‘Really smart ballplayer’ sees game as player and coach

Arizona Heat catcher Jackie Coburn has always been a leader for her softball teams.

After a year as the student assistant for the national champion Arizona softball team last year, Coburn returned to the Heat for her second season more experienced in the intricacies of the game.

“You understand the game more because you analyze the game more,” Coburn said. “As a player, you’re not trying to think so much. You just try to go out, use your instincts and play the game.

“As a coach, you learn to break things down, break the swing down, try to help benefit the players. It makes you more of a complete player.”

Coburn may have used that increased understanding of the game to pick off two runners at first base, keeping the game scoreless before shortstop April Valdez’s RBI single won the 1-0 contest over Connecticut in the 10th inning Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.

Having played softball together for the past 12 years, including three at Arizona, pitcher Leslie Wolfe is very comfortable with Coburn behind the plate.

“She’s always been a really smart ballplayer, but I think she picked up little things here and there from (Arizona) coach (Mike) Candrea and from watching last year,” Wolfe said.

Although Coburn had a productive career as a Wildcat, finishing fifth in school history with 52 career home runs, she was the leader of the first group of four-year players at Arizona since 1991 not to win a national championship.

It’s bittersweet,” Coburn said. “I’m so happy, very proud of them, but I never got that done for my team or for my school or my class. You just wish it was you that got it done. It’s not selfish or anything, you just wish you could have done that for your program.”

Coburn isn’t even alone in that category on the Heat, because first baseman Crystal Farley also played four years without a title. Infielders Jen Martinez and Shelly Schultz also spent multiple seasons as Wildcats without winning a championship.

Still, even as Arizona (12-18) struggled through a five-game losing streak snapped Friday, the Heat have the familiarity bred from many players being college teammates, as seven of the 17 players went to Arizona and most played together.

“We know we can get the job done,” Coburn said. “I think we need to get past being frustrated and just find a way to win. I think once we can all get past that hump, personally I think we’ll be right where we need to be.”

Game note

When the game moved to the 10th inning, rules dictated that both teams start their respective half innings with a runner on second base.

That didn’t faze Arizona pitcher Desiree Serrano (7-6), and she retired the top of the Connecticut lineup in order to set the stage for Valdez’s dramatics.

With out one, third baseman Toni Mascarenas singled to load the bases. After Coburn struck out, Valdez sent the crowd home happy on a night the Heat left 12 runners on base.

Steve Kerr, at 40, goes 9 for 11 in All-Star game

Former University of Arizona player Joseph Blair performs a reverse dunk during a charity game between former Wildcats and all-stars from the Tucson Summer Pro League on Sunday at St. Gregory College Preparatory School.

When high school basketball players officially commit to the University of Arizona, they’re doing more than joining a program.

They’re joining a family.

That family was on display Sunday night in the Tucson Summer Pro League’s All-Star game, won by the ex-Cats 104-97 over TSPL stars at St. Gregory College Preparatory School.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Corey Williams, the TSPL’s director and a former Wildcat. “You see over 20 years of Arizona basketball in one gym. It makes you really proud to have been a part of that.”

At one end of the spectrum was 40-year-old Steve Kerr, the sharp-shooting guard who helped UA make it to the program’s first Final Four in 1988. Kerr, who was a freshman during coach Lute Olson’s first year at Arizona, finished with 23 points Sunday on 10-of-12 shooting, including three 3-pointers.

He was joined by players such as Joseph Blair and Williams from the 1994 Final Four squad and current assistant coach and former player Josh Pastner from the 1997 national championship team.

Current sophomore Marcus Williams and incoming freshman Jordan Hill watched the action from the sidelines.

“There’s a pretty strong connection between all of us,” Kerr said. “Lute Olson is obviously the guy responsible for that. He put this whole thing together.

“The first thing he told me was, ‘This is a family.’ And it really is. It’s an extended family that goes way back.”

Williams estimated “close to 375″ tickets were sold, nearly filling the approximately 400-seat capacity gym.

The $20 admission donations benefited the Primavera Foundation for the homeless and The Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Pastner said the turnouts for such events make the Tucson community the most supportive of college basketball in the country.

