Riding a 1-for-14 streak at the plate, Arizona third baseman Malia Martinez didn’t pout when she was dropped to the bottom of the lineup.
A senior in her third season as a starter, Martinez took a pragmatic approach to finding her way back to the heart of the order. She delivered right away, going 3 for 4 and blasting a three-run go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 6-5 win over No. 9 Alabama.
“It’s understanding the level of play we play at and even though the slump is frustrating, you get a new opportunity everyday,” Martinez said. “From a senior prospective, I told myself I need to be better. I need to be able to contribute for my team.”
Before the season, coach Mike Candrea lauded the Wildcats’ experience, even without four-year starting catcher Dejah Mulipola. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza and Jessie Harper had combined for an eye-popping 120 home runs over their first three seasons, and second baseman Reyna Carranco hit over .400 as a junior. Despite a sub-.300 career batting average, Martinez was far from overlooked.
The Poway, California, native cloaks a feisty and competitive personality behind a quiet curtain. She’s easy to talk to and will laugh if you make a good joke. That’s important — not just for her, as she rides the typical waves of an unrelenting softball season, but also for her teammates.
“We just have really open communication,” Harper said. “With that trust, I know the person in front of me and the person behind me have my back no matter what my personal outcome is. It takes the pressure off.”
Heading into this weekend’s Wildcat Invitational, starting with a 5:30 p.m. contest against South Dakota, Martinez is batting .311 with three homers and three errors in the field. Those aren’t extraordinary numbers, but they help get the job done, which is often all that is needed.
As some of her teammates point out, Martinez is the perfect person for big moments, like the one at Alabama. She isn’t likely to squander the opportunity.
“She’s one of the most hardworking players, if not the most hardworking player, on this team,” said pitcher Mariah Lopez, who played travel ball with Martinez. “She’s just an all-around great person. I was just sitting there and was like, there is no better person to have this opportunity.”
That matters when working through the grind of a season. Boise State, at No. 35, is the only team in this weekend’s tournament with a top-50 RPI last season. The Wildcats play the Broncos (12-8) as the first half of Saturday’s doubleheader at 2 p.m.
However, No. 4 Arizona (17-3) knows winning is never guaranteed, losing 7-6 to unranked Texas A&M after leading by five runs two weeks ago. Timely hits and tough defensive plays still need to be made, and Martinez is one of veterans Candrea can count on to pull her weight.
“She is a smart kid, and she’s steady, doesn’t get too high or too low,” he said. “She’s really good at being where her feet are everyday. That pays dividends.”
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