Alyssa Palomino was the first one to hear the news.
Taylor McQuillin, one of America’s top pitchers and Palomino’s best friend, had reopened her college recruitment because of her father’s poor health. McQuillin looked at various different schools before picking the winner.
So with Palomino standing nearby, McQuillin dialed Mike Candrea’s number and officially committed to the Arizona Wildcats’ 2016 recruiting class. The duo, teammates since they were 12, would suit up together at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Well, eventually.
The Wildcats open their season at 6 p.m. Thursday against Fordham both happy and — finally — healthy. A core of seniors, including ace Danielle O’Toole, slugger Katiyana Mauga and sparkplug Mandie Perez, anchors the UA’s lineup. And six talented freshmen could help the Wildcats reach the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2010, an epoch by Candrea’s standards.
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The most anticipated return may be that of Palomino, who — as the UA’s lone redshirt freshman — is a compelling combination of both returner and newcomer.
Palomino arrived Tucson last year as one of the top young players in the country. She set Orange County’s all-time home run record and won a national championship while at Mission Viejo. USA Softball named her its Junior Athlete of the Year.
Then, on the first day of fall practice, Palomino jumped to catch a ball in the outfield and landed awkwardly. Surgery was scheduled, and her freshman season was lost.
Palomino’s parents flew in. McQuillin joined the Palominos at the hospital.
“I basically sat her down and said, ‘Hey this is reality, this is what happened, how are we going to fix it?’ ” McQuillin said.
Palomino’s physical struggles were dwarfed by the drop in self-confidence that came with the injury and corresponding rehabilitation.
“It just tore me down,” Palomino said. “Not being able to play, not being able to be on the field. It was just, ‘Why do it anymore?’”
McQuillin listened, like always. And over the course of months, the friends navigated Palomino’s rehab together.
And now?
“She’s absolutely fully Alyssa,” McQuillin said. “There’s nothing different about her other than that she gets stronger and stronger every day. If anything, she’s only grown more as an athlete.”
