 Cats!#BearDown https://t.co/Pouw83Z3X3

— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) April 28, 2017

Cameron Ming allowed his first run of the game in the bottom half of the inning when Brandon Wulff hit a solo home run to left center on the eighth pitch of his at bat.

Ming did a solid job taking on the first starter role this week, scattering six hits and a walk over 6 ¹⁄₃ innings.

But it was that bottom of the seventh that would sink Arizona at Sunken Diamond.

Yes, the @ArizonaBaseball dugout sits indian style when they are on defense. It's stretch time at Sunken Diamond, Cats lead SU 2-1. http://pic.twitter.com/ncpL2vtMOy

— Eric Sorenson (@Stitch_Head) April 28, 2017

Ming should have had two quick outs, but a throwing error by Nick Quintana allowed Wulff to reach base. This was followed by back-to-back doubles, quickly putting the Cardinal up 3-2.

That’s when Michael Flynn came to the mound. He finished the game with a scoreless 1 ²⁄₃ innings, but the offense was unable to get anything going to get Ming off the hook for the loss. The Cardinal never had a lead-off hitter reach base in this one.

The game ended when Boyd took off from first before Stanford closer Colton Hock delivered the pitch to home plate. Hock turned around, got Boyd at second, and finished off the six-out save.

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Arizona and Stanford meet again on Friday at 7 PM PT. The game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks. It’s unclear who the Wildcats will have on the mound. The Cardinal are expected to throw LHP Andrew Summerville.

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Arizona basketball recruiting: How to fill the holes facing the 2018 Wildcats’ roster

A quick look at the needs for the 2018 class.

While the Arizona Wildcats’ 2017 class isn’t fully wrapped up as we’re still waiting on Brian Bowen, Trevon Duval, and some other notable transfers to make a final decision, we can start to look toward the 2018 recruiting class and the spaces Arizona will need to fill.

Right now, the 2018 class is in great shape with top-15 wing Emmanuel Akot and top-30 stretch forward Shareef O’Neal already on the board, even though it’s not yet May. However, it still has a long way to go to ensure Arizona is a title favorite.

It might seem crazy to say that the Wildcats wouldn’t be a title favorite, but the 2018 roster will look dramatically different than it currently does. For one, UA will be very young. Secondly, it will have a lot of holes that need to be filled.

At the moment, I’m projecting at least six open spots that could reach a max of eight openings. Those include Parker Jackson-Cartwright (eligibility), Dusan Ristic (eligibility), Talbott Denny (eligibility), Keanu Pinder (eligibility), Allonzo Trier (NBA Draft), and DeAndre Ayton (NBA Draft). Rawle Alkins and Chance Comanche, who are both still technically in the NBA Draft but many expect to pull out, could easily put their names in as well.

The holes which will need to be filled are obvious: point guard, power forward, and center. The team will likely still have Dylan Smith and Brandon Randolph occupying the shooting guard position barring either of them having a breakout year and heading into the draft. But other than that, Ira Lee, Alex Barcello, and a likely transfer are the only players who seem to be locked into the 2018-2019 season.

What this means is that Sean Miller — and his newly appointed recruiting czar Lorenzo Romar — will be able to offer immediate playing time to the best players in the country.

The following is more or less a brief overview of who could fit in the roles the team needs to fill and not a complete 2018 target list.

Point Guard:

Brandon Williams

Quentin Grimes

Tre Jones

Jahvon Quinerly

Power Forward or Stretch Forward:

Miles Norris

Taeshon Cherry

Center:

Jordan Brown

Moses Brown

Bol Bol

Everything:

Marvin Bagley III

The jewel of this class is undoubtedly Bagley and his unofficial position as a ‘point-forward.’ Due to this, it either gives this class a great deal of flexibility or crowds some people out; you could look at it either way. Regardless, landing Bagley is task one, and once you do, selling this team and its ability becomes that much easier.

If the team has six openings, which seems like a fair assessment, two are already on the board. If you add Bagley — which I think is better than 50-50 currently — it leaves landing a point guard and center as a must. I’d venture to guess that Brandon Williams, assuming he’s healthy, would be the most likely to wind up in Tucson at this point.

The center position is a little tougher to stake out, but Bol Bol’s name is definitely out there and his connection with Shareef O’Neal (they played on the same EYBL squad) definitely doesn’t hurt the chances. Jordan Brown would seem to be next in line as he’s on the west coast and they’ve built a good rapport with his side over the course of the recruitment.

