{"id":7594,"date":"2022-07-11T15:30:18","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T14:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allaboutfastpitch.com\/?p=7594"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:12:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T11:12:55","slug":"best-arizona-wildcats-softball-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allaboutfastpitch.com\/best-arizona-wildcats-softball-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Arizona Wildcats Softball Players"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we speak about Arizona Wildcats, we speak about one of the most successful softball teams in history. When you have won 8 National Championships, you know you have some amazing players that have shaped the history of the sport.<\/p>\n

Arizona has had an abundance of talent and success over the years, so it\u2019s very hard to make a list of the greatest players that have played for the Wildcats. We\u2019re going to try and tackle that with this list, as we present you with the best Arizona softball players.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Jenny Dalton-Hill – Second base<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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Jenny Dalton-Hill has won 4 National Championships with the Wildcats; three as a player and one as an assistant coach. Her best season was in 1996 and her stats from that year are still impressive. She had 25 home runs and batted .469 on average, had a .600 on-base percentage, and ultimately won the WCWS MVP that year.<\/p>\n

When asked about her favorite championship on ESPN Front Row<\/a>, Dalton-Hill replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say the most memorable championship was the 1996 championship because it wasn\u2019t played in Oklahoma City. We were really mad about it because we were the precursor to the Olympic Games in 1996, so we played in Columbus, Ga., at that stadium. Nobody expected us to win. We were the underdogs. We had lost to Washington in the regular season, and we knew we would have to come back and play them in the championship game. To be able to win that one after a season that was full of some tough moments. That one was pretty memorable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Jennie Finch – Pitcher<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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Jennie Finch<\/a> is arguably the most popular softball player of all time, and definitely one of the greatest<\/a>. While she played for the Arizona Wildcats from 1999 to 2002, Finch won the 2001 WCWS with the Wildcats, and also won the Honda Award for National Softball Player of the Year in both 2001 and 2002, her final year with the Wildcats.<\/p>\n

That season was her best, as she went 32-0 that year, winning her the WCWS MVP and getting that season named the Best Individual Season<\/a> by the fans of the Wildcats.<\/p>\n

After her graduation, Finch led team USA to a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Donruss Elite Extra Jennie Finch Arizona Logo Signature<\/strong><\/p>\n

Owning a sports card signed by one of the most popular softball players of all time is a special feeling for any Arizona fan.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Nancy Evans – Pitcher<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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Nancy Evans was a pitcher for the Arizona Wildcats from 1994 to 1998 and holds the NCAA<\/a> career pitching record (124-8).<\/p>\n

She won three National Championships with Arizona, and in the 1998 season, Evans managed to win the Honda Award for National Softball Player of the Year. Her number is now retired by Wildcats.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Alison Johnsen McCutcheon \u2014 Outfield<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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No list of the best Arizona Wildcats softball players is complete without mentioning Alison Johnsen McCutcheon. She holds multiple Arizona records, some of which include career batting average, career hits, career triples, career stolen bases, and more.<\/p>\n

During her time at Arizona from 1995 to 1998, McCutcheon was a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, 1997 Honda Award finalist, three-time first-team All-American, and NCAA stolen bases leader in 1998.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Laura Espinoza – Shortstop<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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One of the greatest power hitters in Wildcats\u2019 history, Espinoza hit 37 home runs in 1995, her best season with the Wildcats. Those 37 home runs are an NCAA record that still stands to this day, and it speaks more than enough of Espinoza\u2019s skill.<\/p>\n

Laura Espinoza won two Championships in her career at Arizona, the first one in 1993 and the second in 1995. Espinoza was also a finalist for the Honda Award for the National Softball Player of the Year in 1995.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Jessie Harper – Shortstop<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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Jessie Harper is the youngest player on this list. Born in 1998, Harper played for Arizona Wildcats from 2017 to 2021 and is a three-time All-American. Harper is ranked second for the most home runs in NCAA history and tied for first in Wildcats\u2019 history with 92 home runs.<\/p>\n

Harper has made a name for herself in NCAA history as one of the greatest power hitters, with 255 RBI, averaging .339 BA, and a total of 831 AB to her name.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>