Arizona enters next weekend’s NCAA softball tournament as one of the teams on the No. 6 seed line, essentially the No. 21 team overall in the field because Nebraska — the fourth overall team — is seeded No. 1 in the Wildcats’ section of the bracket.
The other No. 6 seeds are Ole Miss (No. 22 overall/Oklahoma No. 3 overall in that bracket), Clemson (No. 23/Texas No. 2) and UCF (No. 24/Alabama No. 1).
The Wildcats (35-16) had the opportunity to host a regional last month, but they struggled toward the end of the regular season and first round of the Big 12 tournament, going 6-8 in that span.
They will open against Marshall (37-17) of the Sun Belt Conference on Friday at 11:30 a.m., Tucson time. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Duke, the No. 12 overall seed at 39-14, and Howard (28-17) will play at 9 a.m. on Friday. That game will be on ESPN’s ACC Network.
Howard, which lost to Arizona 9-0 in five innings on Feb. 28 in the Hillenbrand Invitational, features for Canyon del Oro standout pitcher Julia Holt. She is the daughter of the late Julius Holt, a former Arizona football player who was a community activist primarily with youth football in Tucson.
Marshall achieved the program’s third NCAA tournament appearance and first in nine years. After an early exit in the Sun Belt quarterfinals against Coastal Carolina, Marshall received an at-large bid.
The Thundering Herd set a single-season program record with 89 home runs, ranking 10th nationally.
The pitching staff posted a 2.71 ERA, led by Jules King, who recorded 156 strikeouts and a program-record six saves.
Morgan Zerkle, in her third season as head coach, is a former Marshall All-American and Team USA player.
Zerkle hired former Arizona softball student manager Drew Calloway as her pitching coach this season. Calloway worked under Arizona pitching coach Christian Conrad last season.
He helped Sabino’s baseball team win 3A state titles in 2018 and 2019. He pitched at Arizona in 2022 after attending Arizona State during the 2020-21 school year. He made the Dean’s List at Arizona and earned a degree with honors from Arizona’s Eller College of Management.
“Drew has learned from one of the best pitching minds in the country (Conrad) and will be crucial in continuing to develop our bullpen,” Zerkle said in a press release upon his hire last summer.
Third baseman Sydni Burko was named the 2026 Sun Belt Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. She led the team with a .393 average and 21 home runs.
First baseman Ava Blake and King earned Second Team All-Sun Belt honors.
This is Arizona’s 38th NCAA tournament selection and the 11th time in program history that the Wildcats will be on the road for a regional. Arizona swept the last two road regionals it has played – the 2024 Fayetteville Regional and the 2022 Columbia Regional.
If Arizona gets through the Durham Regional and Arkansas advances out of its regional at Fayetteville, the Wildcats will be matched with the Razorbacks and former Arizona standout Dakota Kennedy in the Fayetteville Super Regional.
For Arizona to have an opportunity to host the Super Regional in two weeks, it would have to come out on top in Durham and hope Arkansas is upset at Fayetteville in next week’s regional action. Washington, seeded No. 7, is Arkansas’ main threat there.
Arizona has one of the most potent offenses in the nation, ranking 15th in batting average (.345), 18th in scoring (7.33 runs per game), and 26th in RBIs (343). In the Big 12, Arizona is second in batting average and scoring, and third in the conference in on-base percentage (.422), RBIs per game (6.73), and runs (374).
Big 12 Player of the Year Sydney Stewart leads the Wildcats and the Big 12 with 76 RBIs, 0.39 home runs per game, a 1.000 slugging percentage, and 0.80 walks per game.
The Wildcats also boast one of the best defenses, leading the Big 12 and the nation with a program-record 42 double plays. Arizona’s .973 fielding percentage ranks third in the conference.
Last week, the Wildcats placed nine players on the All-Big 12 teams led by Stewart who was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and was the Big 12 Batting Champion, Regan Shockey (Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year), and Tayler Biehl (Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year)
Biehl, Grace Jenkins, Shockey, and Stewart earned first-team all-conference honors while Jalen Adams, Tele Jennings, and Sereniti Trice were named to the All-Big 12 second team. Shockey and Trice picked up all-defensive team honors while Rylie Holder and Kez Lucas were name to the all-freshmen team.
Arizona has advanced out of 33 of the 37 regionals since 1987 and owns an 107-14 record in the round overall.
Arizona has advanced to the super regional round in 17 of the 19 seasons since they began in 2005.
Recommended for you