Norris and Cherry are also very much involved and however the roster shakes out, the team will likely need another power forward alongside Ira Lee as Bagley won’t be solely locked into the ‘four’ position.

As you well know, it is definitely early and this is a fluid process but I wanted to give just a brief update and/or something to think about in this major sport dead period.

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Eating South Tempe

Minnesota grad transfer Gaelin Elmore to announce decision on Friday

Arizona was one of the places he visited

Sometime on Friday, Minnesota Golden Gophers grad transfer Gaelin Elmore is set to decide on where he will play college football next year according to his Twitter account.

Elmore visited Tucson and the Arizona Wildcats back on April 7th, which was the first stop of a little tour of the country the seasoned defensive lineman went on. From Tucson, Elmore went straight to South Carolina to check out what the Gamecocks have to offer. It also appears he went to Houston the following weekend.

Some other schools that have offered Elmore include: Oregon, Texas Tech, West Virginia, and East Carolina. He was also supposed to take a visit to Oklahoma, but once he received the Arizona offer, he traveled to Tucson instead.

Last year, Elmore recorded 16 tackles (4 for loss), 1.5 sacks, a pass breakup, and three fumble recoveries in 13 games played for Minnesota.

At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Elmore would be a very welcome addition to the Arizona defensive line. He could probably play anywhere along the line for the Wildcats, but is probably best suited to play on the edge. He would also become the team’s tallest defensive lineman. He’s very similar in size to Larry Tharpe Jr., who came on the scene in a big way at the end of the 2016 season.

Here’s a look at some of Elmore’s highlights at Minnesota. He wore No. 87 for the Gophers.

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Arizona baseball: Matt Fraizer’s second start of the year a glimpse into the Wildcats’ future

Some very talented freshmen are starting to play more

There was a stretch where the Arizona Wildcats’ lineup went largely unchanged for a few weekends, but now things are starting to get shaken up a little bit.

Cameron Cannon has started six of the team’s last eight games at second base after starting just 12 of the first 31. And on Tuesday, Matt Fraizer made his second start of the season, and the first since opening weekend.

“It was after batting practice they let me know,” Fraizer said about when he found out he was going to make his second start. “It’s just a game. It’s baseball and I’ve been playing my whole life so I just made sure I was ready for it.”

“It was cool to finally see Fraizer in the starting lineup,” fellow freshman Nick Quintana added. “We have such a good outfield that it kinda sucks sometimes that he doesn’t get the playing time that I think he should get, but it comes down to who can play the best, and when he got in the starting lineup today, it was kind of cool to see how the next two or three years would play out.”

“He’s a good player man,” head coach Jay Johnson said when asked about that particular decision against New Mexico State. “You guys are gonna be talking about him all the time, and maybe he should’ve played more to this point, and probably will play more.”

“Matt could end up being the best player in the program at some point, maybe sooner than later,” added Johnson. “I really believe that.”

Fraizer went 1-for-3 and walked once against NMSU.

“I’ve been seeing the ball really good lately these past couple days,” Fraizer said of his performance against the Aggies. “I just tried to stay aggressive with my swing without holding back. Just try to let it go and be aggressive out there.”

“For the first time starting in a while, I thought he did exceptionally well,” added Quintana. “He came up big when he needed to, so it was definitely cool to see.”

So with Fraizer in the lineup, Arizona had him in right, Cannon at second, and Quintana at third, something that Wildcat fans should probably get used to seeing at Hi Corbett in the coming years.

“We’ll be pretty good with the three of us and then adding in some other guys,” Fraizer added. “It’s definitely exciting to see all three of us play today.”

“There were a lot of dudes that are gonna be running around this diamond for a long time doing some really good things tonight,” Johnson added about having three freshmen out there at once.

“Oh hell yeah — sorry heck yeah — excuse me, that’s how excited I am,” coach exclaimed when asked if Tuesday was a small glimpse into the future. “The three guys that we had out there are really winning-type players, and they’re great players too and when you get a program going the way you want it to, sometimes that’s how it should be, where your older guys are more ready to help you win and the young guys push ‘em, and those three are great.”

“For the rest of this year, hopefully they keep doing it, and I’m building the program around them,” continued Johnson. “I have no problem saying that.”

