ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

– The Athletes Unlimited Softball League — the top pro softball league going — has five former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ softball standouts: two-time Cienega High state championship pitcher Mariah Lopez is pitching for the Talons (she played college ball at Utah); pitcher Taylor McQuillin, who went 80-32 at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, is pitching for the Bandits; All-American catcher Dejah Mulipola, who hit 68 homers at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, is catching for the Volts; ex-UA catcher Sharlize Palacios, who hit 39 homers at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ before transferring to UCLA, is playing for the Talons; and this year’s Big 12 Player of the Year, pitcher-first baseman Devyn Netz, isi playing for the Bandits. Netz hit her first professional home run Friday.

– ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s oppressive summer heat has finally taken a toll on one of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s premier golf courses, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National. The 27-year-old course, sitting close to Catalina Highway and Sabino High School, is now closed on Tuesday. Why? Lack of play. It’s similar all over Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in the summer, but ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National is the first to close for a full day. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ National, which used to be the home of UA men’s and women’s golf, offers tee times on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until 2 p.m., also a serious cutback on available tee times. It’s all a wise money-saving schedule.

– UA junior Zach Extine, who finished second in the 110 hurdles at the recent NCAA championships, now prepares for the USA Championships the first week of August in Eugene, Oregon. Extine ran a UA-record time of 13.13 at the NCAAs. At the USA meet, he’ll be competing against Olympic gold medalist Grant Holloway (12.99 at the Paris Olympics), Daniel Roberts and Fred Crittenden, all Olympians. Extine plans to continue training under former UA coach Fred Harvey. A walk-on from Phoenix, Extine gets a fifth year at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ because of an injury in 2022.

– ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ junior shortstop Mason White of Salpointe Catholic finished the season with 20 home runs. How good is that? He tied with 24 other players who hit 20 homers. The NCAA leader, Mason Neville of Oregon, hit 26. White tied for the Big 12 lead with Kansas’ Jackson Hauge. For perspective, the most anyone hit in the old Pac-12 was UCLA’s Troy Glaus, 34 in 1997. USC’s Mark McGwire hit 32 in 1984 and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Shelley Duncan hit 24 in 2001, which was 15th in the old conference record books.