It may not feel like fall in Tucson with temperatures still well over 100 degrees, but that doesn’t stop the rites of the season. One of those rites is Arizona softball’s fall season. The program released its fall schedule on Wednesday afternoon.
hello october, hello fall ball
our fall schedule is here! pic.twitter.com/gXi0c4cKf0
— Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) October 1, 2024
As usual, the schedule predominantly features junior college teams from across the state. This year it also includes NAIA program Benedictine University Mesa.
The Wildcats get things started on Friday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m. MST when Arizona Western College makes the trek from Yuma. The Matadors play in NJCAA Division I. They went 27-23 overall last year, including 19-13 in conference play. Arizona defeated AWC 22-0 in last year’s fall scrimmage.
UA will play a doubleheader against Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Benedictine University Mesa on Oct. 25. The game against the CGCC Coyotes gets started at 5 p.m. MST. First pitch against Benedictine University Mesa is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Coyotes were 26-21 overall last season and 21-17 on league play. They advanced to the playoffs. They fell to Arizona 15-0 during the 2024 fall season.
Arizona is branching out with the addition of the Redhawks to the fall schedule. The slate usually includes a combination of Division I and Division II NJCAA schools from around the state, but the in-state NAIA programs are not included.
Benedictine University Mesa was 16-29 overall last year and 9-16 in Cal Pac. The Redhawks advanced to the semifinals of the Cal Pac Tournament where they lost to Simpson. Beginning this season, they will play in the Great Southwestern Athletic Conference, which includes five NAIA schools in Arizona and three in Southern California.
The fall schedule will conclude on Friday, Nov. 1 with back-to-back games against South Mountain Community College at 5 p.m. MST and Pima Community College at 7 p.m.
The always-strong South Mountain went 28-18 overall last season and 21-15 in conference play. The Cougars lost to Phoenix College in the ACCAC Region I Division II Tournament Final. Prior the the spring season, they lost to Arizona by the score of 9-1 in fall ball.
Fall scrimmages conclude with the game between Arizona and Pima, which is always a local favorite. Last year’s game was a 17-1 UA win, but it prepared the Aztecs for an impressive season. They went 43-14 overall and 26-6 in conference play last year. Their season concluded in a 3-0 loss to Trinidad State College at the NJCAA Division I World Series. They went 1-2 at the World Series.
Arizona went 37-18-1 last year with a 13-11 conference record in its final Pac-12 season. The Wildcats fell to UCLA in the Pac-12 Softball Tournament semifinals. They went on to make their second trip to the NCAA Super Regionals in Caitlin Lowe’s three-year tenure as a head coach.
UA lost a strong senior class of Allie Skaggs (2B), Carlie Scupin (1B), Blaise Biringer (3B), Jasmine Perezchica (OF), and Ali Blanchard (RHP) after last season. They also saw sophomore Olivia DiNardo (C/DP) transfer to Nebraska.
The team welcomed a freshmen class of Kate Vance (INF), Emma Kavanagh (C/UT), Sarah Wright (RHP), Anyssa Wild (INF), and Jenna Sniffen (INF). The transfer class consists of senior Saya Swain (RHP), Sydney Stewart (C/UT), and Kiki Escobar (INF). The Wildcats also hope to get Devyn Netz (RHP/INF), Sydney Somerndike (RHP), Ryan Maddox (LHP), and Logan Cole (INF) back from injuries that kept them out for most or all of last season.