Mike Candrea has always sought out high-character softball players.
In the past, however, he would look at their skillset first.
Now, the coach says he focuses mostly on the intangibles that help build a good culture. And all four members of Arizona’s recent signing class — Paige Dimler, Madi Elish, Amber Toven and Allie Enright — have it, the coach says.
“We’re looking for kids that are good — not just on the field, but off the field academically,” Candrea said. “I think all these kids fit in that mold. They’re good students, they’re good people, they come from good families. They’ve all played the game at the highest level that they can to this point. The next jump is going from travel ball to Division I softball, and that can be different for each and every one of them. But I really their character and I think they all bring something to the table.”
All four signees have California ties.
Dimler, a left-handed outfielder from Rancho Buena Vista High School near San Diego was a MaxPreps All-American who led the state of California in home runs in 2019. As a sophomore, she hit .540 with 12 homers, 39 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. In a shortened 2020 season, her line was .643, four home runs and five stolen bases.
“She’s really got a lot of upside she’s going to be a could be a five-tool player,” Candrea said. “She does a lot of good things — was kind of a late bloomer — but I think offensively she’s going to bring some pop to the to the outfielders that we already have. Our outfield primarily right now is lots of speed. I think she’ll be a good addition to this group.”
Elish is a right-handed pitcher out of Crown Point High School in Indiana, plays travel ball with the OC Batbusters. Her older sister, Miranda, played for Oregon before transferring to Texas. As a sophomore, the younger Elish went 14-2 with a 2.01 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 94 innings and held batters to a .190 average.
“I think Madi is a very competitive young lady with a really good softball IQ, spins the ball quite well,” Candrea said. “I think still is developing, still getting stronger. But she knows how to compete and knows how to get people out.”
Toven, from Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, the highest-rated of Arizona’s incoming players. She is a two-time all-city performer and was defensive MVP of her club team, Top Club Nationals. Toven is a left-handed hitter who throws right.
“She’s a kid that’s got good speed and can swing the bat with a little bit of power,” Candrea said. “
Rounding out the class is Enright, who plays for Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California — the same school that produced UA ace Mariah Lopez. She plays travel ball for SoCal Choppers, the same club that developed Wildcats Jessie Harper and Jessie Fontes.
“She’s a basically a right-handed thrower, plays centerfield will probably be able to play any position in the outfield, but definitely a power hitter,” Candrea said.
Inside pitch
- Candrea has been impressed with what his freshman class has shown in fall ball. “They showed me a lot more consistency than most freshmen do,” Candrea said. “When they got here, they were prepared, and they fit in very well — very hard-working group. And I think the thing to me is very athletic. I think that they bring some power bring some speed. I don’t know whether it was just the excitement of getting back on the field after sitting around for all these months, but truthfully, it was just a really good fall. Usually good falls will result in good seasons.”
- The Wildcats are “scheduling, we’re booking hotels,and booking flights and preparing to go” for the upcoming season, Candrea said, even though the Pac-12 has yet to release its protocols for nonconference games and those tournaments not played on college campuses.
- Russ Nyman, who worked as an estimator and superintendent at Concord General Contracting, the company that renovated Hillenbrand Stadium recently, died Nov. 17 from the virus. He was 37.
“That hits you,” Candrea said. “He wasn’t in his 60’s. This is a guy that was in his late 30s … And it is real. I think our kids understand it. They’ve all bought in, they know what they have to do, but still, you just never know. Especially during these holidays — who you’re going to be around and so you have to almost be a little bit selfish to keep yourself in a bubble. … The big thing is, I want to make sure that nothing happens between Thanksgiving and the time we get back on the field in January.”
Nyman, who also worked on building the Terry Francona Hitting Facility at Hi Corbett Field an on a hockey project at Tucson Arena, is survived by his wife Vanessa and their three children: Peyton, Jaiana, and Isaiah.
