Alyssa Palomino just needed to get through Thursdayโs practice.
The Mission Viejo, California, native did, and now sheโll be able to do what sheโs been waiting for her entire college career: play in an NCAA softball regional.
โIโm just excited to get out there,โ Palomino said. โIโve had butterflies all week long.โ
Palomino missed her entire first season at Arizona with a torn ACL in her right knee.
Then, two days before Arizona was set to host last yearโs NCAA Regionals, Palomino injured her left knee. An MRI two days later confirmed it was another ACL tear.
Now, the redshirt sophomore is more than ready to start the postseason. The Wildcats will host Saint Francis (Pa.) at 8:30 p.m. Friday in their regional opener. The three-day series will whittle down four NCAA tournament participants to one.
Palomino plans to play all weekend. Sheโs battled knee soreness and food poisoning, but is practicing at full strength.
โIโm feeling a lot better,โ she said. โLike I said before, Iโm not going to be 100 percent the rest of the year, but Iโll give 100 percent of what I do have. Iโm feeling good and ready to get after it.โ
Palomino isnโt the only Wildcat looking to get back on the field. Ashleigh Hughes broke her left hand during the Arizona State series, forcing her to sit out with a cast. She came back as a pinch runner in the last of three games against Grand Canyon.
Now, it looks like she may start contributing more on the field.
โShe swung the bat the last couple of days,โ Candrea said of the senior. โI think sheโs ready to go.โ
The Wildcats will have to play a minimum of three games to get through the double-elimination regional and move onto the Super Regional. First, they have to get through the Red Flash.
This isnโt the first trip to Tucson for the team from Pennsylvania. Saint Francis played in the Tucson Regional last year, and was eliminated by South Carolina. The team visited in 2016 for the Wildcat Invitational; Arizona won that game, 6-4.
The familiarity with Tucson and Hillenbrand Stadium is something Saint Francis hopes will help get it through regionals this time around.
โI think each year weโve gotten a little more comfortable with where weโre at,โ Saint Francis senior infielder Madison Cabell said. โI know the first time we came here, it was more of a learning experience rather after it, but this year itโs a lot more calm.โ
Saint Francis is riding a 19-game winning streak; it havenโt lost a Northeast Conference game in more than two years.
Recently, Saint Francis has also become known for its ability to hit the longball. The team averages 1.48 home runs per game, the second-best mark in the country. Arizona is ranked fourth with 1.35 homers per game.
Saint Francisโ Jennifer Patrick-Swift said she and her coaching staff changed the teamโs batting approach three years ago to emulate Major League Baseballโs sluggers. She said sheโs glad the team has bought into it.
Abby Trahan is happy she doesnโt have to pitch against her teamโs lineup.
โIโm so glad I pitch for this team and not against this team,โ the Red Flash pitcher said. โWe donโt have very many holes โฆ because our swing is just so powerful.โ
Arizona ace Taylor McQuillin will have to throw her game and be able to make adjustments from one inning to the next to successfully shut down the Red Flash bats, UA coach Mike Candrea said.
The Wildcats have been watching film on Saint Francis. Regardless, McQuillin said she wonโt change the way she goes into the circle Friday.
โI donโt think that it changes very much,โ McQuillin said. โLike we said, this is a very crucial point of the season.โ
