THE TEAMS: #5 Arizona Wildcats (10-2) | Texas A&M Aggies (10-5) | #18 Missouri Tigers (10-4) | San Diego State Aztecs (10-5) | #7 Florida Gators (14-1) | Auburn Tigers (9-5)

THE GAMES (Times MST)
1 | Thursday, Feb. 20 |  7,  6 | Recap | Box Score
2 | Thursday, Feb. 20 |  2,  0 | Recap | Box Score
3 | Friday, Feb. 21 |  10,  0 | Recap | Box Score
4 | Friday, Feb. 21 |  vs.  | Recap | Box Score
5 | Saturday, Feb. 22 (10:30 a.m.) |  vs.  | Location: Big League Dreams (Wrigley) | Live Stream ($) | Live Stats | Twitter Updates

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LEADING OFF

• Fifth-ranked Arizona is in the midst of 11-games-in-nine-days stretch after hosting the Hillenbrand Invitational last weekend, hosting the U.S. Olympic Team on Tuesday before facing a quick turnaround with five games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, beginning on Thursday in Palm Springs, California.
• With four SEC teams awaiting Arizona in Palm Springs, when the week is over, the Wildcats will have played 5/13 of the SEC three weeks into the season. The Wildcats heads to Tuscaloosa next week where they will play Alabama twice.
• Arizona went 4-1 at the Hillenbrand Invitational last weekend, with its only loss coming to second-ranked Oklahoma in 10 innings. The Cats defeated Long Beach State (twice), Northern Iowa and Bryant in the event.
• Arizona pitcher Alyssa Denham threw her second career no-hitter last week, a seven-strikeout gem on Sunday vs. Long Beach State in a 6-0 UA win.
• Arizona has the NCAA's two active career home runs leaders; Jessie Harper leads the way with 69 while Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza is second with 59.
• The Wildcats also have the current NCAA leader in career winning percentage. Mariah Lopez has a career record of 57-3 (.950). She needs 15 more decisions to qualify for the NCAA record, held by Arizona's Nancy Evans (120-8, .938).

LOADED FIELD AWAITS ARIZONA IN PALM SPRINGS

• The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic is here, which means, like every year, a field of loaded competition awaits the Wildcats in Palm Springs.
• UA will play two top-20 teams, two of four SEC teams that Arizona will play in Palm Springs.
• Arizona's five opponents -- #7 Florida, #18 Missouri, Texas A&M, San Diego State and Auburn -- have a combined 45-12 record through the first two weeks of the season.
• Over the last three years the Wildcats have enjoyed plenty of success in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, one of the best nonconference tournaments that NCAA Softball has to offer. Since 2017, Arizona is 12-2 in the event, with its only two losses coming to top-five teams by one run apiece (#1 Florida State, 0-1, 2/25/17; #4 Oklahoma, 1-2, 2/23/19). During that stretch, Arizona has a trio of shutout victories vs. ranked opponents in the tournament. Overall, Arizona is 46-15 all-time in 12 previous trips to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
• Last season, Arizona went 3-1 in a rain-adjusted Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. UA defeated No. 20 Oklahoma State (3-0), Long Beach State (12-3) and UC Santa Barbara (9-1, 5 inn.) before falling to No. 4 Oklahoma (1-2). The Wildcats also became the (believed to be) first team in NCAA Softball to defeat the Japanese National Team in an exhibition game, when Gina Snyder threw a shutout in UA's 2-0 victory.
• Schedule: Arizona opens the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Thursday in an all-SEC doubleheader vs. Texas A&M (4 p.m. MST) and #18 Missouri (6:30 p.m. MST). On Friday, the Wildcats meet San Diego State at 11 a.m. MST before facing seventh-ranked Florida at 1:30 p.m. MST. The Cats close out the weekend vs. Auburn on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. MST.
• Live Coverage
  • T.V.: N/A
  • Live Stream: All five games will be streamed live by FloSoftball (subscription required).
  • Live Stats: Live stats for all matches this weekend will be available at arizonastats.com.
  • Twitter: Follow @ArizonaSoftball to keep up with the action this weekend and all season long.

OPPONENTS

• Texas A&M Aggies (8-3) 
  • Game Notes | Schedule | Stats
  • Series History (Arizona leads 26-13)
• #18 Missouri Tigers (9-2)
  • Game Notes | Schedule | Stats
  • Series History (Arizona leads 11-4)
• San Diego State Aztecs (9-3)
  • Game Notes | Schedule | Stats
  • Series History (Arizona leads 21-6)
• #7 Florida Gators (11-1)
  • Game Notes | Schedule | Stats
  • Series History (Arizona leads 14-5)
• Auburn Tigers (8-3)
  • Game Notes | Schedule | Stats
  • Series History (Arizona leads 8-0)

LAST WEEK (4-1 • HILLENBRAND INVITATIONAL)

• Arizona went 4-1 at the home-opening Hillenbrand Invitational last weekend in Tucson.
• The Wildcats defeated Long Beach State (twice), Northern Iowa and Bryant, but fell in 10 innings to second-ranked Oklahoma.
• Alyssa Denham threw her second career no-hitter, fanning seven and walking just one in a masterpiece vs. Long Beach State to close out the weekend on Sunday.
• Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza led the way offensively for Arizona; she hit .444 with three doubles, two homers and seven RBI; she leads the Pac-12 with five home runs and 18 RBI.
• Game 1 - Arizona 2, Long Beach State 1: Mariah Lopez threw a gem for the Wildcats, allowing a first-inning run but no more in a seven-strikeout, no-walk complete-game effort. 
• Game 2 - Arizona 7, Northern Iowa 6 (8 inn.): In a wild back-and-forth affair between the Cats and the Panthers, UA used a fifth-inning three-run Malia Martinez home run and a walkoff sacrifice fly from Isabella Dayton to earn a hard-fought, come-from-behind eight-inning win.
• Game 3 - Arizona 3, Bryant 1: Three first-inning runs, two of which came on an Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza homer, were enough for Mariah Lopez, who threw another complete-game gem.
• Game 4 - Oklahoma 6, Arizona 4 (10 inn.): The Wildcats had their chances but gave up a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning and then failed to score in a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth, ultimately allowing the eventual winning runs to score on an error in the 10th inning in front of 3,006 fans, the most to ever attend a nonconference regular season game at Hillenbrand Stadium.
• Game 5 - Arizona 6, Long Beach State 0: Alyssa Denham threw her second career no-hitter, a seven-strikeout masterpiece vs. the 49ers in the tournament finale.

CAT CLICKS
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