Zona Zealots
Fansided

Arizona Softball Making a Statement Early on in the 2016-17 Season

By David Rosen

Oct 10, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats mascot Wilma high fives fans during the wildcat walk before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats mascot Wilma high fives fans during the wildcat walk before the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Arizona Softball has started the season at 18-1 with strong pitching and hitting. Mo Mercado is leading the team with 25 hits and Danielle O’Toole leads the team with 76 strikeouts.

No. 6 ranked Arizona Softball team has their swagger back! The Wildcats have been dominating this season, with their only loss to current No.1 Florida State 1-0.

The Cats have outscored their opponents 154- 20! It has been ten years since the Wildcats have won the Women’s College World Series. If they continue to play this way, they will have a very strong chance to win another title this year adding to the prestige of the Wildcat Softball program.

One of the reasons why the Cats have been impressive this season is our senior shortstop, Mo Mercado.  Not only does she lead the team in hits, but she recently had a six-game, multi-hit streak and had earned 18 RBIs. As a result, she was recently recognized as National Player of the Week – way to go Mo!

Another outstanding player this season has been freshman outfielder, Alyssa Palomino. She currently has hit four home runs, some that have been monster ones, and 20 RBIs. The previous season she had to sit out due to an ACL injury, but this year she is feeling better which is not a good sign for her opponents!

Senior Katiyana Mauga has provided the Wildcats with some home run excitement this season as well. She has hit seven home runs this year – a total of 74 for her career. Mauga is looking to tie the current Wildcats record home run record of 87 and the NCAA record of 95. Early in the season, she was honored with the first Pac-12 Player of the Week for the 2016-17 season:

Having a great pitcher is essential to a team’s success, and Danielle O’Toole has made that happen! In the 11 games, O’Toole has pitched for the Wildcats, she has gone 10-1.

Plus, she has put up some remarkable numbers for the season: 68 innings pitched, 38 allowed hits and 76 strikeouts. During the Mary Nutter Invitational, she allowed only one run and 23 strikeouts. That’s awesome! As a result of her performance this season she was honored as the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.

https://twitter.com/UA_Softball/status/837383043308384256

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better for the Wildcats this season, it did. They just completed a series sweep against the Texas Longhorns (who were 11-5 and won three games against top 25 ranked opponents this season already -heading into the series against the Wildcats). This walk-off double by Mauga in Saturday night’s game, made that possible:

Must Read: Arizona Wildcats Players Taking Care of Business on the Professional Level

Arizona Athletics has a lot to be proud of this season. The many individual honors, Arizona Basketball, Arizona Baseball, and Arizona Softball. All of these fantastic athletes and sports teams keep the Zona Zealots’ writers busy, which is a good problem to have! Keep up the great work. Bear Down!

Home/Arizona Wildcats