THE GAMES (Times MST)
55 | Friday, May 18 |  1,  0 | Box Score | Recap | Arizona Presser | SFU Presser
56 | Saturday, May 19 |  6,  0 | Box Score | Recap | Arizona Presser
57 | Sunday, May 20 (4 p.m.) |  vs.  | SEC Network | Live Stats | Twitter Updates | Tickets | Arizona Game Notes

(For a full schedule and more links, go to the NCAA Tucson Regional Tournament Central)
 

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• Arizona is making its 32nd consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the longest active streak in the country and seven years longer than the second-longest active streak, and the longest streak ever in the sport.
• The Wildcats are hosting NCAA Regionals for the second consecutive season and 23rd season overall.
• Arizona is 164-59 overall in the NCAA Tournament in 31 previous appearances. The Cats are 89-12 in NCAA Regionals and 67-7 at home in the round. UA went 3-0 at the 2017 Tucson Regional and outscored its opposition 25-0 on its way to its 28th regional title and 12th super regional appearance in the last 13 seasons.
• Seven Wildcats were named to the all-Pac-12 teams. Jessie Harper, Taylor McQuillin and Alyssa Palomino were named to the first team, Ashleigh Hughes and Dejah Mulipola were named to the second team and Reyna Carranco and Alyssa Denham were named to the third team. Mulipola was named to the all-defensive team. 
• Arizona enters the postseason a winner of 11 of its last 12 games, with its only loss in that span a one-run loss in extra innings in the regular season finale.
• After a difficult stretch at the beginning of April, Arizona has closed the season on a high note, winning 13 of its last 15 games and not allowing more than three runs in any of those 15 games. In Over those 15 games, UA's pitchers have posted a 0.79 ERA. Taylor McQuillin has allowed just one run over her last 24.2 innings (0.28 ERA) while Alyssa Denham has thrown 16.2 straight scoreless innings to end the regular season.
• Ten of Arizona's 14 losses have come to the top eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament; the Cats went 3-10 vs. top eight seeds this year. The 13 games played against top-10 teams is Arizona's most since 2011. Overall, Arizona is 8-11 vs. ranked teams this year.
• Arizona is fourth nationally with 73 home runs, 10 behind national leader Saint Francis. The Wildcats are trying to lead the country for the second straight season after hitting 94 a season ago. If UA is able to accomplish the feat, it will be the first time a team has led the nation in homers in back-to-back seasons since UTSA in 2004 and 2005. The Wildcats' 73 home runs mark their 15th 70-homer season in program history, the most in the NCAA.
• Alyssa Palomino leads the Pac-12 with 18 home runs while Jessie Harper is second with 17 and Dejah Mulipola is tied for sixth with 12. Arizona is one of only two teams in the country with two players with at least 17 home runs (Campbell) and one of only six teams nationally with three players with 12 or more home runs (Campbell, Fordham, James Madison, Ohio State, Oklahoma).
• Taylor McQuillin has 13 shutouts this season, second most in the NCAA, and the most by a Wildcat since Kenzie Fowler in 2010 (15). Three of them have come against ranked teams, including one-hitters vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (2/24) and No. 22 Cal (3/29). She also has a no-hitter this season (2/11 vs. New Mexico). McQuillin leads the Pac-12 in shutouts and wins (25) and is second in the league in strikeouts (255).
• Despite returning six starters and 12 letterwinners from the 2017 Pac-12 Championship team, seven of the nine positions feature a new face in 2018. Only two players (catcher Dejah Mulipola and second baseman Reyna Carranco) are in the same position as last year; Jessie Harper (1B to SS), Alyssa Palomino (CF to 1B), Ashleigh Hughes (RF to CF) are all playing new positions. 
• Head Coach Mike Candrea is second in NCAA history with 1,560 career victories, 10 behind Michigan's Carol Hutchins (1,570).
• Six of the top seven Wildcat hitters (by batting average) are all underclassmen, including five sophomores. The sophomore class is hitting .330 with 53 home runs while all other classes are hitting a combined .261 with 20 home runs.

