| Arizona Wildcats softball | |
|---|---|
 2025 Arizona Wildcats softball team | |
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| Founded | 1974; 51 years ago (1974) |
| University | University of Arizona |
| Athletic director | Desireé Reed-Francois |
| All-time Record | 2,101–683–2 (.754)[1] |
| Head coach | Caitlin Lowe (4th season) |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona |
| Home stadium | Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 2,956) |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
| Colors | Cardinal and navy[2] |
| NCAA Tournament champions | |
| 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2007 | |
| NCAA WCWS runner-up | |
| 1992, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2010 | |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2019, 2021, 2022 | |
| AIAW WCWS appearances | |
| 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979[3] | |
| NCAA super regional appearances | |
| 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025 | |
| Regular-season conference championships | |
| 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2017 | |
TheArizona Wildcats softball team represents theUniversity of Arizona in NCAA Division I Softball. Having claimed eight national championships (second only toUCLA), the team is one of the most successful in the history of the sport. It plays its home games atRita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium inTucson, AZ. The team was formerly coached byMike Candrea, who began his UA coaching career in 1986 and announced his retirement on June 8, 2021. He retired as the all time winningest coach in Collegiate softball history with 1,674 wins, more Collegiate national titles with 8 and the fourth most wins of any coach in any NCAA sport.[4]
On August 4, 2023, Arizona announced it would join theBig 12 Conference along withArizona State,Colorado, andUtah beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.[5]
The Arizona Wildcats officially began softball play in 1974 under head coach Judy Spray in the Intermountain Conference. The first team in the school's history went 11–3 and participated in theAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)Women's College World Series (WCWS). The AIAW andAmateur Softball Association[3] co-sponsored the Women's College World Series through 1982 (the NCAA held a separate tournament in 1982 when it began organizing women's softball). The 1975 team also played in the WCWS. In 1977, the Wildcats finished second in the WCWS, just missing out on winning the tournament. In 1979, the team once again qualified for the WCWS. However, after the 1979 season, the Wildcats failed to make the postseason again until 1987. From 1981 to 1986, the Wildcats were members of theWestern Collegiate Athletic Association (WCAA), which renamed itself the Pacific West Conference (PacWest; not to be confused with thecurrent NCAA Division II conference) for its final season.[6] The WCAA/PacWest folded after the 1986 season when the then-Pac-10, home to all five of the final PacWest members, began sponsoring women's sports.
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Mike Candrea was hired for the 1986 season to build the Wildcats program. In his first season, the Wildcats won 29 games and missed out on the postseason. However, in 1987, Arizona won 42 games and made the NCAA tournament for the first time since the NCAA began sponsoring the sport. In 1988, Candrea guided the Wildcats to 54 wins and an appearance in theWomen's College World Series where the team finished tied for third place. From 1988 to 2003, the Wildcats made sixteen straight appearances in the Women's College World Series. Arizona's first national championship season came in 1991. The Wildcats went 56–16 that year. In 1992, the Wildcats won the school's first Pac-10 title and finished runner-up at the Women's College World Series. The Wildcats continued their hot streak throughout the 1990s winning national championships in 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997. The 1994 team went 64–3 and was ranked #1 throughout the year. Arizona also claimed the Pac-10 championship in 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1998. The Wildcats experienced continued success in the 2000s winning another national title in 2001 after finishing that year 65–4. The Wildcats won the 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007 conference titles. Candrea left Arizona to coach the USA National team in the2004 Olympics, and Larry Ray was named the interim coach for the 2004 season. The 2004 team won 55 games but lost to theOklahoma Sooners in the Regionals, which marked the first time since 1987 that the Wildcats did not make it to the Women's College World Series. Candrea returned in 2005, and the Wildcats again returned toOklahoma City for the World Series. The 2006 Arizona team defeated theNorthwestern Wildcats to capture the Wildcats' seventh national title and their first since 2001. The 2007 Wildcats repeated as national champions by defeating theTennessee Lady Volunteers in the championship series after losing the opening game of the series. Larry Ray again was tagged the interim coach in 2008 when Candrea coached the U.S. National Team at the2008 Olympics. The 2008 team again made it to the Women's College World Series finishing tied for seventh in the eight team field. The Wildcats participated in the World Series in both 2009 and 2010 finishing tied for seventh and second respectively.[7] In 2011, the Wildcats were eliminated in the NCAA Super Regional play by theOklahoma Sooners.[8]
