Mo Mercado
Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea isn’t one to speak in hyperbole.
It was hard not to after witnessing the weekend shortstop Mo Mercado had at the plate.
In five games in last week’s Mary Nutter Invitational in Palm Springs, California, Mercado went 11 for 13 with one home run, 11 RBIs, three doubles and six runs scored, helping Arizona to three wins in four games. Top-ranked Florida State beat the Wildcats 1-0 late Saturday night.
Mercado was named the Pac-12’s player of the week and earned national honors from USA Softball and NFCA.
“That was a hell of a weekend,” Candrea said. “I can go back 32 years and I can’t remember a lot of weekends that were any better than what she did as far as production offensively.”
Sixth-ranked Arizona is 15-1 heading into this weekend’s home series against Texas, starting with Friday’s 6 p.m. game at Hillenbrand Stadium. Mercado is a main reason why: The senior is hitting .488 this season with two home runs, 17 RBIs and a career-best .698 slugging percentage.
The Star talked to Mercado this week. Here’s what she said:
On wining the weekly awards: “I was caught off guard at first. … I wasn’t really thinking about my stats, so when I actually saw the numbers written down, it was like, ‘Whoa, you actually did pretty well.’ It’s always awesome to get awards like that, let’s be honest.”
On the Florida State loss: “That was a big growing game for us. We have a lot of young girls and girls who haven’t been there before but we walked out of there and coach even said in the huddle that he could see in our eyes that it was a different team than last year. We didn’t look defeated or upset, we looked like we fell short and we knew it but we were ready to get after it this week. We know we’re going to be in games like that in the future, so it was definitely a learning experience, but it was good for us.”
On what’s changed in her approach: “I’ve changed my preparation a little bit, worked on the tilt in my swing, changed a few drills, but nothing super-dramatic. It’s nice that we have more offensive players, so more of that stress is lifted where if I have a bad game, we have a lot more people who can pick me up.”
On improving her patience at the plate: “That was a goal for me in the fall during our scrimmages. I know that’s a way I’m perceived in the Pac-12, so it’s something I’m working on. But if I get a good pitch, I’m probably going to be aggressive still. It’s definitely something I’m working on for sure.”
On whether she considers herself an offensive or defensive player: “I would say my pride for myself as a player definitely lies with my defense. Last year, I had to take on a bigger role as a hitter which kind of made me get better because I was uncomfortable in the (No.) 3 spot. This year, we have so many great offensive players that when I contribute it’s nice, but at the same time, there’s so many bats that can pick me up when I’m not doing well. So overall, I definitely say defense is my priority and my bread and butter.”
