ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

No pressure, right?

If the Wildcats are feeling any as they prepare to host a regional for the first time since 2021, they weren’t showing it Thursday. They conducted a business-as-usual practice at Hillenbrand Stadium before meeting with the media. Center fielder Regan Shockey described the chance to host as “an amazing opportunity.� For her and most of her teammates, this weekend will be the first time they’ve played NCAA Tournament games in Tucson.

“We talked about it earlier ... how much we value Tucson as a city, a community, and just our fans in general,� Shockey said. “We finally get to show up for them here and give them one of these big games. And I know they'll show up for us 110%.�

Arizona, the No. 13 overall seed, opens regional play against Santa Clara at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Ole Miss will face Grand Canyon in the nightcap.

The Wildcats did lose a regional here one time, in 2004. But as noted by UA coach Caitlin Lowe, who was a freshman on that team, the NCAA hadn’t adopted the super-regional format at that point. Arizona had more teams to get through and lost back-to-back games to Oklahoma and Louisiana-Lafeyette.

(It’s also true that the UA never lost a regional at home under Mike Candrea. He was away coaching Team USA in 2004).

Just because the Wildcats have advanced 25 of 26 times when hosting doesn’t guarantee it’ll happen again. Arizona’s only two Big 12 series losses this season, vs. UCF and Texas Tech, happened at Hillenbrand. The Wildcats actually had a higher winning percentage in road/neutral-site games at .833 — although their .781 mark at home is the best in Lowe’s four seasons.

ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV opened NCAA play at Missouri in 2022 and at Arkansas in ’24. Shockey likes the fact that it’s an easier commute for families that are based on the West Coast. She and her teammates also feel comfortable playing on the hard, fast infield at Hillenbrand.

“We play a very fast-paced game of softball that maybe not a lot of people are used to because their dirt is always watered down,� said Shockey, a sophomore from Chino Hills, California. “Here it's all quick, and you gotta be quick. ... Thank goodness I'm in the outfield, where our grass is perfect.�

If Shockey and the Wildcats were feeling loose Thursday, Santa Clara was even looser. The Broncos are making their inaugural appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Santa Clara coach Gina Carbonatto has been here before. The last game she ever played was Pacific’s 7-0 loss to Arizona and Lowe in the 2007 Tucson Regional. Carbonatto later returned as an assistant coach at Washington.

“We were the big dog when I was at the University of Washington coming into this stadium. Now we’re the underdog,� Carbonatto said. “It’s freer and easier to play when the pressure’s not on you. The University of Arizona has the pressure on them. They’re the ones who are hosting. They’re the top seed in this regional.�

True student-athletes

Arizona two-way star Devyn Netz is used to multitasking. She took it to a new level Thursday.

Netz and teammate Paige Dimler participated in the UA’s Student-Athlete Graduation Celebration at McKale Center starting at 9 a.m. It was about 10 a.m. when Netz and Dimler walked across the stage to greet Lowe and UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois and officially become graduates. The Wildcats’ practice began at 11 a.m.

“We're kind of at the mercy of the NCAA practice times, so it got a little tricky today,� Lowe said. “But they were gracious enough to let softball walk first. I joked with (Netz and Dimler) that they were going to have their practice uniforms on under their robes, but they didn't. They had plenty of time to get dressed.

“But just congrats to them. It was a phenomenal ceremony, and we got to celebrate them as students and not just athletes this morning.�

Netz wished she had a little more time for the student part. She said it was “cool being able to smile, look like a girl, feel like a girl for a little bit� before having to “put my curls up and put my cleats on.�

“But you know what? Softball is something that has been a part of this journey,� Netz said. “It's given me so many different opportunities. ... If it wasn't for softball, I wouldn't be here pursuing my academic dream.�

Netz majored in physiology and medical sciences.

Pitching plan?

Arizona pulled a surprise at the Big 12 Softball Championship by not starting Netz in the circle for the title matchup vs. Texas Tech. Lowe wouldn’t disclose the pitching plan for this weekend.

“I would not tell you that,� she said, laughing. “Over my dead body.�

Lowe did say the Wildcats would stick with the committee approach they utilized to great effect for most of the season.

“Our bullpen is very strong,� she said. “We’ve used quite a few arms with different matchups throughout the entire year. I’m excited to use them in different ways — in ways that I’m not going to tell you about right now.

“I trust that Christian (Conrad, Arizona’s pitching coach) knows what he’s doing, and I trust that our pitchers will be ready to come in and do their job this weekend. I don’t think it’s going to take one person. I think it’s going to take a full-force bullpen to get through a regional like this.�

Extra bases

– Netz on playing in her final NCAA Tournament after missing all of last season because of a back injury: “I'm going to try not to take it for granted. Every pitch, every moment, every second with this team is something that I'll cherish. Just getting to this moment and where I am today is something that I never want to look back on and think that I didn't go 110%. If anything, I just want to put that jersey on every single day and play as if it's my last (game).�

– Six Wildcats were named to the NFCA All-West Region teams Thursday. Netz, Dakota Kennedy and Sydney Stewart were named to the first team. Shockey and Miranda Stoddard earned second-team honors. Kaiah Altmeyer made the third team.

– Santa Clara earned the West Coast Conference’s automatic berth by tying for first place in the league and winning the head-to-head tiebreaker with Saint Mary’s. The Broncos took two of three from the Gaels in mid-April. The WCC, which had six softball-playing members this season, did not hold a conference tournament.

– One of Arizona’s all-time greats, Nancy Evans, is in her first season as the . Evans played at Arizona from 1994-98. She was a two-time first-team All-American and a three-time national champion. Evans also was part of three national-championship teams as an assistant coach in the 2000s.

– GCU enters regional play with the nation’s longest active winning streak (23 games), best winning percentage (.885) and lowest team ERA (1.74).