Mike Candrea appreciates how Andy Lopez revamped the culture of the baseball program. Photo by Anthony Gimino, TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea, an ardent baseball fan who knows a few things about winning national championships, appreciated how the Wildcats went about winning the Men’s College World Series.

“Business-like,” Candrea said earlier this week at the on-campus celebration of the UA baseball team’s national title.

“You could kind of see it when they were in regionals, and then in Super Regionals; things were kind of rolling. It was just fun to watch because I never saw any panic. Just very business-like, under control, having fun. All the things that you want to see were there.

“They made it look easy.”

The championship marked the first for Arizona baseball since 1986, which was Candrea’s first season leading the softball team. He has gone on to win eight national championships, as the softball program eclipsed baseball in terms of fan support.

Although Candrea and baseball coach Andy Lopez share similar philosophies and religious faith — with off-the-chart people skills — their concurrent seasons mean that their interactions over the years has been “very little,” Candrea said.

“I wish we had more,” Candrea said.

“I told him, I want to sit down with you for a little bit and just talk. Because, obviously, he changed the culture of this team in a very, very big way the past couple of years, and it was very obvious that they were not only great athletes but great people. You can see it.”

One of Lopez’s low moments at Arizona was in 2009, when he had, as he calls it, a team of “knuckleheads.” That Arizona team was one of only two that has missed the postseason in the past 10 years.

The freshman class Lopez brought in after that turned into the juniors who formed the core of the title team.

It’s no secret that Candrea has been struggling with the culture of his program in the past couple of years, trying to re-find the right combination of players and passion that was common for most of the previous two decades.

“The only thing I’m sad about is I wish every one of our players was sitting here, watching this,” Candrea said of Tuesday’s celebration at McKale Center, when almost 5,100 fans turned out to cheer on the baseball team.

Candrea said that the majority of his team was out of town; he saw only outfielder Chelsea Suitos in the crowd.

NOTE
Candrea said he will make an announcement Friday about his coaching staff. Longtime assistant Larry Ray, who was on a leave at the end of last season, resigned last week. Candrea replaced him on the coaching staff late in the season with former Wildcats ace Alicia Hollowell, who had been serving as director of operations. Considering that UA did not post a job opening for an assistant softball coach, it is expected that Hollowell will be announced as a full-time member of the coaching staff.

Mike Candrea watches the NCAA tournament selection show from his home Sunday night. Photo by Anthony Gimino, TucsonCitizen.com

The Arizona softball team, after an uneven season and facing a difficult path to the Women’s College World Series, will enter the NCAA tournament with plenty of questions.

Coach Mike Candrea wants his players to consider only one.

“Why not us?”

Arizona is seeded 13th in the postseason and will be host a four-team, double-elimination regional at Hillenbrand Stadium beginning Friday.

WAC regular season champion Hawaii is expected to provide the toughest competition for Arizona. Notre Dame will take on Hawaii at 2:30 p.m. Friday, followed by Arizona vs. North Dakota State at 5 p.m. ESPNU will telecast all the regional games from Tucson.

If Arizona advances to the Super Regional, it likely will have to travel at play at fourth-seeded Oklahoma, the team that eliminated the Wildcats in this round of last year’s tournament. The Sooners still have pitching star Keilani Ricketts.

But back to that question: Why not us?

Said senior outfield Karissa Buchanan: “It’s a great question.”

Candrea, always searching for a postseason theme, came across that one last week after assistant coach Stacy Iveson showed the team ESPN’s “30 for 30″ special on the 2004 Boston Red Sox, which rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees.

Pitcher Curt Schilling helped lead the “Why not us?” rallying cry for those Red Sox, which went on to win the World Series under manager Terry Francona, a former Arizona Wildcat star outfielder.

After the team watched the video last Wednesday, Candrea arranged for Francona to walk through the clubhouse door.

“It was awesome,” Buchanan said.

“Watching him on the video and then seeing him walk through the door, it was like, ‘Wow.’ We were all surprised. It was really cool.”

