WEEK 5 (MARCH 4-8): UNLV // Tucson, Ariz. ; JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC // Fullerton, Calif.
#13/12 Arizona Wildcats (19-5) // UNLV Rebels (10-10), #1/1 Florida Gators (22-0), #14/18 Auburn Tigers (21-1), Long Beach State 49ers (10-10), #9/10 Baylor Bears (12-2), (RV/NR) Fresno State Bulldogs (14-5)
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THE GAMES
Date Time (MST) (Rank) Opponent Location
Wednesday, March 4 (13) Arizona 8, UNLV 3 Tucson, Ariz.
Wednesday, March 4 (13) Arizona 16, UNLV 6 (5 innings) Tucson, Ariz.
Friday, March 6 (1) Florida 10, (13) Arizona 0 (6 innings) Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Field)
Friday, March 6 (14) Auburn 20, (13) Arizona 2 (5 innings) Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Field)
Saturday, March 7 8:30 p.m. Long Beach State Fullerton, Calif. (Field 2)
Sunday, March 8 12:00 p.m. (9) Baylor Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Field)
Sunday, March 8 2:30 p.m. (RV) Fresno State Fullerton, Calif. (Anderson Field)
THIS WEEK: Thireenth-ranked Arizona (17-3) is set to play seven games over five days in the final week prior to the start of Pac-12 play. The Cats host UNLV for a midweek doubleheader before heading to Fullerton, Calif., for the talent-packed Judi Garman Classic. Arizona’s journey to Fullerton begins a 12-game road trip that will see stops in Berkeley and San Diego, Calif., and Las Cruces, N.M. The 12-game roadtrip will be the longest since a 2005 13-gamer. The Wildcats will look to carry momentum from a sweep of the Wildcat Invitational, where the Wildcats went 6-0, including four mercy-rule victories, and outscored their opponents 59-14.
LEADING OFF
- Arizona hosts UNLV for a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday. Arizona is 28-2 all-time against UNLV. The Cats 3-0 against the Rebels in 2014, two wins in Las Vegas and a victory at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
- UA heads to the Judi Garman Classic for the 32nd consecutive season. Arizona has participated in the tournament, formerly known as the CSFU Pony Invitational, Pony-Louisville Slugger and Kia Klassic, every year since 1984. Arizona is 120-49 all-time at the event, including a 3-2 all-time record in Fullerton in 2014.
- The Wildcats have proven power throughout the lineup (109 homers led the country in 2014), but Arizona has added a new element to its offensive attack in 2015: speed. Arizona has stolen 29 bases this season in 29 tries. The 28 steals are third in the Pac-12 and better Arizona’s 2014 total of 24 stolen bases. On the other side of the ball, Chelsea Goodacre has allowed just five steals in nine attempts.
- Additionally, Arizona has already hit 10 triples in 2015. The 10 three-baggers lead the Pac-12 and better UA’s 2014 60-game total of eight. In 2012 and 2013, Arizona hit a combined six triples (2 in 2012, 4 in 2013).
- Nine different Wildcats have hit home runs already this season; Arizona’s opponents have 11 total home runs. When Arizona led the country with 109 homers, nine different players hit home runs.
- Chelsea Goodacre hit three home runs in Arizona’s sweep of UNLV on Wednesday, giving her 55 career homers, ninth most in Wildcat history. Goodacre is two shy of tying Jenae Leles, Arizona’s current volunteer assistant coach, for eighth all-time.
- Over the last two calendar years, Arizona owns seven victories over top-five competition. Most recently, the Cats defeated No. 4 Oklahoma, 5-4, on Kellie Fox’s walkoff homer in the bottom of the seventh on Feb. 19 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. It was Arizona’s first victory over Oklahoma in the last nine games of the series.
- UA already owns two walkoff wins this season. Ashleigh Hughes hit a two-run, come-from-behind triple in the bottom of the eighth to beat Oklahoma State (3-2) on Feb. 8. On Feb. 19, Kellie Fox hit a walkoff homer to break a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the seventh vs. No. 4 Oklahoma. Both walkoff hits went to the opposite field.
- After sweeping UNLV, Arizona is 631-72 (.897) all-time at Hillenbrand Stadium. More impressively, UA has lost just 17 nonconference games in the stadium’s 22-plus years; its 385-17 record in such games equates to 96 victories in every 100 games.
- The Wildcats have scored more runs (184) than opponents have total hits (117).
- Arizona has walked just 42 batters (2.16 walks/7 IP) this season, fourth fewest in the Pac-12. This bucks a recent concerning trend. In 2014, UA pitchers walked 5.35/7 IP. 2013 - 3.98/7; 2012 - 3.78/7; 2011 - 4.17/7.
- Underclassmen seem to be adjusting well to the collegiate game. Freshmen and sophomore are hitting .402 with 14 of Arizona’s 30 home runs. Meanwhile the upperclassmen are hitting .364 on the season.
- Trish Parks has been named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three of the first four weeks of the season. Most recently, Parks went 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in the circle and batted .400 at the plate, helping Arizona to a sweep of the Wildcat Invitational to earn the award.
- Kellie Fox doubled twice, tripled and drove in seven runs while hitting .444 in the Wildcat Invitational, earning her College Sports Madness’s Pac-12 Player of the Week in week 4.
OPPONENTS
UNLV: The Rebels (6-9) come to Tucson winners of three straight and five of their last six. UNLV is led by Garie Blando (.403 avg, 7 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI) offensively and Kwyn Cooper (5-2, 2.82 ERA, 29 Ks, 49.2 IP) in the circle. Arizona has won 28 of 30 matchups between the two clubs and 21 in a row, including going 3-0 vs. the Rebels in 2014.
