Kenzie Fowler finished the season with a 28-9 record. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Some help is on the way for the Arizona softball pitching staff.

The Wildcats tried to navigate the 2011 season with only two pitchers, which made things dicey late in the season when sophomore ace Kenzie Fowler was out for six games late in the season because of a concussion.

Head coach Mike Candrea — as he was last offseason to no avail — is on the lookout for help from anywhere, including transfers from four-year schools and junior colleges.

Already, he is bringing in left-hander Kiley Shae Aldridge from Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, Calif. She should provide a softer-throwing contrast to right-handers Fowler and Shelby Babcock.

Candrea, the former head coach of the U.S. national team, could also use his international contacts.

“I may take a trip to Australia to see what’s coming up in the ranks,” he said Saturday after Oklahoma eliminated the Wildcats from an NCAA Super Regional

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Oklahoma celebrates at Hillenbrand Stadium after eliminating Arizona at an NCAA Super Regional. ESPN3 screenshot

It was 5:30 p.m., and almost all was quiet at Hillenbrand Stadium.

ESPN personnel were packing up equipment. The clean-up crew was patrolling the grounds. The Arizona sports information staff was wrapping up the unhappy news.

Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea had just left the stadium, walking across the outfield grass, past the eight national championship banners, past the spot on the right field wall that marks all 22 of the team’s appearances in the College World Series.

There won’t be any additions to those tributes in the offseason.

There won’t be any more Arizona softball this season.

“It’s agonizing,” Candrea said following a 5-2 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday that eliminated the Wildcats from the best-of-three NCAA Super Regional. “It’s agonizing.”

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The Women’s College World Series will go on without Arizona for only the second time since the 1987 season.

Oklahoma was the dominant team at the Tucson Super Regional, making nearly every key pitch and getting nearly every key hit, and eliminating the Wildcats with a 5-2 victory at Hillenbrand Stadium on Saturday. Lini Koria hit a two-run home run for Arizona with two outs in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough.

The Sooners won 6-0 on Friday night in the best-of-three regional.

For Arizona coach Mike Candrea, it ends a personal streak of 21 consecutive appearances at the World Series, dating to the 1988 season, his third with the Wildcats. He was coaching the U.S. Olympic team in 2004 when the Cats, led by interim head coach Larry Ray, lost in regional play.

Arizona, in two games at the Super Regional, were 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position.

Oklahoma swept four games from Arizona this season, winning by a combined score of 27-6.

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The past 21 Arizona teams coached by Mike Candrea have advanced to the College World Series. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

The Arizona Wildcats softball team booted a ball in the field, had an outfielder slip and allow a two-run single, failed to deliver any key hit … and didn’t pitch all that well, either.

But, hey, there’s always today, right?

That might be all Arizona has after a 6-0 loss to Oklahoma on Friday night in the first game of a best-of-three Super Regional at Hillenbrand Stadium. (Read the game blog here.)

The Wildcats have to sweep two games today to advance to the College World Series. It will be all on the line — including coach Mike Candrea’s personal streak of 21 consecutive years of taking Arizona to the Series — beginning at 2 p.m.

“It’s not going to take a good effort,” he said, “but a special effort.”

For sure, Arizona is going to need sophomore ace Kenzie Fowler to be special, to deliver two outstanding performances in 100 degree heat.

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Arizona threatens again in the seventh, but to avail. The first two batters reach base, but Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts shuts down the middle of order to finish off the 6-0 victory in the first game of the best-of-three Super Regional at Hillenbrand Stadium.

Ricketts allowed seven hits but struck out 13 — seven looking. The Wildcats left the bases loaded in the third and the sixth innings.

Arizona will have to win two games Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m., to win the Super Regional and advance to the College World Series.

(Check back later for postgame coverage later.)

* * *

Keilani Ricketts hits a laser over the right-centerfield fence and off the building some 30 feet or so (my best guess) beyond the wall. Sooners lead 6-0.

