Editor’s note: The Star’s Zack Rosenblatt is counting down the 50 best athletes on the University of Arizona campus right now, with help from athletes, coaches and those close to the program.
No. 2: Jessie Harper
The details: Harper is a 5-foot-6-inch infielder from Stevenson Ranch, California, entering her sophomore season at the UA. Harper came to the Wildcats as part of Mike Candrea’s No. 3-ranked recruiting class in 2016, according to FloSoftball. Harper was rated the nation’s No. 43 overall recruit. Harper primarily played shortstop in high school but moved to first base as a freshman. Harper is expected to return to her natural position next season.
The numbers: Harper finished the 2017 season with some of the most impressive stats of any freshman in the country. Her final numbers: a .333 batting average, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs, 34 runs scored and just 22 strikeouts in 186 at-bats. She also had a .720 slugging percentage, the sixth-best mark in the country among freshmen.
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The value: The Wildcats went from a good team to the Pac-12 champion largely because of the contributions of their freshmen. Catcher Dejah Mulipola and second baseman Reyna Carranco played well, but Harper was the breakout star. With Katiyana Mauga, Mandie Perez and Mo Mercado gone from Arizona’s lineup, Harper will have to step up as the team’s best hitter in 2018. If anyone knows what that’s like, it’s Mauga, Arizona’s all-time home run leader.
“It’s definitely going to get harder for the next three years,” Mauga said during the postseason, “especially when pitchers know you already, they’ve faced you, and you’re playing the same teams over and over.”
Why Harper? Candrea has already compared Harper to former UA outfielder Leah O’Brien. That’s high praise, considering O’Brien was a three-time All-American, a three-time NCAA champion and one of the best hitters in program history. Harper proved ready for college pitching from the get-go: She hit .367 with 15 home runs in the first 41 games of her career, and finished the season with nearly as many home runs (19) as she hit in all of high school (22).
“In the beginning I was kind of overwhelmed with the college atmosphere and everything like that,” Harper said. “College softball is definitely different than travel ball and high school, it was a little bit to get adjusted to, but I love every second of it.”
Proof she’s good: Harper finished second in the Pac-12 in home runs, third in slugging percentage and total bases, fourth in RBIs and eighth in doubles. Outside of Mauga, she was Arizona’s most clutch — and exciting — hitter. In April, Harper hit a foul ball so hard it broke a television camera at Hillenbrand Stadium. Later in the month, she had a game-winning hit against Arizona State. In the last series of the regular season at UCLA, Harper smacked a grand slam that broke a car’s windshield. Harper’s walk-off RBI single gave Arizona a super-regional win over Baylor. The win, which put the UA within a victory of the Women’s College World Series, came on her birthday.
“She’s always got a smile on her face, handles the pressure well,” Candrea said after the game. “It was a challenge for her to struggle a little bit because she really hasn’t struggled a lot throughout the whole year. (She) went back to work during the week and stayed positive, came out tonight and squared one up.”
What Harper can accomplish: Harper was named a first-team All-American as a freshman, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished at Arizona since 2010. She was also named to the All-Pac-12 first team and the conference’s all-freshman team. With continued production at this level, it’d be reasonable to think Harper can be both a first-team All-American and all-conference selection again.
Coachspeak: “Jessie, you look at her and she doesn’t look like a freshman. She’s a very mature ballplayer. … I knew she was a good hitter, but you never know how they’re going to react when they get into this situation. It is so much about making adjustments. … There’s only been one or two games or pitchers who I felt like had the upper hand on her.” — Candrea
She said it: “I took it as a new challenge. I accepted it, I knew it coming in here that I wasn’t going to be playing short my freshman year. Anywhere I can help my team reach its end goal, even if it was just on the bench cheering on my teammates, I was definitely pleased when coach trusted me at first base, and the team did, too. That took a little bit of growing and it’s been an amazing experience so far.” — Harper, on playing first base last season