Francona, who has relocated to Tucson following his dismissal from the Red Sox after last season, talked to the softball team for about 30 minutes.

“It was basically about respect the game you’re playing, whether it’s baseball or softball,” said Francona, who had two daughters play softball at North Carolina.

“You’re there for your teammates and you all have to be going in the same direction. You’re not pointing fingers. … I let them ask questions, and it was fun for me, too.”

Arizona finished the regular season at 35-17 overall and 12-12 in the Pac-12, tied for fourth. The team batting average of .298 is only seventh among the nine teams in the league. The team ERA of 2.95 is only fifth.

There is seemingly less reason to believe in these Wildcats entering the postseason than any UA squad since before Arizona won its first of eight national titles in 1991.

“One of the challenges we’ve had all year is getting our players, in my eyes, to really believe they can get it done,” Candrea said.

“I think they faked it pretty good at times, but I want kids who are going to go out there and compete, lay it all on the table. I think the big thing about this game is you have to care a lot about it.

“Right now, today, this team cares a little bit more about this game than they did two weeks ago. And, so, I’m optimistic that you’re going to see their best effort put forward.”

So, Candrea will continue to ask: Why not us?

“Do we have some dents in our armor? Do we go into postseason where I’m feeling really good about everything? Probably not? But it is what it is right now, and we’ll do our part to bring that all together and maybe get some kids to overachieve and get back to that competitive mode.”

NCAA REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Game 1 — Friday, 2:30 p.m.: Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
Game 2 — Friday, 5 p.m., Arizona vs. North Dakota State
Game 3 — Saturday, 3 p.m.: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 4 — Saturday, 5:30 p.m.: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
Game 5 — Saturday, 8 p.m.: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner
Game 6 — Sunday, 2:30 p.m.: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Game 7 — Sunday, 5 p.m.: Repeat Game 6, if necessary

He said assistant coach Stacy Iveson wanted to show the team “Four Days in October” — ESPN’s 30 for 30 special about the 2004 Red Sox, which won four consecutive games in the American League Championship Series after being down 0-3 to the Yankees.

(This is something Iveson also used as motivation when she was head coach at Yavapai Community College last season.)

Candrea took the idea a step further and said, “Why don’t we bring in Terry Francona to talk to the team?”

And so he did.

Francona, the former UA baseball great who led Boston to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 before being ousted after last season, talked to the softball Wildcats on Thursday, Candrea said. Francona, who also spoke to the Arizona baseball team before the season, is serving as an analyst this season for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

After Francona’s talk, Arizona went out and defeated Oregon State 12-4 in six innings Friday night at Hillenbrand Stadium behind a season-high 15 hits.

“We’ve been talking all week about trying to get on a roll,” Candrea said.

“Maybe they’re starting to understand that time is ticking. There is nothing to save right now. It’s time to come out and lay it all on the line.”

Arizona fell behind 3-0 but its first seven batters in the bottom of the fourth reached base safely, including a three-run homer by second baseman Kristen Arriola and a grand slam from third baseman Brigette Del Ponte. Catcher Lini Koria added a solo shot later in the inning.

“It feels great,” Arriola said of the run-rule victory. “It gives us momentum until the next day. I know the job isn’t done.”

Arizona (34-16 overall, 11-11 Pac-12) is playing its final series of the regular season. Oregon State is 33-20, 8-13. The teams play Friday night at 7 and Saturday at noon.

Shelby Babcock (18-9) picked up the victory, allowing six hits, striking out five and walking one. Four of those hits came in the second inning when she allowed three runs on a combination of infield bouncers and seeing-eye grounders.

“Sometimes that happens,” Candrea said.

“I was impressed with her. Stacy was yelling at her all night, ‘Give us one more pitch, give us one more pitch.’ I think that’s probably a good approach for her.”

Arizona is trying to finish with a flourish and be announced Sunday as one of 16 hosts for the NCAA regionals.

“These are important,” Candrea said of the next two games.

“We need to win this series to give ourselves any opportunity. They know it. We know it. They came out and played the game loose and with a purpose. It was fun to watch.”