“What a (great) way to tell recruits and guys who want to come here you’ve got the greatest fans in the world,” Pastner said. “If we had just great players and coach Olson and we didn’t have support, we’d be just a normal program. But we’re at the elite level because of the support.”

Said Kerr: “Where else could you go and fill up a high school gym with 40-year-old guys like me with gray beards?” he said. “People still cheer for us.”

While Williams was on the court, he said he thought about how great it was that he has been friends with Blair and Reggie Geary, a current Arizona assistant and former player on the 1994 squad who coached the alumni, for about 15 years now.

Also, there’s a mutual respect between UA players throughout the years because they all had the Wildcat experience.

“No matter what direction our careers take, we all had that one proving ground that was Wildcat basketball,” Williams said. “Everyone respects each other. The program has tradition that only a handful of D-I (Division I programs) can say they have. It’s a great family name to have.”

Former University of Arizona player Kelvin Eafon drives down the court during a charity game between former Wildcats and a Tucson Summer Pro League All-Star team Sunday.

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TSPL CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY
at St. Gregory College Preparatory School (3231 N. Craycroft Road)
2 p.m. – No. 1 seed vs. No. 4

3 p.m. – No. 2 vs. No. 3

4 p.m. – Dunk contest

5 p.m. – TSPL Championship Game

Months before the college women’s basketball season begins, 6-foot-6 University of Arizona transfer Beatrice Bofia toed the free-throw line to attempt two shots to tie an overtime game with six seconds left.

“I had a little pressure,” Bofia said.

She missed one of the two shots, leading to a 108-105 loss for her Ace Hardware team against M3 Moore Law Firm in Tucson Summer Pro League action Friday.

Bofia, a center who will be a junior at UA, also missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw in regulation that would have sealed a win. But she did set a female TSPL scoring record with 20 points.

Her twin sister, 6-8 Suzanne, who also will be a center at UA, matched her shot for shot much of the game and finished with 12 points.

The Bofias, playing against men, defended each other in the contest. When one twin scored, the other often would go right at her sister to get a bucket of her own.

“I’m used to playing with my sister every day. I know some of her moves,” Beatrice said. “I don’t get mad at her. I feel good for her when she scores.”

Incoming UA basketball player Jordan Hill drives to the basket in a Tucson Summer Pro League game.

There’s one thing certain about University of Arizona freshman Jordan Hill: He’s an athlete.

Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.

That’s not the case with the rest of the incoming basketball class. Chase Budinger earned MVP honors at the Junior World Championships and co-MVP honors of the McDonald’s All-American game, and Nic Wise nearly won consecutive Class 5A Texas state championships and committed to Arizona as a freshman.

But not even assistant coach Jim Rosborough knows quite what the Wildcats have in Hill.

“Apparently he can run, get up and down the floor and so on,” Rosborough said. “I haven’t seen him.”

Said UA sophomore Marcus Williams, “I don’t really know anything (about him), to be honest with you. I heard he’s real athletic.”

Hill, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward from Atlanta, showed off that athleticism last month in scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, including 11 in the second half, to go with four blocks for Holmes Tuttle Ford in its 95-68 win over M3 Law Firm in the Tucson Summer Pro League. He highlighted the performance with four emphatic dunks, some of which came in traffic.

Last weekend in TSPL games, he poured in 30 and 27 points.

Of course, things won’t be so easy against Pacific-10 Conference players, but Hill has a fan in his coach and the league’s operator, Corey Williams.

“Jordan is a tremendous talent,” Williams said. “I think within time, when he develops a jump shot and some ballhandling, he’s going to be phenomenal. Jordan’s going to be a great player at UA.”

Hill said he could help next year by rebounding and blocking shots, but the raw forward may be best served by redshirting with the more seasoned talent around him. In any case, he knows who can help him reach his NBA dreams.

“I’ve got to listen to the coaches. That’s who will you get there,” Hill said. “With my athleticism, I’ve really got a good chance of going (to the NBA). They’re going to help me be a better player, help my game up, help me get to the next level.”

The Wildcats offered a scholarship to Hill, a four-star prospect and the No. 19 forward, according to recruiting service scout.com, after he impressed assistant Josh Pastner at the Kingwood Classic in Houston last summer.

