The 1996 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

1996 NCAA Division I softball season The 1996 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1996. The season progressed through the regular ...

. 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 eleventh season. The Wildcats finished with a record of 58–9. 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 second with a 23–5 record. The Wildcats were invited to the

1996 NCAA Division I softball tournament The 1996 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the fifteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1996, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championsh ...

, 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 fourth 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