Related: Hollowell takes on coaching role for Arizona; Ray out with ‘personal issues’

Mike Candrea is closing in on 1,300 victories at Arizona. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea was back on the job Thursday, his sense of humor intact.

“I’m on the right side of the grass,” he said with a grin. “So things are good.”

Having been told there’s nothing wrong with his heart after being hospitalized for two nights because of chest pain, Candrea was able to smile while taking seriously the stress-related symptoms and lifestyle choices that apparently led to the scare.

“Definitely, a little wake-up call,” he said.

“Sometimes when you’re grinding and you’re lacking a little sleep and not eating well and not drinking enough water … all that stuff kind of combines.

“I always talk about not taking any day for granted and living each day like it’s your last, and when you’re sitting there and you have a lot of people worried, including yourself, you wonder, ‘Have I overdone it.’ It makes you think a little bit.”

Candrea, 56, said he woke up Sunday morning with a “thick” feeling in his chest. The Wildcats were finishing up a three-game set at Arizona State with a noon game, and he said he was still “foggy” when he arrived at the stadium.

He wasn’t feeling better by the bottom of the second inning, when he alerted the trainer, who called for paramedics. Candrea was taken by ambulance to a hospital and transported later that night to Tucson’s University Medical Center.

“The one thing I wanted was to get the hell out of Tempe,” he said. “I said, ‘We’ll find a way to get to UMC. I got taken care of very well there.”

A battery of tests came back with good news, although he was told that he does have certain risk factors: His father had heart problems later in life, he is carrying a few extra pounds and his cholesterol level was elevated.

He said he’s on medication for his cholesterol and is aware of changes he needs to make.

“I just need to be careful,” he said.

“I’m Italian, so I like to eat a lot of carbs. I eat late at night, and sometimes I don’t eat. I haven’t been drinking a lot of water, so I think I got a little dehydrated. I look back and I kind of haven’t taken a day off since January.

“I just have to find some time to let it go. It’s hard. I’ve been through many of these seasons. I kind of embrace the process and get wound up with it, and you really don’t think about it while you’re doing it.”

Candrea is in his 27th season at Arizona — his 25th coaching the team, having missed the 2004 and 2008 season to coach Team USA in the Olympics. He is 1,293-285-2 with the Wildcats, leading the program to eight national titles.

He will be back in the dugout and coaching third base as the Wildcats take on Stanford for a three-game series at Hillenbrand Stadium, beginning Friday at 7 p.m.

“It’s very relieving,” junior third baseman Brigette Del Ponte said of Candrea’s return. “We all got scared when he heard it was something with his heart or chest. That’s a big deal.”

Candrea said one of the reasons he was unaware he was creating some health issues was that he has never looked at coaching as “going to work.”

“I have been blesses to be allowed to do this,” he said. “I just need to fine some time to slow down a little bit. And I will.”

Brigette Del Ponte

Arizona Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea, who had been hospitalized for two days after complaining about chest pain, sent a text to his players and staff on Tuesday morning.

Most importantly, it said he was OK, resting comfortably, able to go home.

And then Candrea, apropos of someone who just had a health scare, left a message for his team to take into its home game against San Diego State:

“Play for the moment.”

The Wildcats — buoyed by Candrea’s positive health news and playing to win one for their absent coach — defeated San Diego State 8-0 in a five-inning mercy-rule game in front of 2,360 at Hillenbrand Stadium on Tuesday night.

“I told the girls today, ‘Let’s play one for him,’” said assistant coach Larry Ray, who served as acting head coach.

“I don’t know if that worked or not, but they were relaxed and did the things they were capable of doing.”

Said sophomore pitcher Shelby Babcock: “It was really good motivation. We just did it for Coach.”

Arizona will play San Diego State again on Wednesday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m. Candrea’s return was uncertain as of Tuesday night, with Ray pointing toward Thursday’s practice.

“If he feels great and wants to take over (Wednesday), he’s welcome,” Ray said.

Babcock helped make it a stress-free night for the Wildcats, striking out one and walking none in five scoreless innings. Arizona scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning, powered by a three-run homer by Brigette Del Ponte.