After that, Hill said he chose Arizona because his best opportunity was to play under coach Lute Olson, who has gotten 27 of his players drafted since 1989, a tie for first in the nation with Duke.

Although Olson and staff can’t watch Hill over the summer, he will spend it getting used to being a Wildcat in the Pro League.

“Jordan’s going to get out of it what Marcus and (sophomores) Fendi (Onobun) and J.P. (Prince) got out of it last year,” Corey Williams said. “It’s a great opportunity to kind of get to play and warm up to the fans and let everybody get a taste of what Arizona basketball’s going to be like in the future. That’s the main thing for these guys.”

Jordan Hill (with ball) needs to work on his jump shot and ballhandling to get playing time with the Arizona Wildcats, says his Tucson Summer Pro League coach, Corey Williams, a former Wildcat.

Tanque Verde player helps eliminate former team

Two years ago as a 10-year-old, catcher Ryan Park helped Frontier win a state championship.

No longer living in Frontier’s area, he played a big role in preventing his old team from reaching the District 5 Majors semifinals in the final game of pool play Wednesday, as his Tanque Verde squad advanced instead with a 12-7 victory at Fort Lowell Park.

Park was clearly familiar with Frontier pitcher Andrew Petty, going 4 for 4 with four RBIs, three doubles and three runs scored. He also almost scored a fourth run when he was gunned out on a close play at home plate.

“I called (Park) at home today, and I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to play your old boys today. You ready to go all six and lead off today?’ ” Tanque Verde coach Scott Radtke said. “He said, ‘Absolutely, Coach.’

“Holy cow, he was awesome. He did a great job.”

Park said, “It was very important because I get the team pumped and stuff.”

After Frontier scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 6-6 Park hit a two-run single to spark a six-run outburst with just two hits because of seven walks in the inning, including free passes to four of the first five hitters in the inning before Park’s hit.

Petty had thrown 73 pitches entering the inning while pitching on three day’s rest and just couldn’t find the strike zone in the decisive frame, finishing with 101 pitches on the night.

“Definitely he was (tired),” Radtke said. “These kids, the rules allow them to have three days of rest between games if they go four innings, but they still get tired about that fifth, sixth inning.”

With a 3-1 record, Tanque Verde will be Division A’s No. 2 team and face Division B’s No. 1 squad, Canyon del Oro, Friday in the semifinals of the single-elimination tournament.

CDO has a year-round team that has played together for the past three years, so Radtke knows the task won’t be easy.

“CDO is an absolute juggernaut. They are a flat-out awesome team,” he said. “If the game’s played on paper, it’s over right now, but it’s Little League, we play on a field, it’s a bunch of boys and everybody has the opportunity to have a great play or mess something up.”

Tanque Verde player helps eliminate former team

Tanque Verde catcher Ryan Park (right) fails to get to the plate on time to tag out Frontier's Andrew Petty as he slides safely into home during the first inning of the Little League All-Star elimination game at Fort Lowell Park.

Two years ago as a 10-year-old, catcher Ryan Park helped Frontier win a state championship.

No longer living in Frontier’s area, he played a big role in preventing his old team from reaching the District 5 Majors semifinals in the final game of pool play Wednesday, as his Tanque Verde squad advanced instead with a 12-7 victory at Fort Lowell Park.

Park was clearly familiar with Frontier pitcher Andrew Petty, going 4 for 4 with four RBIs, three doubles and three runs scored. He also almost scored a fourth run when he was gunned out on a close play at home plate.

“I called (Park) at home today, and I said, ‘Hey, we’re going to play your old boys today. You ready to go all six and lead off today?’ ” Tanque Verde coach Scott Radtke said. “He said, ‘Absolutely, Coach.’

“Holy cow, he was awesome. He did a great job.”

Park said, “It was very important because I get the team pumped and stuff.”

After Frontier scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 6-6 Park hit a two-run single to spark a six-run outburst with just two hits because of seven walks in the inning, including free passes to four of the first five hitters in the inning before Park’s hit.

Petty had thrown 73 pitches entering the inning while pitching on three day’s rest and just couldn’t find the strike zone in the decisive frame, finishing with 101 pitches on the night.

