Arizona softball’s Devyn Netz wins Pac-12 Player of the Week

Pac-12 softball usually picks an offensive player for the conference player of the week award. The voters picked a top offensive player this week. She just happens to be a top pitcher, too.

The conference announced on Monday afternoon that the Pac-12 Player of the Week for week three of the season is Arizona softball’s Devyn Netz.

Netz pitched in four of the Wildcats’ five games this week. She started three games and saved the fourth. She was a hard-luck loser in both of her starts against No. 7 Arkansas and won her start against Drake.

She gave up a total of four earned runs to the Hogs in three appearances and one to the Bulldogs. She gave up 13 hits to Arkansas in 15.2 innings, but only one of those those—Rylin Hedgecock’s home run—went for extra bases.

Last week marked her third, fourth and fifth appearances against a top 10 team through just 10 games. Netz is 1-3 with a save, a 0.98 WHIP and a 1.69 ERA over those five appearances.

Even more impressive than being among the top 12 in the conference in both ERA and strikeouts is the fact that Netz is also one of the best power hitters in the league. Through the first 15 games, she has been in the lineup 14 times either as a hitting pitcher or as the designated player.

Netz is hitting .300, putting her in the top 45 of the league in batting average. Her .421 on-base percentage moves her up to the top 30. Her .800 on-base plus slugging is seventh.

The level of competition and conditions don’t matter, either. Playing No. 7 Arkansas, being away from the dry desert air of Tucson, or doing both didn’t affect her. Netz went 4 for 12 against the Razorbacks and Bulldogs. Four of those hits were home runs, helping her garner 12 runs batted in. She also walked twice and scored five runs.

Netz is second on the team with a 1.221 OPS, trailing only Carlie Scupin. Her .800 slugging percentage is also just behind Scupin both on the Wildcats and in the conference. It’s second on the team and seventh in the Pac-12. The 15 RBIs she is responsible for put her third on her team and ties for 14^th in the Pac-12.

The Wildcats and their ace get back to work on Wednesday, Mar. 1 in a one-off game against Cal State Bakersfield at 6 p.m. MST. The teams meet in the Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats then host Weber State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Nebraska, and CSUN at the Hillenbrand Invitational from Thursday through Sunday.