Leaving home is tough. Doing it for Orlando? There are worse fates. Former Arizona designated player and Tucson native Anyssa Wild is packing her bags for UCF. She made the announcement Wednesday.
It’s been a winding road. Wild played her high school ball at Salpointe Catholic, literally down the street from the Arizona campus. But she didn’t choose the Wildcats first. She originally committed to BYU to follow her travel ball coach. He took a head coaching job elsewhere. She pivoted. She went home.
Her two years in Tucson were defined by waiting. Pinch hitting. Spot starts. Just as she was cementing her role as a sophomore, a Texas Tech pitcher broke her arm with an inside fastball on March 14. Season over. Just like that.
The stats tease what could have been. She was hitting .333 with a 1.101 OPS in 27 at-bats before the injury. Her on-base percentage was a stellar .471.
She has pop. Over two seasons, Wild hit .340 in 36 games, making 10 starts. Out of her 16 hits, seven went for extra bases—four doubles and three home runs. That slugging percentage? A hefty .617.
She isn’t the only one escaping. Emma Kavanagh committed to Virginia Tech on Tuesday. That leaves Jenna Sniffen as the lone Wildcat still looking for a landing spot in the portal.
Arizona isn’t mourning. They reloaded. The Wildcats brought in four mid-major transfers, all with two years of eligibility remaining. The haul includes North Texas catcher Elizabeth Moffitt and outfielder Madison Conley, South Alabama pitcher Ryley Harrison, and Liberty pitcher Kaylan Yoder. Out with the old.
