THE GAMES (Times MST)
Thursday, Feb. 21 |  vs.  | Rained Out
11 | Friday, Feb. 22 (5 p.m.) |  3,  0 | Recap | Box Score
12 | Friday, Feb. 22 (7:30 p.m.) |  vs.  | Recap | Box Score
13 | Thursday, Feb. 21 (9 a.m.) |  vs.  | Live Audio | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
14 | Saturday, Feb. 23 (11 a.m.) |  vs.  | FloSoftball Live Stream ($) | Live Audio | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
(exh.) | Saturday, Feb. 23 (1:30 p.m.) |  vs.  | Live Stats | Twitter Updates
 

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• No. 14 Arizona is set for its annual trip to Palm Springs to take part in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, one of the best nonconference tournament fields that NCAA Softball has to offer. The Wildcats are 46-15 all-time in the event; UA went 5-0 in last year's event.
• The Wildcats are 6-4 two weeks into the 2019 season, coming off a 3-2 weekend at the Hillenbrand Invitational last week in the opening week of renovated Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium. UA defeated Illinois-Chicago (10-1, 5 innings), New Mexico (15-1, 5 innings) and Cal State Fullerton (6-0) and fell to South Florida (1-4) and No. 7 Alabama (1-6).
• Arizona is set to play its third top-10 team in as many weeks this year when it takes on No. 4 Oklahoma on Saturday. UA has not faced a top-10 team in each of the first three weeks of the season since 2000.
• By the end of the week, UA will have faced five ranked teams in the 2019 season's first 15 games. The Cats are currently scheduled to face at least one ranked team in each of the first six weeks of the season. 
• Arizona has hit 20 home runs through the first 10 games of the season. That figure leads the Pac-12 and all Power 5 Conference teams. Only Bradley (22) has hit more homers than the Wildcats.
• Jessie Harper and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza are tied for seventh in the country with five home runs while Dejah Mulipola is tied for 19th with four. Arizona is one of two teams nationally with two players with five home runs (Mississippi State) and one of two teams nationally with three players with four (Auburn).
• Arizona's pitching staff has combined to strike out 85 batters, UA's most through 10 games since 2010. The Wildcats rank sixth in the nation in total strikeouts and fifth with their 85/13 strikeout/walk ratio.
• After entering the weekend with 45 RBI in 334 at-bats (0.13/AB) in her career, Reyna Carranco had 10 RBI in 15 at-bats (0.67/AB) in the Hillenbrand Invitational. She now leads the Wildcats in RBI this season. Six of them came in two at-bats vs. New Mexico, in which she posted her first career two-homer game and hit her first ever grand slam.
• The Wildcats have four hitters batting .400 or better: Reyna Carranco (.469), Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza (.433), Dejah Mulipola (.414) and Jessie Harper (.400). Arizona is the only team in the Pac-12 with four players above .400 (min. 25 at-bats).  
• Arizona head coach Mike Candrea is second in NCAA history with 1,569 career victories in 32 years. He trails only Michigan's Carol Hutchins, who has won 1,575 games over 36 seasons.

