Arizona softball head to Columbia Regional

TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona softball begins its postseason road in Missouri, where the Wildcats will compete in the Columbia Regional.

Other teams in the regional include host No. 15 seed Tigers, Illinois and Missouri State.

The Wildcats open the regional against Illinois. First pitch is 1:30 p.m. Friday and the game will be on ESPNU.

The Wildcats’ postseason appearance marks Arizona’s 35th straight selection. The 35 consecutive seasons is the longest active streak and the NCAA Softball record. Arizona has been invited to postseason play every season since 1987, former head coach Mike Candrea’s second year on campus.

Arizona will hit the road for NCAA Regionals for the 15th time and first time since 2016.

The Cats open the event on Friday, May 20 vs. Illinois, an at-large selection from the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini went 34-20 (15-7 Big Ten) in 2022.

The Wildcats finished the regular season 33-20 (8-16 Pac-12). Arizona has one of the most dominant offenses in the nation which is ranked tenth in batting average (.329) and ninth in home runs (86). In the Pac-12, Arizona is first in batting average, hits (446), RBI (317), and runs scored (334). Sophomore Allie Skaggs is the Pac-12′s co-leader in home runs with 22 homers this season. Three Wildcats are ranked in the top four of the conference in home runs.

Arizona has advanced out of 31 of the 34 regionals since 1987 and owns an 98-12 record in the round overall. Arizona has advanced to the super regional round in 15 of the 16 seasons since they began in 2005.