Winning three games in three days in the NCAA Softball Tournament Regional pushed the Auburn softball team to their second straight super regional appearance. Now, Hall of Fame coach Clint Meyers of Auburn and Hall of Fame coach Mike Candrea of Arizona are set to face off this weekend on the plains.
This will not be the first time these two coaches have met, as Meyers previously spent eight years as the head coach at Arizona State. Like Meyers, Candrea also has an impressive resume and has won the NCAA title with the Wildcats eight times.
Arizona’s record (39-19) is not the most imposing of the teams left in the field, but the Wildcats are coming to Auburn with a lot of confidence. Candrea and Arizona just rolled through their regional in Knoxville, Tennessee, where the Tennessee Volunteers had only lost once this regular season. Their ace, Caitlin O’Toole, was brilliant in the Wildcats regional and will be in the circle for the Wildcats a great deal this weekend. She has appeared in 40 games for the Arizona, and has a record of 25-10 with a 2.04 ERA.
Offensively, the Wildcats have a team batting average of .297. Infielder Mo Mercado leads the team with a .387 batting average, and first baseman Katiyana Mauga leads the team in home runs with 21, and RBI’s with 62.
This is Arizona's 30th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the longest activve streak in the country and tied for the longest streak in the sport's history.
Auburn looks to continue their fantastic pitching and hitting as they welcome the Arizona Wildcats to Jane B. Moore Field this weekend. Game one will be played on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CST and can be seen on ESPN2.
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