1998 Arizona Wildcats softball team

1998 Arizona Wildcats softball
1998 Arizona Wildcats softball
Pac-10 champion; NCAA Regional champion
Women's College World Series, runner-up
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Record	67–4 (27–1 Pac-10)
Head coach	Mike Candrea (13th season);

1998 Pacific-10 Conference softball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 ‍†‍‍^y	27	–	1	.964	67	–	4	.944
No. 3 Washington ‍‍‍^y	19	–	9	.679	52	–	15	.776
No. 12 Stanford ‍‍‍^y	17	–	11	.607	41	–	18	.695
No. 22 California ‍‍‍^y	12	–	14	.462	35	–	27	.565
No. 20 Oregon ‍‍‍^y	10	–	18	.357	40	–	31	.563
No. 15 Arizona State ‍‍‍^y	9	–	19	.321	38	–	27	.585
UCLA ‍‍‍	8	–	18	.308	18	–	27	.400
Oregon State ‍‍‍	8	–	20	.286	27	–	28	.491

† – Conference champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 1998^[1] Rankings from NFCA/USA Today

The 1998 Arizona Wildcats softball team represented the University of Arizona in the 1998 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wildcats were coached by Mike Candrea, who led his thirteenth season. The Wildcats finished with a record of 67–4. They competed in the Pacific-10 Conference, where they finished first with a 27–1 record.

The Wildcats were invited to the 1998 NCAA Division I softball tournament, where they swept the Regional and then completed a run to the title game of the Women's College World Series where they fell to champion Fresno State.^[2]

Personnel

Roster

1998 Arizona Wildcats roster^[2]

Pitchers

0 – Becky Lemke – freshman
2 – Teresa Ayoub – freshman
13 – Nancy Evans – senior
62 – Meghann Pricer – freshman

Catchers

31 – Leah Braatz – senior
42 – Lindsey Collins – freshman

Infielders

5 – Katie Swan – sophomore
7 – Leticia Pineda – senior
18 – Tiana Hejduk – senior
21 – Michelle Churnock – junior
32 – Toni Mascarenas – freshman
35 – Felecity Willis – freshman

Outfielders

4 – Nicole Giordano – freshman
6 – Alison Johnsen – senior
22 – Erika Hanson – freshman
24 – Lauren Bauer – freshman
99 – Chrissy Gil – freshman

Coaches

1998 Arizona Wildcats softball coaching staff^[2]
Mike Candrea - Head coach - 13th season Stacy Hill - Assistant coach - 4th season Amy Chellevold - Assistant coach - 3rd season

Schedule

Legend
	Arizona win
	Arizona loss
*	Non-Conference game

1998 Arizona Wildcats Softball Game Log^[2]

Regular season

February
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Overall record	Pac-10 record
Feb 6	New Mexico State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 10–1	1–0
Feb 6	New Mexico State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 14–1⁵	2–0
Feb 7	UIC*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 9–0	3–0
Feb 7	UIC*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 12–2⁶	4–0
Feb 13	vs No. 25 Tennessee*	No. 1	Tempe, AZ	W 7–0	5–0
Feb 14	vs Utah State*	No. 1	Tempe, AZ	W 19–2⁵	6–0
Feb 14	vs Texas*	No. 1	Tempe, AZ	W 9–1⁵	7–0
Feb 15	vs No. 14 Long Beach State*	No. 1	Tempe, AZ	W 2–1	8–0
Feb 20	vs Southwest Texas State*	No. 1	Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium • Gainesville, FL	W 2–0	9–0
Feb 20	vs Southwest Texas State*	No. 1	Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium • Gainesville, FL	W 12–0⁵	10–0
Feb 21	at Florida*	No. 1	Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium • Gainesville, FL	W 7–0	11–0
Feb 21	at Florida*	No. 1	Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium • Gainesville, FL	W 9–0⁵	12–0
Feb 27	No. 19 Colorado State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 9–1⁶	13–0
Feb 27	No. 19 Colorado State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 14–1⁵	14–0
Feb 28	No. 16 Kansas*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 8–0⁵	15–0
Feb 28	No. 16 Kansas*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 8–3	16–0

