Not much seems to faze Allie Skaggs these days.
Whether itβs not getting the same pitches in the zone she got last year, when she crushed 24 home runs, or 30- to 40-degree weather with a chance of rain and wind this weekend in Seattle.
This Louisville, Kentucky, native is comfortable in all these elements.
Well, sort of.
βI always like to brag about my Kentucky roots,β Skaggs said. βIβm never one to try to pack my parka if I donβt have to. I donβt wear (long) sleeves if I donβt have to.
βThe hardest part is the hands get cold, so itβs hard to grip the ball. If you get jammed it hurts really bad off the bat.
βI think weβre ready. Our team, I think, has faced every single bit of weather you can imagine, especially this season.β
No. 18 Arizona (20-9, 3-3 Pac-12) takes on No. 9 Washington (22-6, 3-3) and the weather in a weekend series at Husky Softball Stadium starting Friday. The Wildcats are coming off a wild run-producing weekend series against No. 19 Utah where they scored 24 yet were outscored and dropped two games to the Utes.
Meanwhile, Skaggs, drove in five runs on three hits, including a home run and a double, and had five walks.
The junior slugger is facing everyoneβs best shot this year. After hitting 24 home runs last season as the co-Pac-12 leader, itβs only natural. Skaggs, ever the student of the game, hasnβt flinched. Instead, Skaggs has adjusted her approach at the plate.
βWhen you put up 20-plus home runs the year before, people are going to be careful with you,β Arizona coach Caitlin Lowe said. βThey just they werenβt as careful last year. She got more pitches. And this year theyβre being very careful and pitching around her.
βSheβs understanding that even if she takes a strike purposefully, sheβs still in a good position. She actually hits better with strikes on her, and itβs something that not a lot of hitters do. But she realizes that when she goes deep in counts and she sees more pitches, she becomes a better hitter. Thatβs a cool thing. It relaxes you. β¦
β(Iβm) proud of the way sheβs worked, especially not feeling good in the beginning of the year and working to this point. Sheβs done a great job.β
Consider this: Last season Skaggs finished with a .367 batting average, .462 on-base percentage, .729 slugging percentage, 58 runs batted in, 65 hits, four doubles and 44 runs scored.
Skaggsβ stats are still eye-popping, and and itβs not even April. Hereβs where Skaggs stands: .388 average, .510 OBP, .775 slugging percentage, 44 RBIs (Pac-12 leader; third in the nation), 31 hits, 10 doubles (Pac-12 leader) and 24 runs scored.
She has even limited her strikeouts to two in the past 16 games after putting up 11 in an eight-game stretch.
Another stat that is telling on how Skaggs has adjusted is that last year she had a total of 30 walks and right now she has 21 β most in the Pac-12.
βItβs just remembering that they have to bring it into the zone for me, and if they do that, those are the pitches Iβm going to pounce on. And if they arenβt going to bring it anywhere near, I donβt need to get myself out,β Skaggs said. βUsually if Iβm getting myself out itβs because Iβm swinging at bad pitches or Iβm swinging at pitches out of the zone.β
It took a while for Skaggs to be confident in knowing that taking pitches and drawing walks can be just as important for her team as hitting the long ball.
On Saturday against Utah, Skaggs trusted her gut, stayed disciplined and drew four walks β the last one being the walk-off walk that gave UA a 10-9 win in nine innings.
βThat is my dream scenario come into play β bases loaded, no out(s) and Iβm coming up,β Skaggs said. βI knew I would end up doing something, whether that was a sacrifice fly, drawing a walk, hitting a hard ground ball to the infielders, making them make a play at four (home plate). I knew that I had faith in myself to do that. And if I didnβt, Devyn (Netz) was going to do it and then (Izzy) Pacho is going to do it β someone.
βItβs very hard for a team to get out of a bases loaded, no outs with (our) three, four or five (hitters up). I was confident no matter.β
The Wildcats have made a quick adjustment as a team after watching junior first baseman Carlie Scupin get hit by a pitch on her forearm against New Mexico State last Wednesday. She broke it and required surgery early this week. Lowe said surgery went well and Scupin will be traveling with her teammates βas long as the pain allows.β Scupin will be for about six weeks.
At first her teammates didnβt quite know she was hurt as players always run to first base when they get hit by a pitch. When they saw her holding her arm, they got a little nervous.
βI saw her sitting in the dugout and they were taking some extra care of her, and I was like, βOK, this might actually be worse than I thought,β β Skaggs said. βIt just got her in a good spot of the arm β we donβt have a lot of muscle there. Then you start playing in your head like, βOK, what happened? Did it break? Is it just going to be a deep bruise? Is she going to be back soon? Whatβs going on?β
βNow our team has to adjust, to be flexible, and thatβs just the name of the game in softball.β
Extra bases
Scupin started the season out on a tear, hitting .347 with nine home runs (tied for third in Pac-12 with Netz), seven doubles, 26 hits and 28 runs batted in. She is second on the team in slugging percentage (.800) only to Netz, who is at .833. Scupin drove in four runs on two home runs against ASU the previous weekend.
Lowe said that Scupinβs reaction to having surgery and having to sit out during the season was the best she could have βimagined.β
βIt just became about how she can be the best teammate in this scenario,β Lowe said. βHonestly, I think this is going to do wonders for her. I know itβs gonna kill her a little bit, to not be in the lineup, but sometimes you get so much perspective that you never would have gotten.β