Mariah Lopez named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week; Arizona softball falls in polls

Mariah Lopez was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, a recognition she earned by throwing a three-hit shutout at No. 15 Florida State last Friday.

Every bit of that excellence was needed as the Wildcats squeaked out a 1-0 win, their only victory in the three-game series. Lopez struck out nine and only walked one.

It was a big step forward after she had not been her sharpest to begin the season. The senior right-hander is now 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA. She has 35 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.

Lopez and Denham more or less split Arizona’s innings 50-50 last season, but so far Denham is seeing more time in the circle, compiling 43.2 innings in eight appearances.

Wildcats fall in latest polls

The series loss to Florida State dropped Arizona from No. 2 to No. 7 in the latest NFCA Coaches Poll. The Wildcats also dropped from No. 3 to No. 9 in the D1Softball poll and from No. 2 to No. 8 in the USA Softball poll.

Being in the top 8 is the sweet spot since that is what it takes to host Super Regionals.

Arizona could fall out of it if they do not bounce back this week. The Wildcats are set to head to Seattle for a four-game series at Washington. The Huskies are No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and D1 Softball poll.