Throwback Thursday: Arizona Softball All-Decade Teams (2010s)

Dec 17, 2020

TUCSON, Ariz. -- From team success – eight national championships, 23 trips to the Women's College World Series, 18 50-plus win seasons – to individual accomplishments – five national players of the year, 105 All-Americans, 10 Olympians – Arizona softball's tradition and history can stack up with just about any program in any sport at any level.

Softball royalty has walked in and out of Hillenbrand Stadium for decades, with some of the sport's best players composing some of the sport's best teams over the last four decades.

Over four Throwback Thursdays, ArizonaWildcats.com will reveal All-Decade Teams from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. The teams were selected based on honors, prioritizing All-Americans, while taking into account all-conference and all-region recognitions. Some positional flexibility was used where needed and careers that spanned multiple decades were placed based on fit.

Oct. 22 » 1980s
Oct. 29 » 1990s
Dec. 3 » 2000s
Dec. 17 » 2010s

In the most recent decade of Arizona Softball (2011-20), the Wildcats have maintained their place in the elite class of collegiate softball.

Highlighted by a Pac-12 title in 2017 and a return to the Women's College World Series in 2019, Arizona saw plenty of team success in the 10-year period. The individual success and accolades have followed, making for a star-studded All-Decade Team filled with All-Americans and Olympians.

During the last 10 years (only nine of which gave out postseason awards due to COVID-19 in 2020), the Wildcats had 18 All-Americans, 10 of which occurred from 2017-19. Arizona's five All-Americans in 2019 were its most since 2001.

Additionally, the All-Decade Team features likely four Olympians set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Dejah Mulipola will compete for Team USA and, while the Olympic roster has not been finalized, Brigette Del Ponte, Taylor McQuillin and Danielle O'Toole will likely compete for Team Mexico.

The All-Decade Team features the 2017 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year (O'Toole), two Pac-12 Defensive Players of the Year (Kellie Fox and Hallie Wilson), a Pac-12 Batting Champion (Reyna Carranco) and a Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year (Kelsey Rodriguez). It features Katiyana Mauga, who set the Arizona and Pac-12 home run records, hitting 92 in her career, second most in NCAA history, and Jessie Harper, who is trying to become the second Wildcat in five years to break the conference record. Harper enters her redshirt senior season with 76 homers, 16 shy of Mauga's school and conference record and 19 shy of the NCAA record.

THE PLAYERS

P Kenzie Fowler (2010-14)

Two-time All-American
Went 38-9 and took Arizona to the Women's College World Series Championship Series as a freshman in 2010
Sixth in Arizona history with 857 career strikeouts, including 371 Ks in 2010, seventh in Arizona history
Threw four no-hitters in 2010, second most in a season in school history
Finalist for National Player of the Year in 2010
All-WCWS performer in 2010

P Danielle O'Toole (2016-17)

2017 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year
First-team All-American in 2017
One of 10 finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year in 2017
A two-time all-Pac-12 and all-west region pitcher both seasons in Tucson
Six-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week and two-time national pitcher of the week during her two years in Tucson
Member of the Mexican Olympic Team

P Taylor McQuillin (2016-19)

2019 first-team NFCA All-American
Arizona's first four-time all-conference pitcher since Alicia Hollowell (2003-06)
Leaves Arizona in the career top-10 in wins (9th – 80), strikeouts (7th – 815), innings pitched (10th – 697.1)
Four-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week and two-time national pitcher of the week
Member of the Mexican Olympic Team

C Dejah Mulipola (2017-present)

A three-year starter at catcher, has started 179 of UA's 182 games at catcher in her career
Named Johnny Bench and NFCA Catcher of the Year as a junior in 2019
In 2019, became Arizona's first, first-team NFCA All-American catcher since 1998 (Leah Braatz)
A member of the U.S. Women's National Team (2019-current)
Two-time all-conference and all-region catcher
Enters her senior season with 47 career home runs, 18th most in UA history

1B Jessie Harper (2017-present)

Two-time All-American at two different positions (1B & SS), including 2017 first-teamer
Enters her redshirt senior year with 76 career home runs, tied for fifth most in Arizona history, seventh most in Pac-12 history and 12th most in NCAA history
Needs 19 home runs in 2021 to tie Lauren Chamberlain's NCAA record (95 – 2012-15)
Has started all 207 games in her UA career
Led the Pac-12 in home runs in both 2019 (29) and 2020 (10) and has finished first or second in all four seasons
Led the NCAA in home runs in 2019 (29), the 10th Wildcat to lead the country in homers and first since 2009
Has been named first-team all-Pac-12 and all-NFCA West Region in all three seasons the awards were given
Has earned Academic All-America honors (2020 – 2nd team) in addition to her on-field All-America honors

2B Reyna Carranco (2017-present)

2019 second-team NFCA All-American
2019 Pac-12 Batting Champion (.433 regular season average), UA's first ever recipient of the award
Three-time all-Pac-12 second baseman
Has started 192 games as second base in her 3.5-year career
Has hit .365 in her career
In Pac-12 play, has hit .394, including a league-leading .419 as a freshman (2017) and .448 as a junior (2019), second highest average in the league

3B Brigette Del Ponte (2010-13)

Named a second-team All-American in 2011
Has the Arizona record for doubles in a season (23 – 2011) and ranks fifth all-time in career doubles (52)
Hit 59 career homers, tied for 10th most all-time
Hit 21 home runs and drove in 80 runs as a freshman, both UA freshman records
Three-time all-conference performer
Member of the Mexican National Team

