Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 1996 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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1996 Arizona Wildcats

The Venue: Golden Park, Columbus, Ga.

The Head Coach: Mike Candrea

The Players (Women’s College World Series Roster): Carrie Dolan, Alison Johnsen, Lety Pineda, Krista Gomez, Tanya Farhat, Julie Reitan, Lisa Pitt, Jenny Dalton, Tiana Hejduk, Michelle Churnock, Andrea Doty, Brandi Shriver, Heidi Bomberger

The Regular Season: Arizona fans entered the 1996 season optimistic, but likely unsure as to what the Wildcats would produce on the field. All-American Leah O’Brien sat out the season in order to train with USA Softball in preparation for the Atlanta Olympic Games and All-American Leah Braatz and All-Pac-10 pitcher Nancy Evans missed the season due to injuries. Instead what Wildcats fans witnessed was two of the best individual seasons in Arizona history in the performances of Jenny Dalton and Carrie Dolan. Dalton batted .469 with 25 home runs and 109 RBIs, while Dolan pitched 264 innings and posted a 35-6 record with a 1.54 earned run average. Dalton earned the Honda Award as the Player of the Year and Dolan earned Second Team All-America honors. Four players finished the season with a batting average of at least .400 led by Dalton. Alison Johnsen (.450), Lety Pineda (.404) and Krista Gomez (.400) also hit .400 or better on the year. Lisa Pitt contributed in a major way in the circle as she went 19-3 with a 2.05 ERA. Arizona posted a 51-9 record during the regular season and a 23-5 mark in the Pac-10 Conference and finished second behind Washington. Arizona ended the regular season on a 17-game winning streak and carried that throughout the postseason. Dalton (1st Team), Alison McCutcheon (1st Team), Pineda (1st Team), Gomez (2nd Team), Dolan (2nd Team) and Brandi Shriver (2nd Team) were named All-Americans following the season.

The Regional/Super Regional: For the first time in school history, Arizona traveled outside of the state of Arizona for an NCAA Regional as the Wildcats ventured to Tallahassee, Fla., to face the host Seminoles along with Troy State and South Florida. The Wildcats opened regional play with an 8-0 victory over Troy State. Arizona then faced Florida State and emerged with a 9-6 win. Florida State eliminated South Florida to set up a return meeting with the Wildcats. This game proved to be all Arizona as the Wildcats rolled to a 10-3 win to secure its place in Oklahoma City, Okla., and the Women’s College World Series.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona, California, Iowa, Southwestern Louisiana, Michigan, Princeton, UCLA, Washington

The Wildcats at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona opened play at the WCWS against Iowa and scored two runs in the second inning and three more in the third inning on its way to a 5-2 victory. Lety Pineda drove in a pair of runs and Alison Johnsen recorded two hits, while Lisa Pitt went the distance in the circle and permitted eight hits and one earned run. Carrie Dolan turned in a masterful performance as the Wildcats defeated UCLA 4-0 in game two. Dolan held the Bruins to five hits and struck out three, while Michelle Churnock had three hits and drove in two runs to pace the offense. The Wildcats earned a spot in the national championship game with a 10-2 victory over Iowa. The Wildcats jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings and used a 14-hit attack and the pitching of Pitt to roll to the win. Jenny Dalton went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs and Julie Reitan also had three hits for the Wildcats. Pitt went the distance and allowed five hits and one earned run.

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