After beating the Golden Bears three times in the regular season and not losing back-to-back games since May 2002, the top-ranked UA softball team lost twice to defending champion California, ending the Wildcats' bid for their seventh national title.

The No. 1 Wildcats (56-7) entered its semifinal matchup at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City needing only one win over seventh-seeded Cal (49-20) to advance to make their third straight championship appearance, but ultimately fell short, falling 2-1 in 12 innings and 4-1 in the elimination game. Cal beat Arizona 6-0 in last season's title game.

Arizona, making its 16th consecutive World Series appearance, went through the NCAA tournament undefeated until its two losses to Cal. The back-to-back WCWS losses mark just third such occurrence in UA history, the last in 1989.

In the first game, Cal loaded the bases in the bottom of the 12th, winning the game on a single. In the second game, UA responded to a Cal run in the first with one of its own, but the Golden Bears put up three unanswered runs.

"I think overall I was very pleased with the progress of this team from September to May," said UA head coach Mike Candrea. "At the World Series, we just didn't quite get the job done there. One thing I felt was lacking was our intensity and kind of felt like Cal was throwing punches at us and we were dodging them and not punching back."

Freshman Alicia Hollowell (40-5) led the way for the UA, pitching all but two innings during NCAA tournament action for the UA, including 196 pitches in the first game against Cal and 133 in the latter. In every World Series game, except the last against Cal, Hollowell notched double-digit strikeouts, including 16 during the 12-inning marathon against the Golden Bears.

"As a freshman coming in you never know how they're going to react, and I thought she really gave us tremendous consistency on the mound," Candrea said. "She gave us a chance to win every ball game she was on the mound. I don't think you can ask for more out of a pitcher."

Hollowell and senior shortstop Lovie Jung were named to the all tournament team while Jung was also named to the US National team's Pan American Games squad along with former Wildcats Leah O'Brien-Amico and Nicole Giodano. Candrea, in line to coach the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, will lead the group for the Pan American games as well. Hollowell and junior catcher Mackenzie Vandergeest, along with former Wildcat Toni Mascarenas, were selected to the USA's "Elite team," set to play in this summer's Canada Cup and in a series against Australia in July.