“Definitely he was (tired),” Radtke said. “These kids, the rules allow them to have three days of rest between games if they go four innings, but they still get tired about that fifth, sixth inning.”

With a 3-1 record, Tanque Verde will be Division A’s No. 2 team and face Division B’s No. 1 squad, Canyon del Oro, Friday in the semifinals of the single-elimination tournament.

CDO has a year-round team that has played together for the past three years, so Radtke knows the task won’t be easy.

“CDO is an absolute juggernaut. They are a flat-out awesome team,” he said. “If the game’s played on paper, it’s over right now, but it’s Little League, we play on a field, it’s a bunch of boys and everybody has the opportunity to have a great play or mess something up.”

Frontier's Andrew Petty pitches Wednesday against Tanque Verde during the Little League All-Star elimination game at Fort Lowell Park.

Thornydale pitcher Jenalie Hummel pitches against Canyon View in the juniors softball semifinal at Mehl Park.

It seemed fitting that the final out in Tuesday night’s District 5 juniors softball semifinal landed in the glove of Thornydale pitcher Jenalie Hummel after she induced the pop-up.

Hummel had already done everything else to ensure a 9-2 victory over Canyon View at Mehl Park Field, allowing one earned run on four hits in seven innings, while striking out eight.

“I told her, ‘I don’t care if you hit anything as long as you’re pitching well,’ ” Thornydale coach Raul Garcia said.

But Hummel still managed to help herself at the plate, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, including a two-run, two-out single in the third to provide herself some breathing room and a 4-1 lead.

“It’s actually really important because I’ve been doing not that great at batting, so to do this well and then go pitch that well, it’s a great accomplishment,” Hummel said.

Hummel worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second by retiring the first two hitters in the Canyon View batting order.

She allowed multiple base runners during just one more inning the remainder of the game, after back-to-back two-out walks in the fourth.

“She’s a great kid, she’s a phenomenal pitcher, and we knew coming into this game that she’s one of the pitchers in the district that hitters feel uncomfortable with,” Garcia said. “She just did fabulous.”

With the win, Thornydale advances to the league championship Friday night and will play the winner of the Canyon View-Marana losers bracket game, which will be played Thursday.

If the squad in the loser’s bracket beats Thornydale, the two teams will play a final game Saturday for the right to represent District 5 in the state tournament, starting July 21 in Tucson.

After losing to Tanque Verde in the championship game last year, Thornydale is one win away from its first state tournament berth.

“We’ve always been bridesmaids. We’ve always been in the final game, but we’ve always lost,” Garcia said. “To be in the driver’s seat, this is great. All we have to do is win one instead of having to come back and try to win two, which is extremely hard to do.”

● Marana advanced to the final three in the bracket with a 9-4 win over Rillito on Tuesday.

Arizona pitching prospect rocked in his only start for Diamondbacks this season

It’s hard to miss Tucson Sidewinders pitcher Dustin Nippert.

Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall, the lanky Nippert was supposed to be the next Tucson pitcher in the Diamondbacks’ rotation after getting a late-season audition last season.

But while former Sidewinder Enrique Gonzalez has found a home with Arizona’s staff and Edgar Gonzalez and Kevin Jarvis have combined for three starts in the majors, it took just one outing for Nippert to make the trip back to Tucson.

“I’d rather be up there for a little bit longer, but I have stuff to work on,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get some things figured out.”

At least statistically speaking, the opposite has happened since his six-run, five-inning effort in a loss to the Phillies on June 7 for the D’backs.

After winning his next start on June 12 to give him an 8-1 record and 3.61 ERA in Tucson, Nippert (9-4, 5.06) went 0-3 with a 9.15 ERA. He allowed four runs in in six innings against Las Vegas on Saturday, but he picked up the win.

Nippert averaged just over five innings per start in the past four games. The problem of failing to go deep into games has plagued Nippert throughout his stay with the Sidewinders.

“We just need to give him the ball and say, ‘Dustin, finish the game,’ ” Tucson manager Chip Hale said. “That’s the kind of pitcher he can be, that’s the potential he has, and that’s what the great thing is about development. He has the opportunity to work on those things here.”