Lini Koria added a solo shot to center field in the fourth, with Del Ponte pushing the lead to 8-0 later in the inning with a opposite field shot to right.

Del Ponte said it was a day of double relief: To hear directly from Candrea for the first time since he had suffered from what was called stress-related symptoms and to “score all those runs and keep the lead.”

Arizona (20-8) was coming off being swept in three games at Arizona State despite leading in every game, so the victory over San Diego State (18-18) also helped the Cats get over that emotional hangover.

“We were all so bummed,” said Del Ponte said, who is from the Phoenix area. “Those are my good friends over there and they keep sending my text messages, so it was tough. It was a tough weekend and a tough experience.”

Tuesday was a much better day.

NOTES
Starting left fielder Karissa Buchanan has missed the past three games after suffering a concussion at Arizona State on Friday night. She is not expected to play Wednesday against SDSU. Nicole Bryan started in her place… Del Ponte has seven home runs on the season; freshman shortstop Shelby Pendley leads with nine. … Del Ponte, a junior, has 45 career home runs, which ranks 13th on the UA list. Koria, a senior, is 12th with 46.

Mike Candrea's team has five home games this week. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea passed a cardiac stress test Monday afternoon at University Medical Center a day after being hospitalized with chest pain and stress-related symptoms, assistant coach Larry Ray said.

He was set to undergo another test Monday night and could be released Tuesday morning, if all goes well, according to a UA official.

Ray said the team is preparing to be without Candrea for a two-game series against San Diego State that begins Tuesday at Hillenbrand Stadium at 7 p.m. The teams also play Wednesday at 3 p.m.

The Wildcats begin a three-game home set against Stanford on Friday.

“We’re hoping he’s back for the Stanford series,” Ray said. “If not, it’s still game on.”

Candrea, 56, left Sunday’s game at Arizona State and was taken via ambulance to a hospital after complaining of dizziness and chest pain. He was transported to UMC on Sunday night.

Ray said he hadn’t spoken with Candrea directly but has been in frequent contact with Candrea’s wife, Tina.

“I can’t begin to tell you how many messages I’ve gotten from all sources — alumni and just people all over the country,” Ray said. “I just say, ‘Hey, he’s OK and I’m thinking positive he will be back soon.’”

Ray addressed the team Monday to give the players the latest update.

“They took it pretty good,” Ray said.

“I said, ‘You guys have to see daily how much he’s into this profession and this sport. Just think about that for a minute. Just think about how much loves you guys and this sport.’

“It just caught up to him a little bit. … I would say he’s far from being burned out. He’s still got the fire. But there’s pressure. He’s got such a high standard. For him to live up to it every day has to be a little tough.”

As he did Sunday, Ray will take over head coaching duties in Candrea’s absence, including coaching from third base when the Wildcats are at bat. Ray has spent two seasons as Arizona’s head coach, in 2004 and 2008, when Candrea was coaching the U.S. Olympic team.

Mike Candrea has been the Arizona softball head coach since 1986, winning eight national titles. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

Arizona Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea was being transported to Tucson’s University Medical Center on Sunday night for further observation after being hospitalized with chest pain in the Phoenix area, assistant coach Larry Ray said.

Candrea was expected to remain at UMC at least overnight.

Candrea left Arizona’s game against Arizona State in Tempe and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital Sunday afternoon.

“He was experiencing some dizziness and some chest pain,” Ray said in a phone interview at about 7:30 p.m.

“They think it was stress-related symptoms. Right now, that’s about all I know.”

Ray, who had been getting updates from Candrea’s wife, Tina, said the hospital staff performed an EKG exam on Candrea, which showed no problems.

There were two outs in the bottom of the second inning when Candrea went to Ray and said, “You need to coach third base next inning.”

Ray took Candrea’s usual spot, with assistant Stacy Iveson coaching from first base. Candrea slipped into the clubhouse and departed via ambulance to the hospital, Ray said.

