Been there, done that.

The top-seeded Arizona softball team will officially begin the defense of their 2006 NCAA title – their seventh – as they kick off play in the Women’s College World Series against No. 8 seed Baylor at 8 p.m. Thursday in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Wildcats are making their 19th appearance in the WCWS in 20 years, while holding a 51-23 record in the tournament.

“”We are finding that it is getting tougher and tougher every year to get (to Oklahoma City), so we are very excited to be here once again,”” Arizona head coach Mike Candrea said in a press conference in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. “”It has been an interesting year for us; a lot of drama, a lot of things going on.ÿ But truthfully, I am very proud of this team.””

The WCWS is a double-elimination tournament and will be played at the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame Stadium. All games will be aired on either ESPNHD or ESPN2HD.

Arizona (44-12-1) saw Baylor (50-14) for a three game set in Waco, Texas March 9-11, dropping two of three to the Bears.

But the Wildcats have come into the WCWS strong, as they have not suffered a postseason loss thus far, going 5-0 and outscoring their opponents 37-7. The Wildcats have seen six of the eight teams competing in this year’s WCWS, holding an 8-6 record against them.

“”We showed a lot of resilience in the postseason to this point,”” Candrea said. “”Obviously we are looking forward to having a great week. This is the time of the year where it takes a lot of special moments to make it happen.””

Extra Bases

Arizona senior center fielder Caitlin Lowe (first team) and junior starting pitcher Taryne Mowatt (second team) have both been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American team. Lowe has now been named to the first-team All-American list all four years she has played. Although it is Mowatt’s first All-American honor, it marks the 17th consecutive year an Arizona pitcher has been named to the All-American team.