The UA softball team, unranked this week for the first time all season, has found non-conference games to be a good reprieve from the gauntlet that is the Pac-12 schedule.
Coach Caitlin Lowe's Wildcats (24-18-0, 3-12 Pac-12) get another one of those Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Grand Canyon in Phoenix. The game is available via ESPN+.
That one-off takes place before the UA heads to No. 16 Oregon for a three-game road set in Eugene.
At least in terms of overall record, GCU (33-9 heading into a Tuesday night matchup at ASUA) appears to provide a tougher challenge than those non-Pac-12 foes the UA has faced of late.
Amid a conference losing streak that reached 10 straight after No. 2 UCLA swept the then-No. 24 Wildcats last weekend at Hillenbrand Stadium, Arizona happens to be 6-0 against teams from outside the Pac-12 footprint. That includes a trio of 2-0 marks against San Diego (18-23-1), Georgetown (13-25) and New Mexico State (18-19).
Arizona’s third baseman Blaise Biringer keeps a shot down the line by UCLA batter Jordan Woolery in front of her and recovered to record the third Bruin out in the first inning of their Pac-12 softball game at Hillenbrand Stadium on April 14, 2023.
But as strong as the Pac-12 is top to bottom, Arizona sitting in eighth out of nine conference teams — only Oregon State at 3-14-1 sits behind the Wildcats in conference play — the UA’s NCAA tournament seeding possibilities continue to take hits with each mounting Pac-12 defeat.
One continual bright spot for the Wildcats even in recent defeat: Arizona is still arguably the best overall hitting team in the Pac-12, leading in on base percentage, slugging percentage, runs scored and RBIs, while third in home runs and second, by just a single one-thousandth of a point, in batting average. First-place UCLA as a team is hitting .343 while Arizona is at .342
But defense has been another story. The UA’s earned run average is second to last in the Pac-12, and opponent batting average is seventh out of nine teams.
While speaking ahead of Arizona’s final matchup with UCLA this past weekend, Lowe spoke about her team making the “choice” to “either give in or absolutely fight like hell.”
She may have been talking about that one game — an eventual 14-5 loss to the Bruins, but the words are still prescient when looking at the remainder of her team’s season.
“I think they’re ready and they’re angry about these losses. They don’t get sad or upset,” she said. “They get angry because they know we can win these games. “
Arizona softball coach Caitlin Lowe reflects on the death of former Wildcat player Stacy Redondo-Santa Cruz (video by Devin Homer / Special to the Arizona Daily Star)
