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Devyn’s Weekly Roundup: Arizona standout Devyn Netz begins her weekly column

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Devyn Netz. (Marison Bilagody/Arizona Athletics)

Howdy Wildcat fans,

Welcome to behind the scenes of the 2025 softball season with yours truly, Devyn Netz! I will
be taking you on a wild ride throughout the season talking about all things softball and
everything else in between. But first things first, let me introduce myself.

I am the youngest of three siblings that belong to my parents Dan and Lisa Netz. I grew up
watching my older brothers, Daniel and Dawson, play the game of baseball, so naturally,
whatever they could do, I could do it too! I started playing softball at the age of 8 years old and I haven’t looked back since!

I was homeschooled up until the 6th grade. Then I attended high school with my two older
brothers where we all got to play ball at Maranatha High School in Pasadena, California. I also
played travel softball with So Cal Athletics until attending Arizona officially as a Wildcat. During our high school years here, my older brother Daniel went on to attend Westmont College in Santa Barbara to play baseball and at the same time my middle brother Dawson committed to
play baseball here at the University of Arizona. With my decision still up in the air, I found that a
year later I got to call Tucson home as well.

This decision ultimately led to my parents making the move from my hometown in Sierra Madre,
California to my dad’s old roots in Tucson to follow our careers at Arizona. This was a big move,
but something that was new and exciting for me as I got to transfer to Ironwood Ridge High
School and play my final year with the 5A defending state champs! Although our season was
cut short due to the effects of COVID-19, I still got to play with and meet some pretty cool
people in my final year of high school ball.

Before I knew it, I was already in the Red, White and Blue ready to take on the Pac-12 and put
all my hard work to the test. I’m not going to lie, these were the toughest first two years of my
life as I got to learn all about the pace of play, the competition, stamina, and level of play that
was required in Division I softball, but I got to look up to a senior class where they taught me a
lot about how to not only play at this level but play it the right way! I look back on those years
and am thankful for watching how these girls made it to the World Series, but also turning
around the next year and being able to compete on the same stage and experience the
postseason run all the way to the Women’s College World Series for ourselves!

Fast forward a year later into my junior year when I was able to be on both sides of the ball
while being a pitcher and hitter where this was the year I learned the most about myself. The
highs and lows of controlling my pitch by pitch behavior is what tested me the most while being
a two way player. What I thought was a great year of learning for myself, I was then ready to
compete and go all out for my true senior year when I was faced with a back injury that took me
out for the 2024 season. This taught me a lot about myself as a college softball player and how
I wanted to go about my final year. I took this year to gather my thoughts and emotions and get
back to the basics of, first off, getting healthy, but also the kind of player that Team 51 needed. I
learned what it meant to be a competitor, but one that competes with poise, respect, and has
undoubted confidence. I also learned what it meant to be a voice for my teammates and be
someone who they can lean on and use for any challenging moments that this game throws
their way, especially in the Big 12 conference.

And here we are… here I am a year later more ready than ever coming off of one of the
toughest mental challenges that I have faced with an injury. This year is all about having fun
with my team, playing the game with people who love it just as much as I do, and a year where I
will not take this game for granted and play every day as if it is my last.

With that being said, wildcat nation, follow along with Team 51 and I as I take you along with us
and my final rodeo as an Arizona Wildcat!

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