UA softball to field a pair of its own Olympians against Team USA
It's as simple as red, white and blue: You can't spell USA softball without UA.
When the Olympic softball team comes to town today for tomorrow's game with No. 1 Arizona, USA and UA head coach Mike Candrea, along with USA's four former Wildcats, won't be the only UA players who have suited up for America.
A pair of freshman friends, center fielder Caitlin Lowe and shortstop Kristie Fox, played together the last two years on the USA Junior Olympic team. Their most recent action was at the Junior Women's Championships in October.
"It's very exciting to play for your country," Fox said.
"It was really fun to play for the United States and to represent everyone out here, and it was just an honor," Lowe said.
Lowe batted .500 as the Americans' leadoff hitter, and Fox started almost every game in the latest Junior World Championships in China. In the 2002 Pan Am Games, the two freshmen played with Wildcat sophomore pitcher Alicia Hollowell.
"It's an honor. When you go to the tryouts and when you get invited, you're one of the few in the United States that are able to represent, and there's a lot of softball players out there," said Hollowell, the current USA Softball National Player of the Week.
In the 2003 tournament, Lowe and Fox were gone for a couple weeks during their first semester at the UA and said they had problems with their classes. They had to change their schedules, and Lowe said some of their teachers didn't really work with them.
"We had to change like every single one of our classes," Fox said, laughing. "(Team USA) gave us plenty of time to do our homework."
Wildcats on USA teams are hardly rare. Not counting Junior teams, the UA has had 48 selections.
"Yeah, there's quite a lot," Fox said.
The UA has also had dozens of All-Americans, including a national-best 43 first-team All-Americans. Former UA players Jennie Finch, Lovie Jung, Leah O'Brien-Amico and Nicole Giordano are on the Olympic team.
Last summer, Hollowell, senior catcher Mackenzie Vandergeest and former Wildcat Toni Mascarenas were on the USA Elite team.
"Coach Candrea and (acting head coach Larry) Ray and (acting associate coach Nancy) Evans too, they're all great coaches. They recruited and make great teams," Lowe said.
Lowe and Fox's USA team lost to defending world champion Japan in extra innings in the title game because of a throwing error. But that's when they became good friends.
"We're pretty much always together," said Lowe of her roommate.
Lowe is batting .486 for the UA this season, has a .567 on-base percentage and has scored 53 runs, one more than her number of hits in 127 plate appearances. Fox, filling in the big shoes of Player of the Year finalist Jung, is hitting .392 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs and a .417 on-base percentage.
"Both of those players ÷ I don't consider them freshmen any more ÷ they've played a high level of summer ball. And obviously in the summertime, they represented the USA in the Junior Olympics, which is about like college all-stars," Ray said. "You look at the kids on that team, and they're all either in college succeeding tremendously or are outstanding players at the high school level."
Ray, who said he knew the two would be good, said they have exceeded his expectations.
"I didn't think Caitlin would do this well, and I certainly didn't think Kristie would do this well," Ray said. "That's just an indication of their competitiveness and their desire to get better every day."
The USA Elite won the Pacific challenge last summer against Australia, beating the Aussies in all five games. The team also won the Canada Cup, beating the USA National Team, which was composed of many Olympic team members. Hollowell went 4-1 with a 0.44 ERA, Vandergeest hit .300 and Mascarenas started all but one game.
Lowe and Fox have been able to continue their world-class play in college. Lowe has 15 multi-hit games, while Fox is third on the team with 12.
They said that playing their first season without their head coach didn't really affect their decision to come to the UA.
"It was a little weird, but I know coach Ray and Nancy are great coaches too," Lowe said.
Candrea will be back next year, though.
"And we knew he'd be back. He'll be back," Fox said.