Wildcat Wrap: Arizona football completes first week of camp

Photo by Ryan Kelapire

It’s Monday, which means it is time to recap another week of Arizona Wildcats athletics. Let us know in the comment section if we missed anything!

Baseball

• Mark Melancon got traded by the Giants to the Braves at the trade deadline. Cal Stevenson was included in the Astros’ deal for Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez.
• Kevin Ginkel is posting insane strikeout numbers in the minors, and should be called up by the Diamondbacks soon.

Softball

• Senior catcher Dejah Mulipola and senior outfielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza were two of 30 players invited to USA Softball 2020 Olympic Team Selection Trials. Fifteen players make the final roster. If they make the team they will miss the 2020 college season. It is an interesting situation for APC in particular because she has already used her redshirt year, meaning her college career would be over if she plays in the Olympics. Mulipola would redshirt and return to the UA in 2021.
• We took a look at the state of Arizona softball under Mike Candrea.

Women’s basketball

• Another five-star recruit is strongly considering Arizona, illustrating how much the perception of the program has changed under Adia Barnes.

Soccer

• Arizona soccer’s senior leaders Kelcey Cavarra and Samantha Falasco have set the bar extremely high for the 2019 team.
• Arizona’s top recruit never made it to campus.
• Arizona’s first practice is Tuesday and the Red-Blue Game is Saturday at 6 p.m. at Mulcahy Stadium.

Beach volleyball

• Here’s a look at the state of UA beach volleyball under Steve Walker, the only coach in program history.

Football

• Cornerback depth was an issue last season. Not anymore.
• JB Brown moved from defensive end to defensive tackle, where he hopes to dominate the way the undersized Aaron Donald does in the NFL.
• Colin Schooler is in the best shape of his career, as he leads the UA defense into the 2019 season.
• Scott took a deep look at the offensive line.
• Senior Cedric Peterson is ready to lead the Wildcats’ young receiving corps. But even though the unit is young, Kevin Sumlin and Noel Mazzone like what they see.
• Freshmen will have a role on Arizona’s return, kick, and punting game.
• The Wildcats picked up a commitment from Alphonse Oywak, a three-star cornerback from Washington.
• Playing in Week 0 presents some benefits and challenges for Arizona, though it doesn’t really change how the team is preparing for the season.
• Mazzone says Arizona’s red-zone efficiency needs to improve in 2019. The numbers certainly don’t lie.
• Read why true freshman quarterback Grant Gunnell is “way ahead of the curve.”
• Running back Gary Brightwell hopes to play in the NFL one day, and doesn’t have a backup plan if he doesn’t.
• Arizona held an “evaluative” scrimmage on Saturday. Here’s a recap of that.
• Josh McCauley is on scholarship now, but don’t think that means he will stop working hard.

Men’s basketball

• Marcus Bagley picked ASU over Arizona and Cal, though it’s unclear if the Wildcats were actually after him.
• The Wildcats are one of six finalists for five-star guard Caleb Love.
• Alex Barcello is transferring to BYU.
• Arizona target MarJon Beauchamp is skipping college to train for the NBA. Had he gone to school, the Wildcats would have been in his Top 3.
• Puff Johnson listed Arizona in his Top 7.
• We completed our program evaluation series with a look at the state of men’s basketball under Sean Miller.

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