Lovie leading and lovin' it

Senior shortstop Lovie Jung is no stranger to success.

Jung was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for March 24-30 öö her second so far this season öö in which she recorded a .750 batting average that included five runs, six hits and three RBIs.

After the weekend sweep over the Huskies and Bruins, the UA senior currently leads the Pac-10 Conference with 20 homeruns.

Jung's 20th homer came on Sunday when she blasted a dramatic grand slam in the top of the seventh inning.

Currently, she's batting a .442 batting average and has posted 44 runs, 50 hits, 59 RBIs and five grand slams.

All eyes on Alicia Hollowell

Freshman star Alicia Hollowell showed a little fatigue, but fans wouldn't know it as the UA pitcher threw her way through two shutouts over Washington and UCLA, and then a 5-1 victory over the Bruins on Sunday.

Hollowell (24-2) is flawless in the Pac-10 with a 6-0 record and completed the weekend with a .33 ERA.

In 21 innings, the freshman pitcher struck out 18 batters.

"Hollowell competed tremendously and found a way to win," UA head coach Mike Candrea said. "She threw a good ball game. She took what she had and competed and was successful."

Inside the on deck circle

It's time to stop gloating in the wake of their success because starting today, the Wildcats hit the field at UA's Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium to prepare for their next opponents, beginning with No. 11 Stanford on Friday night.

According to Candrea, the practice preceding last weekend's wins were among the best he's seen all season.

The result was stronger defense and a happy coach who felt that his team outplayed UW and UCLA.

No Pac-10 team is an easy opponent, and the Wildcats are hoping to keep their current perch atop the conference standings.

After a day off from practice, the Wildcats prepare for the conference's two teams from Nor Cal, with No. 11 Stanford (28-14) on Friday and No. 6 California (32-9) on Saturday and again on Sunday.

"This weekend was a very important benchmark to see where we're at," Candrea said. "The thing about the Pac-10 is that we'll enjoy this for 24 hours and then it's time to get back to Stanford and Cal and get our game plan together."

Last season, the Wildcats were eliminated in the 2002 College World Series Championship with a 6-0 loss to the Golden Bears.