OKLAHOMA CITY— Arizona Wildcats have wanted to play a conference softball tournament at Devon Park in Oklahoma City for a long time.
“It’s about time,” Big 12 Player of the Year Devyn Netz said at the beginning of the season when asked about playing at OGE Energy Field before the Women’s College World Series.
That was still the feeling around the program after the No. 12 Wildcats (44-10, 17-7 Big 12) took out UCF (33-22-1, 12-12 Big 12) in the quarterfinals.
“In the Pac-12, we were always a little bit jealous that this tournament was played here, because it’s great to get experience on this field where you want to go,” Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe said.
One thing that’s different for these games is the crowd. The Arizona-UCF game was not well-attended. While the box score doesn’t have an official attendance count, a look around the stadium indicated no more than several hundred fans were scattered around Devon Park to watch the Wildcats come back against the Knights.
After fourth-seeded Oklahoma State was eliminated by Arizona State to start the quarterfinals on Thursday, it’s tough to think the crowds will grow. The most “local” of the schools remaining in the tournament is top-seeded Texas Tech. Lubbock is about five hours away from OKC.
The Arizona schools lie almost a day’s drive away through countless construction projects across New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Iowa State is about eight hours away and is a school not known for its softball.
The positive is that the tournament should be as neutral as any team could ask for. It also has an upstart ISU team looking to prove that its regular season record in the Big 12 wasn’t a fluke.
The Cyclones (31-22, 15-9 Big 12) ended up third in the conference standings, but they had one of the easiest schedules a team could hope for.
ISU did not play top-seeded Texas Tech. It did not play second-seeded Arizona. It hosted fifth-seeded ASU. Its toughest series was on the road at fourth-seeded OSU. That combined with a soft nonconference schedule had the Cyclones at No. 64 in the RPI headed into the Big 12 tournament.
Now, it’s time to prove that none of that matters. If ISU needed any more motivation, the team will be going up against the team of former Cyclone pitcher Saya Swain.
Swain was injured just seven games into the 2024 season. She was having a strong start with a 2.07 ERA and striking out 1.01 batters per inning in 23.2 innings pitched before she had to bow out. At Arizona, she’s sitting at 2.42 in 43.1 IP and striking out 0.97 batters per IP, working primarily as a reliever.
As for her former team, Swain has kept an eye on them from a distance.
“I’ve seen some posts and stuff on social media, and they’re doing well,” Swain said just before Arizona’s senior day. “I’m happy for them.”
Lowe uses one of her favorite words to describe the Cyclones.
“They’re feisty,” Lowe said, adding that Arizona had to show up “with our best” or ISU would take advantage.
“Feisty” may be difficult to quantify, but the statistics show a team with four regular starters hitting over .300. A fifth hits .279 and leads the team with 11 home runs. Can Arizona contain Sydney Malott?
The Cyclone pitching staff consists of five with double-digit innings pitched. The team is led by Lauren Shurman with a 3.43 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 134.2 IP. She allows opposing batters to hit .285 against her, which is also a team best.
That could be a problem for ISU. Arizona’s regular starting lineup includes seven players who hit ,324 or better. Of those who regularly hit, only Tayler Biehl has a sub-.300 batting average. She hits .290. Two starters hit over .400, and one of Arizona’s primary pinch hitters does, as well.
Arizona hits well for power, as well. Three regular starters have 13 or more home runs. Four starters have slugging percentages of .672 or better. Miranda Stoddard leads the team at .812.
On paper, Arizona has all the advantages, but the Cyclones have already shown that they can rise above expectations.
Lead photo courtesy of the Big 12 Conference