It’s impossible to replace Dejah Mulipola. Even her replacement, Izzy Pacho, admits that.
But with the senior All-American catcher deciding to redshirt this year in order to train with the 2020 United States Olympic softball team, Arizona needs someone to fill perhaps its most important spot.
At least for now that’s Pacho. While the sophomore from Ironwood Ridge High School played in only 24 games last season, primarily as a pinch hitter, she’s the only listed catcher who is fully healthy heading into this weekend’s season-opening Kajikawa Classic in Tempe. Promising freshman Sharlize Palacios has injured a finger on her catching hand, limiting her ability to train both offensively and defensively.
“When you’re trying to catch a (Alyssa Denham) drop ball, it can be very challenging at times,” coach Mike Candrea said. “If you know anything about catching in fast-pitch softball, most catchers’ hands are pretty banged up all the time. Denham throws a really heavy drop and that doesn’t help. But she’ll be back.”
Izzy Pacho
If Palacios is unable to go, it’ll mean a long weekend for Pacho. The Wildcats are scheduled to play both Kansas and Seattle on Friday, Portland State and Western Michigan on Saturday and No. 12 Tennessee on Sunday. Pacho said she’s up to the task, citing one experience where she had to catch nine games in two days of travel ball.
“I just don’t think about it,” Pacho said. “I think if you have a love for the game, you’re not really worried about how your legs are feeling in the moment.”
Harper’s chase
Yet another Wildcats slugger is gunning for the sport’s most celebrated record.
Jessie Harper kicks off her senior year 29 home runs short of the record held by Oklahoma’s Lauren Chamberlain at 95. The California native needs just 26 homers this spring to catch Katiyana Mauga for the UA’s all-time crown.
Mauga entered her senior season (2017) one home run ahead of Harper’s pace, 67, but finished with just three homers in her final 10 games as the Wildcats lost to Baylor in the NCAA super regional.
Harper, along with the rest of her senior teammates, already have left their imprint on the program, guiding it back to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2010 .
Candrea said he and Harper “haven’t talked a bit” about the record.
“Her mindset, if there are any thoughts about it, they are way deep in her mind and not something we’re going to talk about,” he said. “She doesn’t really worry about stats, just worries more about wins more than anything.”
Wildcats united
Unprompted, Candrea finished Tuesday’s news conference by congratulating Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes, whose program reached its highest ranking since 1998, No. 12, on Monday.
“Being here for 35 years, I’ve become a little bit of mentor to younger coaches, and that’s the fun part of the job at the stage of the career I’m in,” Candrea said. “That’s the tough part, sometimes you have all these people in your own house and you don’t get a chance to sit around and talk shop a lot. But you’d be surprised; we talk more than people would imagine.”
