'Level-headed' Jasmine Perezchica a consistent force in left field, at plate

Throw anything Jasmine Perezchica’s way and she doesn’t flinch.

She adjusts to any situation on the fly whether it’s in the batter’s box or in left field, where the sophomore has been penciled in the lineup this season.

It’s just the way she’s built.

That’s what it’s like when baseball is the family business. Her dad, Tony, is the Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach. He’s been a coach for more than 20 years after a playing career for the Giants, Indians and Yankees.

“I try not to show too much emotion. That’s one thing my dad taught me — trying to stay level-headed at all times.,” Perezchica said. “Learning from him a lot. I still get text messages everything every day about ‘Hey, why don’t you try this? Why don’t you do that?’ I think ultimately like growing up in that baseball lifestyle has helped me understand the struggles and the ups and downs of what college life is because there’s so much more to it than just sports.”

Arizona (31-16, 6-12 Pac-12) takes on Cal (26-23-1, 6-12 Pac-12) at Levine-Fricke Field in the weekend series starting at 3 p.m. Friday. The games can be watched on Cal’s live stream.

As the Wildcats have pushed through some adversity earlier in the conference season, game in and game out, Perezchica has been a consistent presence.

“I think having a mindset that is very stable, and not too high, not too low. Whether she’s 3 for 3 with a double, triple whatever it is, or she’s 0 for 3 she usually stays pretty consistent and that is nice to have on the field,” senior third baseman Izzy Pacho said.

“When you have people with high emotions or low emotions, it’s hard to be with them on the field when they’re at the low points. I think having her on our team in the dugout, on the field, it’s just nice to have that stability. Then you’re able to be yourself, because she’s being herself.”

For Perezchica, being herself means putting up numbers like hitting .418 on 56 hits and a .455 on-base percentage this year. She has only committed one error in left field.

It also means that her teammates can trust her.

In the night cap in last Saturday’s doubleheader against Fresno State, pitcher Hanah Bowen was in a jam in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. A a short fly ball was hit to shallow left field and Perezchica ran it down to end the inning.

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After the game, Bowen said, “I have complete faith in her confidence in her and I just knew she was going to catch it.”

Perezchica knew where she had to be, as she studies the game. She is what UA softball coach Caitlin Lowe said is a “headsy player” and has a high softball IQ due to being around the game growing up.

“She knows situations, she knows what she wants to do in them, and the moment doesn’t really get too big,” Lowe said. “It’s just whatever the situation calls for her to do. I think when you play the game that way, there’s less pressure and more what’s my job in this moment?”

She loves playing left field and it’s the strategy that draws her in whether she is playing in the field or up at-bat.

“(I like) to read batters and move on their swing,” Perezchica said. “If the defense is playing me up, hitting it past them. Being able to use your different tools in the game I think it is one of the more fun aspects like whether a hitter is fouling off this way, just being able to read a batter. The mentality of trying to beat a person every single at bat or trying to beat a person when they’re up to bat.”

Lowe said she noticed Perezchica’s strategic approach right from the beginning. She stood out right away, which is why UA began recruiting her when she was still in eighth grade.

“I remember watching her,” Lowe said. “She actually played for (former UA standout) Mo Mercado’s dad, Dave Mercado, in travel ball. And I remember telling Dave when she was young … ‘I have never seen someone that age shift to the outfield, know what a swing looks like, adjust pitch to pitch.’ It’s crazy because then they become not just one person on the field, but they start to control the people around them too, in a good way. It was surprising at that age, and she’s only gotten better.”

With Janelle Meoño injured earlier in the season with a stress fracture in her foot, the versatile Perezchica slid into the leadoff spot for six weeks. She gained even more confidence as she made the adjustment to hitting first.

“You have to obviously take a lot of pitches and see as many pitches (as possible) … but, honestly, I didn’t really try and change too much,” Perezchica said. “I stuck to what I knew best and what I could do, and I had some success doing that. Just knowing that I can bunt, that I can slap, that I can do stuff, just carrying that on for the rest of the season.”

It definitely helped that her dad continues to give her tips whether it’s to swing at the first pitch, staying in the box or even something on the mental side of the game. He reminds her to “stay consistent, stay positive and be there for your teammates.”

“… Growing up around very well-known people also teaches you what to say, how to be, how to act and I think learning from some of the best coaches in MLB and them giving you tips definitely allows you to have a lot more confidence like ‘Hey, I know this stuff,’” Perezchica said. “They’ll watch my game. It’s fun because my dad will text me be like, ‘Hey, we were all watching your game today’ or like, ‘Some players came up to me and said, ‘Oh, I saw your daughter on TV.’ It’s fun because our worlds (are) both kind of colliding in one.”

Inside pitch

Allie Skaggs earned back-to-back Pac-12 Player of the Week awards and Paige Dimler won the league’s and D1 Softball’s freshman of the week honor. Skaggs also picked up Extra Innings Player of the week honors. Skaggs went 6 for 15, hitting .400 with three home runs and driving in nine runs. Dimler went 9 for 16, hitting .563 with four home runs and driving in eight.