Pac-12 Softball 2018: What and Who to Watch
2017 Conference Champs: Arizona
The Wildcats were crowned Pac-12 Champions in 2017, their 11th title in program history. However, this was their first championship won in 10 years. Arizona finished the regular season with a (52-9) record, and (18-6) in Pac-12 conference matchups. The championship title put the Wildcats in a position to host the 2017 Regional and Super Regional- where they came up short losing two close games to Baylor, who moved on to the Women’s College World Series.
Team to Watch in 2018: Washington
Washington returns an experienced battery staff who can be expected to lead the way in 2018. The Huskies return three of four pitchers and both catchers from last year’s historic team who made a run at the Women’s College World Series. Back are two All-Region performers from last year in Taran Alvelo and Morganne Flores. Alvelo led the Pac-12 in innings pitched (254.0), wins (35), and appearances (47) in 2017. She became the first Husky to win 35+ games since 2010 and is just the third Husky ever to reach that mark. Flores will return for her junior season as an asset behind the plate and at the dish. Flores hit (.344) last year with a Pac-12 best (74) RBI, the most by a Husky since 2002. Behind the plate, Flores had just two errors, and three passed balls while catching 11 of 17 runners stealing, leading the team in fielding percentage at (.994).
Pitcher(s) to Watch: Rachel Garcia, UCLA
Garcia, was the Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year, a NFCA All-West Region Second Team member, was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Pac-12 Freshman Team, led the Bruins with a (23-9) record, three saves, held a (1.87) earned run average and a team-best (212) strikeouts in (202.2) innings. At the plate, Garcia was third on the team with (22) walks, adding a (.325) batting average, (55) hits, eight home runs, (11) doubles and (29) RBI.
Maggie Balint and Megan Kleist, Oregon
The pitching duo for the Ducks shined in the 2017 season. Kleist, who went (21-5) on the season, tossed the majority of the innings for the Ducks (169.2). The sophomore finished the season with a (1.32) ERA, which ranked third in the Pac-12. She also had (161) strikeouts, led the Pac-12 with nine shutouts and a (.201) batting average against. Kleist earned first team All-Pac-12, first team All-Region, and was named to the NFCA All-American second team.
Balint finished the season with a (21-3) overall record, tossing (126) innings from the circle. The freshman in 2017 finished the season with a (1.22) ERA, (152) strikeouts, and held her opponents to a (.174) batting average. Balint earned first team All-Pac-12, made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team, NCAA All-Eugene Regional Team, First Team All-Pac-12, First team All-Region, and was a Top 3 finalist for NFCA National Freshman of the Year.
Player(s) to Watch: Alexis Mack, Oregon
In her 2017 opening season with the Ducks, the sophomore transfer led the team in batting average (.424), which ranked second in the Pac-12. Mack led the Pac-12 with (28) stolen bases, posted a team-high (.497) on-base percentage, finished as the fourth-best in the league. Mack earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 second team, was a first-team All-Region selection, and was a member of the WCWS All-Tournament team. The junior can be expected to make an impact and set the tone for the Oregon offense in 2018.
Transfers Who Should Contribute: DJ Sanders, Oregon
Sanders, was a first-team NFCA All-American last season as a junior shortstop at Louisiana. Sanders led the NCAA with both (29) home runs and (82) RBIs. She hit a career-high (.388), posted a (.524) on-base percentage and tallied an NCAA-best (1.013) slugging percentage while drawing (46) walks with just (27) strikeouts. While she was incredible at the plate, Sanders was also strong in the field, making only seven errors starting all 55 games. Sanders was one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball national player of the year award in 2017 and was also the Sun Belt Conference player of the year. She was a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference pick in both 2017 and 2016 and played for the USA Softball junior national team in 2015.
Aleah Craighton and Alyssa Denham, Arizona
Two-time All-American Aleah Craighton and reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Alyssa Denham from Louisiana Lafayette are set to join the Arizona softball program for the 2018 season. The two helped lead Louisiana Lafayette to a 47-8 (23-1 Sun Belt) season and NCAA Regional appearance in 2017. They’ll now join the Wildcats, who went 52-9 (18-6 Pac-12) with an NCAA Super Regional appearance last season.
Craighton will complete her collegiate career at Arizona after a decorated three years at Louisiana Lafayette. The centerfielder was a first-team All-American in 2017, a season in which she hit (.345) with (18) home runs and (53) RBI and a (.779) slugging percentage. Craighton was a two-time first-team all-conference and all-region performer with Ragin Cajuns. She hit (.365) over 164 games at ULL with (48) career homers and (27) doubles.
In one season at ULL, Denham went (15-2) in the circle with a (2.27) ERA over 28 appearances in 2017 and was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year. The 6’2” righty was one of 25 finalists for the 2017 NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year. In 2017 Denham had victories over a pair of top-five teams, No. 4 Alabama and No. 4 Texas A&M; her two-hit shutout earned her USA Softball Pitcher of the Week honors. Denham struck out (80) batters over (129.2) innings and held opponents to a (.205) batting average.
2018 Conference Champion Prediction: Oregon
The Ducks return dominant pitching, hitting, and defense to the 2018 season. The returning pitching staff for the Ducks ranked fifth in NCAA last season with an impressive (1.41) ERA. The Ducks also posted a team batting average of (.324) and faced a tough schedule. The team came up short in last year’s Women’s College World Series and will be hungry for another trip to and a shot at the National Title in Oklahoma City in June.