That’s a pretty big statement in the middle of a year where Arizona had been in the top three of the RPI all season up until this week.

“It feels good,” Fraizer responded when hearing about that comment from Johnson. “But you still gotta come to the field, work hard, keep getting better, and just because he says that doesn’t mean it’s going to be handed to you, so you gotta earn your spot.”

“It’s a good feeling,” Quintana tacked on about hearing Johnson’s statement. “Every year there’s a bunch of guys that will come in, so there’s always going to be those JuCo transfers or those incoming true freshmen that are going to come in and take some people’s spots, but for him to say that he’s building the program around us, it’s exciting and I would say comfortable.”

“I don’t like using that word too much because I like to be the best I can be and grind every day and practice hard, but I think him building the program around us is exciting because I know we’ll be in the starting lineup the next two or three years and we can have this bond together going into the future that we were the dudes, so it’s cool to see that.”

For Fraizer and Cannon, they’ve been able to learn a lot about the college game even though they haven’t played nearly as much as a guy like Quintana.

“I’ve had a really good learning experience out here,” Fraizer explained. “Each game I take an older guy and see how they play the game, and every day I just try to get better by watching every guy by seeing how they play; it’s helping me a lot.”

“Even when I’m on the bench I still try to embrace my role,” Cannon said of his situation before the Utah series. “Just be a good teammate and get energy in the dugout but it’s a lot of fun. I learn a lot just from watching. Good at bats lead to better outcomes, so I just try to learn from other hitters on the team.”

The day when these two guys stop watching and start playing all the time is coming quick, and maybe it’s coming quicker than we thought just a few weeks ago.

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Arizona football recruiting: 3-star safety D’Angelo McKenzie has great communication with the Wildcats’ staff

The San Jose defensive back really admires the Arizona coaching staff

The Spring Evaluation period signals an increase in the tempo of recruiting around the country.

One offer that the Arizona Wildcats sent out recently was to D’Angelo McKenzie.

The 6-foot, 180 pound 3-star safety out of Christian Valley High School (San Jose, CA) has had a busy recruitment so far, boasting double digit offers.

“I have ten offers,” McKenzie explained. “All offers stand out to me. Being able to play at a high level of football is just an amazing opportunity. I could see myself playing anywhere I get an opportunity to start and play.”

In the coming months, McKenzie has a busy schedule ahead of him. So far he has taken two unofficial visits and has many more that he is looking to take.

“I have visited UCLA and USC,” McKenzie said. “I plant to visit Notre Dame, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, California, Stanford, Colorado, and more schools in time.”

When it comes to Arizona’s role in McKenzie’s recruitment, a Wildcat offer came his way about a week ago.

Blessed to say I have received and offer from University of Arizona #BearDown @BrandonHuffman @DMATHLETIX http://pic.twitter.com/ZeUvxafLhD

— D'Angelo Mckenzie™ (@d_young_king) April 18, 2017

“I sent my tape and info to Coach Chris Singletary. They said they would evaluate me and watch my film. After that, no response,” McKenzie explained. “But I just kept bugging the coach asking him ‘Did you guys evaluate me?’ Later on that week I end up calling the coach and receiving an offer.”

After the offer came in, McKenzie and the staff have stayed in contact and now he is planning to visit Tucson soon. He also has quite a bit of interest in the ‘Cats.

“Interest level is high. The coaches caught my eye,” he said. “They are good men and keep me updated on The University of Arizona.”

When it comes to him having a commitment date, McKenzie is still deciding when he will choose his next home, but it appears his recruitment might go the distance.

“I honestly don’t know yet but senior year signing day (NSD’18) for now.”

However, when it comes to choosing his next home he has some qualities that he is looking for.

“Opportunity to start, play football, run track, and a really good business management program.”

McKenzie plays free safety for his high school and is excellent at patrolling the back end of the defense. He has great vision of the field and his ability to read the quarterback’s eyes is very noticeable. One thing that stands out is he is in no way, shape, or form unwilling to come up and stop the run. He is hard-hitting and really lowers the boom on receivers and backs alike.

During his junior year with the Warriors, McKenzie racked up 54 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 INT, 2 PBU, and 2 fumble recoveries.

His junior season highlights can be viewed here.