Series History: Arizona 28-2 // First Meeting: 1982 // Last Meeting: 3/19/2014; Arizona 7, UNLV 5 (8 innings); Las Vegas, Nev.
Florida: The top-ranked Gators (21-0) went 4-0 at the San Diego Classic, including a victory over No. 2 Oregon. The defending national champions. The Gators have hit 33 home runs this season, led by Lauren Haeger’s six long balls. Haeger also leads a pitching staff that owns a 0.55 team ERA. Arizona has won five of the eight all-time meetings between the programs.
Series History: Arizona 5-3 // First Meeting: 1987 // Last Meeting: 2/10/2013; Florida 14, Arizona 3; Tempe, Ariz. (Kajikawa Classic)
Auburn: The 14th-ranked Tigers (21-1) head to Fullerton on an eight-game winning streak. The Tigers have hit 45 home runs as a team, including seven by Emily Carosone, who is hitting .481 and slugging .963 on the year. Rachael Walters is 7-0 on the season with a 1.37 ERA to lead the pitching staff. Arizona is 3-0 all-time against Auburn.
Series History: Arizona 3-0 // First Meeting: 2002 // Last Meeting: 5/20/2006; Arizona 4, Auburn 2; Tucson, Ariz. (NCAA Regional)
Long Beach State: The 49ers (10-10) defeated No. 12 UCLA and took Stanford to extra innings while going 3-2 at the Long Beach Louisville Slugger Invitational. Lauren Lombardi is hitting .345 with 20 RBI on the season to lead the offense while Christina Clermont is 4-2 on the season with a 2.36 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched. Arizona is 25-9 all-time vs. the 49ers.
Series History: Arizona 2-0 // First Meeting: 1987 // Last Meeting: 2/15/1991; Arizona 3, UT Arlington 1; Tucson, Ariz. (Arizona Classic)
Baylor: The ninth-ranked Bears (12-2) were off last week but went 3-2 the previous week at the Baylor Invitational, including a 2-1 victory over second-ranked Oregon. Lindsey Cargill leads the offense, hitting .537 with three doubles, one triple and one home run. Both Kendall Potts (0.61) and Brooke Seneshen (0.74) carry sub-1 ERAs so far this season. Arizona owns a 14-6 all-time edge vs. the Bears, but most recently dropped a pair of games to Baylor in the 2013 College Station Regional.
Series History: Arizona 14-6 // First Meeting: 1983 // Last Meeting: 5/18/2013; Baylor 8, Arizona 4; College Station, Tex. (NCAA Regional)
Fresno State: The Bulldogs (14-5) are receiving votes in the latest NFCA Top 25 after winning six of their last seven, scoring 9.86 runs/game in the process. Brenna Moss leads the team with a .470 batting average while Hannah Harris’s 1.98 ERA is tops on the squad. Arizona and Fresno State, two of the historic programs in college softball, have met 50 times, with Arizona winning 38 of the matchups.
Series History: Arizona 38-12 // First Meeting: 1982 // Last Meeting: 2/21/2014; Arizona 8, Fresno State 0 (5 innings); Palm Springs, Calif. (Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic)
HEAD COACH MIKE CANDREA: Arizona head coach Mike Candrea is in his 30th year at the helm of the Arizona softball program with a career record of 1,406-341-2 (.805). A winner of eight national championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2007), Arizona has made 22 trips to the Women’s College World Series under his guidance, missing just five times in the last 27 years (2004, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014). On Feb. 27 vs. UTEP, Candrea became the sport’s fastest ever, and second all-time, to reach 1,400 wins; Candrea, the sport’s active wins leader, trails legendary Fresno State skipper Margie Wright by 57 victories for the NCAA record. Under Candrea, Arizona has a spectacular postseason record of 155-50. Fifty-two All-Americans with a staggering 92 total citations have played in the program since Candrea took over.
THE RANKINGS: Arizona moved two spots to13th in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll and 12th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. The Wildcats were preseason 14th in the NFCA Top 25 and 12th in the USA Softball preseason poll.
WHO’S HOT?
Kellie Fox: Over her last 45 at-bats, Fox is hitting .511 and slugging .844 in a stretch spanning 16 games. She has driven in 19 runs in the frame and has three double, three triples and two home runs, including a walkoff, opposite-field homer to beat No. 4 Oklahoma 5-4. Fox has reached base in 10 consecutive games, with hits in nine of those contests.
Chelsea Suitos: Chelsea Suitos hit .750 at the Wildcat Invitational, picking up nine hits in 12 at-bats while stealing a team-most four bases. The left fielder entered the weekend with no extra-base hits and two total RBI on the season; Suitos hit two doubles and drove in four runs in the Wildcat Invitational. The redshirt senior slugged .917 and got on-base at a .786 clip. Against UTEP, Suitos went 4-for-4, picking up her first four-hit game of her career; she had multiple hits in three of her four starts. On the season, Suitos leads the Wildcats with a .485 batting average and eight steals (in eight attempts).
Michelle Floyd: In Arizona’s four games against ranked competition this season, Floyd started three of them, including tossing 5.1 of scoreless ball against one of the best offensive teams in the country, No. 4 Oklahoma, including handing active career home run leader Lauren Chamberlain her first strikeout of the season. Overall, Floyd has a 2.07 ERA on the season while facing some quality competition.
Trish Parks: Parks went 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and batted .400 at the plate to earn her third Pac-12 Freshman of the Week award of the season (in four weeks). Parks is hitting .429 over her past eight games.
Chelsea Goodacre: Goodacre has three home runs in her last 13 at-bats in a span stretching eight games. Over those eight games, the senior has a team-high nine walks, helping her to a .519 OBP. On the season Goodacre has hit five home runs and leads the team with 29 RBI.
