Pac-12 Softball Power Rankings:
All of the Pac-12 schools, except Stanford, took part in the Mary Nutter Classic this week in Cathedral City, CA. The Utah Utes are the only change to the power rankings, as they moved up from #8 to #6.
9. California Golden Bears (9-6)
Cal went 3-2 this past week with wins over Auburn, Saint Mary’s, and New Mexico. The Bears lost to #22 Missouri and Nebraska. Sophomore catcher Makena Smith has caught fire and is leading the team hitting .460 with one home run, five doubles, and nine RBI.
8. Oregon State Beavers (10-5)
Junior Mariah Mazon is leading the Pac-12 with 72.1 innings pitched with a 1.16 ERA. She is also leading the Beavers with a .442 batting average, two home runs, and eight RBI. Oregon State went 3-3 at Mary Nutter with tough losses to #22 Missouri (5-4, 9 innings) and to #23 Mississippi State (1-0).
7. Stanford Cardinal (13-3)
The Cardinal defeated #18 Fresno State 7-3 and took two of three against Nevada (7-0, 2-1, 3-8) at home last week. Sophomore CF Taylor Gindlesperger is hitting .377 with one HR, 13 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Freshman pitcher Tatum Boyd is 5-0 with a 0.69 ERA.
6. Utah Utes (10-2)
#21 Utah is on a six-game winning streak, not counting the 9-0 loss to Team USA. Senior CF Alyssa Barrera continues her hot hitting (.442 BA, 3 HR, 12 RBI). Sophomore Sydney Sandez has found her groove in the circle. She is now 8-2 with a 2.59 ERA.
5. Arizona State Sun Devils (12-5)
#17 Arizona State clobbered Auburn (13-0), San Diego (14-2), and New Mexico to start Mary Nutter play. The Sun Devils then lost 4-1 to #8 Florida before being upset by Notre Dame (7-3) and Cal State Fullerton (4-3). Freshman SS Alynah Torres is hitting .393 while cranking out seven HR (fourth in the nation) and 20 RBI. Senior Cielo Meza is leading the pitchers with a 4-2 record and a 1.95 ERA with 70 strikeouts.
4. Oregon Ducks (14-0)
#7 Oregon continues the season so far unbeaten. The Ducks defeated #23 Mississippi State (7-2) among others at the Mary Nutter. Oregon pitching is sixth in the country with a 1.34 ERA, to go with 116 strikeouts. Sophomore 3B Rachel Cid is hitting .409 with four HR and 18 RBI, while senior CF Haley Cruse is batting .478.
3. Arizona Wildcats (12-3)
#6 Arizona went 3-2 at Mary Nutter after losing a tough 5-4 exhibition game to Team USA. Against ranked opponents, the Wildcats defeated #22 Missouri 2-0 and lost to #8 Florida 3-2. Seniors CF Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza (.375 BA, four doubles, 20 RBI) and SS Jessie Harper (.366 BA, 13 RBI) have each hit five home runs. Senior transfer pitcher Mariah Lopez is 7-2 and has a 1.07 ERA.
2. Washington Huskies (15-1)
#2 Washington swept through Mary Nutter with five wins, including a 12-2 win over #4 Oklahoma. The Huskies have been without senior All-American SS Sis Bates for the past two weeks due to a concussion. No word on her return. Freshman 1B/P Kelley Lynch is hitting has five home runs to lead the Dawgs. Junior Gabbie Plain is not quite pitching like herself yet, but is 7-1 with 2.96 ERA.
1. UCLA Bruins (15-0)
#1 UCLA continues to dominate with four wins at Mary Nutter, including 5-4 over #8 Florida. The Bruins finished the event with a 9-3 loss to Team USA. Junior OF Aaliyah Jordan is hitting .550 with one HR and 21 RBI, while freshman 2B Maya Brady contributes by batting .378 with 6 HR and 20 RBI. Feel good story, senior transfer Jenavee Peres, has four HR in just 26 AB. Sophomore ace Megan Faraimo is 9-0 and has a 0.73 ERA with 94 strikeouts.