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Arizona baseball recap: Wildcats get 11-2 midweek victory over New Mexico State

Five-star forward Brandon McCoy commits to UNLV over Arizona, Oregon, and Michigan State

A somewhat surprising result on the recruiting front.

Well, that was surprising.

Brandon McCoy, one of the top players in the 2017 class and one of the few remaining unsigned players, committed to UNLV Tuesday evening.

Blessd and truly thankful to say I've committed to UNLV !!! http://pic.twitter.com/w4aw8gFidU

— Brandon McCoy (@flyguyfreddyy) April 26, 2017

The five-star power forward, ranked 13th overall per 247Sports, was choosing between Arizona, Michigan State, Oregon, and San Diego State. Many in the industry felt Oregon had the edge for most of his recruitment but the loss of nearly its entire team could have affected things.

Arizona fans will see McCoy when the Wildcats play the Rebs in Vegas on December 2nd.

As it stands now, this is the Runnin Rebels’ second commitment and one that will give them a huge boost in the Mountain West Conference — though they still only have the third-best recruiting class.

Not sure anyone noticed but UNLV JC commit Anthony Smith played for Ground-Up AAU club run by Shaun Manning, who is Brandon McCoy's guardian

— Mark Zeigler (@sdutzeigler) January 20, 2017

This is UNLV’s highest-ranked recruit since Stephen Zimmerman, who ironically, also spurned Arizona and other bigger programs to play in the lights of Las Vegas.

Arizona is still in contention for five-star forward Brian Bowen and five-star point guard Trevon Duval. At one point it looked like Arizona was in the driver’s seat for Bowen, but Allonzo Trier's return has thrown a wrench into that thinking; possibly giving Creighton an opportunity to swoop in.

Duval has never looked like a high likelihood, with Duke being the apparent favorite but you never know (as we just saw with McCoy going to UNLV).

Both Bowen and Duval have said they intend to commit by the end of April/early May so we should have some news coming in the next week or two.

Stay tuned.

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Arizona softball: Reyna Carranco has become the Wildcats’ silent stud

One of Arizona’s lesser-known freshmen is starting to turn some heads

Not only are the Arizona Wildcats one of the best teams in the country this year, they’re doing it with a lot of inexperienced players in the lineup.

Three freshmen came into this season either making a national team or getting a chance to try out for one. Catcher Dejah Mulipola and first baseman Jessie Harper were named to the USA Junior Women’s National Team, while redshirt freshman Alyssa Palomino was at the Women’s National Team camp along with Danielle O’Toole.

All three of them are in the lineup, but the freshman that’s really starting to get things going is second baseman Reyna Carranco.

This past weekend against Oregon, Carranco went 5-for-9 at the plate, scored two runs, drove in two runs, and walked once. In Saturday’s game, she was 3-for-4 including two huge hits in the late innings to give Arizona the 10-7 win.

“I think I just wanted to hit the ball hard,” she said of those two late hits against the Ducks. “I slapped the previous two at bats so I just wanted to hit the ball hard.”

“I didn’t think I’d come up in these exact spots, but I knew I’d be in some kind of situations like these,” Carranco continued. “I’m just happy to do what I did.”

“I think it just shows that we’re good from one through nine,” senior Katiyana Mauga added about the team’s eight-hole hitter getting big hits in a game like that. “That just shows how great of a team we are. If you have everyone working and everyone on their game or coming in clutch, I think it’s just great to have everyone working.”

Carranco’s numbers this past weekend are just the latest example of marked improvement by the young second baseman. On March 18th, her season batting average was down to as low as .143. But just a month and five days later, she was all the way up to .306.

“I think I just keep my head down and keep grinding,” she explained. “Even through the hard times I just keep doing what I know how to do and hopefully it’ll turn my way.”

“She’s kind of the silent stud,” head coach Mike Candrea added about her improvement. “She sits down in that eight spot and she keeps doing it and doing it and doing it.”

“She’s gotten better during conference, so I’m very excited about the production that she’s getting down there,” Candrea continued. “Reyna’s got a really good eye, a really good temperament for the game, and it’s almost like you gotta take her pulse to make sure she’s alive because she’s just really low key.”

One of the big reasons Carranco’s offensive numbers have ballooned the way they have was a massive paradigm shift with the best way to use her at the plate.

