Wildcats return 8 seniors, 6 All Americans from last season's team

By most teams' standards, last season was a banner year for the Arizona softball program.

The Wildcats finished a half-game behind top-ranked Washington for the Pacific 10 Conference title, compiled an overall record of 59-9, won the Region 2 tournament to advance to the College World Series for the 13th straight time and finished third in the country.

Of Arizona's nine losses, only one - a 2-1 setback to unranked New Mexico State on March 28 - came to a team ranked lower than ninth in the nation. Perhaps the only blips on the Wildcats' 2000 radar screen were four regular season losses to No. 1 Washington, but Arizona cleared that hurdle in the CWS by eliminating the Huskies.