THIS WEEK: Fourteenth-seeded Arizona (40-14, 13-11 Pac-12) is set to host an NCAA Regional for the 22nd time in program history and fourth time in the last five years. Arizona is making its 31st consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the longest streak in the sport's history; the Wildcats have been in every tournament since 1987, Mike Candrea's second year on campus. The 2018 edition of the Tucson Regional will feature the Wildcats, along with Mississippi State, an at-large team from the SEC, Summit League Champion North Dakota State and NEC Champion Saint Francis. Six or (if necessary) seven games will determine the Tucson Regional Champion and will determine who moves on to face the winner of the Los Angeles Regional in Supers. Arizona is in search of its 29th regional title, which would earn it the right to advance to its 13th super regional in the last 14 years.  

NCAA ACTION IN TUCSON: For the 23rd time in program history, Arizona is hosting an NCAA Regional; UA has hosted seven Super Regionals. This is the seventh time in the last nine years the regional round will be held in Tucson. The Wildcats are 67-7 (.905) in NCAA Regionals held in Tucson and have advanced out of 21 of the 22 Regionals they have hosted, only failing to make it out of 2004 pod, when defeats to Oklahoma and Louisiana Lafayette ended Arizona's season. The 2004 and 2013 clubs are the only teams since 1987 to lose in regionals. Mississippi State is making its second trip to the Tucson Regional; the Bulldogs went 1-2 in the 2007 Tucson Regional. North Dakota State is making its second trip to the Tucson Regional; the Bison went 1-2 in the 2012 Tucson Regional. Saint Francis is making its second consecutive trip to the Tucson Regional; the Red Flash went 1-2 in the 2017 Tucson Regional.

ARIZONA IN NCAA REGIONALS: The Wildcats return to NCAA Regionals for the 32nd consecutive season, the longest streak in the sport's history. In 31 previous trips, Arizona is 164-59 in tournament play and 89-12 in the regional round. UA has won seven straight regional games, including a 3-0 sweep of the 2017 Tucson Regional. The Cats have lost just four regional games since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 2005, all in the last five years. Arizona has failed to make it out of regionals just twice in the last 31 years (2004 and 2013).

OPPONENTS
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs (36-21, 7-17 SEC) are one of 13 SEC teams in the field, tying the conference's record set last year ... MSU went 1-1 in the SEC Tournament; the 11th-seeded Bulldogs knocked off sixth-seeded Texas A&M (2-0) before falling to the tournament's No. 3 seed, South Carolina (3-1) ... Mia Davidson leads the team in home runs (18), doubles (13), batting average (.371) ... The pitchers have compiled a 2.00 ERA this season, led by Holly Ward, who's 15-8 with a 1.33 ERA and has struck out 164 batters in 168.2 innings ... Arizona is 2-1 all-time against Mississippi State; the two have not met since Arizona eliminated MSU from the 2007 Tucson Regional.  
North Dakota State: The Bison (33-17, 10-3 Summit) come to Tucson fresh off of a 3-0 run in the Summit Leauge Tournament, three of their season-ending six straight wins to end the season ... NDSU is led by Jacquelyn Sertic, who is 25-9 in the circle with a 1.62 ERA and 303 strikeouts, third most in the country, while limiting opponents to a .184 average ... The Bison have stolen 49 bases in 65 tries ... Zoe Stavrou (.326 avg, 14 2B, 3 HR, 25 RBI) and Bre Beatty (.325 avg, 13 2B, 5 HR, 30 RBI) lead the offense ... Arizona is 6-0 all-time against North Dakota State; the Bison came to town for the 2017 Wildcat Invitational, where UA won 2-1. North Dakota State is making its second trip to the Tucson Regional (2012). 
Saint Francis: The Red Flash (39-17, 16-0 NEC) has won 19 straight games, including a perfect 3-0 trip through the Northeast Conference Championship to earn its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and second consecutive trip to the Tucson Regional ... SFU leads the nation with 83 home runs, led by Madison Cabell, whose 19 home runs rank eighth in the country ... The Red Flash will bring speed (57 stolen bases) as well as power to the regional ... Pitcher Abby Trahan (28 victories) is among the nation's leaders in wins; she has a 2.48 ERA in 248.1 innings ... This will be Saint Francis's third straight year making the trip to Tucson; UA defeated SFU 6-4 at the 2016 Wildcat Invitational and the Red Flash was in town for the 2017 NCAA Regional, though UA and SFU did not meet.