“She was getting thrown away a lot, so we finally decided to go with the short game,” Candrea explained. “Early in the year she did not short game at all, and I said ‘Probably the easiest thing for you is to go to the short game if they’re throwing you away’ and she’s really good at getting on top of the ball and bouncing it.”

It’s hard to remember that almost half of the Wildcats’ regular starting lineup is still just 40+ games into their college career, and they’ve only lost four times in that stretch.

“I love this team,” Carranco said. “This is like my favorite team ever, and we just have fun together. We’re just relaxed, know what to do, and we just have fun together.”

“I think it’s so fun,” Carranco added about being part of this particular group of freshmen. “It’s really fun because our freshmen group is really good. I look up to them too, but we just have fun playing together.”

“All these kids have matured over the year,” Candrea tacked on about his players’ growth. “And the more big games you play, the better decisions you make, and the more confident you are, and it’s just fun to see that this team has finally come to fruition.”

With Carranco and Harper, the right side of Arizona’s infield is an all-freshman look, and to make things even more complicated, Harper had never even played first base before this season. Luckily Carranco has been playing second base basically her whole life.

“It’s really cool to see how well she’s transitioning to that,” Carranco said of her teammate. “I really like playing next to her. Jessie’s the one that had to move, so I was like ‘Oohf’, but I think she did a good job at first because I think she knew how to transition. I think it was a good move for her.”

“She doesn’t get really excited,” Candrea added about Carranco at second. “She plays second base, which is one of the toughest positions to play in this game, and there’s so many responsibilities you have, and she’s always in the right place at the right time. She’s just got that knack and she keeps the game slow.”

“Her mentality being a flat-liner kinda helps her in big games, and that’s what happened as she got into conference.”

The games only get bigger from here, so if Arizona has someone that’s not flustered by that at an incredibly important position in the field and down in the lineup coming up with big hits, there’s no telling what this team is capable of.

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2017 James Beard Awards: Film Nod For Phoenix’s Bite Magazine, Food Talkies Collaboration

Arizona football: Tyrell Johnson runs a 4.24 40-yard dash

Yeah, he’s still fast

Even though he’s suffered a couple of leg injuries during his college career, Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tyrell Johnson is still ridiculously fast.

Back on April 15, Johnson returned to track and field competition in grand fashion, running a 10.42 second 100m, which was good for seventh overall at that particular meet.

Well, he showcased his stuff again at a timing day for the Arizona football team on Monday. He was clocked at 4.24 seconds while running a 40-yard dash.

http://pic.twitter.com/PEVbAm6YGq

— Tyrell Johnson (@johnsonboy239) April 24, 2017

Tyrell Johnson comin for the record @ArizonaFBall http://pic.twitter.com/Y8FxrtDlx1

— DeVaughn Cooper (@coopa_da_rula) April 24, 2017

This man TJ just ran a 4.24

— God's Gift (@Check_Google) April 24, 2017

I ran a 4.21, no one saw it though. https://t.co/kkjDW6DCGN

— Sammy Morrison (@samurai_2727) April 24, 2017

According to USA Today, a 4.24 40 would be tied for second all-time among NFL Combine participants. The fastest time ever was run just this year by Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross III, who turned in a 4.22 showing in Indy.

Arizona has plenty of fast guys on offense. If the coaches can come up with creative ways to use that talent in games, then the Wildcats could certainly score points with more ease than they did last year.

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Arizona softball: Katiyana Mauga, Danielle O’Toole, Mo Mercado, and Mandie Perez selected in National Pro Fastpitch Draft

Three of them were picked in the top 10

Four members of the Arizona softball team were selected in the 2017 National Pro Fastpitch Draft on Monday.

Three of them were drafted in the second round.

Third baseman Katiyana Mauga was taken sixth overall by the Texas Charge, pitcher Danielle O’Toole was selected eighth overall by the Chicago Bandits, and shortstop Mo Mercado was drafted ninth overall by the USSSA Pride.

Left fielder Mandie Perez was drafted by the Pride in fourth round (19th overall).

