Former Arizona softball player Hilary Edior, center, displays her No. 17 jersey after Arizona third baseman Malia Martinez — who also wears No. 17 — ripped a home run early in Saturday’s Women’s College Word Series loss to Florida State.

 Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

OKLAHOMA CITY — Jeffrey and Carol Elmer crossed another item off their bucket lists this week — attending the Women’s College World Series.

But first, they took a trip to the USA Softball Hall of Fame, which is right next door.

Arizona items are almost everywhere you look at the Hall. Just inside the doors is a life-sized cutout of former UA great Jennie Finch. Enter a room devoted to the USA Olympic team, and you’ll see displays dedicated to each year they competed and brought home three consecutive gold medals — 1996, 2000 and 2004 — and the lone silver medal in 2008. Accompanying the display are two jerseys: Leah O’Brien-Amico‘s from 1996 and Finch’s from 2004. There is a 2004 photo of Mike Candrea being carried on the shoulders of the team after winning in Athens and even a handful of dirt in a Ziploc bag from the field.

For the Elmers, it’s been a special week — one about the true essence of the game of softball.

“We just appreciate the game for being the college game — it is so much different than the pros,” Jeffrey Elmer said. “Just watching these kids playing for fun. They’re not going anywhere and they’re not going to make a million dollars. They are just out there playing hard. The winner this afternoon has to play late tonight. We just appreciate the game for what it is and it’s exciting to watch.”

The Elmers weren’t the only fans who have visited the Hall this week. During the few hours before Saturday’s matchup with Florida State, nearly all of the folks in the museum store were Wildcat supporters.

The gift shop sold out of Team USA “shirseys” with UA catcher and Olympian Dejah Mulipola‘s name and number on them.

The Elmers, Arizona fans who retired to Buckeye from Kansas City, were hoping for a better outcome. They traveled to Omaha for the College World Series in 2016, and caught the first two final games between Arizona and Coastal Carolina.

Jeffrey Elmer said they were hoping “we’d get to cheer up the winner; see the dogpile. See the national championship. But that didn’t happen.”

The next day got rained out, and the Elmers had to go back to work. They missed the deciding game, which Coastal Carolina won 4-3.

Passing the bat

UA senior Jessie Harper clubbed home run No. 92 over the center field wall at the World Series in Thursday night’s 5-1 loss to Alabama, moving her into a tie for the second most career home runs in college softball history. The player she tied, ex-Wildcat Katiyana Mauga, was in the stands Saturday to cheer on Arizona.

“Just letting them know they have family back here,” Mauga said. “Seeing old friends and old teammates is amazing.”

Mauga was especially proud of Harper, who was a freshman when she was a senior in 2017. Harper played first base that season, as Mo Mercado was firmly planted at short.

“I was so happy for her,” Mauga said of Harper’s tying homer. “She came out here balling. I knew it was going to happen sometime. I was happy that it was still with Arizona, so it stayed in the family.”

A sellout

After knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma in Game 1 of the World Series, James Madison has captured the heart of the softball nation. The Dukes gained even more fans after senior ace Odicci Alexander pulled off a spectacular diving catch and tag of a runner near home plate on Friday night in the win over Oklahoma State.

Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. So much so that the first (and only) T-shirt to sell out at the stadium belonged to JMU.

The Dukes are one win away from the championship series. They’ll next play either the Sooners again, or No. 2 UCLA.

More fun

The NCAA set up activities around the WCWS, including Instagram meet-and-greets with some of the best to play the game, including Finch and Jessica Mendoza.

There is also replica trophy in a glass case. Former Wildcat Lety Pineda‘s daughter, Lorin Boutté, took a picture with it. She is a Class of 2024 recruit from St. Louis’ Francis Howell High School.

Next to the trophy is a Rawlings tent with bats and the smell of fresh leather gloves and a tent to hit softballs off a tee.

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