Most of Arizona softball’s players had seen action in the first three fall games, including three players from last year’s squad who are trying to get eligible for fifth seasons. There were still two important newcomers who didn’t see the field in the Red-Blue scrimmage or last week’s doubleheader against UTEP.
Freshman pitcher Lilly Hauser and senior transfer Madison Conley finally made their Wildcat debuts in a doubleheader against Phoenix College and Pima Community College. Both made big impacts.
The Wildcats won both games. They defeated Phoenix in five innings by the score of 13-0. They returned a half-hour later to defeat Pima College by the score of 10-0.
Arizona honored late coach Larry Ray between the two games as family, players, former head coach Mike Candrea, and Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois gathered on the field. Reed-Francois and Candrea presented the family with a framed memorial.
The man credited with popularizing the slap hit was critical to the glory years of the program. Ray served two stints as Candrea’s assistant, including taking over the program when Candrea was absent to coach Team USA in 2004 and 2008. He was with the Wildcats as they won five championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 2006, 2007). He passed away in June.
The appearances of the young arm and the big bat weren’t the only firsts of the fall. The Wildcats also got their first home runs of the practice season with three different players hitting one out. The first came from Conley, who was the designated player in both games.
The blast came in Conley’s first public at-bat as a Wildcat. The North Texas transfer stepped into the box against Phoenix College with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the first inning. She worked a 3-1 count then launched one towards left-center that was clearly out as soon as it left the bat. It was Arizona’s only run in the first but it was a big one.
Arizona’s second and third home runs came in the second game against Pima. Kez Lucas sent a towering shot out to left in the bottom of the first to give Arizona a 2-0 advantage. Liberty transfer JaMaya Byrum had an almost identical homer to the same spot an inning later.
The games were played under a modified format where five runs by Arizona ended the inning whether there were three outs or not. The game against Phoenix used the five-inning run rule but the game against Pima went a full seven innings. Arizona also used two designated players in the second game. Both Conley and catcher Elizabeth Moffit took at-bats, giving the Wildcats ten hitters.
Hauser started her Wildcat career not in the circle but in the batter’s box. The legacy Wildcat, whose mother Wendy Hauser (née Allen) transferred to Arizona from Ohio State for the 2003 season, showed that she wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a two-way player. The elder Hauser was the 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year when she had a 1.00 ERA and hit .393 for the Buckeyes.
Lilly Hauaser stepped into the box as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fourth against Phoenix. She sent a double into right field on the first pitch, knocking in a runner from second.
That runner was a pinch runner who took over for Conley. The DP showed her strength by flipping a low, outside pitch into right-center for a two RBI double just ahead of Hauser’s at-bat.
Conley went 2-2 with a walk and three RBI against Phoenix in the first game. She was 0-3 in the second game.
Lucas had her second straight strong weekend at the plate. She was 1-3 against Phoenix College. She finished 1-3 with 2 RBI and a HR against Pima.
The sophomore also got her first innings behind the plate after spending most of the fall at third base and shortstop. Lucas played first base last year, but this year she is listed as an catcher/infielder.
Part of that is because Arizona was left with a hole at the backstop position after former Wildcat Emma Kavanagh transferred in the offseason. Moffit transferred in, but there was officially no backup for her until the change to Lucas’ roster position and the addition of Utah State transfer Jaelyn Castillo. Arizona could also add two more catchers to the mix if Sydney Stewart and Grace Jenkins get a fifth year.
Arizona used four pitchers, including Hauser. Jenae Berry got the start in the first game. She threw three innings, allowing two hits and two walks. She struck out seven.
Sophomore Rylie Holder relieved Berry for the final two innings of the opening game. She allowed a single to the first hitter she faced but it was the only hit against her. She had two strikeouts, three groundouts, and one flyout. Her defense also committed an error behind her.
Senior Ryley Harrison started the second game. She went four innings without giving up a hit. The only baserunner got on via a hit-by-pitch. Harrison struck out seven.
Hauser went into the circle against Pima to start the top of the fifth. It took the rookie a few batters to settle in, but she eventually got her bearings.
The first batter of Hauser’s college career got a single. The young hurler seemed to have exactly the ball she wanted in the next at-bat. The hitter sent it back to the circle, and Hauser knew she wanted to start the double play at second. She just got a bit anxious.
Hauser turned with plenty of time to throw but it was high. Arizona was properly backing up the play so it didn’t get away but the overthrow allowed both runners to reach safely.
Hauser buckled down. She struck out the next two batters then got a groundout to end things.
She seemed to learn from her mistake. She started the sixth with a walk but she got the same ball back to the circle from the next batter. This time the throw to second was true and it went on to first for the double play.
Hauser went three innings despite Arizona being ahead 10-0 after four. She surrendered two singles and a walk. She struck out two and got the rest of her outs on the ground. That included an extra out in the top of the seventh when she pitched to four batters despite getting the first three out.
Arizona will play three games next week, including taking on their second Division I opponent of the fall. The Wildcats start on Friday, Oct. 30 with a doubleheader against NAIA squads from Park University Gilbert and Benedictine Mesa. They host GCU the following day.