The first day of the Marry Nutter Classic was rained out. Arizona took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning against Missouri on Thursday — in Game 1 of a doubleheader that included a nightcap against UC Santa Barbara — but the game was called in the first due to weather.
Friday's schedule was pushed back an hour because of field conditions. Arizona will now take on No. 20 Oklahoma State at 5 p.m., and Long Beach State at 7:30 p.m. Depending on weather and conditions, UA is schedule for a matchup with No. 4 Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday.
After opening the season with two tournaments and producing slightly troubling results, Arizona will try to find its footing this week at a familiar event.
The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, held in Palm Springs, California, has been a rite of spring for the 14th-ranked Wildcats (6-4). It’ll also serve as a homecoming for 13 players on the UA roster who hail from Southern California.
Ace Taylor McQuillin, who grew up in Mission Viejo, said the Mary Nutter is one of the team’s favorite trips of the year.
“One, it’s really fun; two, you play a lot of good teams and the competition is great; three, it’s where a lot of us are from, from Southern California,” McQuillin said. “So we’re excited to go out there, have tremendous support from our family and friends and hopefully come out of there with six wins.”
The Wildcats will play doubleheaders Thursday through Saturday, leading up to a showdown with No. 4 Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Wildcats will close the weekend with an exhibition against the Japan national team in a game that won’t count in the standings. Other teams in attendance will be No. 20 Oklahoma State, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and Missouri.
For Arizona coach Mike Candrea, the trip to Palm Springs is old hat. He hopes his team doesn’t get caught up in the familiarity.
“The toughest thing about the game is the distraction that sometimes family and friends can cause, wanting a little bit of your time, yet you’re there to do one thing — and that’s to play the game of softball,” Candrea said. “So, yeah, it takes a little maturity to understand that and be able to control that.
“There’s a time and a place for them to be preparing for a game, there’s a time and place for them to play a game and then when the game is over, then they get a chance to visit.”
Arizona coach Mike Candrea gathers with his team following their 4-3 victory over Mississippi State during the NCAA Tucson Regional finals game at Hillenbrand Stadium on May 20, 2018 in Tucson, AZ.
The Wildcats have struggled early this season, losing four games. Two of them, losses to No. 7 Alabama and unranked South Florida, came during last weekend’s Hillenbrand Invitational. Arizona’s offense was still working out a few kinks, and the defense committed some uncharacteristic errors.
The losses dropped Arizona from No. 9 to No. 14 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. At the start of the season, the Wildcats were ranked sixth.
A rise up the polls would require better pitching. McQuillin said she’d like to work on hitting her spots better later in games.
“Anything I can do to help my team is what I’m going to try to do,” McQuillin said. “They’re going to keep working and I’ve got to find ways to work for them.”
The Arizona offense, once again, is slugging its way to wins. The Wildcats hit nine home runs during the Hillenbrand Invitational, accounting for 19 of their 33 runs; but the Wildcats managed just one run in each of last week’s losses. Arizona was able to get 10 hits combined, but wasn’t able to convert and only managed one homer.
Candrea said he doesn’t believe Arizona’s small-ball approach is necessarily going away. The Wildcats just need to keep improving.
“I always thought the short game started with a drag bunt, so I think that’s the first weapon you have to have,” Candrea said. “From that, being able to soft-slap, hard-slap and then swing away. If you can’t swing away, then people are going to crash in and they’re going to defend it.
“Ultimately, we’d like to be able to have all three going and that makes an effective short game.”
