Allie Skaggs named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year; 4 other Wildcats earn league honors

Arizona got a big boost heading into the inaugural Pac-12 Softball Tournament as five Wildcats received all-league honors Wednesday.

Allie Skaggs led the way, earning the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of Year award, as well as first-team All-conference.

The other four Wildcats receiving accolades were Devyn Netz and freshmen Dakota Kennedy, Olivia DiNardo and Tayler Biehl.

Most think of Skaggs’ abilities with the bat first. After all, she followed her 24-homer season last year (Pac-12 co-leader) with 59 RBIs this season, tops in the league and sixth in the nation. She also crushed 13 home runs and has a slash line of .324/.467/.669.

The junior second baseman got it done in the field as well. She was perfect in fielding — no errors in 162 chances. She had 88 putouts, 74 assists and participated in 10 double plays.

After she committed 13 errors last season, Skaggs’ biggest goal for this season was to clean that up.

“I struggled mentally on defense a lot last year. I was very anxious and nervous out there sometimes, and ... I wasn’t comfortable at all,” Skaggs said Tuesday. “One thing I vividly remember telling my dad after we got eliminated (in the Women’s College World Series last year): I want to make the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team next year.”

Not only did she make the team, but the Pac-12 coaches also thought she was the best of the best this season.

Count Arizona’s Caitlin Lowe among those coaches. Lowe should know: She is one of the best defensive players in UA history and is considered the best center fielder in program history and one of the best to play the game.

“I will tell you one thing: It is way harder as a second baseman to do that than it is as a center fielder,” said Lowe, whose team was set to face ASU in the Pac-12 play-in game Wednesday night. “(Former UA pitcher) Alicia Hollowell struck out a whole lot of people so (we) didn’t have to touch the ball a lot. As a second baseman, as a middle infielder, as an infielder in general, that is rock-star status right there. I’m not even sure the last time that’s happened. …

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“(Skaggs’) progression from freshman year till now has just been insane in that regard. And I give all the credit to her too, because she came in known as someone who could drive the softball and wanted to be known as a well-rounded player. She came in and she’s done nothing but worked her butt off. Her and (UA assistant coach) Lauren Lappin in the infield ... have just done a great job.”

Skaggs is the fourth Wildcat to earn the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. The others: Hallie Wilson in 2015, Kellie Fox in 2014 and Lowe in 2007.

Kennedy, the left fielder, was a first-teamer and a member of the All-Freshman Team. She hit 10 homers, drove in 35 runs and hit .394 in Pac-12 play.

DiNardo, the catcher, was a second-teamer and also on the All-Freshman Team. She hit .388, with 10 doubles, seven homers and 35 RBIs.

Biehl got the rookie nod as well. Filling in all over the field, Biehl had 28 hits, including two triples and four doubles, and 13 RBIs.

Netz, who not only has pitched but played first base while Carlie Scupin was out with a broken forearm, earned second-team all-conference. In the circle, she struck out 123 batters in 160⅓ innings. At the plate, she crushed at team-high-tying 13 home runs.

The No. 2 team in the nation, UCLA swept the other top honors: Maya Brady earned Player of the Year, Megan Faraimo was Pitcher of the Year, Jordan Woolery was Freshman of the Year and Kelly Inouye-Perez was Coach of the Year.

The winner of the UA-ASU game will face UCLA, the top seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.