After Arizona’s final game of the regular season, head coach Mike Candrea was asked if he thought that Mariah Lopez might be a “secret weapon” in the postseason for the Wildcats. Just a few weeks ago, it would have seemed like a silly question.
When she came to Arizona after the 2019 season, Lopez and the Wildcats hoped that she would lead them back to another Women’s College World Series. Maybe she would even be a member of the ninth title-winning team for Arizona. Then, the wheels came off.
First, it was the pandemic that canceled her first senior season.