Ray said he assumed Candrea was sick and would be back in a couple of innings, but he talked with the trainer after the fourth inning, and she told him that Candrea was gone.

“I didn’t even have an opportunity to explain to the team what happened during the game,” Ray said.

The Wildcats squandered a 6-0 lead, losing 7-6, as Arizona State completed a three-game sweep. ASU won 4-2 in eight innings on a walk-off homer Friday night and overcame a 3-0 deficit to win 9-6 on Saturday night.

“Knowing how much he gets into his profession, he probably didn’t eat much and was up late looking at footage,” Ray said of Candrea. “It may have just caught up to him.”

He added he hadn’t noticed any change in Candrea’s health recently, saying, “Things have been just like they have been in the past.”

Ray said he and the team wanted to see Candrea after the game, but Tina told him that “everything looked to be OK” and there wasn’t much they could do.

Arizona (19-8) has a busy week, with home games against San Diego State on Tuesday (7 p.m.) and Wednesday (3 p.m.). The Wildcats then play host to a three-game set against Stanford, Friday through Sunday.

Candrea’s availability for this week’s games was not known Sunday night.

Candrea has been Arizona’s head coach since the 1986 season, winning eight national titles. He also led Team USA to the 2004 Olympic gold medal and to silver in 2008.

Andy Lopez's team was 39-21 last season.

Suggesting a big spring on the diamond for Arizona, the Wildcats baseball team is ranked No. 5 in the preseason, while the softball team is ranked eighth in the country in polls released Tuesday.

Baseball America tabbed Arizona fifth, behind No. 1 Florida, Stanford, South Carolina and Arkansas. Coach Andy Lopez is hoping to ride a strong pitching staff, led by junior Kurt Heyer (8-5, 2.41 ERA), to a home postseason berth at the team’s new digs, Hi Corbett Field.

Mike Candrea’s softball team is trying to get back to the Women’s College World Series after losing in the Super Regionals last year.

Based on the No. 8 ranking from the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll, the Wildcats will be good enough to get back to Oklahoma City.

Much will depend on junior pitcher Kenzie Fowler, who was 26-8 with a 1.76 ERA last season after leading Arizona to the championship round of the World Series in 2010.

Defending champ Arizona State starts at No. 1 in the poll.

As usual, the Pac-12 is well represented. Cal is third, Stanford 10th, Oregon 11th, UCLA 13th and Washington 14th.

Mike Candrea is more comfortable with a small roster. 2009 Tucson Citizen photo

As promised, Arizona Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea made significant cuts to the roster after fall practice, paring his team to 15 players.

Among the cuts were four players who were on the roster last season — senior first baseman Alicia Banks, sophomore infielder Ashlee Brawley, junior outfielder Becca Tikey and catcher Shannon Tinlsey.

Among those, Brawley, a walk-on from Cienega High School, saw the most playing time. She appeared in 23 games, starting 15 at shortstop, where starter Chelsea Suitos missed almost the entire season because of injury. Brawley batted .270.

“This is something that we built up to. Everybody knew,” Candrea said of his plan to shorten his roster. “We talked about it at the end of last season. We had it on our calendars — the day it was going to happen.

“I’m very sensitive to it, obviously. You don’t like to do that. … There were some hard decisions, but there was a lot that went into it. It wasn’t something that was just done like that,” Candrea added, snapping his fingers.

Arizona had 20 players on the roster last season. While some coaches prefer to keep large rosters of 20 or more, Candrea’s track record at Arizona through eight national championship seasons has been to have a smaller roster.

“When you have a large number, it’s very inefficient in practice,” he said.

“I just felt that the kids who were competing and playing weren’t getting what they needed to develop to where we need them to be. I thought it was time to get back to 15-16 players.”

Others who were cut were invited walk-on pitcher Kiley Shae Aldridge and a trio of players who joined the team as walk-ons in the fall — outfielder Brittany Keiser from Yavapai Community College, outfielder Morghan Doughty (a Cienega grad who played last season at Colorado State) and infielder Taylor Newman from Phoenix.

“We went through a very thorough evaluation process,” Candrea said. “I took input not just from the coaching staff, but the players also.”

