Huge setback: Arizona softball are in pains for the departure of a key player…..

The offseason has arrived, with all of Arizona’s sports finished for the 2023-24 season and the 2024-25 campaigns still a bit away.

This makes it an ideal time to review the status of the Wildcats’ programs, especially with the upcoming move to the Big 12 Conference.

Over the next few weeks, we will examine each of UA’s men’s and women’s athletic programs to assess their current state and future prospects. We will analyze each team, evaluate their performance under their current coaching staff, compare it to the state of the program before their arrival, and consider the impact of the upcoming debut in the Big 12 and beyond.

Arizona softball was the most successful team sport on campus under former head coach Mike Candrea. His eight national titles were the most by a single head coach and the second most in the sport’s history until Patty Gasso and Oklahoma tied both marks this month.

Although the Wildcats missed the Women’s College World Series for nearly a decade after their runners-up finish in 2010, reaching it again in 2019, and haven’t won a national title since 2007, they remained a postseason staple. Under Candrea’s guidance, Arizona missed the NCAA postseason only in his first season and never again.