OPPONENTS

• Missouri: The Tigers (8-2) are receiving votes in this week's NFCA Top 25 after their 5-0 weekend at the Citrus Blossom Classic in Orlando, Florida, in which they outscored Troy, Villanova, UMass, Iowa and Kansas 39-1 over the five games. The Tigers are off to their best start as a team (8-2) and have produced the most runs (63) through 10 games since 2016, while Cassie Gasper (16.1 IP, 0.00 ERA) and Madi Norman (33.0 IP, 0.64 ERA) are the only duo in the SEC to rank among the top five in ERA.  Arizona is 11-4 all-time vs. Missouri, including a 9-4 victory vs. the Tigers at last year's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Full series history on page 9.
• UC Santa Barbara: The Gauchos (3-5) went 1-4 at last week's Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego, California with a victory over Grand Canyon (4-1) before four straight losses to end the event vs. Northern Illinois (0-8), Middle Tennessee (1-2), San Diego State (0-1) and Grand Canyon (1-3).  Sammy Fabian leads the team in hits (14), batting average (.467) and slugging percentage (.567). Arizona is 15-1 all-time vs. the Gauchos and has won the last 13 matchups dating back to 1983. The two teams last met on Feb. 14, 2016 in the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson; Arizona won 11-6. Full series history on page 9. 
• #20 Oklahoma State: The Cowgirls (7-3) remained No. 20 in the NFCA Top 25 after a 3-2 weekend at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational with victories over Utah (8-1), California (4-1) and Hofstra (13-2) and losses to Notre Dame (0-6) and No. 8 LSU (1-3). Rylee Bayless leads the team with a .367 batting average, one of five hitters batting .300 or better on the season. Arizona is 19-10 all-time vs. Oklahoma State, but the Cowgirls defeated Arizona 9-4 at last season's Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona (Feb. 9, 2018), ending a stretch of eight straight victories for the Wildcats in the series. Full series history on page 9.
• Long Beach State: The 49ers (4-5) went 1-3 at the Stacy Winsberg Invitational last week in Long Beach, with an extra-inning victory over Oregon State (6-4) and losses to Boise State (3-4), Fresno State (3-6) and Oregon State (2-4). LBSU has hit .291 through nine games, led by Alyssa Gonzalez, who is hitting .400 with four doubles and eight RBI in 25 at-bats. Arizona is 28-8 all-time vs. Long Beach State and has won 14 straight games dating back to 1992. Most recently, Arizona defeated Long Beach State 4-0 at Long Beach State on March 14, 2017. Full series history on page 9.
• #4 Oklahoma: The Sooners (9-1) dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 in the NFCA Top 25 after a 4-1 weekend at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational with wins over #18 Kentucky (9-1), Notre Dame (6-2), Florida Atlantic (4-0) and Hofstra (17-3) and a loss to No. 1 Florida State (4-7). Oklahoma has hit 17 home runs in 10 games, including four players with three bombs. Shay Knighten is batten .529 with a double, a home run and seven RBI to lead the Sooners, who are hitting .385 as a team. Mariah Lopez leads the team in the cirlce; she is 5-0 with a 0.27 ERA. Full series history on page 9.
• Team Japan: The Japanese Softball team, ranked No. 2 in the world, is concluding its American tour in its continued training and preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The team, which earned the silver medal in this summer's WCSC Softball World Championship, won by Team USA in Japan, is an auto-bid to the 2020 Olympics because Japan is hosting the event. Japan won the last Olympic gold in the event in 2008 before the sport was removed from the Olympic Games.

ARIZONA AT THE MARY NUTTER COLLEGATE CLASSIC: Arizona is set to return to Palm Springs for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic for the ninth straight year and 12th overall. The Wildcats are 46-15 (.754) all-time in the event. Last season, UA went undefeated in the tournament for the first time since 2010 with a perfect 5-0 weekend, including victories over North Carolina (10-0, 5 innings), Missouri (9-4), Saint John's (7-5), Cal State Northridge (8-0, 5 innings) and #4 Oklahoma (2-0).

WHO'S HOT?

• Reyna Carranco: The junior has multiple hits in six of her last seven games, hitting .636 over her last 22 at-bats. She leads the team with 10 RBI, nine of which came in her last two games of the Hillenbrand Invitational, including a 2-for-2, two-homer, six-RBI game vs. New Mexico.
• Jessie Harper: The junior has reached base in all 10 games this season and has a hit in each of the last nine, good for the longest hitting streak of her career. Dating back to last season, Harper has reached base in 13 straight games. Harper is tied for the team lead with five home runs this season; she had five extra-base hits (3 HR, 2 2B) and seven RBI in the Hillenbrand Invitational.
• Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza: The 2018 first-team All-American leads the team in both slugging percentage (1.000) and on-base percentage (.541) through 10 games. She's hitting .433 with a team-high-tying five home runs.
• Dejah Mulipola: The U.S. Women's National Team member has started 2019 red hot at the dish. Mulipola is hitting .414 with a double, four home runs and nine RBI through the first 29 at-bats of her junior season.  
• Taylor McQuillin: The 2018 NCAA shutouts leader picked up her first of 2019 vs. Cal State Fullerton to wrap up the Hillenbrand Invitational, a good conclusion to a frustrating start to the season for McQuillin, who has a couple of hard-luck losses to top-10 opponents and a loss in a 16-strikeout, zero earned run performance vs. South Florida. In all, McQuillin owns a 1.75 ERA and has struck out 45 batters in 36.0 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .185 average.

