There are two things Arizona coach Mike Candrea would like to change about the Pac-12’s conference awards, handed out each year at the conclusion of the regular season.
One, he’d hand out the awards after the postseason was finished, for less distraction.
Two, he’d change the “Coach of the Year” award to be called the “Coaching Staff of the Year” award.
Candrea is sort of an expert on that award, after all — Monday, he won the Pac-12’s coaching honor for the 11th time in his career, and the first since 2007. Candrea led a program that won the Pac-12 title for the first time in 10 years and was picked as the NCAA Tournament’s No. 2 seed. UA accordingly performed a near-clean sweep of this year’s conference honors. Candrea won coach, senior slugger Katiyana Mauga won co-Player of the Year and senior pitcher Danielle O’Toole was Pitcher of the Year.
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Arizona opens postseason play at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Hillenbrand Stadium in the Tucson Regional against New Mexico State.
South Carolina and St. Francis (Pa.) are also in the regional, which is double-elimination and will continue through Sunday.
“Well, it’s funny because I always look at it like it’s the result of the team and the result of what the team does, usually you get those honors,” Candrea said. “I look at it as a team doing a very good job this year, and I look at it as having a great staff. I look at it more like staff of the year than coach of the year.”
It’s the first time in school history that the Wildcats swept those three major awards, though the pitching award wasn’t introduced until 1999.
Beyond that, Arizona also earned nine All-Conference selections Monday, including five on the 20-person first team. Mauga, O’Toole, outfielder Mandie Perez, shortstop Mo Mercado and first baseman Jessie Harper made the first team; outfielder Ashleigh Hughes, pitcher Taylor McQuillin and outfielder Alyssa Palomino made the second team; and second baseman Reyna Carranco was a third-team selection.
The Wildcats also managed two All-Defensive team selections (O’Toole and Mercado) and four All-Freshmen (Palomino, Harper, Carranco and catcher Dejah Mulipola).
“I commend all of them and always tell them, the more success the team has, the more individual honors you’re going to get,” Candrea said.
O’Toole is Arizona’s first pitcher to win since Alicia Hollowell won in 2004. She’s just the third UA pitcher to win the award, joining Hollowell and Jennie Finch, and did it by leading the Pac-12 with a 27-4 record and a 1.08 ERA.
Mauga split her award with Utah star Hannah Flippen, and is the first Wildcat to win player of the year since Caitlin Lowe split the award in 2006.
Lowe is Arizona’s hitting coach.
Mauga is Arizona’s career home run leader with 89, and is two away from setting a Pac-12 record and six off the NCAA record of 95, set by Oklahoma’s Lauren Chamberlain.
Mauga is hitting .343 this season with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs.
“It was awesome,” Mauga said of winning the award. “But just seeing my name on that, it gave me excitement, especially going into this postseason.”
Contact:zrosenblatt@tucson.com or 573-4145. On Twitter: @ZackBlatt
