Pac-12 Play Begins Against #7 Arizona
SEATTLE - The #6 Washington Huskies begin their defense of the 2019 Pac-12 championship this week, hosting the #7 Arizona Wildcats in the first Pac-12 play of the season. Washington and Arizona will play a four-game set, with a doubleheader set for Saturday. The second game of that doubleheader will count as a non-conference game unless one of the other three games is not played for any reason: then, that game will become a Pac-12 contest for the standings.
The first game of the series, set for Friday at 6:00 pm, will air on ESPNU. The other three games will all air on the Pac-12 Network.
GABBIE GONNA GABBIE
Gabbie Plain had two more complete-game, double-digit strikeout wins last weekend, giving her 24 double-digit strikeout games in her career. Plain has allowed more than one run just once in 16 appearances: the Huskies are 11-0 in her starts, with Plain allowing five or more baserunners just three times. Plain is third in the country in ERA (min. 50 IP) and third in strikeouts. She has 139 strikeouts: no other Pac-12 pitcher has more than 80. Plain's next shutout will be her 28th, tying her with Taran Alvelo for third in Washington history.
SPEED DEMONS
The Huskies went a perfect 13-for-13 on the basepaths last weekend. Washington had 15 steals in 19 attempts in the first 16 games of the year: they have 20 in 20 attempts in the last six games. Washington has stolen multiple bases in five consecutive games.
SIS BATS
Sis Bates raised her season batting average back up to .500 after a strong week. Bates has had her batting average dip below the .500 mark for just five total games since the beginning of the 2020 season. In that time, she has 20 multi-hit games and just two hitless games. Bates has reached base safely in all but one game since the start of 2020: she went 0-for-4 against Texas on February 28, 2020. One more game would give Bates her second career hit streak of 10+ games.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Sami Reynolds made her 100th career start for the Huskies last weekend. Reynolds is the fifth active Husky with 100 or more career starts, joining Sis Bates, Morganne Flores, Kaija Gibson, and Taryn Atlee. Bates and Flores both have over 200 starts. The last time the Huskies had multiple active players with 200+ starts was 2014, when Kaitlin Inglesby, Victoria Hayward, and Hooch Fagaly all reached that mark.
GOING FOR A WALK
13 players in the Pac-12 have reached double-digit walks this season. Five of those players are from Washington: SilentRain Espinoza, Kaija Gibson, Morganne Flores, Sis Bates, and Baylee Klingler. Stanford and Arizona are the only other teams in the Pac-12 with multiple players with 10+ walks: each has two players to reach that mark. The Huskies have 96 walks as a team, 22 more than any other Pac-12 team. Washington's on-base percentage of .468 is second in the Pac-12 and fifth in the nation.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Sis Bates hit her 17th career triple last weekend, breaking a tie for the Washington program record with Ashley Charters and Becky Newbry at 16. Bates also moved into Washington's top five in career hits with her 280, tying her with Michelle Church. Bates now trails only Sara Pickering (318 hits), Ashley Charters (315), Jaime Clark (292), and Becky Newbry (286) in career hits in Washington history.
LEADOFF ONS
Washington has reached base safely to start an inning 55.6% of the time this season, while allowing opponents to do so just 25.7% of the time. Four different Huskies have reached safely over 70% of the time when leading off an inning. Kaija Gibson has reached safely in 8 of 9 innings she has led off, while Sis Bates has done so in 16 of 22 innings, or 72.7 % of the time.
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