Arizona softball: Floyd stands tall in facing challenge

She towers over her teammates. And coaches. And opponents.

Floyd is 6-foot-3, the tallest player on Arizona’s roster by four inches and the tallest pitcher by seven inches. The sophomore from San Marino, California, is the tallest in the Pac-12, too, really — there’s an ASU pitcher who stands 6-4, but she hasn’t played this year.

In baseball, pitchers are almost always 6 feet or taller. In softball, it’s not quite the same: former UA star Kenzie Fowler was 5-11, and Taryne Mowatt was only 5-6.

So, does that mean something, in softball, to be 6-foot-3? Is there an advantage?

The answer? Meh.

“Long levers are always good in pitching,” said UA pitching coach Stacy Iveson. “But I’ve seen great pitchers that are short, too. It’s just a matter of what you do with what you have.”

Floyd’s height is a reflection of her role with the Wildcats this season.

That is, it’s big.

Floyd didn’t pitch much as a freshman in 2014, but was effective when she did: She started six games, posting a 4-0 record and 1.27 ERA while striking out 10 batters in 22 innings.

On a staff filled with seniors, coach Mike Candrea didn’t really need to use her much.

“We had great seniors, great leadership,” Floyd said, “so I was able to learn a lot from the older girls. I was just very fortunate to have great seniors to help show me the ropes of what Pac-12 ball is like.”

Ace Estela Piñon is gone now. Shelby Babcock too. Fowler? She’s in the broadcast booth, calling Arizona games for the Pac-12 Networks.

To top it off, junior Nancy Bowling — expected to be the staff’s leader — is on an indefinite leave of absence due to a medical issue.

So that’s left Floyd at the top for No. 16 Arizona (28-9, 3-3 Pac-12), with freshman Trish Parks behind her. Floyd will start in the pitcher’s circle Thursday, when the Wildcats open a three-game series at Oregon State.

“I think she’s handled it really well,” Iveson said. “The biggest thing she’s got going for her is her mental toughness. I think at times she’s a little bit hard on herself, but all pitchers are that way, and sometimes she tries to get too perfect and she knows that. It’s something she’s working on, but she’s stepped up when we needed her to step up. And she wants the ball, which is huge.”

Floyd’s numbers so far this season are solid — she’s 16-5 with a 2.70 ERA, with 88 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched. She’s ninth in the Pac-12 in ERA.

“I think she’s progressed well,” Candrea said. “She put some miles per hour on her pitches; she’s throwing 64-65 right now, which is a good thing. Last year at this time she was 59, 60, 61. I think she’s got what it takes.”

On an inexperienced pitching staff, ups and downs are certainly expected. But Floyd has done a good job of bouncing back from a rough outing.

In four starts against Arizona State, Baylor, Florida and LSU — all ranked opponents at the time — Floyd was 0-4 with a 9.47 ERA, with 13 walks against 12 strikeouts in 19 innings.

In Floyd’s four starts following those games, though, she’s 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA, with 11 walks and 17 strikeouts in 23 innings.

“Everything is a learning experience,” Floyd said. “So it’s like, yeah, you may have had a bad outing, but you can wipe it clean. You can wallow in it, or you can see like OK this is what happened and it’s not going to happen again, and just take it and learn from it and transfer it over to the next opportunity.”

Sunday, Floyd helped Arizona avoid a three-game sweep, at home, at the hands of rival Arizona State. After two bad losses, Floyd pitched three innings of shutout ball.

Her next opportunity will come against the Beavers, in rainy Corvallis, Oregon. When Floyd runs out to the pitcher’s circle, she’ll certainly tower over every batter she faces.

Even if height doesn’t matter, the Wildcats still need Floyd to stand tall.

Inside pitch

• UA first baseman Hallie Wilson was drafted in the sixth round of the National Pro Fastpitch Draft on Wednesday by the USSSA Pride. Wilson, an All-American last year, is hitting .393 with six home runs, 21 RBIs with a team-best 42 runs scored. Oklahoma infielder Shelby Pendley was also drafted by the Pride, at No. 2 overall in the first round. Pendley transferred to the Sooners from Arizona after her freshman season. As a Wildcat in 2012, she hit .331 with 19 home runs and 55 RBIs and was selected to the All-Pac-12 first team.