RANKINGS

• Arizona moved down to 14th in NFCA Top 25 (from 9th), 13th in the USA Softball Top 25 (from 9th) and 16th in the Softball America Top 25 (from 9th).
• The Wildcats started the season ranked seventh in the NFCA Top 25 and Softball America Top 25 and sixth in the USA Softball Top 25.
• Arizona is one of five Pac-12 teams in the top 25 and four in the top 15.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• When it's all said and done, Arizona will play what is sure to be among the toughest schedules in the country. Arizona's schedule includes each of the top seven teams from the final 2018 NFCA Top 25 (and 11 total ranked teams), 17 games against 2018 WCWS teams, 21 2018 NCAA Tournament teams and home series vs. the defending national champions (Florida State; March 8-10) and national runners up (Washington; May 3-5).
• The Wildcats will play or have already played each of top six teams in the current NFCA Top 25. In all, UA's schedule includes 12 teams currently ranked in the top 25.
• Arizona is scheduled to play at least one ranked team in each of the first seven weeks of the season, including six games vs. top-10 teams in that span.
• Since 1994, Arizona is above .500 against ranked teams, top-10 teams and top-five competition. UA is 565-264-1 (.690) against ranked competition, 265-176 (.617) against top-10 teams and 129-123 (.536) against top-five teams.

LAST WEEK

• Arizona went 3-2 at the Hillenbrand Invitational, beating Illinois-Chicago (10-1, 5 innings), New Mexico (15-1, 5 innings) and Cal State Fullerton (6-0) and falling to South Florida (1-4) and #7 Alabama (1-6).
• The Wildcats hit nine home runs in the five games, led by Jessie Harper's three. Reyna Carranco hit two homers, both against New Mexico.
• Arizona's pitchers allowed just four earned runs on the weekend (0.90 ERA) and combined to strike out 43 batters, 28 by Taylor McQuillin.
• After committing no errors in the first five games of the season, UA's defense struggled with 11 errors on the weekend. They led to eight unearned runs, including all four in a loss to South Florida.

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 six-win advantage on Candrea. Below are some notes on their chase for history.

• In 2017, Candrea became the first coach in NCAA softball history to reach 1,500 Division I victories. Candrea, who is 1,569-410-2 (.794), trails only Michigan's Carol Hutchins (1,575-510-5, .757) in NCAA history. Candrea's victories have occurred over 31 years of coaching at Arizona while Hutchins is in her 36th 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.

HOME RUN U

• Arizona leads the Pac-12 and leads all Power 5 schools with 20 home runs in 10 games. Only Bradley (22) has more home runs than Arizona.
• Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza and Jessie Harper, who were 1-2 last season in the Pac-12 with 19 and 18, respectively, each have five home runs through 10 games this season. They are tied for seventh in the NCAA and second in the Pac-12.
• Jessie Harper has finished second in the Pac-12 each of the last two seasons (to teammates Katiyana Mauga, 2017, and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, 2018) with 19 and 18 home runs, respectively. She hit two home runs vs. South Florida (2/8) and now has nine career games with multiple home runs. Arizona is 31-2 in games in which Harper homers in her career.
• Arizona has hit 2,106 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.
• Arizona has hit 100-or-more home runs six times in program history, the most in NCAA history. Only two other schools have hit the century mark more than twice (UTSA and Louisiana Lafayette).

JOINING A NEW CLUB: Juniors Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza and Jessie Harper each hit their 40th career home runs last weekend, and joined the top five fastest players in UA history to hit 40 career homers. Harper currently sits at 42 career homers, 18th in Arizona history, while Palomino-Cardoza is 19th with 40 career long balls. Here are the five fastest Wildcats to 40 career home runs.
1.    Katiyana Mauga, 2014-17    102 games
2.    Stacie Chambers, 2008-11    104 games
3.    ALYSSA PALOMINO-CARDOZA, 2017-    122 games
4.    JESSIE HARPER, 2017-    126 games
5.    Brigette Del Ponte, 2010-13    129 games