March
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Overall record	Pac-10 record
Mar 1	McNeese State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 11–0⁶	17–0
Mar 1	McNeese State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 13–0⁵	18–0
Mar 6	No. 6 Oklahoma*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 6–4	19–0
Mar 6	No. 6 Oklahoma*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	L 3–4	19–1
Mar 7	Texas Tech*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 10–0⁶	20–1
Mar 7	Texas Tech*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	L 0–6	20–2
Mar 8	San Diego State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 8–0⁵	21–2
Mar 11	at No. 19 Cal State Northridge*	No. 1	Matador Diamond • Northridge, CA	W 8–1	22–2
Mar 11	at No. 19 Cal State Northridge*	No. 1	Matador Diamond • Northridge, CA	W 5–0	23–2
Mar 16	Iowa State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 9–0⁵	24–2
Mar 16	Iowa State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 9–0⁵	25–2
Mar 19	vs No. 4 Oklahoma State*	No. 1	Titan Softball Complex • Fullerton, CA	W 8–0⁵	26–2
Mar 19	at Cal State Fullerton*	No. 1	Titan Softball Complex • Fullerton, CA	W 8–3	27–2
Mar 20	vs Canisius*	No. 1	Titan Softball Complex • Fullerton, CA	W 8–0⁶	28–2
Mar 21	vs Southwest Texas State*	No. 1	Titan Softball Complex • Fullerton, CA	W 9–0⁵	29–2
Mar 21	vs No. 5 Fresno State*	No. 1	Titan Softball Complex • Fullerton, CA	W 6–1	30–2
Mar 22	vs No. 22 Cal State Northridge*	No. 1	Titan Softball Complex • Fullerton, CA	W 8–4	31–2
Mar 22	No. 11 Texas*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 2–1	32–2
Mar 28	at No. 22 Oregon	No. 1	Howe Field • Eugene, OR	W 2–0	33–2	1–0
Mar 28	at No. 22 Oregon	No. 1	Howe Field • Eugene, OR	W 18–11	34–2	2–0
Mar 29	at No. 18 Oregon State	No. 1	Corvallis, OR	W 8–0	35–2	3–0
Mar 29	at No. 18 Oregon State	No. 1	Corvallis, OR	W 13–3⁵	36–2	4–0

April
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Overall record	Pac-10 record
Apr 3	UCLA	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 16–3⁵	37–2	5–0
Apr 3	UCLA	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 11–9	38–2	6–0
Apr 4	No. 4 Washington	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	L 0–9⁵	38–3	6–1
Apr 4	No. 4 Washington	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 10–0⁵	39–3	7–1
Apr 7	No. 3 Fresno State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 4–3	40–3
Apr 7	No. 3 Fresno State*	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 6–2	41–3
Apr 10	No. 10 Arizona State	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 7–2	42–3	8–1
Apr 10	No. 10 Arizona State	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 5–3	43–3	9–1
Apr 18	at No. 20 California	No. 1	Levine-Fricke Field • Berkeley, CA	W 8–4⁹	44–3	10–1
Apr 18	at No. 20 California	No. 1	Levine-Fricke Field • Berkeley, CA	W 3–0	45–3	11–1
Apr 19	at No. 12 Stanford	No. 1	Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 11–0⁵	46–3	12–1
Apr 19	at No. 12 Stanford	No. 1	Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 5–2	47–3	13–1
Apr 24	No. 25 Oregon	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 8–0⁵	48–3	14–1
Apr 24	No. 25 Oregon	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 13–1⁵	49–3	15–1
Apr 25	No. 22 Oregon State	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 14–2⁵	50–3	16–1
Apr 25	No. 22 Oregon State	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 12–3⁵	51–3	17–1
Apr 29	at No. 15 Arizona State	No. 1	Tempe, AZ	W 6–0	52–3	18–1
Apr 29	at No. 15 Arizona State	No. 1	Tempe, AZ	W 3–2	53–3	19–1

May
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Overall record	Pac-10 record
May 2	No. 9 Stanford	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 10–3	54–3	20–1
May 2	No. 9 Stanford	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 8–0⁶	55–3	21–1
May 3	No. 21 California	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 8–0⁵	56–3	22–1
May 3	No. 21 California	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 7–1	57–3	23–1
May 9	at UCLA	No. 1	Easton Stadium • Los Angeles, CA	W 2–0	58–3	24–1
May 9	at UCLA	No. 1	Easton Stadium • Los Angeles, CA	W 6–0	59–3	25–1
May 10	at No. 4 Washington	No. 1	Husky Softball Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 4–2	60–3	26–1
May 10	at No. 4 Washington	No. 1	Husky Softball Stadium • Seattle, WA	W 4–0	61–3	27–1

Post-season

NCAA Regional
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Overall record	NCAAT record
May 15	Niagara	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 14–0⁵	62–3	1–0
May 16	Pacific	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 10–0⁵	63–3	2–0
May 17	Pacific	No. 1	Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ	W 7–0	64–3	3–0

NCAA Women's College World Series
Date	Opponent	Rank	Site/stadium	Score	Overall record	WCWS Record
May 21	No. 13 Oklahoma State	No. 1	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK	W 1–0	65–3	1–0
May 22	No. 4 Washington	No. 1	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK	W 8–0⁵	66–3	2–0
May 24	No. 13 Oklahoma State	No. 1	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK	W 7–0	67–3	3–0
May 25	No. 3 Fresno State	No. 1	ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK	L 0–1	67–4	3–1

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Final
NFCA/USA Today	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2

References

^ 2020 Softball Media Guide. Pac-12 Conference. p. 52. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d 2022 Softball Media Guide (PDF). Arizona Wildcats. Retrieved July 3, 2022.

[1] 2020 Softball Media Guide. Pac-12 Conference. p. 52. Retrieved July 3, 2022.

[media-2] 2022 Softball Media Guide (PDF). Arizona Wildcats. Retrieved July 3, 2022.

[1]

[2]

Arizona Wildcats softball
Venues	UA Softball Field (1974–1992) Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium (1993–present)
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National Championships in bold; College World Series appearances in italics