After an opening weekend that saw Arizona softball run-rule Southern Utah and then go toe-to-toe with Oklahoma, the Wildcats have an easier but by no means lighter workload ahead of them in the coming
days.
No. 17 Arizona (3-2) hosts the Bear Down Fiesta beginning Thursday, when it takes on Drake in a doubleheader. Arizona will face Coastal Carolina on Friday, then face Coastal Carolina and Utah Valley on Saturday before finishing the weekend against Creighton on Sunday.
“Just understanding that we have four opponents coming in this weekend, I believe, versus two that we had last weekend,” shortstop Tayler Biehl said. “So it’s a lot of preparation and just understanding that we have a lot of different people we’re facing, and just to be able to lock in for who we’re playing and then move on to the next game after it’s done.”
Of those four teams Arizona faces, Drake had the best start to the season by going 4-1 last weekend. While the Bulldogs’ wins came against lesser opponents, they put up a good offensive fight, scoring eight or more runs in three games.
Coastal Carolina (2-4), Utah Valley (2-3) and Creighton (2-3) all struggled against varying levels of competition.
The focus of the Bear Down Fiesta will likely be less on the competitiveness of each game but how Caitlin Lowe utilizes her roster.
“I want us to just put a true test to like who we are as a team, and make sure that team shows up every single day, regardless of who’s in the other dugout,” Lowe said.
Here’s what to watch for over the coming days.
Support in the circle
One week into the season, it’s clear that Iowa transfer Jalen Adams is the real deal.
Adams, a senior, threw a no-hitter in her UA debut last Thursday against Southern Utah. She followed that up with two solid performances against an Oklahoma lineup that should be one of the best in the country.
It wasn’t until the seventh inning of game three against the Sooners that OU’s bats finally figured Adams out, taking her deep twice to spur a come-from-behind victory.
Adams was otherwise ultra effective despite only throwing seven strikeouts across 18 innings. After Adams, Arizona’s pitching staff is still very much a work in progress.
Indiana transfer Jenae Berry currently has a hold on the No. 2 spot in the rotation. She allowed eight earned runs over four innings against Oklahoma. Most concerning is that she allowed five home runs.
“I saw bright spots with Jenae, and I think we’re gonna learn and grow from here,” Lowe said after the series finale vs. Oklahoma.
Sarah Wright, a sophomore who saw limited time in the circle last year, pitched excellent against Southern Utah but had a difficult time in relief in Arizona’s 21-3 loss to Oklahoma, giving up 13 earned runs including five homers in two innings of work.
Berry and Wright both need some extended run this weekend to get their confidence flowing, even if it means Arizona not winning by bigger margins.
The biggest question going into the tournament is whether freshman Rylie Holder will take the circle after not appearing last weekend due to an injury. Lowe called her status “day to day” on Saturday, which suggests she could be ready to go by this weekend.
Impactful transfers
Five games is a small sample size, but it appears Lowe and her staff did a bang up job in the transfer portal.
In addition to Adams’ proficient start to the season, Arizona has gotten ample production from a trio of position player transfers: Addison Duke (Ole Miss), Grace Jenkins (UConn), and Sereniti Trice (Iowa State).
Trice leads the team in batting average and hits, Duke is and is tied for the team-lead in runs, while Jenkins is tied for the most RBI. The three transfers have the highest OPS marks on the team.
Duke, a Yuma native who spent one season at Ole Miss, worked in the offseason on narrowing her approach at the plate.
“She kind of right now has her slap in her back pocket for when she needs it, bu she’s going to stand in there and drive the ball and then be able to drop one,” Lowe said.
Trice, also a sophomore, said this week that she’s more of a power slapper at the but that she’s trying to expand her repertoire at the plate by following the lead of Regan Shockey.
“I think Reagan has an amazing bounce slap, and that’s something that I’m trying to grow,” Trice said.
Defensively, Duke and Trice have more than held their own. They teamed up for a crucial double play to keep Arizona ahead of Oklahoma on Sunday.
“They’re incredibly consistent with their performance,” Lowe said. From the first pitch Thursday to the last pitch, Sunday, they just show up and, you know, I think they’ve bought into that relationship and how important it is.“
It’s not easy to hit on one key transfer in the portal, yet alone three. So far Duke, Jenkins and Trice are looking plenty comfortable in a Wildcats uniform. They can solidify themselves some more this weekend.
“I will say, with all of our transfers, the buy in for, you know, trying new things and developing as athletes has been incredible,” Lowe said.
When will the power come?
Arizona’s offense performed well overall to open the season, but the Wildcats bats didn’t show a lot of pop.
Arizona has just three home runs through five games. The most momentous of those big flies was a grand slam from Biehl in the Saturday win vs. Oklahoma. Biehl, who hit just two homers last season, isn’t a power hitter but got her pitch and drove it past the batter’s eye in center field.
The UA’s other two homers came from Jenkins and Jenna Sniffen.
Sydney Stewart is the only Arizona returner with double digit homers a season ago (20). Sniffen has shown power at times, while Jenkins had 16 homers last year for UConn.
Arizona’s lack of home runs on display against Oklahoma, which hit 14 homers across three games.
Arizona doesn’t have the lineup to go blow to blow against a team like Oklahoma, but it would be encouraging to see a few Wildcats take a few more balls deep this weekend.
