Jessie Harper was a junior in high school when her sister called home with some news. Makenna Harper, a high school freshman, had picked a college.
The news came as a bit of a shock to Harper. See, she had already committed to Arizona. And Makenna was headed to — that’s right — Arizona State.
Suddenly, the Harpers’ Southern California home became a house divided.
“I was like, ‘You did what? What just happened?’” Harper said. “But at the end of the day, if you think about it, she’s only an hour and 45 minutes down the road. I get to see her all the time, we’re playing within the same Pac-12, we’re getting great games. So, I’m happy for her. It’s close to home. I get to see her a lot. It’s just — she has her own identity, I have mine.”
Jessie and Makenna will find themselves in opposing dugouts starting Friday, when No. 11 Arizona (24-7, 6-0 Pac-12) hosts No. 17 Arizona State (25-8, 5-1 Pac-12) in a three-game series at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Because the rivalry game between the Harper sisters has been four years in the making, Danielle Harper — Jessie and Makenna’s mother — has had time to figure out how to best cheer on both of her daughters.
The solution: custom-made Christmas presents that Danielle had made in December.
The shirts, a rivalry neutral gray color, has “Harper” written across the chest — with the Arizona block A and the trident rotated to take the place of the E — and includes Jessie’s jersey number (19) on the right sleeve and Makenna’s No. 55 on the left sleeve.
Jessie has gotten more familiar with Arizona State’s team since Makenna joined, even hanging out with some of her rivals while visiting her younger sister. The sisters have barely seen each other since the season started. Both UA and ASU participated in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palms Springs, California, last month, but didn’t play against each other. Due to different schedules and hotel stays, weather delays and other team responsibilities, Jessie and Makenna had only a little bit of time to catch up.
“She was actually doing ESPN Media with her team, our game finished, she ran over, gave me a quick hug and sprinted away,” Harper said. “That was the only time I saw her. But yes, this will be the first time since then. So, I’m excited.”
Jessie Harper, center, was in a bit of disbelief when her sister chose to attend ASU. Now, she sees the positives in it.
While Jessie has become a staple in Arizona’s roster as the Wildcats’ starting short stop and No. 3 hitter, Makenna is still learning her role. The Sun Devils’ three outfielders — Skylar McCarty, Morgan Howe and Kindra Hackbarth — all hit at the top of the order.
Jessie Harper hopes her sister learns as much from them as she did from former Wildcat Mo Mercado.
“I feel like next year will be a good year for her, but this is definitely her learning year — being a good teammate, cheering and helping out any way she can,” Jessie Harper said.
Arizona coach Mike Candrea said he’s not worried about Jessie Harper during the rivalry weekend. The UA junior is again one of the Wildcats’ most consistent players. In 31 games, Harper is batting .365 with 17 home runs and 37 RBIs.
“I think Jessie knows what her color of her uniform is,” Candrea said. “Sisters will always be sisters. You can’t worry about that — I kind of embrace that opportunity. I mean, the odds that two players of the same family playing at the Division I level is tough enough.
“I’m sure it’s not going to be a distraction. I think she’ll go about her business and her sister will go about her business, and at the end of the day they’re going to hug each other. It’s how it should be.”
Inside pitch
- Junior Alyssa Denham was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after throwing her first career no-hitter against Oregon State March 24. The no-hitter was the first for the Wildcats since Taylor McQuillin threw a no-no Feb. 11, 2018. Denham, who was celebrating her 21st birthday, struck out eight batters and walked three. “It’s pretty awesome,” Denham said. “It’s the first one of my career, so that’s really exciting.”
- Arizona’s three “Hillenbrand Bomb3rs” — Jessie Harper, Dejah Mulipola and Alyssa Palomino — rank in the top five in the Pac-12 in home runs. The other two play for ASU. The Sun Devils also lead in the majority of the conference’s offensive stats. “I haven’t had a chance to see a lot of it other than they pound the ball and their power numbers are up from last year,” Candrea said. “They’re swinging the bats very confident. They put a lot of runs on the board very quickly, as they showed this last weekend against Utah.”
- The weekend’s series is sold out, with just standing-room only tickets available before each game. “We’ve always had good support here,” Candrea said. “That’s the one blessing, I think, playing here as a student-athlete, but also coaching here — Tucson is a coaching town and I’ve always felt that way.”
