Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 1994 Arizona Wildcats

Photo courtesy Arizona Athletics

Fall practice has wrapped up around the country in Division I, which allows us to set our sights on the 2024 season that lies ahead.

Early focus will be centered on the University of Oklahoma as they begin the quest to become the first team in Division I history to win four consecutive national championships.

The Sooners tied UCLA (1988, 1989, 1990) as the only teams to ever win three consecutive titles when they defeated Florida State to claim the 2023 title.

Extra Inning Softball will be reviewing the 41 national champions that have previously hoisted the trophy.

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1994 Arizona Wildcats

The Venue: ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Head Coach: Mike Candrea

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Susie Parra, Carrie Dolan, Michelle Martinez, Susie Duarte, Valerie Zepeda, Krista Gomez, Amy Chellevold, Jenny Dalton, Amanda Colvin, Leah O’Brien, Andrea Doty, Brandi Shriver, Laura Espinoza, Leah Braatz, Nancy Evans

The Regular Season: The 1994 Arizona Wildcats rank as one of the top teams in the history of college softball. The Wildcats featured an explosive offense that produced 93 home runs and the dominance of Susie Parra in the circle. Arizona finished the regular season with a 57-3 overall record and compiled a 23-1 record in the Pac-10 Conference. Laura Espinoza led the offensive assault with 30 home runs, while Leah Braatz had 18 and Jenny Dalton added 16. Parra, who also had 14 home runs, finished the season with a 33-1 record in the circle. Arizona had a team batting average of .380 led by Amy Chellevold who hit .504 while Espinoza drove in 95 runs. The Wildcats featured six players – Braatz, Chellevold, Dalton, Espinoza, Leah O’Brien, Parra – who were named First Team All-American. Parra was also selected as the National Player of the Year.

The Regional/Super Regional: Arizona hosted an NCAA Regional which included Texas A&M, Rutgers and Canisius. The Wildcats rolled through the regional as it opened play with a 7-0 win against Canisius. The Wildcats then beat the Aggies 5-0 and earned a trip to Oklahoma City with a 6-0 win over Texas A&M. The Wildcats outscored their opposition 18-0 in the three regional games.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona, Cal State Northridge, Fresno State, Illinois-Chicago, Missouri, Oklahoma State, UCLA, Utah

The Wildcats at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona opened play at the WCWS against Illinois-Chicago and cruised to an 8-0 victory. Arizona scored four runs in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run single by Jenny Dalton, and tacked on two more in the fourth on a two-run home run from Leah O’Brien. Nancy Evans improved to 17-0 on the season by tossing a three-hit shutout in the circle. Susie Parra threw a four-hit shutout in game two against Fresno State and Amy Chellevold and Dalton each had three hits to lead the Wildcats to a 3-0 win. Game three featured a meeting with UCLA and the Wildcats claimed a 5-2 win to remain undefeated in WCWS play. Dalton belted a two-run home run and O’Brien added two hits in support of Parra who allowed no earned runs and struck out four. With the victory, Arizona secured its spot in the national championship game fourth consecutive year.

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