​​The University of Arizona Wildcats had a strong showing in the 2024 softball season, finishing with an overall record of 37-18-1. The Wildcats had a great postseason run, advancing to the NCAA Tournament. However, their season concluded with back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State University in the Super Regional. 

Many  key players added to the Wildcats’ success during the 2024 season. Freshman Regan Shockey led the team with a batting average of .404 and had a strong on-base percentage (.427). Fellow freshman Brooke Mannon emerged as a strong pitching option for the Wildcats as she had 36 total strikeouts after coming back from an injury earlier in the season.

The team boasted a strong overall fielding percentage of .980, with many players contributing, including left fielder Dakota Kennedy, catcher Olivia DiNardo, right fielder Jasmin Perezchica and second baseman Allie Skaggs. Senior first baseman Carlie Scupin maintained a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) for the season along with Kennedy, DiNardo and Perezchica. 

Kennedy received the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Wednesday, May 29.Kennedy was also named a third-team NFCA All-American. She is Arizona softball’s third Gold Glove winner, following Skaggs’ win in 2023.

Arizona’s pitching this season was strong, with Aissa Silva holding a winning record (22-6) and an ERA of 3.25. She struck out an impressive 110 batters in 155 innings pitched. Miranda Stoddard, a transfer student from the University of Kentucky, compiled a 3.94 ERA across her appearances. While her win-loss record wasn’t as dominant (6-9), she struck out 50 batters in 129.2 innings.

The Wildcats’ softball team not only had a strong showing on the field during this year’s season, but they also excelled in the classroom. Tayler Biehl, Kennedy, Scupin and Skaggs were named College Sport Communicators’ Academic All-District honorees, tying the program record for the most honorees in a single year. Biehl recorded a .974 fielding percentage and led the team in assists while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. Kennedy led the Pac-12 with a .521 on-base percentage and boasted a .400 batting average, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Scupin, the team leader in RBIs with 58, earned her second Academic All-District honor while retaining a 3.643 GPA. A two-time Academic All-District honoree, Skaggs hit 14 home runs and drove in 48 runs while boasting a 3.917 GPA.

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