* * *

Arizona teases the Hillenbrand faithful in the bottom of the sixth inning, loading the bases with one out on two singles and an error by the third baseman.

The Cats had the bottom of the order up, though, and Alex Lavine bounced into a force play to pitcher Keilani Ricketts, and Baillie Kirker struck out looking on a change-up on the outside corner.

* * *

Going to the bottom of the sixth, OU still up 5-0. Keilani Ricketts has struck out 10 Wildcats.

* * *

Shelby Babcock loads the bases on a hit batter and two walks, but she gets out of the inning when she fields a sharp bouncer right back at her and she starts a 1-2-3 double play.

OU leads 5-0 going to the bottom of the fifth.

* * *

Shelby Babcock into pitch for the Wildcats in the top of the fifth. OU leads 5-0. This is the freshman’s first postseason appearance.

* * *

Oklahoma has taken a commanding lead in the top of the fourth.

Kenzie Fowler walked the leadoff batter, and then Chana’e Jones poked a hit behind the third-base bag. Another walk loaded the bases before a sacrifice fly made it 2-0 for the Sooners.

With two outs, Desiree Martinez hit a soft liner to right field, and Karissa Buchanan mistakenly started back on the ball. She then slipped as she tried to cut to move forward, and the ball fell in front of her for a hit, driving in two runs. Brianna Turang’s triple made it 5-0.

To make matters worse, Fowler was called for an illegal pitch in the inning, stirring bad memories from last season’s College World Series.

Now, it’s going to be extremely difficult for the Wildcats to rally off Keilani Ricketts.

* * *

A near-miss for the Cats in the bottom of the third.

After Keiliani Ricketts struck out the first two batters — giving her six in a row — Brittany Lastrapes and Lindsey Schutzler reached on infield singles. Brigette Del Ponte walked to load the bases for Stacie Chambers, the Arizona all-time home run record.

Ricketts won the battle, getting Chambers to hit a comebacker … and Ricketts easily threw out Chambers at first.

* * *

Oklahoma puts together a two-out rally in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead.

The Sooners got the first hit of the game — a surprising double over the head of center fielder Lauren Schutzler off the bat of Cierra Hughes, the No. 9 hitter in the order. Hughes ran up on the pitch to slap-hit, and with a half swing, she punched the ball to the wall.

Destinee Martinez followed with a grounder into the hole, which would have been a tough play for shortstop Alex Lavine to throw her out at first. Lavine ended up bobbling the ball for an error.

Then, Brianna Turang slapped a pitch into left field for an RBI single.

A hit batter loaded the bases for dangerous Keilani Ricketts, but Fowler got a huge out on a 3-2 pitch as Ricketts lofted an easy fly to right field.

* * *

OU’s Keilani Ricketts mastering the UA lineup so far, with five strikeouts through two innings. She strikes out the side in the second, doing a superb job of changing speeds and working all parts of the zone.

* * *

Arizona State has defeated Texas A&M to advance to the College World Series. ASU will play the winner of the Tucson Super Regional in the first round of the Series. We do want to see an Arizona-ASU rematch this season, don’t we?

* * *

I have an eye on ESPNU’s coverage of the game via ESPN3.com … and Oklahoma ace Keilani Ricketts his 71 mph on a few pitches in the first inning, according to the TV radar gun. Ricketts walks Brigette Del Ponte with two outs, but strikes out Stacie Chambers on a 71 mph drop ball on the outside corner.

* * *

Arizona’s Kenzie Fowler needs 10 pitches to put away Haley Nix, but strikes her out looking to end the top of the first. Folwer retires the Oklahoma side in order — which is something she managed to do last weekend in the regional in only two of 19 innings.

* * *

There was a huge crowd outside the stadium as I arrived at Hillenbrand about 45 minutes before first pitch, as Arizona and Oklahoma will battle in the first game of a best-of-three Super Regional on Friday night.

The one lineup unknown for Arizona was at shortstop. In a competition between walk-on freshmen, coach Mike Candrea is sticking with Alex Lavine or Ashlee Brawley. Lavine will be hitting eighth.

