“But she knew that this team has the capabilities and the pieces to be able to make a return trip.” “I think if we weren’t there, we probably wouldn’t be having a conversation,” he said. Lopez kept a close eye on the Wildcats at the WCWS last season, which Candrea believes is a big reason she decided to join them. “It was a little hard to have my family just coming out (to Oklahoma) every so often, but now, especially since it’s my senior year, they’re going to be out here a lot more,” she said. But Arizona recruited her out of high school and Lopez was reminded of what made the program so intriguing: tradition, Candrea’s coaching pedigree, and Tucson’s proximity to her hometown of Saugus, California. “It’s just something in my career that I felt like I wanted to do, and here I am.”Īs the biggest name on the transfer market, Lopez’s options were limitless. “I have nothing but respect for Oklahoma, but I’m happy to be here with this team, and I’m excited that Coach Candrea allowed me to come and be part of this,” Lopez said. Simple: she wanted a change, though she didn’t say much as to why. Given all the success Lopez had with the Sooners, it is fair to wonder why she’d want to walk away from them. “You have Denham who throws the ball extremely hard down, and you got to throw it extremely hard up. “I think she embraces the big moment, and I think she will be a good force for us and a great addition with the rest of our pitchers,” Candrea said. The right-hander won three straight PGF championships during her travel ball days and has pitched in three straight WCWS, including in 2017 when she was credited with the win in Oklahoma’s title-clinching victory over Florida. Lopez can handle the spotlight too, a must for any ace. 159 against her in her junior season, when she posted a career-best 1.25 ERA. Lopez went 51-2 at Oklahoma-the best winning percentage in school history-to go along with a sparkling 1.61 career ERA, 355 strikeouts, and just 55 walks in 295 innings. The ex-Sooner is expected to fill Taylor McQuillin’s shoes and form a dynamic 1-2 punch with fellow senior Alyssa Denham, giving the Wildcats all the pitching they need to return to the Women’s College World Series in 2020. Mike Candrea always says success in softball stems from the circle, so you can imagine how he felt this summer when Arizona landed Oklahoma transfer Mariah Lopez.
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