Following the retirement of former head coachMike Candrea, Lowe–Nagy was announced as the next head coach of the Arizona Wildcats softball program. Lowe–Nagy spent the last nine seasons under Candrea following a professional player with theUSSSA Pride and internationally withTeam USA, winning Silver Medal in the2004 Summer Olympics. She also was a former player under Candrea, playing from 2004–2007 & had one of the most decorated careers of any player in Arizona history. A two-time national champion in 2006 & 2007, as well as numerous Arizona records such as: second in batting average (.446), fourth in hits (351), fourth in triples (12), seventh in runs scored (242) and first in stolen bases (156). She was unanimously named the greatest centerfielder of all time, both by a fan vote and by the 7Innings Podcast crew in its Greatest Softball Team of All-Time. Lowe–Nagy is one of only six Wildcat players to be named an NFCA All-American in each of her four years with the program and joined Leah Braatz (1994, 95, 97, 98) as the only player in Arizona history to be awarded first-team All-America all four years.[9]
Arizona has had 57 different players selected to All-American teams for a total of 111 times. Arizona has had 6 four-time all-americans(Chellevold, Braatz, Bauer, Hollowell, Lowe & Lastrapes) 9 three-time all-americans(Parra, Espinoza, Dalton, O’Brien, McCutcheon, Pineda, Mascarenas, Giordano, Finch & Harper) & 15 two-time all-americans.[10] Leticia Pineda became the first Division I softball player to be named a first team All-American at three different positions: catcher, third base & first base.[11] Leah Braatz became Arizona's first four-time first team All-American.[12] Caitlin Lowe became Arizona's second player to be a four-time first team All-American.[13]
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| Name | Years | Seasons | Won | Lost | Tie | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judy Spray | 1974–1976 | 3 | 45 | 18 | 0 | .714 |
| Ginny Parrish | 1977–1979 | 3 | 82 | 40 | 0 | .672 |
| Rocky LaRose | 1980 | 1 | 23 | 23 | 0 | .500 |
| Paula Noel | 1981–1985 | 5 | 103 | 93 | 0 | .526 |
| Larry Ray (Interim) | 2004, 2008 | 2 | 96 | 25 | 0 | .793 |
| Mike Candrea | 1986–2021 | 36 | 1,674 | 436 | 2 | .793 |
| Caitlin Lowe-Nagy | 2022–present | 4 | 148 | 75 | 1 | .663 |
| All-Time | 51 | 2,171 | 710 | 3 | .753 | |
| Season | Coach | Record | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conference | |||
| Intermountain Conference | ||||
| 1974 | Judy Spray | 11–3 | — | AIAW College World Series |
| 1975 | 13–8 | — | AIAW College World Series | |
| 1976 | 21–7 | — | ||
| 1977 | Ginny Parrish | 22–14 | 6–2 | AIAW College World Series |
| 1978 | 16–11 | 3–6 | ||
| 1979 | 44–15 | 15–3 | AIAW College World Series | |
| Western Collegiate Athletic Association | ||||
| 1980 | Rocky LaRose | 23–23 | 2–14 | |
| 1981 | Paula Noel | 24–20 | 5–11 | |
| 1982 | 21–20 | 6–14 | ||
| 1983 | 20–24 | 7–12 | ||
| 1984 | 28–16 | 5–5 | ||
| 1985 | 17–16 | 5–7 | ||
| 1986 | Mike Candrea | 27–13–1 | 5–6–1 | |
| 1987 | Mike Candrea | 42–18 | 6–4 | NCAA Regional |
| 1988 | 54–18 | 15–5 | Women's College World Series | |
| 1989 | 48–19 | 11–9 | Women's College World Series | |
| 1990 | 49–17 | 12–6 | Women's College World Series | |
| 1991 | 56–16 | 11–9 | Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 1992 | 58–7 | 16–2 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series | |
| 1993 | 44–8 | 15–3 | Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 1994 | 64–3 | 23–1 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 1995 | 66–6 | 24–4 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series | |
| 1996 | 58–9 | 23–5 | Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 1997 | 61–5 | 26–1 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 1998 | 67–4 | 27–1 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series | |
| 1999 | 53–16 | 19–9 | Women's College World Series | |
| 2000 | 59–9 | 16–4 | Women's College World Series | |
| 2001 | 65–4 | 19–2 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 2002 | 55–12 | 15–6 | Women's College World Series | |
| 2003 | 56–7 | 19–2 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series | |
| 2004 | Larry Ray | 55–6 | 17–3 | Pac-10 Champions, NCAA Regional |
| 2005 | Mike Candrea | 45–12 | 13–8 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series |
| 2006 | 54–11 | 15–6 | Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 2007 | 50–14–1 | 15–5–1 | Pac-10 Champions,Women's College World Series Champions | |
| 2008 | Larry Ray | 41–19 | 13–8 | Women's College World Series |
| 2009 | Mike Candrea | 46–17 | 13–7 | Women's College World Series |
| 2010 | 52–14 | 12–8 | Women's College World Series | |
| 2011 | 43–18 | 11–10 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2012 | 44–16 | 12–12 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2013 | 33–24 | 9–15 | NCAA Regional | |
| 2014 | 44–16 | 14–10 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2015 | 41–20 | 13–11 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2016 | 40–21 | 13–11 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2017 | 52–9 | 18–6 | Pac-12 Champions,NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2018 | 43–14 | 13–11 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2019 | 48–14 | 19–5 | Women's College World Series | |
| 2020 | 22–3 | 0–0 | Cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | 41–15 | 12–10 | Women's College World Series | |
| 2022 | Caitlin Lowe-Nagy | 39–22 | 8–16 | Women's College World Series |
| 2023 | 29–25 | 6–18 | ||
| 2024 | 37–18–1 | 13–11 | NCAA Super Regional | |
| 2025 | Caitlin Lowe-Nagy | 45–11 | 17–7 | |
National seeding began in 2005. The Arizona Wildcats have been a national seed 14 of the 16 tournaments. Seeds inbold were national title seasons.