Candrea said he met individually with each player and showed them the results of the evaluations from the coaching staff and their peers. Each player’s graph plotted several factors, including performance and effort.

“I think this was a really good thing for them to be able to take a look at that,” Candrea said.

He said he is helping the cut players find new teams.

Aldridge, a left-hander, was potential insurance on a pitching staff that once again will have only two full-time players — junior Kenzie Fowler and sophomore Shelby Babcock. When Fowler was out with a concussion late last season, it was a free-for-all as position players tried to help out in the circle.

The team’s third pitcher this season will be Tennessee transfer Jessica Spigner, who is expected to mostly handle third base and be a middle-of-the-order slugger. She pitched 20 innings in three seasons with the Vols.

“Spigner was a pretty good pitcher in high school,” Candrea said. “We’re preparing her to be the No. 3 if need be. She brings a little more to the table than what we had.”

Here is Arizona’s roster heading into the 2012 season:

Mike Candrea says he will have more live competition in the fall as he sorts out his roster. Photo by Mark Evans, TucsonCitizen.com

The Arizona Wildcats softball team begins its fall schedule Sunday afternoon amid fierce competition for roster spots.

Coach Mike Candrea told the team after last season — in which the Wildcats failed to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the first time under Candrea since the 1987 season — that he would carry a smaller roster this season.

He had 20 players last season, generally preferring a smaller core of players, which makes it easier to define roles, manage practice reps and find a collective team personality.

He won’t put a final number on it, but he will make cuts after fall practice ends. Arizona has 24 players — including three walk-ons — for its game Sunday against Pima Community College at Hillenbrand Stadium at 2 p.m.

“By the end of October, it’s going to come down to getting together with the staff and seeing who we feel can really be an integral part of this — whether it’s being a starter or a role player,” Candrea said.

“If you have a role that can help us, then obviously you’re valuable.”

Candrea said he was pleased with the sense of urgency in early practices and was encouraged by the fact only one player transferred after last season, knowing that roster spots weren’t guaranteed.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” he said.

“That was their option to either step up and make it happen, or find another path. They have all chosen their path. Now, it’s a matter of taking advantage of the opportunity.”

With freshman shortstop Shelby Pendley out with an ACL injury, suffered this summer while playing with the U.S. Junior Women’s National Team, Candrea is shuffling the infield and trying third baseman Brigette Del Ponte at shortstop.

Pendley, a power-hitting lefty, was the projected starter.

Here’s a rough look at the competition:

Pitcher
Kenzie Fowler, junior
Shelby Babcock, sophomore
Kiley Shae Aldridge, freshman

Catcher
Chelsea Goodacre, freshman
Lini Koria, senior
Shannon Tinsley, junior

First base
Baillie Kirker, junior
Lini Koria, senior
Alicia Banks, senior
Kenzie Fowler, junior
Jessica Spigner, a senior transfer from Tennessee

Second base
Kristen Arriola, senior
Chelsea Suitos, redshirt freshman
Alex Lavine, sophomore

Shortstop
Brigette Del Ponte, junior
Ashlee Brawley, sophomore
Alex Lavine, sophomore
Shelby Pendley, freshman (injured)

Third base
Jessica Spigner, senior
Sam Davis, freshman
Brigette Del Ponte, junior

Outfield
Karissa Buchanan, senior
Hallie Wilson, freshman
Becca Tikey, junior
Nicole Bryan, senior
Alex Lavine, sophomore
Jordy Clifton, sophomore

Arizona’s three new walk-ons are:

–Slap-hitting outfielder Brittany Keiser, from Yavapai Community College, which won the national title last season under coach Stacy Iveson (now back at Arizona as an assistant coach).

–Outfielder Morghan Doughty, a graduate from Cienega High School who played at Colorado State last season as a freshman. She will not be eligible this season, Candrea said, because Colorado State did not release her from her scholarship.

–Infielder Taylor Newman, who played at Desert Vista High in Phoenix.

Here is Arizona’s full fall schedule, from ArizonaWildcats.com.