Teresa Wilson congratulates a player at Texas Tech.
Teresa Wilson, the former head coach at the University of Washington and Texas Tech, will be Arizona’s new pitching coach.
“I’m thrilled to be part of Arizona’s program,” Wilson said in a news release from UA. “I look forward to the opportunity to learn more from Mike and help continue the success the Wildcats have enjoyed.”
The Wildcats have been without a full-time pitching coach since last December, when Nancy Evans left the program. Local pitching instructor Gale Bundrick filled in as a volunteer during the 2008 season.
The hiring process was slowed this summer as Candrea attended to duties as the head coach of the U.S. Olympic team.
Wilson has worked with Candrea on previous U.S. national teams.
She was 89-123 in four seasons at Texas Tech, and 532-198-1 (.728) in 11 seasons at Washington, winning Pac-10 titles in 1996 and 2000.
She has a career record of 801-448-1 in 20 combined seasons at Texas Tech, Washington, Oregon and Minnesota. She led Washington to the national title game in 1996 (losing to Arizona) and in 1999, losing to UCLA.
Wilson was pitcher at Missouri, earning All-America honors as a senior in 1984.
She was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1989, 1996 and 2000. She was the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1989.
“Teresa is a very good teacher of the game and can take our pitchers where
they need to go,” Candrea said in the release. “You can’t beat her experience and work ethic at the top levels of the game. We’re in great position to continue moving forward. She’ll take it up a notch.”
The three-person Arizona coaching staff of Candrea, Larry Ray and Wilson have a combined 47 seasons of head coaching experience at the Division I level.
Candrea is 1,131-228-2 in 21 seasons, all at Arizona.
Ray is 265-131 in six seasons — four at Florida and two at Arizona as an interim head coach in 2004 and 2008 when Candrea was gone due with Team USA.
With Wilson’s record, the UA coaching staff has a combined 2,197 victories.
Wilson was removed from her job at Washington in December 2003 as the school investigated her role in the drug-dispensing practices of team doctor William Scheyer.
When she was hired at Texas Tech in December 2004, Red Raiders athletic director Gerald Myers told the Dallas Morning News: “I’m fully aware of the situation there. I was convinced she didn’t have any wrongdoing there.”
Wilson filed suit against the university in April 2004, alleging Washington “put forth no evidence that she had any involvement in or knowledge of any medical wrongdoing” and that she was removed because she was a woman. The suit was later dismissed by federal judge.
Wilson has maintained her innocence, telling the Seattle Times in April 2007 that players interviewed by the internal investigation committee “were kids who had left, kids who had an axe to grind, kids who thought they should have played and didn’t.”
The Seattle Times asked Wilson how the incident had affected her reputation.
“The alumni put together a notebook of all the letters they received from coaches across the country, alumni, parents, umpires, community people. The people who know you, know you. The people who don’t (know you) love to talk. Gossip and something sensational are the most interesting things out there.
“You wake up every morning and look in the mirror, and as much as it all hurts, you know you did nothing wrong.”
Wilson will join the team in time for this week’s exhibition games at Hillenbrand Stadium.
UA will play Arizona Western College on Friday at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, the Wildcats will take on New Mexico (5:30 p.m.) and Central Arizona College (7:30 p.m.). On Sunday, Arizona plays Cypress College (3 p.m.) and Pima Community College (5 p.m.).
Teresa Wilson