Here were their respective reactions:

Congrats to @katiyana_13, the first pick of the second round of the @profastpitch draft! http://pic.twitter.com/H3gdqqNZ4p

— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) April 25, 2017

Congrats to @Oh_tooly3, the third pick of the second round! http://pic.twitter.com/R2HlJEjoMl

— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) April 25, 2017

We own the second round! Three of the last four picks are Wildcats! Congrats to @MercadoMo! http://pic.twitter.com/CtKkjszcB2

— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) April 25, 2017

Our fourth draft pick today and now our fourth member of @USSSAPride is Mandie Perez! http://pic.twitter.com/mze8neUIl1

— Arizona Softball (@UA_Softball) April 25, 2017

Mauga recently broke UA’s all-time home record and is the only player in NCAA history to hit 20 or more homers in four seasons. She is hitting .361/.488/.926 this season with 21 homers and 53 RBIs.

Mauga has hit 88 career homers, seven shy of tying the all-time NCAA record, held by former Oklahoma Sooner Lauren Chamberlain.

O’Toole, Arizona’s ace, is 24-3 this season with a 0.92 ERA in 172.1 innings.

Mercado is leading Arizona in batting average (.407) to go along with a career-high nine homers and 47 RBIs.

Perez, Arizona’s steady leadoff hitter, is hitting .396/.513/.530 and leads the Wildcats in hits (60) and runs scored (58).

Perez and Mercado could potentially be teammates with former Wildcats Chelsea Goodacre and Hallie Wilson, who are currently listed on the Pride’s roster.

Goodacre is also an undergraduate assistant at Arizona.

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You can follow this author on Twitter at @RKelapire

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Arizona baseball recruiting: Get to know 2020 commit Ethan Long

A potential right-handed flamethrower coming to Tucson in the coming years.

Ethan Long is currently wrapping up his freshman season at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, AZ. He was in a very fortunate situation entering high school as he had already committed to the Arizona Wildcats’ 2020 class back in November of 2015.

Long is also another example of the Arizona staff effectively recruiting the top in-state prospects.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ethan and his father, JP Long, recently when the Wildcats traveled to Phoenix to take on GCU. Later that week, I caught up with Ethan to gather some information for Wildcat fans.

UA Class: 2020

High School: Mesquite (Gilbert, AZ)

Position(s): Right field, third base, and RHP

Club Team(s): MVP Banditos (Texas and Florida), Team Elite (Georgia), and AZ T-Rex (Arizona)

Favorite MLB Baseball Player(s): Bryce Harper and Josh Donaldson because of their strong work ethic and dedication to the game.

Greatest baseball accomplishment(s): Committing to UA as an 8^th grader and representing the USA in the 2016 Japan U-15 games (Team USA brought home the bronze medal).

Favorite HS course study: Math as he’s very strong with numbers and remembering formulas.

Desired college field of study: Currently undecided but he would like to explore personal training/physical therapy.

Role model(s): First and foremost is his father because of his strong work ethic. JP has taught Ethan the meaning of hard work and its application to every aspect of life.

Second is Bryce Harper who constantly exhibits hard work but also because of his intense competitive spirit.

Lastly, Noah Syndergaard as a pitcher who is also an intense competitor and his dedication to the game is a point of inspiration. Also, his hair. Ethan had a similar hair style until he had to cut it for his freshman season.

Favorite food(s): Steak and Chicken Wings

Favorite vacation destination: Florida for his love of the ocean and fishing.

This week, the Mesquite Wildcats will enter the Class 5A playoffs as a serious contender to win the State Championship. They finished the regular season with a 20-9 record.

Ethan has been the only freshman on the varsity squad all season. Although this is his first season playing at the high school level, he was able to post upperclassman statistics.

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2017 Regular Season Stats

Games Played: 27, AVG: .250, OBP: .333, SLG: .345, 11 RBI, 12 Runs, and three stolen bases

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Arizona softball: Photo gallery from series win over Oregon

Some images from the biggest series of the year

Over the weekend, the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats took two of three from the No. 7 Oregon Ducks at Hillenbrand Stadium.

Check out some of the images we got from the first couple of games. And in case you missed the game recaps:

• 2-0 win on Friday
• 10-7 win on Saturday
• 4-3 loss on Sunday

PLUS:

• Ashleigh Hughes gets a surprise visit from her brother
• NCAA releases preliminary national rankings

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Arizona baseball: Wildcats tumble down national polls

A lot of rankings in the teens now

After getting swept at home for the first time in the Jay Johnson era, it’s no surprise that the Arizona Wildcats fell quite a bit in the national rankings.

After being ranked 7th by most human polls last week, Arizona now finds itself somewhere in the teens in most of them.

