On Becky Burke’s defiance, Tommy Lloyd’s frustration, UA softball’s strategy | Michael Lev

News: Arizona women’s basketball coach Becky Burke announces that she and her wife are expecting a second child.

Views: What should have been a joyous occasion turned ugly when online cretins made nasty, homophobic comments toward Burke, who ended up making the initial post on X private — i.e., no comments. (It now appears that some accounts can reply.)

Most of the comments that are visible are positive and supportive. Many are mean and judgmental — typical of social media, where, disappointingly, anonymous accounts still exist and thrive and far too often reflect the worst of humanity.

Burke, who will never back down from a fight, posted a response that the Star reported on last week. She decried being on the receiving end of “some of the most hateful comments we’ve ever seen.” She emphasized that the pregnancy announcement was “about something much bigger than us,” specifically mentioning representation and visibility and stating that “our announcement is for people who have spent years wondering whether a future like this was possible for them.”

Our story is the third one that appears on the Google news feed when you search “Becky Burke.” The first six stories in that feed are about her announcement, the “backlash” (USA Today’s term) and Burke’s response. The story went viral — which was never Burke’s intent. She simply wanted to share a happy moment with her fans and followers. Celebrities make baby announcements all the time.

This one drew unwanted attention because Burke is part of a same-sex couple. As much as we like to think we’ve evolved as a society, situations like this reveal how much further we have to go when it comes to accepting people for who they are. The negative responses to Burke’s post also underscore one of the downsides of social media: Anyone can opine on anything — and they invariably do.

Here’s the thing about that: Just because you can comment on something doesn’t mean you should. Just because you have a certain set of beliefs doesn’t mean you have to thrust them on someone else.

Burke should be able to share news about her family without being judged and condemned. You don’t support the idea of a child being raised by two moms? Fine. Keep it to yourself.

News: The UA men’s basketball team continues to fill its frontcourt with Koa Peat off to the NBA.

Views: Colleague Bruce Pascoe wrote a fascinating piece about Tommy Lloyd’s team-building process earlier this week.

That process is being gummed up by NCAA eligibility guidance, or lack thereof.

The issue, simply put, is whether European “pros” are still eligible to play college basketball. Ivan Kharchenkov got the greenlight as recently as last year. Arizona sure could use another Kharchenkov. But Lloyd isn’t sure he can go that route, telling Pascoe: “What you’re told one moment may not necessarily be true three or four moments later, so we're just kind of waiting to see what our best options are.”

Ugh. That’s suboptimal to say the least — especially since Lloyd would like to add one more player in his piecemeal effort to replace Peat.

As it stands right know, Peat’s successor at power forward is likely a combination of players whom Lloyd and his staff will mix and match. They include newcomers Ugnius Jarusevicius, Evan Otten, Maksim Brnovic and Kharchenkov, who conceivably could slide over to the “four” as he did at times last season.

Or ... it could be someone who isn’t on the roster yet whose eligibility is still being determined. Hopefully sooner than later.

Reports of Kharchenkov’s commitment to Arizona last year first surfaced on June 2. Kharchenkov didn’t officially depart Bayern Munich until July 1. So there’s still time.

Clarity about the rules of engagement would help immensely.

News: UA softball announces three transfer-portal additions.

Views: I really like how Caitlin Lowe and her staff are attacking this portal cycle.

They’re adding ascending veterans who won’t block incoming players.

That’s the preferred approach if you’re going to continue to rely on recruiting and development — a team-building philosophy to which Arizona remains fully committed.

The three additions announced thus far — Madison Conley, Ryley Harrison and Elizabeth Moffitt — fill immediate and glaring needs at corner outfielder, pitcher and catcher, respectively.

All of them have one year of eligibility remaining. All have gotten better every year they’ve been in college.

Conley’s batting average at North Texas climbed from .194 as a freshman to .345 as a sophomore to .377 as a junior. Her OPS has mirrored that pattern, peaking at 1.310 last season.

Harrison’s ERA as a freshman at South Alabama was 4.81. It dropped to 3.26 the following season and 2.41 in 2026. Her batting average against fell from .311 to .263 to .237.

Moffitt, Conley’s teammate with the Mean Green, hit .200 as a freshman, .335 as a sophomore and .390 as a junior. She posted a career-best 1.196 OPS this past season.

The Wildcats are expected to add a few more players through the portal. They still need to figure out the left side of the infield. And they definitely need at least one more pitcher.

Meanwhile, the five players who comprise Arizona’s class of 2026 are already listed on the online roster. That class was ranked as high as 24th nationally.

The class of '27 is even better. Rivals and others rank it 11th.

Barring decommitments, Arizona seems well-positioned to restock its roster with young talent — while simultaneously piecing together a squad with enough experience and proven production to win next year.

News: UA baseball announces additions and changes to its coaching staff.

Views: The headliner here is Jack Meggs, who will serve as the Wildcats’ hitting instructor.

Meggs, 31, is considered a riser in the coaching business — with which he has considerable familiarity. His dad is Lindsay Meggs, who was a college head coach from 1990-2022, including a 13-year run at Washington (2010-22). The elder Meggs most recently served as an assistant coach at Hawaii.

Jack Meggs grew up around the game and played for his father at UW. As a senior outfielder in 2017, Meggs started every game in a three-game series at Arizona. He went 4 for 14 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Like his father, who got his first head-coaching gig before he turned 30, Meggs quickly climbed the coaching ladder. He began as a graduate assistant at Kansas during the 2021 season. A year later, he became the Jayhawks’ hitting coach.

After Kansas changed coaches, Meggs headed west to Saint Mary’s, where he spent the past four seasons, ultimately being promoted to associate head coach.

The Gaels produced all sorts of notable hitting numbers during Meggs’ tenure. They led the West Coast Conference in just about everything this past season, which also saw them go 2-0 against NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed UCLA in the L.A. Regional.

Some stats that jump out: Saint Mary’s led the nation in doubles, ranked third in batting average and placed eighth in triples this past season. Arizona’s hitters need to make more contact and take advantage of the spaciousness of Hi Corbett Field. They struggled in both areas in 2026.

Meggs’ impressive résumé doesn’t guarantee an instant turnaround for a UA offense that lost some key components to injury and scuffled under longtime hitting coach Toby DeMello. I really respected DeMello, a pro’s pro, and I wasn’t alone in that stance. But it just got to a point where change was needed. Meggs brings a fresh voice and approach to the batting cage.

News: Four Wildcats earn first-team All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Views: It was a banner season for the track-and-field program under first-year coach Andrew Dubs, and the NCAAs served as the capper.

In all, 10 individuals earned first- or second-team All-American acclaim. The men’s 4x100 relay team did, as well.

Among the first-team All-Americans, three were upperclassmen: Mason Lawyer (100, 200, 4x100), Paris Mikinski (high jump) and Hollan Powers (heptathlon). The other, high jumper Kya Crooke, was a freshman.

Under a different set of rules — which will be coming to college athletics any day now — Crooke might be a national champion.

Crooke was one of three jumpers to clear 1.90 meters and was awarded third place. Two athletes cleared 1.96 meters: Texas Tech’s Temitope Adeshina and Illinois’ Rose Yeboah.

Adeshina is 27 years old. Yeboah is 24. Crooke is 19.

Under legislation that’s being discussed and appears to have momentum, athletes would have a five-year eligibility window “upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier," per the NCAA. That change could go into effect as soon as this year.

In other words, there will come a time when matchups between 19-year-olds like Crooke and 27-year-olds like Adeshina are obsolete.