# 2002 Arizona Wildcats softball team

The 2002 Arizona Wildcats softball team represented the University of Arizona in the 2002 NCAA Division I softball season. The Wildcats were coached by Mike Candrea, who led his seventeenth season. The Wildcats finished with a record of 55–12. They competed in the Pacific-10 Conference, where they finished second with a 15–6 record.
The Wildcats were invited to the 2002 NCAA Division I softball tournament, where they won their Regional and then completed a run to the title game of the Women's College World Series where they fell to champion California.

## Schedule

Legend :
| | Arizona win |
| | Arizona loss |
| * | Non-Conference game |
2002 Arizona Wildcats Softball Game Log :
Regular season :
February :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score |
| Feb 1 | No. 13 Alabama* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 8–2 | 1–0 |
| Feb 2 | No. 13 Alabama* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 13–5$^6$ | 2–0 |
| Feb 3 | No. 13 Alabama* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 11–1$^5$ | 3–0 |
| Feb 8 | vs No. 17 Southwest Texas State* | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | W 10–1$^5$ | 4–0 |
| Feb 8 | vs Texas* | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | W 3–0 | 5–0 |
| Feb 9 | vs No. 10 Cal State Fullerton* | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | W 9–1 | 6–0 |
| Feb 9 | vs Mississippi State* | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | L 1–7 | 6–1 |
| Feb 10 | vs No. 24 UMass* | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | W 1–0 | 7–1 |
| Feb 10 | vs Wisconsin* | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | L 0–3 | 7–2 |
| Feb 15 | Louisville* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 6–2 | 8–2 |
| Feb 15 | No. 14 Notre Dame* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 3–0 | 9–2 |
| Feb 16 | No. 25 South Florida* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 10–0$^5$ | 10–2 |
| Feb 16 | Auburn* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 4–0 | 11–2 |
| Feb 17 | New Mexico State* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 8–0$^6$ | 12–2 |
| Feb 22 | Eastern Michigan* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 11–0$^5$ | 13–2 |
| Feb 22 | San Jose State* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 8–0$^5$ | 14–2 |
| Feb 23 | Drake* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 12–2$^5$ | 15–2 |
| Feb 23 | Northern Iowa* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 12–2$^5$ | 16–2 |
| Feb 24 | Cal State Northridge* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 6–0 | 17–2 |
| Feb 27 | Eastern Michigan* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 10–0$^5$ | 18–2 |
March :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Overall record |
| Mar 1 | Southern Miss* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 18–0$^5$ | 19–2 | |
| Mar 1 | Hawaii* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 5–1 | 20–2 | |
| Mar 2 | Eastern Michigan* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 9–0$^6$ | 21–2 | |
| Mar 2 | Evansville* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 8–0$^5$ | 22–2 | |
| Mar 3 | Long Beach State* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 4–1 | 23–2 | |
| Mar 5 | Boston College* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 13–1 | 24–2 | |
| Mar 6 | Boston College* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 9–0$^5$ | 25–2 | |
| Mar 14 | vs Texas Tech* | Anderson Family Field • Fullerton, CA | W 8–0 | 26–2 | |
| Mar 14 | vs Notre Dame* | Anderson Family Field • Fullerton, CA | W 7–0 | 27–2 | |
| Mar 15 | vs Cal State Northridge* | Anderson Family Field • Fullerton, CA | L 3–4 | 27–3 | |
| Mar 16 | vs No. 18 Louisiana–Lafayette* | Anderson Family Field • Fullerton, CA | W 1–0 | 28–3 | |
