Ryan Maddox helps give Cats a different look on the mound

Previously a highly-touted recruit, Arizona softball pitcher Ryan Maddox is almost fully recovered from an injury.

Last February, the redshirt freshman had foot surgery and was ruled out for the season. This year, she has a 3-0 record with 10 appearances, three starts, a complete game and a save.

Maddox said rehab has been tough and she had to stay in Tucson part of the summer last year to work with physical therapists. But she’s grateful for older teammates who took her under their wing last year and showed her what “playing college softball is all about.”

“I’ve kind of finished the hard rehab, there’s still kind of little things I have to do maybe like just three times a week now instead of every day,” Maddox said. “But I’m feeling pretty good. I don’t think I am 100% yet, I think I’m about 85, 90.

“I think there’s still a lot more in the tank I can get out and kind of build some more strength and just a few things I have to work on.”

No. 10 Arizona (27-4, 4-2) faces ASU (22-8, 4-2) in its first road Big 12 series this weekend.

Maddox has a 2.71 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 20⅔ innings pitched to go with 14 strikeouts and a .203 opponent batting average.

“I was very impressed with her growth throughout the fall,” said UA head coach Caitlin Lowe. “She didn’t come back right away, so it’s kind of been a slow process throughout January, even to get ready for season. I know how her mind works, so she has been wanting to go zero to 100 really fast and that’s just not how this injury works, it’s a slow process.

“So that’s been driving her a little bit nuts, but at the same time just seeing signs of her being her, back to her normal self and competitive, feisty and letting and trusting her stuff to work,” she added. “I think she’s a competitor and she was one of the top of her game in travel ball and I’ve expected things out of her so, I think she’s right where she needs to be and plan on continuing to use her all.”

Maddox said she doesn’t throw as hard, so she needs to mix her pitches well.

At 5 feet, 3 inches, Maddox is the shortest pitcher on the team. Lowe thought her height difference is kind of an advantage, being a different look and liked how they paired her with the 5-foot-11 sophomore Brooke Mannon on their Southern California road trip.

“So I know (UA pitching coach) Christian (Conrad) has feelings about it and you know any time you can keep people off balance it’s a bonus,” Lowe said. “You don’t want three cookie cutter pitchers that throw the same thing, so I have just been very impressed with the way she’s worked, pairing with our other pitchers. ...

“And I think that’s — as someone who dives into hitting a lot — when you can’t scout a team and just kind of sit on one thing, it’s a lot harder, so yeah, just proud of her in her growth and I think she’s just gonna continue to get better.”

Though Lowe got up to 5 feet, 7 inches, according to USA Softball, and was an outfielder, she can relate to what it’s like to be a petite prospect.

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“When I was first in the recruiting process, I was a tiny thing, so I understood like having a small stature but playing the game in a big way and like feeling what that was like and I saw that so much in her,” Lowe said. “I mean, I would watch her for the first time I think in sixth or seventh grade and she was the the youngest one at just this camp that I was at ... and she stood out right away, with people that were already ready to be recruited that year.

“So she’s always played the game big and I don’t care what your size is if you play the game that way, you always have a great chance.”

Arizona’s eight pitchers have a 2.49 ERA, which is third in the Big 23.

Maddox was the No. 6 recruit in the country, according to Extra Inning Softball, and won the 2023 California Gatorade Player of the Year award.

Her travel ball club, OC Batbusters Stith, won multiple national championships. Arizona Softball alum Toni Mascarenas coached her with Batbusters.

Former UCLA star Courtney Dale was her high school coach and personal coach.

“My high school coaches and my travel ball coaches prepared me very well,” Maddox said. “We tried to play the best competition in high school and in travel ball, and practices were tough, they really just prepared me for the collegiate level and I’m so thankful for that.”

Extra bases

— Graduate student pitcher/infielder Miranda Stoddard won Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time. She led the Wildcats with a .714 batting average, two home runs, a double, five RBIs and a 1.714 slugging percentage against Utah.

— Junior utility Kaiah Altmeyer also won Big 12 Player of the Week and senior Devyn Netz won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

— Arizona has won the most Big 12 weekly awards. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are second with three.

— UA moved up to No. 10 in both major rankings, the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate and the NFCA Coaches Poll.

— Arizona won 7-3 in eight innings at GCU on Wednesday to improve to 2-1 in extra innings games and 3-0 in away games.