SS Kellie Fox (2014-15)

Two-time All-American in two years of eligibility after transferring to Arizona
2014 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
Member of the U.S. National Team (2014, 2015)
Led Arizona in batting average as a senior (.400)
Was a .394 career hitter
Hit 15 home runs each of her two seasons
Drew 44 walks in 2015, tied for the 10th most in school history
First-team all-Pac-12 in 2014 and 2015
Hit six triples in her career, including a team-high four in 2015
Started all 101 games in her career at shortstop and as Arizona's No. 3 hitter

OF Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza (2017-present)

Has battled torn ACLs in each of her knees during her career, her right ACL costing her true freshman season (2016) and her left ACL costing her UA's 2017 postseason
Has been a four-year starter, three seasons in center field – where she has never committed an error – (2017, 2019-20) and one season at first base (2018) while working back from her second ACL surgery
A first-team NFCA All-American each of the last two seasons they were awarded (2018-19), UA's first player to earn back-to-back All-America honors since Brittany Lastrapes (2010-11)
Three-time all-conference player, including back-to-back first-team selections
Enters 2021 with 61 career homers, tied for eighth most in school history and 14th in Pac-12 history

OF Hallie Wilson (2012-15)

2015 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
2014 first-team NFCA All-American
Led Arizona in batting average as freshman and sophomore and was second as a junior and senior
Was on USA Softball Player of the Year preseason Watch List all three years eligible (sophomore, junior, senior)
Two-time Pac-12 Player of the Week
Led the country with 73 runs scored in 2014
Competed for the U.S. National Team in 2014
Fifth in Arizona history with 136 walks drawn
Hit 39 career home runs, including 30 over her final two seasons

OF Katiyana Mauga (2014-17)

Arizona and Pac-12 Career Home Run Holder (92 – Second in NCAA history)
Two-time All-American (2017 – 2nd team, 2015 – 3rd team)
2017 Co-Pac-12 Player of the Year
2014 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
Only player in NCAA history to hit 20 home runs in each of her four seasons
Had 257 career RBI, fifth in Arizona history, 6th in Pac-12 history and 13th in NCAA history
Slugged .829 in her career, first in Arizona history (min. 500 at-bats), third in Pac-12 history and 13th in NCAA history
Drafted sixth overall in the 2017 NPF Draft to the Texas Charge (Traded to the Scrap Yard Dawgs)
Finished first or second in the Pac-12 in home runs in each of her four seasons

DP Chelsea Goodacre (2012-15)

2015 second-team NFCA All-American
2015 (1st-team), 2014 (2nd-team) and 2013 (2nd-team) NFCA All-West Region
2015, 2014, 2013 all-Pac-12 first team
Led NCAA with 86 RBI in 2015
Finished tied for fifth in NCAA with 24 home runs in 2015
71 career home runs ranks fifth in school history
240 career RBI ranks seventh in school history
Hit .319 in 335 career games at Arizona
Slugged .681 in her career, including a career-best .790 in 2015, a figure that ranked 46th in the country
Increased home run, RBI and walk figures every season
Committed just 10 errors in her career, good for a .990 fielding percentage

UTL Mo Mercado (2014-17)

Second-team NFCA All-American in 2017
Started all 243 games in her Wildcat career
Four-time NFCA all-region performer
Named first-team all-Pac-12 and all-defense as a junior and a senior
Drafted No. 9 overall in the 2017 NPF Draft (USSSA Pride)
Ranks seventh in UA history with 427 career assists

AT-LARGE (P) Alyssa Denham (2018-present)

Has posted a 33-10 record and a 1.90 ERA over 61 appearances in her Arizona career
A third-team all-Pac-12 pitcher in each of her two seasons that gave out the award with the Wildcats
Has pitched two no-hitters in her UA career (3/24/19 at Oregon State & 2/16/20 vs. Long Beach State), the first UA pitcher to throw multiple solo no-hitters since Kenzie Fowler (2010-14)
Earned her first career Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honor (3/25/19) when she threw her first-career no-hitter at Oregon State on her 21st birthday (3/24/19)
Transferred to Arizona from Louisiana Lafayette, where she was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference pitcher in her one season with the Ragin' Cajuns
Has posted sub-2.00 ERAs in all three seasons in Tucson, good for a top-11 finish in the Pac-12 all three years

AT-LARGE (OF) Ashleigh Hughes (2015-18)

A two-time all-conference performer
Named NFCA all-West Region as a junior and a senior
Named Pac-12 all-Freshman in 2015
Led the team with 15 stolen bases in 2018

AT-LARGE (3B) Malia Martinez (2017-present)

Has started 145 of UA's 146 games the last three seasons at third base
Is a .307 hitter in her career with 21 homers and 107 RBI
Named first-team all-NFCA West Region and second team all-Pac-12 as a junior

AT-LARGE (OF) Mandie Perez (2013-17)

First-team all-Pac-12 performer in 2016 and 2017
One of 34 finalists for USA Softball Player of the Year in 2017
Was first or second in the Pac-12 in runs as a junior and a senior, including a league-leading 66 in 2017
Drafted No. 19 in the 2017 NPF Draft to the USSSA Pride

AT-LARGE (C/DP) Kelsey Rodriguez (2013-14)