Looking Back at the NCAA Champions: 2006 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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2006 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): Autumn Champion, Adrienne Acton, Jill Malina, Taryne Mowatt, Danielle Rodriguez, Chelsie Mesa, Callista Balko, Leslie Wolfe, Kelly Nelson, Laine Roth, Caitlin Lowe, Kristie Fox, Jenae Leles, Sam Banister, Alicia Hollowell

The Regular Season: After winning six national championships in an 11-year span, Arizona entered the 2006 season not having won a title since 2001, which by Arizona standards was a long stretch. The Wildcats posted a 54-9 record during the regular season, but it did not come without some bumps along the way. Arizona began the season by winning 24 of its first 25 games, but then proceeded to go 10-8 over its next 18 games. Sparked by a no-hitter from Alicia Hollowell, the Wildcats closed the season on a 14-game winning streak to finish with a 15-6 record in the Pac-10 Conference which was good for second place. The Wildcats offense was led by Caitlin Lowe, Autumn Champion and Kristie Fox. Lowe posted a .425 batting average, scored 52 runs, drove in 27 runs and stole 33 bases. Champion hit .408 with 16 steals and 57 runs scored and Fox batted .386 with 15 home runs and 66 RBIs. Hollowell and Taryne Mowatt formed a lethal duo in the circle. Hollowell finished the year with a 32-5 record, a 0.89 earned run average and 420 strikeouts in 252.1 innings pitched, while Mowatt was 21-5 with a 1.28 ERA and 250 strikeouts. The duo also combined to throw 29 shutouts during the season. Lowe (1st Team), Fox (1st Team) and Hollowell (2nd Team) were each named All-American following the year.

The Regional: Arizona hosted the NCAA Tucson Regional and were joined by Marist, Ohio State and Auburn. The Wildcats opened regional play against Marist and Alicia Hollowell and Callista Balko lifted Arizona to a 9-0 win. Hollowell tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out 12, while Balko homered and drove in three runs. In game two, Arizona jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held off an Ohio State rally to record a 6-3 victory. Kristie Fox and Balko hit home runs for Arizona and Chelsie Mesa drove in a pair of runs. Arizona clinched a spot in the Super Regional with a 4-2 victory over Auburn. The Wildcats jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the strength of a two-run home run from Mesa and RBIs from Fox and Balko.

The Super Regional: Arizona stayed at home for the Super Regional as the Wildcats welcomed LSU to Tucson, Ariz. Game one was all Wildcats as Alicia Hollowell threw a four-hit shutout and struck out 11 batters and Jenae Leles went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Autumn Champion was 4-for-4 with three runs scored. LSU bounced back in game two with a 3-2 victory to force a winner-take-all game in the Super Regional. The Wildcats responded with a dominating 14-5 victory in game three led by the heroics of Kristie Fox. Fox finished the game 4-for-4 with three runs scored and eight RBIs. Fox hit a two-run homer in the first inning and then blasted a grand slam in the second inning. She added RBI singles in the third and fifth innings. With the win, Arizona clinched a berth in the Women’s College World Series.

The Field at the Women’s College World Series: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Northwestern, Oregon State, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA

The Wildcats at the Women’s College World Series: Arizona opened WCWS play against fellow Pac-10 member Oregon State. The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on RBI singles from Autumn Champion and Kristie Fox. Oregon State rallied to tie the game at 2-2 with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The game remained deadlocked until the bottom of the ninth inning when the Wildcats would walk it off. Caitlin Lowe singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Fox then delivered a single up the middle and Lowe dashed home with the winning run in a 3-2 victory. Game two for the Wildcats featured a meeting with Texas and a pair of four-time All-Americans in Alicia Hollowell and Cat Osterman. Hollowell went 7.0 innings and allowed four hits and struck out nine in leading the Wildcats to a 2-0 win. Osterman struck out 13, but the Wildcats got to her in the bottom of the sixth inning. With runners on first and second, Callista Balko hit a single to left and Lowe advanced to third and then came home on a Longhorn fielding error. Arizona would then execute a double steal with Kelly Nelson stealing home to make the final score 2-0. Another All-American awaited the Wildcats in game three as Tennessee and Monica Abbott were the opponent. Both Abbott and Hollowell were outstanding, but Katherine Card homered in the fifth inning leading the Lady Vols to a 1-0 win. A rematch with Tennessee awaited Arizona and this time Hollowell dominated the Lady Vols in a 6-0 victory. Hollowell went 7.0 innings and allowed just two hits and struck out 14 batters to lead Arizona. Champion had two hits and drove in three runs and Laine Roth had two hits and drove in a run to spark the Wildcats offense. With the victory, Arizona advanced to the championship series.

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