By
Brett Erickson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Candrea pushes team to maintain mental focus following 15-0 start
Arizona's leading home run hitter is still recovering from a rib injury suffered Friday but will likely play in this weekend's Wildcat Invitational.
Senior third baseman Toni Mascarenas was hit by a pitch in Friday night's 7-0 victory against Oklahoma State. She played in Arizona's three remaining games at the Pepsi Classic, but had her ribs wrapped for extra protection.
At practice yesterday, she sat out of most of the team's drills and all conditioning exercises. Mascarenas will learn the full extent of her injury after X-rays she will receive today.
"They feel all right, just doing certain things was a little uncomfortable," she said. "But I'll be ready to go this weekend - hopefully."
Mascarenas leads the team with nine homers, followed by freshman Leneah Manuma's seven and freshman Mackenzie Vandergeest's six.
After practice yesterday, head coach Mike Candrea addressed his team about the importance of maintaining a strong mental focus as the team continues to breeze through its non-conference schedule.
Arizona (15-0) has already outscored its opponents 149-6 and has given up runs in just three games. The third-ranked Wildcats won't face a ranked opponent until next weekend's clash with No. 2 Oklahoma at the Hillenbrand Invitational. Oklahoma, the defending national champions, eliminated Arizona 1-0 at last season's College World Series.
"The minute the passion for the game goes, you become a has-been," he told his players.
Candrea, in his 16th season as Arizona's skipper, also stressed the need to maintain a strong team chemistry and approach each opponent - ranked or not - with the same attitude.
With the emergence of Vandergeest as a strong offensive force - the freshman leads the team with a .578 average and is tied for second in RBI with 22 - the odd person of Arizona's line up is Erika Hanson. The senior from Thousand Oaks, Calif., figured to receive considerable playing time after Chrissy Gil, Arizona's right fielder last season, graduated in May.
But with Vandergeest's strong production from the number seven position in the batting order, Hanson has just 15 at bats so far.
"Obviously, Mackenzie has shown us that she is very capable of putting up some numbers, so she's definitely going to be in the lineup," Candrea said. "A lot will depend on situations right now as to how I use the other people. The other players will be getting opportunities, but we're here to put the best nine (players) on the field on any given day."
Quick Hits: Arizona is on pace to break the all-time record for home runs in a season. Through Sunday's 15 games, the team has clubbed 38 long balls. The record was set in 1995, when the Wildcats hit 100 in 72 games ... After Sunday's 9-0 victory against Pacific, the Wildcats now have a 22-game home winning streak. Arizona last lost at Hillenbrand Stadium on April 9, when Stanford beat the Wildcats 4-3 ... Senior outfielders Nicole Giordano and Lauren Bauer are both climbing the Arizona career base-hit list. Giordano's 24 hits this year give her 293 for her career, which ranks her fourth in school history. Bauer, meanwhile, now has 269, good enough for seventh all-time. Former All-American Alison McCutcheon is first with 405 ... Senior Becky Lemke's six victories in the pitching circle leave her just 10 away from becoming the fourth pitcher in school history to amass 100 in a career. Current UA assistant coach Nancy Evans has the top mark with 124.
