The 1997 Arizona Wildcats softball team represented the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

in the

1997 NCAA Division I softball season The 1997 NCAA Division I softball season, a play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1997. The season progressed through the regul ...

. The Wildcats were coached by

Mike Candrea John Michael Candrea (born August 29, 1955) is the former head softball coach at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He was the head coach of the United States women's national softball team in 2004, when Team USA won a gold medal, and ...

, who led his twelfth season. The Wildcats finished with a record of 61–5. They played their home games at

Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium is the softball stadium for the University of Arizona. The stadium is on-campus and can seat 2,956 people. Hillenbrand Stadium, as it is more commonly known, was completed in 1993 and is nam ...

and competed in the

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

, where they finished first with a 26–1 record. The Wildcats were invited to the 1997 NCAA Division I softball tournament, where they swept the West Regional and then completed a run through the

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

to claim their fifth NCAA Women's College World Series Championship.

Roster

Schedule

Ranking movements

References

{{NCAA Division I Softball Champion navbox

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Arizona Wildcats softball seasons Arizona Softball Women's College World Series seasons NCAA Division I softball tournament seasons Pac-12 Conference softball champion seasons