WHO'S HOT?
The pitchers: Taylor McQuillin (7-2, 0.86 ERA) and Alyssa Denham (6-0, 0.57 ERA) have a combined 0.75 ERA over Arizona's last 15 games. They have combined to strike out 98 batters while allowing just 54 hits in the last 93.2 innings.
Reyna Carranco: The sophomore is 6-for-her-last-14 (.429) over Arizona's last four games. The Oxnard, California native has two doubles in that time and has driven in two runs and scored three of her own. Her two doubles in that span are two of her career-most 13 on the season, one off the Wildcat lead. Carranco will hope to have continued success in the NCAA Tournament; she went 10-for-18 (.556) with three RBI and five runs scored in six NCAA games last year as a freshman.
Dejah Mulipola: The sophomore is 7-for-her-last-16 (.438) and has hit for the cycle over Arizona's last five games. Mulipola's triple vs. Grand Canyon gave her three for the year, the most on the team.
Alyssa Palomino: Another weekend at home is good news for Alyssa Palomino. The sophomore is hitting .429 in 77 at-bats at Hillenbrand Stadium this season. Eleven of Palomino's 18 home runs have come at home this year.
Ivy Davis: Over the first 37 games of the season, UA designated players were a combined 17-for-83 (.205) with two total home runs. Ivy Davis has received 14 of the last 17 starts at DP and has four home runs and 12 RBI in that span.

LAST WEEK: CATS FINISH OFF REGULAR SEASON WITH SERIES WIN AT STANFORD

• Arizona took two of three games at Stanford to close out the regular season.
• UA pitchers allowed two total runs in the series, but the Wildcat offense struggled to produce with runners on base. UA left 29 runners on, most in a three-game stretch all year, and was 5-for-40 (.125) with runners in scoring position.
• The shutouts thrown by Taylor McQuillin in game 1 and Alyssa Denham in game 2 were the fourth and fifth straight shutouts, the longest stretch for Arizona since 2011.

THE CHASE FOR HISTORY: Two legends, two Hall of Famers, Arizona's Mike Candrea and Michigan's Carol Hutchins, are battling it out to become the winningest coach in the sport's history. Hutchins currently has a 10-win advantage on Candrea. Below are some notes on their chase for history.
Last year Candrea became the first coach in NCAA softball history to reach 1,500 Division I victories. Candrea, who is 1,560-402-2 (.795), trails only Michigan's Carol Hutchins (1,570-502-5, .756) in NCAA history. Candrea's victories have occurred over 31 years of coaching at Arizona while Hutchins is in her 35th year (including a season in a lower NCAA division).
Candrea is the fastest coach in NCAA history, in any sport, in any division, to record 1,500 career wins.

CIRCLE IT: Arizona has finished second in the Pac-12 in ERA in each of the last two years (2016 - 2.67, 2017 - 1.45) and sits fifth in the conference in 2018 with a 1.87 ERA. This season, UA has been tasked with replacing 2017 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-American Danielle O'Toole, who led the conference in ERA (1.21) and finished second in strikeouts (210) and victories (30). Taylor McQuillin (24-9, 1.64 ERA) has filled that void thus far. She leads the Pac-12 in wins (25) and shutouts (13), is second in strikeouts (255) , is fifth in opp. batting average (.166) and is seventh in ERA (1.59).

HARPER HOMERS: Power-hitting shortstop Jessie Harper matched her jersey number with 19 home runs in her rookie campaign and became Arizona's first true freshman to earn first-team NFCA All-America honors since Kenzie Fowler in 2010. The Stevenson Ranch, California native is backing it up in 2018, she recorded back-to-back two-homer games vs. Fresno State and New Mexico in week 1, the first time a Wildcat had accomplished that since 2013 (Lauren Young). Harper, who finished second in the Pac-12 in home runs last season, is second again this year (17) while her team-high 50 RBI are tied for third in the league. Over half of her RBI have come with two out (26 of 50). Her 26 two-out RBI are double what the next Wildcat has this year (Mulipola - 13). Harper, the week 6 Pac-12 Player of the Week, was named first-team all-Pac-12 for the second consecutive season.

GEAUXING OUT WITH A BANG: Two-time NFCA All-American outfielder Aleah Craighton is set to finish her career in Tucson after a decorated three-year career at Louisiana Lafayette. Craighton hit .365 in her Ragin Cajun career with 48 homers, 154 RBI and a .794 slugging percentage. She was named a preseason first-team All-American by three publications and was on the USA Softball Player of the Year "Watch List". Craighton leads the team this season with 28 walks. She is seventh among all active players in the NCAA in career home runs (56) and 12th in RBI (184).

