By
Brett Erickson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Rematch against No. 5 Oklahoma, game against No. 23 Baylor highlight weekend softball
The second-ranked Arizona softball game has waited all summer for this weekend.
In last season's College World Series, the Wildcats had seemingly cleared their biggest obstacle to winning the school's sixth national championship. Arizona knocked off top-ranked Washington, 4-2, in the third round of the CWS, and only had to defeat Oklahoma to advance to the title game.
The Sooners, who were playing in their first CWS, had other ideas, and upset the Wildcats 1-0 behind a shutout performance from Jennifer Stewart and a solo home run from Big 12 Player of the Year Lisa Carey.
Oklahoma went on to capture its first NCAA softball title, defeating UCLA 3-1 in the championship game.
"The game against Arizona, I felt that was our championship game," OU head coach Patty Gasso said. "I'm sure they're licking their chops waiting for us to get into town."
Besides No. 5 Oklahoma (13-2), Arizona (22-0) will also play host to No. 23 Baylor (19-4), Creighton (2-3), Indiana State (3-1) and Western Michigan (0-2) at this weekend's Hillenbrand Invitational Tournament. The Wildcats open the tournament today at 3 p.m. against Baylor.
Until last weekend, Sunday's rematch against the Sooners was shaping up to be a battle of the second- and third-ranked teams in the country. Oklahoma, though, dropped close games to Southern Mississippi and No. 19 South Carolina.
As a result, Oklahoma slipped to fifth in the USA Today/NFCA rankings, a move that Gasso said has forced her team to evaluate just how good it really is.
"Although the record doesn't really indicate it, I think we're off to somewhat of a slow start," she said. "Performance wise, we have a long way to go."
UA head coach Mike Candrea, meanwhile, has shied away from talking about the game against Oklahoma, preferring instead to concentrate on the four games Arizona must go through before meeting the Sooners in what could be the tournament's championship game.
"I told the kids that I think it's going to be the strongest field we've had of the three tournaments (we've played so far)," he said. Of the other four teams Arizona will face this weekend, Baylor could offer the stiffest test, as upsets of No. 21 Southern Mississippi and No. 22 Oregon (twice) have propelled the Bears into the top 25.
Baylor is under the direction of first-year coach Glenn Moore, who came over from Louisiana State after posting a 117-25 record there.
"I think Baylor will be a team to reckon with," Candrea said. "They know what they're doing."
Candrea has yet to decide who will start in the pitching circle against Baylor today. Junior Jennie Finch (7-0, 0.17 ERA) is up next in the Wildcats' three-person rotation, but Candrea might alter his lineup in order to have a certain pitcher face the Sooners.
Senior Becky Lemke (8-0, 0.91) took the loss in last season's CWS loss to Oklahoma, but limited the Sooners to four hits.
After Baylor, Arizona faces Creighton at 5 p.m.
Tomorrow, the Wildcats will take on Indiana State at 3 p.m. and Western Michigan at 5.
