Husky softball team tries to start a winning streak in Pac-12 tournament

It could be fortuitous for the Washington softball team that there is a Pac-12 softball tournament.

That’s because the No. 11 Huskies, who have lost three straight games — all by one run — can drastically change their narrative, and their confidence, heading into selections for the NCAA tournament.

“We’re kind of disappointed in ourselves for maybe not finishing the way that we wanted to,” Washington coach Heather Tarr said. “But they also know what an opportunity this weekend is for us to get ourselves on a good track and to see if we can get the pendulum to swing a little bit more in our favor.”

The top 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament will host four-team regionals. The Huskies are in the top 16 in all the recognized polls, but are No. 25 in the RPI rankings.

If the Huskies (31-12) have a good Pac-12 tournament in Stanford, Calif., it would certainly boost their chances of getting one of the top 16 seeds. It is only the second — and final — Pac-12 softball tournament.

Up first for Washington, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, is fifth-seeded Arizona at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. It will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.

The Huskies won two of three games at 18th-ranked Arizona (33-15-1) in March.

If Washington beats Arizona, it would likely play top-seeded UCLA on Friday. The Bruins play Thursday against the winner of Wednesday night’s game between Oregon State and Arizona State.

The Pac-12 tournament championship game is Saturday night.

“You potentially get three games,” Tarr said. “You win, you win, you win, and you win [the tournament]. So it seems simple.”

Simple but hard.

Washington will undoubtedly need to win some close games to make it happen.

The Huskies have lost seven times since March 24 — five times by one run and twice by two runs. Washington has won nine games in that span, and just two of those wins were by one or two runs.

“The margin is so close, and sometimes [winning close games] is a byproduct of your team’s belief system and your chemistry,” Tarr said. “I think we’re probably a little bit raw in that, given the youngish nature of our group. We don’t necessarily have that seniorness, like we’ve had in the past.

“But we’re so hopeful that this group is on the cusp of finding itself and defining itself, so it’s exciting.”

Washington has perhaps its deepest pitching staff in years, with four pitchers starting at least four games, led by sophomore Ruby Meylan’s 18 starts.

One of those four pitchers, senior Brooke Nelson, has had a huge hitting season, leading the team with a .350 batting average. She is tied for the team lead in home runs with 12.

“We’ve got great components,” Tarr said. “We’ve got great pitching, we’ve got a great offense, and the third-ranked defense in the country — so we don’t have any problems. It’s just a matter of a clutch hit.”

If Washington does win the tournament this week, a top-eight seed in the NCAA tournament might still be in play.

“It could really make some people think,” Tarr said. “That would be awesome for us, knowing we are playing our best softball at the right time.”