Claire C. Laurence/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona softball assistant coach Nancy Evans has taken a lead role in trying to direct this year's Wildcats back to Omaha,Neb., for the Women's College World Series. Evans, who played on the 1996 National Championship team, returns to the mound Saturday in the Arizona softball alumni game.

Alumni game to match title squad vs. other alumnae

Ten years ago, the headlines in the Arizona Daily Wildcat spoke of possible tuition increases, Spring Fling and underage drinking in the police beat.

The sports section followed the then-No. 2 Arizona softball team as it headed toward another Women's College World Series. The papers stopped printing at the conclusion of the semester, so for those of you who do not know, the 1996 team did win the national championship.

A decade later, that group of women will compete together again as the 1996 National Championship alumni softball team takes on the "other alumni" team at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hillenbrand Stadium.

The festivities kick off that afternoon at 12:30 with a home run derby followed by the honoring of the 1996 squad at 12:50.

Also included in the weekend's festivities will be tomorrow's annual Softball Lead-off Luncheon from noon to 1:30 at the Marriott University Park Hotel. Tickets cost $30 for the event, in which each player is to be introduced and student-athletes are to be interviewed.

Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said he gets excited for alumni weekend.

"One thing this program has been built on is tradition, and the alumni game is one of those events that helped bridge that tradition year after year after year," he said.

Going into his 20th season as the main man in the dugout, Candrea said he still has fond memories of the 1996 team, which at the time brought Arizona its fourth national championship in six years.

"It was a special group that did a nice job on and off the field," he said.

Playing without three All-Americans who were redshirting from the previous season, the team still finished with a 58-9 record, including a 23-5 mark in Pacific 10 Conference play. That was good enough for second in the conference behind then-No. 1 Washington.

"I think their attitude was a big part," Candrea said. "It was a team that truly believed they had all the intangibles that it takes to be a champion."

The team won its last 17 games en route to the greatest prize in college softball.

"That's what happens in sports like this. ... You start to get on a roll and your confidence levels gets high," Candrea said. "Every time you walk on the field, you feel like you know you are going to win."

The coach said he remembers that the women were always focused no matter what the situation was.

"That team always found a way to win, whether we were down by a run or up by three runs, you could never tell," he said. "They would play the game hard all the time."

Jenny Dalton won National Player of the Year honors by batting .469 with 25 home runs and 109 RBIs.

"Jenny was a young lady that had great balance on her life," Candrea said. "(She was) very disciplined, very motivated and a really hard worker and good teammate who led by example."

Ultimately, he said, it was the entire team that came together down the stretch.

"They worked extremely hard," Candrea said. "No matter if you were the No. 1 player on the team or the No. 15 player on the team, you think you can contribute."

Arizona assistant coach Nancy Evans redshirted in 1996 because of torn ligaments in her foot. The former All-American, who plans on playing this weekend, could only play in six games that year.

"It was tough not being able to participate," she said.

Evans said she basically did everything the team did, except play in the ball games. Now she said she looks back at the situation and realizes that it made her a better player and helped her decide to go into coaching after her collegiate career was up.

"I was able to talk to Coach and pick his brain during the games," she said.

Other former All-Americans who are scheduled to play this weekend include Lauren Bauer (1998-2001), Julie Jones ('89-'91), Alison Johnsen-McCutcheon ('95-'98), Becky Lemke-Blatnick ('98-'01), Leneah Manuma ('01-'02), Toni Mascarenas ('98-'01) and Mackenzie Vandergeest ('01-'04).

Candrea said he is excited to see all of his former players and their families.

"As a coach it's usually the time when you get the 'thank you' and the great feelings from the kids saying, 'Thanks for what you taught me,'" he said. "And a lot of times it's not stuff that pertains to softball but stuff off the field. It's lifelong lessons."