Arizona softball looked very different as the Arizona Fall Invitational kicked off. The coach who had been in the third-base box for 36 years was sitting in the private suite above the field. The centerfielder who had worn a Wildcat uniform for six years is in Eugene, Ore. these days. The entire infield had different faces.
The nostalgia for Mike Candrea, Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, Dejah Mulipola, Reyna Carranco, Malia Martinez, Jessie Harper, Alyssa Denham, and Mariah Lopez may hover over this season, but Tucson’s love for Arizona softball doesn’t wane regardless of who wears the uniform.