As she left Hillenbrand Stadium on Saturday, Arizona third baseman Katiyana Mauga was stopped multiple times by young fans seeking autographs.
As Mauga continues her historic home run pace, her popularity in The Old Pueblo is soaring, too.
On Saturday, Mauga hit the 91st home run of her storied Arizona career, giving her the new Pac-12 career record and putting her within four of the NCAA record of 95, held by Oklahoma’s Lauren Chamberlain.
The former Sooners star is, apparently, well aware of Mauga’s approach toward her record, tweeting congratulations during Arizona’s 5-0 win over South Carolina and that “my phone keeps blowing up when you go off” and to “chill on these next five (home runs) though.”
Mauga, for her part, doesn’t talk — or apparently think — too much about the record. As a result, the marks tend to sneak up on her Wildcats teammates.
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“Because of how nonchalant she is about it, it’s kind of hard to remember (the records) but then we hear it over the intercom and we’re like ‘no way,’ ” said UA outfielder Mandie Perez.
Mauga’s list of power-hitting achievements keeps piling up, too. The senior was already Arizona’s record holder, breaking Stacie Chambers’ previous record of 87 home runs a few weeks ago and now she’s bested UCLA legend Stacey Nuveman for the Pac-12 mark.
Saturday’s home run was Mauga’s 24th of the season, second-most in the nation. Mauga is the only player in NCAA history to hit 20 or more in every season of her career. She’s just two off her career high of 26, which came as a sophomore.
In her last 13 games, Mauga has hit eight home runs.
“It’s just phenomenal to see how calm she can be with these great stats,” Perez said.
It’s a busy pipeline between Tucson and Las Cruces
New Mexico State made an appearance the last time Arizona hosted a regional, in 2015, and the Aggies returned this year, losing to Arizona on Friday 11-0 in five innings.
The return marked another reunion for some Aggies players.
Currently, NMSU has two Tucsonans on its roster — pitcher Kayla Green (Cienega High School) and outfielder Amy Bergeson (Sahuaro High School).
Green started against the Wildcats on Friday but struggled a bit, allowing five hits and four earned runs in 2ª innings.
The Aggies have had four Tucsonans on their roster since 2014, including pitcher Makayla McAdams (Ironwood Ridge) and outfielder Chelsea Dohrwardt (Tucson High). The UA, by comparison, has suited up six players from Tucson in that span.
NMSU coach Kathy Rodolph said she thinks players from Tucson don’t get the respect they deserve compared to their Phoenix counterparts.
“I think that the Tucson kids absolutely have to work really hard and don’t get quite the credit some of the Phoenix kids get,” Rodolph said. “I like somebody that’s willing to go the extra mile, that will work hard, that will grind, that doesn’t have quit in them. I love my Tucson kids.”
Inside pitch
- UA freshman Reyna Carranco went 2 for 4 against South Carolina, the third straight game the second baseman has multiple hits. She’s hitting .600 in that span and .328 this season.
- Saint Francis (Pennsylvania) won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game on Saturday afternoon when it eliminated New Mexico State in an 8-4 victory.
