The 13th-ranked Arizona Wildcats brought out the brooms on the road for the first time in Big 12 play and swept the Kansas Jayhawks at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence.
Arizona run-ruled Kansas in the final two games of the series, including an 11-1 drubbing Sunday morning. Arizona dominated KU 15-3 in five innings on Saturday and outscored the Jayhawks 28-4 in the series.
The Wildcats’ sweep extended their winning streak to five games. It marked Arizona’s first series sweep since the Wildcats’ wins over Utah last month.
Arizona jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning on Sunday after RBI by junior catcher Sydney Stewart, senior designated player Paige Dimler and freshman third baseman Jenna Sniffen, who also hit a home run in Arizona’s 2-0 win over Kansas on Friday.
With two outs in the top of the second inning, center fielder Regan Shockey slapped a hit to the right field wall and burst for an inside-the-park home run — her first of the season — to take a 6-0 lead.
Arizona’s Devyn Netz flashes the Wildcat hand signs coming home on her solo shot in the fourth inning against Michigan State in Tucson on Feb. 6, 2025.
UA senior pitcher Devyn Netz was back in the circle and surrendered a run and two hits in three innings pitched. Netz gave up a home run to Kansas pitcher Olivia Bruno in the bottom of the second inning for the Jayhawks’ only run on Sunday.
Netz avenged her home run allowed at the plate with a three-run homer in the fourth inning, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 10-1. Netz has a team-high 14 home runs this season, in addition to the third-lowest ERA.
Arizona star left fielder Dakota Kennedy hit a pair of RBI singles in the fourth and fifth innings, the latter pushing the Wildcats into a run-rule win.
The Wildcats return to Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium for their final five home games of the season. No. 13 Arizona hosts the red-hot and 14th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders this upcoming Thursday-Saturday, then closes out its home schedule with a doubleheader against New Mexico State on Tuesday, April 22.
Texas Tech (34-9, 14-1) and Arizona (36-7, 13-5) enter this week as the top two teams in the Big 12 standings. The Red Raiders have won 11 straight games. Texas Tech and Arizona also have the two lowest ERAs in the Big 12.
Texas Tech is led by star pitcher NiJaree Canady, the former Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year at Stanford and reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Canady received a $1 million to play at TTU this offseason, the highest NIL deal in college softball history. Canady has a 0.68 ERA with 204 strikeouts and has allowed 13 earned runs and five home runs in 134 innings.
The series finale on Saturday was flexed from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a national TV slot on ESPN2. The Wildcats will have a Senior Day ceremony for Netz, Dimler, Miranda Stoddard and Saya Swain. The broadcasts for Arizona’s games on Friday (FS1) and Saturday mark the first nationally televised contests of the season for the Wildcats.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star’s Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
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