Alabama has already punched its ticket to College World Series in Oklahoma City. The Crimson Tide rallied Friday to defeat Stanford twice after dropping the opening game Thursday night.

Keep checking back during the game for updates and analysis.

Mike Stoops, intense as ever, is entering his eighth season at Arizona. Photo by Michael Chow, The Arizona Republic

In collaboration with our Gannett partner, The Arizona Republic, we will be providing a weekly series throughout the summer, previewing the Arizona Wildcats football team.

The Republic sent a photographer to Tucson three times in the spring to capture the pictures needed for its slick presentation of the preview, which you can find here at azcentral.com. You can also read about those other guys all summer in the ASU preview.

At TucsonCitizen.com, we can’t offer the cool look of the preview that you’ll find on azcentral.com, but we’ll give you the text and some of the photography.

Here is the first part: Five storylines for the 2011 season. Look for updates every Friday.

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The Pac-10 is letting fans pick the logo for the first Pac-12 conference championship game, which will be held Dec. 3, matching the North division champion against the South division champ.

Go to this link to vote for one of four logos, which you see below (I’m liking No. 3):

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Arizona's Brittany Lastrapes hasn't been a traditional slap-hitting leadoff hitter. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

It’s an impossible task. Picking the best leadoff hitter in Arizona softball history. Just too many good candidates.

Alison, Caitlin, Lauren, Amy … Brittany?

Take your pick. That’s a combined 12 first-team All-American honors. There really is no completely wrong answer.

But the latest leadoff legend isn’t exactly like the others.

Wildcats senior Brittany Lastrapes has used her swing-away lefty skills to give Arizona power over base-stealing at the top of the order. She has hit 51 career home runs, ninth in school history.

One other thing: Of the other greatest leadoff hitters in school history, she is the only one to not yet have the sparkly prize of a national championship ring.

Lastrapes will continue to work on that this weekend as Arizona takes on Oklahoma at a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional in Tucson beginning Friday night at Hillenbrand Stadium. The winner advances to the College World Series.

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Arizona's Juron Criner earned some second-team All-American honors last season. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

On Wednesday, I told you how the soon-to-be Pac-12 had selected Arizona senior receiver Juron Criner to be part of its summer promotional tour for football, which includes a trip to Bristol, Conn., to make the interview rounds at ESPN>.

That came out of an Tuesday interview with Criner for a feature for Lindy’s Pac-12 magazine and for an Arizona summer preview package that will run all summer at azcentral.com. (Look for that package to debut on Friday … and the Lindy’s magazine later this summer).

Until then, he is more of our conversation with Criner for TucsonCitizen.com:

Q: What will the addition of Texas transfer receiver Dan Buckner mean to you?

CRINER: “Even off the field, he helps me stay focused. He gives me hints and different techniques that he tried. He tells me what I can work on, what I should try. As far as on the field, he provides a whole other threat. If they double me, who’s going to hold him? If they double him, how are they going to double me? As for as the short-long thing, I feel we can both feed off each other. If I go short, he can go long, and one of us is going to be open. If he goes short and I go long, one of us is going to be open.”

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Arizona coach Mike Stoops leaves the L.A. Coliseum a winner after the 2009 game vs. USC. Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

With the NCAA rejecting USC’s appeal of sanctions that were handed out last season, the race to the first Pac-12 South title just got easier.

The Trojans will serve their second year of a postseason ban, which means they cannot play this season in the first Pac-12 championship game, even if they win the new South division.

That leaves five schools vying for that South spot in the championship game — Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and new conference members Utah and Colorado.

The Sun Devils are the trendy pick — and I’m guilty of that, too, having helped make the predictions for Lindy’s College Football Annuals. It wasn’t with the strongest conviction, but I picked ASU to win the South and be ranked No. 25 nationally.

But, basically, the South is wide open — mostly because each team appears to have multiple, perhaps, fatal flaws.

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