Arizona has lost 10 consecutive games in Pac-12 play. Coach Caitlin Lowe knows the Wildcats can’t do anything about that now.
The next 10 games? That’s a chance to change the trajectory of the season.
“I’m hoping we treat honestly the next few weeks as this 10-game season,” Lowe said this week. “Like, what we can do with a fresh start and just going into it with a different perspective and learning from the past, but kind of setting a trend for what we want to look like in the next 10 games and getting on a roll.”
The Wildcats (25-18, 3-12 Pac-12) started on the right path Wednesday on the road against Grand Canyon, winning 8-3. They look to continue winning as they face No. 17 Oregon on the road, with games starting Friday and ending Sunday. Arizona has nine regular-season games left before the inaugural Pac-12 Softball Tournament May 10-13 at Hillenbrand Stadium.
The last two weekends did not produce the results Arizona was looking for against then-No. 7 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA; the Wildcats dropped all six games. But there were some things Lowe saw that kept her optimistic.
Arizona Softball coach Caitlin Lowe discusses what she wants to see over the next few weeks from her team as they not only try to put an end to a 10-game Pac-12 losing streak, but also get on track to make a run toward the postseason. Lowe spoke to local media April 18, 2023 at Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium. Video by Devin Homer/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
“Perspective is a crazy thing when you have an extra couple days, but there are so many good things happening,” Lowe said. “Competing offensively like we did against UCLA against a great pitching staff top to bottom was huge for us, and we were way scrappier than we were at Stanford. We were putting the ball in play, putting bunts down for singles, we were moving runners, actually executing on scoring runs when we had chances and putting big swings in moments where we saw the ball well and had good counts.”
The Wildcats have found plenty of success offensively this year as they lead the Pac-12 in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases and walks. They rank in the bottom half of the league in ERA (eighth) and opposing batting average (sixth).
“We just need to be better about pitching into our defense and not making the moment too big,” Lowe said. “It’s a good challenge to face one of those kinds of offensive teams, because now you know where you need to be, and until you see it and look it in the face, you just don’t know. Now it’s just a challenge of how they are going to work in the bullpen and how we’re gonna work collectively defensively to keep getting better.”
Arizona will get a boost when junior infielder Carlie Scupin returns from injury. Scupin has been trying to get back to the field, rehabbing her broken left forearm after being hit by a pitch against New Mexico State on March 15.
“She just told me she’s gonna try to hit batting practice today,” Lowe said Tuesday. “So I’m hoping that goes well. She’s been hitting front toss, off the tee, standing in for a lot so that she can just see spin, regardless of if she’s swinging or not.
“So bullpen this week (and) hopefully some stuff off of live pitching as soon as possible.”
Extra bases
UA freshman Olivia DiNardo ranks third in the Pac-12 with a .430 batting average.
Juniors Devyn Netz and Allie Skaggs are tied for fourth in the league with 11 home runs apiece.
Skaggs has a league-high 57 RBIs and also paces the Pac-12 with 33 walks drawn. She’s tied for fifth with a .506 OBP and ranks fourth with a .735 slugging percentage.
Netz is tied for fifth with 12 victories — but also has a league-high 12 losses. Her 11 complete games rank second.