| Mar 16 | vs No. 8 Arizona State* | Anderson Family Field • Fullerton, CA | L 0–3 | 28–4 | |
| Mar 22 | No. 18 Louisiana–Lafayette* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 6–2 | 29–4 | |
| Mar 23 | No. 18 Louisiana–Lafayette* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 8–0$^6$ | 30–4 | |
| Mar 24 | No. 18 Louisiana–Lafayette* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 7–2 | 31–4 | |
| Mar 29 | at No. 6 Arizona State | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | W 2–0 | 32–4 | 1–0 |
| Mar 30 | at No. 6 Arizona State | Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium • Tempe, AZ | W 10–1$^5$ | 33–4 | 2–0 |
April :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Overall record |
| Apr 5 | No. 10 Washington | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 1–0 | 34–4 | 3–0 |
| Apr 6 | No. 1 UCLA | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 6–2 | 35–4 | 4–0 |
| Apr 7 | No. 1 UCLA | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | L 5–6 | 35–5 | 4–1 |
| Apr 12 | at No. 14 Oregon State | Oregon State Softball Complex • Corvallis, OR | W 4–0 | 36–5 | 5–1 |
| Apr 13 | at Oregon | Howe Field • Eugene, OR | W 2–0 | 37–5 | 6–1 |
| Apr 14 | at Oregon | Howe Field • Eugene, OR | W 8–1 | 38–5 | 7–1 |
| Apr 16 | Oklahoma State* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 4–2 | 39–5 | |
| Apr 17 | No. 9 Oklahoma* | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 1–0 | 40–5 | |
| Apr 19 | at No. 3 Stanford | Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium • Stanford, CA | W 2–1 | 41–5 | 8–1 |
| Apr 20 | at No. 8 California | Levine-Fricke Field • Berkeley, CA | L 2–5 | 41–6 | 8–2 |
| Apr 21 | at No. 8 California | Levine-Fricke Field • Berkeley, CA | L 1–2 | 41–7 | 8–3 |
| Apr 26 | Oregon | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 11–3$^5$ | 42–7 | 9–3 |
| Apr 27 | No. 14 Oregon State | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 7–0 | 43–7 | 10–3 |
| Apr 28 | No. 14 Oregon State | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 2–1 | 44–7 | 11–3 |
| Apr 30 | No. 5 Arizona State | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 5–3 | 45–7 | 12–3 |
May :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Overall record |
| May 3 | No. 6 California | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 3–0 | 46–7 | 13–3 |
| May 4 | No. 7 Stanford | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 3–2 | 47–7 | 14–3 |
| May 5 | No. 7 Stanford | Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium • Tucson, AZ | W 6–1 | 48–7 | 15–3 |
| May 10 | at No. 1 UCLA | Easton Stadium • Los Angeles, CA | L 2–4 | 48–8 | 15–4 |
| May 11 | at No. 6 Washington | Husky Softball Stadium • Seattle, WA | L 1–3 | 48–9 | 15–5 |
| May 11 | at No. 6 Washington | Husky Softball Stadium • Seattle, WA | L 2–3 | 48–10 | 15–6 |
Post-season :
NCAA Regional :
| Date | Opponent | Site/stadium | Score | Overall record | NCAAT record |
| May 16 | Boston University | Minneapolis, MN | W 4–1 | 49–10 | 1–0 |
| May 17 | Penn State | Minneapolis, MN | W 4–3 | 50–10 | 2–0 |
| May 18 | DePaul | Minneapolis, MN | W 2–0 | 51–10 | 3–0 |
| May 19 | DePaul | Minneapolis, MN | L 0–6 | 51–11 | 3–1 |
| May 19 | DePaul | Minneapolis, MN | W 8–0 | 52–11 | 4–1 |
NCAA Women's College World Series :
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Overall record | WCWS Record |
| May 23 | (7) Nebraska | (2) | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK | W 1–0 | 53–11 | 1–0 |
| May 25 | (3) Arizona State | (2) | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK | W 1–0$^8$ | 54–11 | 2–0 |
| May 26 | (8) Florida State | (2) | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK | W 6–0$^{11}$ | 55–11 | 3–0 |
| May 27 | (4) California | (2) | ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK | L 0–6 | 55–12 | 3–1 |