Wildcats look to 'put it all together'

"This is a big week for us to continue to get better," Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said. "It's time for us to put it all together and begin to hit on all cylinders."

The Wildcats (51-3 overall, 17-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference) hold a slim yet comfortable four-game lead over second place Washington with 10 games to play. The two teams will meet in Seattle to finish the season May 10.

But for now, the focus turns to the Sun Devils (34-18, 6-12), whom UA defeated at home April 10, sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 7-2 and 5-3.

With Senior Day Sunday, the focus of this brief road trip may well fall on the continued improvement of the freshmen trio of Toni Mascarenas, Nicole Giordano and Lauren Bauer.

The three have become an integral piece of Candrea's offensive puzzle, and all head into tonight's contest hitting above .400.

"They have all performed very well," Candrea said. "Nicole has gained a better understanding of her abilities at the plate and even though Toni has felt like she has struggled a bit at the plate, she too has matured as a player.

"And Lauren is someone who will always come to the park ready to perform."

Giordano leads the trio at the plate with a .446 average, followed closely by Bauer at .444 and Mascarenas at .435. They have also combined to drive in 132 runs.

The first game will be televised live by FOX Sports Arizona and begins at 6 p.m.

Former UA All-American catcher Jody Pruitt will handle the color analysis. FSA is carried locally by TCI channel 22, People's Choice channel 31 and Jones Intercable 45.