Mowatt uses pickling powder on hand

OKLAHOMA CITY- Arizona’s ace Taryne Mowatt, who has pitched in seven games over the past six days, totaling 888 pitches, uses an unorthodox solution to help her with the cuts on her pitching hand.

Mowatt, who said earlier in the season that she would get gashes on her pitching hand, uses a combination of pickling powder and rubbing alcohol on her hand.

“”I don’t really know what it is,”” Mowatt said. “”There is a powder thing that hardens (the cuts) and a gooey thing that’s supposed to numb it.””

The junior currently has a blister on her right index finger and has been wearing tape to protect it while pitching.

Tuesday night she displayed a collection of off-speed pitches in Arizona’s 1-0 win over Tennessee, but said her slower pitches had nothing to do with the blister.

“”The blister isn’t anything all that bad,”” Mowatt said. “”It doesn’t affect any of my pitches.””

Pat Summitt keeps promise to Abbott

During Monica Abbott’s recruiting visit at Tennessee, co-head softball coaches Karen and Ralph Weekly told women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt if Abbott is signed, she will take the Lady Vols to the Women’s College World Series.

Summitt promised the 6-foot-4 Tennessee ace if she ever led the Big Orange to the WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla., she would be there.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach kept her promise, arriving at the WCWS Tuesday night.

“”When Monica came to campus I had to look up at her and I asked, ‘Do you play basketball,'”” Summitt said. “”She told me she actually did, but I knew her love was with softball. I told Monica, ‘If you ever take the softball team to the World Series, I will be there.'””

Tennessee football coach Phil Fulmer at WCWS to support daughter

Tennessee head football coach Phil Fulmer was in attendance at Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame Stadium for Tennessee’s match up with Arizona. He wasn’t there as a fan, but rather, a father.

Fulmer’s daughter Allison is a freshman first baseman/designated hitter for the Lady Vols, but she has yet to play for the Big Orange in the WCWS.

“”Having my daughter on a championship team at Tennessee is great,”” Fulmer said. “”They are a well coached team and I think they will prevail at the end, but if they don’t, its not the end of the world either.””

Fulmer said it is much different sitting in the stands watching the game than coaching it, because of the lack of control over the outcome.

“”It is entirely different than going through it as the head football coach,”” Fulmer said. “”You have some control over the game as the football coach, but watching the game here, you have to put it in someone else’s hands.””

But even as a football coach, Fulmer said that he is still able to help is daughter.

“”She has been a part of an athletic family since she was born – and I coached her a little bit in softball when she was younger – but my coaching advice to her was to stay focused. She is just a freshman, so she is still kind of learning the ropes.””