QUEEN REYNA: After posting just five extra base hits in 57 games as a freshman (3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run), Reyna Carranco has 15 in 49 games this season. She has 13 doubles, second most on the team, to go along with two home runs. Carranco missed five games with a fractured nose and a concussion when she was hit by a 70 mph Taran Alvelo pitch in the face in game 1 vs. Washington (3/23), but returned four weeks ago vs. Oregon. Carranco was named third-team all-Pac-12 for the second consecutive season.

TAYLOR'S TIME: After complementing ace Danielle O'Toole during McQuillin's freshman and sophomore seasons, it's now the junior's time to shine. McQuillin, one of the most decorated high school pitchers in recent history, was terrific in her complementary role. Last year, McQuillin was one of 34 finalists for USA Softball Pitcher of the Year; this year, she began the season on the Top 50 "Watch List". McQuillin, the week 3 ESPNW Player and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after her dominance at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic that included a one-hit shutout of No. 4 Oklahoma, is second in the NCAA with 12 shutouts and is 14th with 25 victories. The junior, who is 13th nationally with 255 strikeouts this year, sits eighth in school history in career strikeouts. McQuillin received her third straight all-conference nod this season; she was a third-team selection as a freshman, second-team selection as a sophomore, and now a first-team selection as a junior.

MINOR SETBACKS, MAJOR COMEBACK: A torn right ACL on day 1 of fall practice (Sept., 2015) cost Alyssa Palomino her true freshman season in 2016. In her return in 2017, she was among the conference leaders and national freshman leaders in home runs (16) and RBI (54) heading into the postseason. Two days prior to last year's Tucson Regional, Palomino tore her left ACL in practice. Now, the redshirt sophomore is in the process of overcoming both devastating injuries. Palomino, who made the switch from the outfield to first base this season, leads the Pac-12 in slugging percentage (.789) and home runs (18) and is sixth in batting average (.382) and fourth in on-base percentage (.463). Though her average has dipped under .400 for the first time since week 3, she is trying to become the 13th player in school history to hit .400 with double digit home runs in a season. Palomino, a first-team all-Pac-12 selection, was named Arizona Athletics' Sophomore Female Student Athlete of the Year.

HOME RUN U

• Arizona has hit 2,084 home runs since softball became a Division I sport in 1982, the most of any team in NCAA history. 
• Arizona has four of the top six home run hitters in NCAA history,  including Katiyana Mauga, who hit a Pac-12 record 92 from 2014-17, three shy of the NCAA record.
• The Wildcats led the country with 94 home runs last season, their third time in the last nine years pacing the NCAA. Overall, UA has led the country nine times since 1994.
• Arizona has hit 100-or-more home runs six times in program history. Only two other schools have hit the century mark more than twice (UTSA and Louisiana Lafayette).
• UA has hit 73 home runs this season, fourth most in the country.

BEATING THE BEST: Since 1994, Arizona is above .500 against ranked teams, top-10 teams and top-five competition. UA is 565-261-1 (.690) against ranked competition, 265-173 (.617) against top-10 teams and 129-120 (.536) against top-five teams.

GOING STREAKING: Arizona has appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 1987, Mike Candrea's second year on campus. That's an NCAA-Record 32 consecutive years in the tournament for Arizona. Not only is that the longest active streak, but it is seven years longer than the second longest streak. Last season, UA broke Fresno State's inactive 30-year streak for the longest in the history of the sport.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: This fall, Arizona brought back Wildcat All-American, National Champion and 2007 Women's College World Series MVP Taryne Mowatt as an assistant coach, joining Caitlin Lowe on Mike Candrea's all-Arizona staff. Mowatt and Lowe were teammates on both the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Championship squad. Their combined four NCAA titles in addition to Coach Candrea's eight give Arizona's coaching staff a total of 12 as either a head coach or player, the most in NCAA softball. Add in Director of Recruiting-Operations Stacy Iveson, who helped lead UA to three NCAA titles as an assistant coach (96, 97, 01) before winning four NJCAA titles as a head coach at Pima and Yavapai College, you won't find a staff with championship pedigree quite like Arizona's. 

MIXING IT UP: Due to various injuries and struggles, Arizona has used a variety of lineups this season; in 54 games, Arizona has used 36 different lineups. Compare that to last season when UA used 18 different lineups in 55 regular season games.

FOLLOW THE TEAM: Be sure to follow the Wildcats on their social media platforms. To stay up-to-date on all the latest happenings with the team, follow Arizona softball on Twitter and Instagram (@ArizonaSoftball).