Coach Jason Kelly and the Washington Huskies have an exciting star on their hands in sophomore second baseman Aiva Arquette. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound product of Saint Louis High School in Hawaii was selected in the eighteenth round of the 2022 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks but opted to enroll at Washington instead, and it appears he made the right decision.
He has been one of the Pac-12’s biggest breakout players during his sophomore season, starting 42 games for the Huskies with an impressive .356 batting average out of the leadoff spot, the best mark on the team.
Arquette also leads the Huskies with his 1.056 OPS, 65 hits, and 117 total bases while his 12 home runs are the second-highest behind left fielder AJ Guerrero. The sophomore has been excellent out of the leadoff spot, setting the tone and getting on base consistently with his team-high .414 on-base percentage and 42 runs scored.
He’s also been very good on the defensive end, holding a .970 fielding percentage for the year with 6 errors on 200 chances.
As the Huskies sit multiple games below .500 with the Pac-12 Tournament looming, Arquette looks like he can be an exciting building block for Kelly’s team heading into 2025.
Combined with other veteran pieces like Guerrero and first baseman Jeter Ybarra next season, the Huskies could be a dark horse team heading into the Big Ten with Arquette leading the way.
That ball got outta here so fast even he didn't know it was gone 😳
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💻 https://t.co/DCOUBICh5e pic.twitter.com/54pklQzn09— Washington Baseball (@UW_Baseball) May 12, 2024