| Years → | '93 | '94 | '95 | '96 | '97 | '01 | '02 | '03 | '05 | '06 | '07 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '14 | '15 | '17 | '18 | '19 | '21 | '25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds → | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 13 |
National Champions 1991 50–15 | National Champions 1993 44–8 | National Champions 1994 64–3 | National Champions 1996 58–9 | National Champions 1997 61–5 | National Champions 2001 65–4 | National Champions 2006 54–11 | National Champions 2007 50–14–1 |
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Jenny Dalton 1996 | Nancy Evans 1996 | Jennie Finch 2001 | Alicia Hollowell 2006 | Taryne Mowatt 2007 |
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| Retired Softball Jerseys | ||||||||||||||
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| Name | Seasons as Wildcat | Position | Accomplishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leah Braatz | 1994–98 | Catcher | Four Time 1st Team All American, Two Time National Champion (1994, 1996) |
| Jenny Dalton | 1993–96 | 2nd Base | All-Time NCAA Career RBI (328) leader, Single Season Runs Scored (101) leader, Three Time 1st Team All American, Three Time National Champion (1993, 1994, 1996) |
| Laura Espinoza | 1992–95 | Shortstop | All-Time NCAA Single Season Home Run (37), RBI (128) & Total Bases (232) Record, Two Time 1st Team All American, Two Time National Champion (1993, 1994) |
| Nancy Evans | 1994–98 | Pitcher | NCAA Highest Career (Min 75 decisions) Winning Percentage (.939, 124−8), Two Time 1st Team All American, Three Time National Champion (1994, 1996, 1997) |
| Jennie Finch | 1999–02 | Pitcher | NCAA Consecutive Victory Record (60), Perfect Season Record (32−0), Three Time 1st Team All American, Olympic Gold Medal (2004), National Champion (2001) |
| Alicia Hollowell | 2003–06 | Pitcher | All Time Arizona Wins Leader (144), 17 Career No−Hitters, 4 Perfect Games, Two Time 1st Team All American, Olympic Silver Medal (2008), National Champion (2006) |
| Brittany Lastrapes | 2008–11 | Outfield | Three Time 1st Team All American |
| Caitlin Lowe | 2004–07 | Centerfield | Arizona All Time Steals Leader (156), Committed 0 Errors (234 Games), Four Time 1st Team All American, Olympic Silver Medal (2008), Two Time National Champion (2006, 2007) |
| Alison McCutcheon | 1995–98 | Outfield | Three Time 1st Team All American, All-Time NCAA Single Season (132) & Career Hits (405) leader, Two Time National Champion (1996, 1997) |
| Leah O'Brien | 1993–97 | Centerfield | Three Time 1st Team All American, Three Time National Champion (1993, 1994, 1997), Olympic Gold Medal (1996, 2000, 2004) |
Honda Softball Award
USA Softball Female Athlete of the Year
ESPY Award
Lowe's Senior Class Award
Coach of the Year
Pac-10 Conference Medal
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans[14]
The Arizona Wildcats lead the all-time series regardless of conference affiliation vs. eight other Pac-12 opponents(Colorado, USC & Washington State do not field a softball teams), trailing only UCLA.[15]
| Opponent | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | 105 | 61 | 1 | (.632) | Arizona 4 |
| California | 91 | 38 | 0 | (.705) | California 2 |
| Oregon | 92 | 38 | 0 | (.708) | Arizona 1 |
| Oregon State | 117 | 18 | 0 | (.867) | Arizona 4 |
| Stanford | 85 | 19 | 1 | (.814) | Stanford 1 |
| UCLA | 61 | 97 | 0 | (.386) | UCLA 1 |
| Utah | 48 | 16 | 0 | (.750) | Arizona 2 |
| Washington | 72 | 46 | 0 | (.610) | Arizona 1 |
Source:[16]
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| Name | Years | No-Hitters |
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| Alicia Hollowell | 2003–06 | 16/1 |
| Susie Parra | 1991–94 | 8 |
| Jennie Finch | 1999–02 | 8 |
| Taryne Mowatt | 2005–08 | 6/1 |
| Debbie Day | 1991–92 | 6 |
†indicates Pac-12 record
‡indicates NCAA record
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