UA softball hopes Hillenbrand Stadium provides home-field advantage
Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium is a sight to see.
It might not feel as big, important, modern or high-tech as Arizona Stadium's Lowell-Stevens facility, or the newly renovated and historic McKale Center, but Hillenbrand Stadium is still, in its sport, something of a landmark.
The outfield walls are plastered with memories of the UA's massive success, most of it with Mike Candrea at the helm of the program. Those eight national championships, especially.
Past the outfield walls, there's the Lapan Family Center, built on more than $1 million worth of donations and opened before this season. Inside, the Wildcats have a trophy room there to rival, really, any team in college softball.
Hillenbrand itself houses an Arizona team now in its 29th consecutive NCAA tournament, and hosting regionals this weekend for the 22nd time. There's the fans that consistently fill the seats, as loud and jam-packed as any fan base in the sport from start to finish. This season, the Wildcats have averaged attendance of 2,260 per game at a stadium that holds 2,956.
Opponents know what the deal is, too.
In the desert sun of the Old Pueblo, Hillenbrand Stadium is an oasis of softball.
"Playing at Hillenbrand," said Hallie Wilson, a UA senior infielder, "is everything."
Arizona will face St. John's tonight at 7. The game will follow the regional opener between Minnesota and New Mexico.
Candrea has been the coach at Arizona for 30 years, and was there when Hillenbrand — named for Rita Hillenbrand, the sister of prominent Wildcat donor William G. Hillenbrand —was built for the 1993 season, and has been the driving force behind its Tucson rise in popularity.
"I've been here for 30 years, so it's been a special place for a long time," Candrea said. "Being a part of building Hillenbrand Stadium and seeing the growth of our sport by being able to put butts in the seats every weekend, I think is a pretty special moment for me. It's been something I cherish every time I walk out here."
It's an eye-opening experience for the new Wildcat player walking down Second Street — and through the gates — for the first time. It's become a moment for anyone who walks into Hillenbrand, period.
Even opponents — and former opponents, like Minnesota coach Jessica Allister — get chills.
"It's just fun," said Allister, who played at Stanford. "I know there's a great fan-base. Very knowledgeable about the game, there's a lot of excitement around it and it's a great venue to play softball."
New Mexico State coach Kathy Rodolph has coached the Aggies at Hillenbrand on 10 separate occasions.
"There's no atmosphere," Rodolph said, "like Hillenbrand stadium."
That goes for St. John's coach Amy Kvilhaug, too. The Red Storm know just how big of a stage this is, especially coming from a program that has never participated in a regional before this season. St. John's, which doesn't have a football program to help fund its athletic department, will often "take ground-balls in the hallway," said Kvilhaug, who first coached the Red Storm at Hillenbrand in 2010. "It's tough for us out in the northeast. We're like doing baserunning in the hallway. Then we have to come out and we're facing a team like this.
"But we're happy to be here, and we appreciate the history."
It all goes back to what Candrea has built in his three decades at UA, coaching up superstars like Jennie Finch and Caitlin Lowe, bringing the buzz for Arizona softball from a local level of admiration to national level of respect.
"I don't think anyone in our generation of softball hasn't thought they wanted to play here," said Wilson, recently named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, "Just growing up with the Caitlin Lowes and everybody here at this particular school, it has made it such a softball landmark."
This weekend, Hillenbrand will play host to another regional. The Wildcats' goal is clear: Advance to next week's super regionals and advance to their first Women's College World Series since 2010. Wilson started her Arizona career a year later; starting pitcher Michelle Floyd was a sophomore at San Marino High School in California.
This is no San Marino High School softball game, though.
"There's nothing like Hillenbrand," Floyd said, "and it's just so great knowing that we have the whole city behind us."
Tucson NCAA Regional
When: Today-Sunday.
Where: Hillenbrand Stadium, Tucson.
Today: Minnesota vs. New Mexico State, 4:30 p.m.; Arizona vs. St. John's, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Friday winners, 12:30 p.m.; Friday losers, 3 p.m.; game 3 loser vs. game 4 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: Game 3 winner vs. game 5 winner, 4:30 p.m.; if necessary game to follow