Although Nippert was drafted in just the 15th round back in 2002, he became Arizona’s most-regarded pitcher at the start of the season, placing No. 67 in Baseball America’s overall prospect rankings.

With a quality fastball and curveball, Nippert figures to get a chance in the Arizona rotation next year, and possibly earlier, if the D’backs want to take a closer look again later this season.

“Everybody wants to get to the big leagues and stay there,” Nippert said. “Nobody wants to go back up just to come back and forth and have them say, ‘You need to work on this.’ They want to go up there and stay there and play at that level for a decent amount of time.”

Even when he’s not pitching, he’s a benefit to the club. Center fielder Chris Young said Nippert is always pulling for his squad.

“He’s a good dude, just genuinely a good dude,” Young said. “No matter how he does out there on the field, he’s always rooting for his teammates, which is something that you don’t find in a lot of guys.”

With Arizona’s starting pitching depth a weakness, the organization hopes Nippert can be a front-of-the-rotation starter alongside staff ace and All-Star Brandon Webb.

“I think he’s got some stuff to learn, but he can be a horse,” Hale said. “That’s what we’re hoping. Webb being a one, him to be a two or three down the road, but that has to happen. (He’s) got to make it happen.”

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NIPPERT’S 2006 STATS
W-L E.RA SO

Sidewinders 9-4 5.06 82

Diamondbacks 0-1 10.80 3

D’backs see shortstop as Counsell’s successor

The Tucson Sidewinders' Stephen Drew hits a home run in the first inning against Salt Lake at Tucson Electric Park

During every Sidewinders home game, the announcer asks fans to vote for their favorite former Tucson player among major league stars Luis Gonzalez, Bobby Abreu, Craig Biggio and Kenny Lofton.

If he lives up to the hype, 10 years from now, Tucson shortstop Stephen Drew could be the majority’s answer to that question.

Just don’t try telling him that.

“You go out there and play,” he said. “I’ve dealt with that since I was a freshman in college, so I’m used to it.”

Right now for Drew, 23, “that” means the expectations that come with being Baseball America’s overall No. 5 prospect, the little brother of Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew and a former No. 1 draft pick who held out for nearly a year before getting a $4 million signing bonus.

The Diamondbacks even had Baseball America’s No. 2 overall prospect and 2005 No. 1 pick Justin Upton switch to center field because Drew blocked his path at shortstop.

“You’re talking about a guy (in Drew) who’s an outstanding shortstop,” Tucson manager Chip Hale said. “He’s got all the tools to play that position at the major league level. He just needs more playing time, and he’s going to be a real good big league player.”

Midway through this season, Drew has the added weight of playing for the U.S. Team in the All-Star Futures game Sunday at PNC Park as a part of MLB’s All-Star Weekend before taking part in the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12 in Toledo, Ohio.

Drew earned those invitations by batting .286 with 12 home runs and 48 RBIs through Monday.

Even with all these honors, Hale said Drew’s very coachable and great in the clubhouse.

“He could be tough, but not with him,” Hale said. “He’s a very humble kid, wants to learn, listens. You see all the different things and read about him and the money he signed for, you’re not totally sure that’s what’s going to be it, but you meet him, and he’s just a really down-to-earth kid.”

His comfort around the clubhouse stems in part from having a pair of big league brothers, J.D. as well as another older brother, Tim Drew, who pitched in the majors. All three were first-round draft picks, a feat no pair of brothers had ever accomplished.

But the downside of that is that Stephen is frequently compared to J.D. because of their family ties, sweet swings and even their elongated holdouts after being picked in the first round.

“It’s good to be compared to him, but also I’m a different player than he is, too, so people need to understand that,” Drew said. “He plays the outfield. Outfielders, they don’t have to worry about as many things as the infield, like runners on and all that kind of stuff.”

For all these reasons, it appears Drew is Arizona’s heir apparent at shortstop next season as the Diamondbacks’ 35-year-old starter, Craig Counsell, (.268, two homers) hits the downside of his career.

In fact, if Arizona falls out of the pennant race, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Drew gets his shot later this year.

“(I need to) play every day and play hard, just refine my skills a little and swing it,” Drew said. “Hopefully, one of these days I’ll be up there sooner than later.”

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TUCSON SIDEWINDERS