Here’s a look:

I guess the thing to realize here is that 16 teams host Regionals, and the top eight are guaranteed Super Regionals if they get through the first weekend. So with Arizona still being ranked 8th in the RPI, it’s not like the Utah series killed this team’s hopes to host in the postseason.

In fact, Utah is now 35th in the RPI. Them and UCLA are the only teams in the top 65 that haven’t reached the 20 win mark yet this year, so the depth of the Pac-12 probably shouldn’t be overlooked right now.

The one problem facing Arizona right now is the status of JC Cloney moving forward, and if he’ll be able to return to the mound sooner than later. As was evident this weekend, the pitching staff isn’t consistent enough to get the job done in this conference, and there aren’t enough quality left-handed options.

Arizona returns to action on Tuesday night when they host the New Mexico State Aggies for a single midweek game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 PM PT. Then Arizona will make their Bay Area trip, facing Stanford Thursday-Saturday this weekend.

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Arizona football recruiting SitRep: Wildcats pick up their third commitment of the 2018 class

The ‘Cats land a solid defensive lineman plus other updates

This past week was a busy one for the Arizona Wildcats. Not only did they add their third commitment to their 2018 class, but the assistant coaches hit the road for the evaluation period.

There’s that and more so let’s dive into this week’s SitRep.

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Adam Plant Jr.

On Wednesday, the Wildcats added a third member to their 2018 recruiting class. Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, NV) 3-star defensive end Adam Plant Jr. gave Arizona his pledge.

Plant talked with his parents and the coaches and felt that Arizona was the best fit for him. He visited Tucson in early March and fell in love with the school and city.

The Wildcat defensive front is starting to take on a different look the past two recruiting cycles and it’s not a bad thing. They are getting bigger, faster, and lengthier... not to mention the talent level is increasing. In a couple of years, the d-line is most likely going to be a strength of the Arizona defense.

Full Article

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2018 Recruiting Notes

• This past Monday started the Spring Evaluation period that runs until the end of May. That means that the Arizona assistant coaches made their way around the country visiting prospects and handing out offers. Scott Boone made his way through Utah and Southern California while Theron Aych went to Texas. Jahmile Addae made his way through Florida — mainly the Tampa area — which resulted in a few new offers. Expect more offers to come throughout the next month and possibly a commit or two.
• Tyler Manoa (3-star defensive tackle from St. Francis High School (Mountain View, CA)) released a Top 5 on his Twitter that included Arizona along with California, BYU, Utah, and Colorado.
• Nikko Remigio (4-star wide receiver from Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, CA)) told Scout.com this week that Arizona is among five schools recruiting him the hardest.
• With Adam Plant’s commitment, UA has a solid pipeline into Las Vegas. Don’t be surprised to see at least a couple of other players from Vegas call Tucson their next home when all is said and done.

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2018 Offers

Quarterback

• Jack Tuttle: Mission Hills HS (San Marcos, CA)/6-foot-4/195 pounds/4-star/Utah Commit

Wide Receiver

• Ja’Marr Chase: Archbishop Rummel HS (Metairie, LA)/6-foot-1/193 pounds/4-star
• Jaron Woodyard: The Avalon School (Gaithersburg, MD)/5-foot-11/180 pounds/Unranked/Arizona Western

Offensive Line

• Jason Dickson: Vallejo HS (Vallejo, CA)/OT/6-foot-7/310 pounds/Unranked/Diablo Valley C.C.
• Jaren Kump: Herriman HS (Herriman, UT)/OT/6-foot-6/245 pounds/3-star/BYU Commit

Defensive Line

• Jonathan King: Tampa Bay Tech HS (Tampa, FL)/DE/6-foot-2/240 pounds/3-star

Linebacker

• Jack Lamb: Great Oak HS (Temecula, CA)/OLB/6-foot-4/220 pounds/4-star

Cornerback

• D’Angelo McKenzie: Valley Christian HS (San Jose, CA)/6-foot/175 pounds/3-star
• Ken Montgomery Jr.: Hillsborough HS (Tampa, FL)/6-foot-2/155 pounds/3-star

Safety

• Josiah Bradley: Saguaro HS (Scottsdale, AZ)/S/6-foot-1/190 pounds/3-star

Athlete

• Nikko Hall: Calabasas HS (Calabasas, CA)/6-foot-2/190 pounds/4-star

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