Arizona Softball still looking for several answers in 2022

The 2022 Arizona Softball season is well underway so far the Wildcats have seen their fair share of struggles as they look for several answers.

Well, it is a new year for Arizona Softball, and as we are all familiar with by now, the Wildcats ushered in a new era of Softball this season as Caitlyn Lowe was brought in to replace the legendary head coach, Mike Candrea.

Coming into the year, the expectations were a bit lofty, after all, the Wildcats are one of the most storied programs in the sport and are always considered to be a title favorite entering each season.

However, through nearly 30 games, things are a bit rocky. The Wildcats are just 19-10 overall on the season, they are winless in conference play, and have yet to beat a ranked team this season.

Beyond that, Arizona is riding a current six-game losing streak in which they were swept by conference rivals UCLA and ASU. They were also outscored 43-2 in the process.

And as the rest of their season begins to heat up, Arizona Softball is now quickly searching for answers.

A team once known for its elite pitching, powerful bat, and strong fundamentals, they are currently in rare territory as they are searching for an identity under first-year head coach Caitlyn Lowe.

The pitching has been just okay, surrendering a 3.37 ERA with 84 runs and 32 home runs on 176 hits. Offensively, the Wildcats have been fair, producing 180 runs and 38 home runs while batting a collective .331 from the dish.

However, against elite pitching, the Wildcats have been absent. Producing just 10 runs in nine games played against ranked teams, Arizona has struggled to manufacture runs against college softball’s better teams.

Chalk it up to first-year growing pains under a brand new coach, perhaps Arizona playing some elite competition, or Arizona enduring some injuries; however, this is where the Wildcats need to dig deep and use their experience to make a run like they did last year.

Either way, the Wildcats are desperately looking for answers as they look to pull out of this slump and get things back on track.