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How many Women’s College World Series championships does Arizona softball have? Wildcats second on all-time list

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How many Women’s College World Series championships does Arizona softball have? Wildcats second on all-time list

Since college softball became an NCAA-sanctioned sport in 1982, several programs have distinguished themselves among the hundreds that compete on the diamond annually across the country.

UCLA has won the most championships of the group, with 13, though that total includes the Bruins’ 1995 title, which was later vacated by the NCAA. Oklahoma has become the sport’s modern-day juggernaut, with seven overall championships, all of which have come since 2000 and six of which have been earned since 2013.

Then there’s Arizona.

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The Wildcats are college softball royalty, a Pac-12 and national power that has won at a rate few can match over the past 40 years. Since 1987, Arizona has won 11 Pac-12 regular-season championships, second only to UCLA’s 13. It has made the Women’s College World Series three of the past four years in which it was held.

This season, under third-year coach and former Arizona all-American Caitlin Lowe, the Wildcats are 34-16-1 and are in the Fayetteville Regional of the 2024 NCAA softball tournament, where they’ll face off Friday against Villanova.

But for all they’ve accomplished in their conference and by regularly making an event as storied as the Women’s College World Series, the Wildcats have achieved much, much more over the course of their proud history.

Here’s a look at Arizona softball’s championship history:

How many Women’s College World Series championships does Arizona softball have?

The Wildcats have won the NCAA softball championship eight times, with their most recent title coming in 2007.

They rank second among all Division I softball programs in championships, behind only UCLA.

Each of Arizona’s softball championships came under legendary coach Mike Candrea, who coached the Wildcats from 1986-2021. Candrea’s 1,674 career wins are the second-most by a coach in NCAA softball history.

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Arizona softball national championships

The Wildcats were the preeminent softball powerhouse nationally for much of the 1990s and 2000s.

Each of Arizona’s softball national championships came between 1991 and 2007. No other program won more than five titles during that stretch.

Here are the years in which the Wildcats won the NCAA championship, along with the team’s record that season:

  • 1991: 56-16
  • 1993: 44-8
  • 1994: 64-3
  • 1996: 58-9
  • 1997: 61-5
  • 2001: 65-4
  • 2006: 54-11
  • 2007: 50-14-1

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Schools with most NCAA softball championships

Arizona is just one of three Division I softball programs with more than two NCAA championships, a group that also includes UCLA and Oklahoma.

Here’s a list of the programs with the most NCAA softball championships:

  • 1. UCLA: 13*
  • 2. Arizona: 8
  • 3. Oklahoma: 7
  • T-4. Arizona State: 2
  • T-4. Florida: 2
  • T-4. Texas A&M: 2

* Includes the 1995 national championship, which was later vacated by the NCAA

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