SALT LAKE CITY – For the second time in the past week, Utah Softball head coach Amy Hogue has announced a major addition to her coaching staff, with two-time All-American Allexis "Chip" Bennett taking on the role of volunteer assistant coach on the Utes' staff. "There's nothing like bringing in Allexis Bennett as the closer for our coaching staff," Hogue said. "What an unbelievable opportunity for us to have a multi-year Pac-12 award winner and two-time All-American to round out our coaching staff! I believe Chip was born to coach this game. Her energy and enthusiasm for this sport we love is unmatched by anyone I know. We are blessed to have her here to lead this team to a new level of excellence!" A four-time All-Pac-12 honoree at UCLA (2013-16), Bennett has recently served as an assistant coach at J Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and operates her own business conducting hitting and fielding lessons. In addition to her experience coaching high school and giving lessons, Bennett also worked as an understudy for the owner of the Orange County Batbusters travel ball organization, helping to develop youth athletes on several teams, focusing on her unique ability to effectively train outfielders. "Being able to play in the Pac-12 and now to coach in the Conference, in my opinion, is the greatest honor," Bennett said. "I am excited to join forces with Coach Amy Hogue and her staff, bringing a 24/7 competitive mindset to the Ute program. Watch out, the University of Utah will be so good, you won't be able to ignore them. Life is a game, play and win it." Bennett has played four seasons of professional fastpitch softball since being drafted eighth overall in the 2016 NPF draft by the Pennsylvania Rebellion before joining the Scrapyard Dawgs for the 2017 season. She played for the USSA Pride from 2018-20, and was a winner of the NPF Cowles Cup twice before joining the Pride, and again in 2019 with the Pride. Bennett was a 2017 Rawlings Gold Glove nominee and a two-time All-NPF selection (2017, '19). In her four years at UCLA, Bennett was a back-to-back Pac-12 batting champion (2015-16) and a two-time All-American, helping to lead her team to four NCAA College World Series appearances. She batted a career-best .492 in 2015, and batted .418 for her stellar career. Bennett earned first-team All-America in 2015 and third-team in 2016, as well as first-team All-Pac-12 in both seasons. She also earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team twice (2015, 2016), was a top 10 finalist for Player of the Year (2015), an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team member (2013) and two-time honorable mention All-Pac-12 (2013-14). For her career, Bennett had 259 hits, including 25 doubles, six triples and one home run; drove in 70 runs, had 61 walks, stole 61 bases in 78 attempts and had a .473 on-base percentage. A 2016 graduate of UCLA, Bennett earned her bachelor's degree in political science. Her nickname is Chip.

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Softball head coach Amy Hogue announced the hire of Paige Parker as an assistant coach Friday, to coach the team's pitchers. A two-time national champion pitcher at Oklahoma, Parker joins the Utes' coaching staff after spending the 2021 season on the coaching staff at Tulsa. "I'm extremely proud to announce that Paige Parker will be our new pitching coach," Hogue said. "What an exciting day this is! Paige brings all of the accolades one could receive as a player, and I have no doubt that she will continue to develop into an extremely successful college coach. She comes from a family of coaches, so I feel very honored to have her join our coaching staff. I look forward to seeing her work with our pitchers and help them develop their talent." Parker joined the Tulsa softball program in July 2020 to mentor the Golden Hurricane pitching staff, and guided her staff to a record of 25-16, as three Tulsa pitchers finished the season with winning records and sub-3.30 ERAs. Chenise Delce led the group with an 8-6 record, landing her on the all-conference first team and NFCA all-region second team. Kassidy Scott tied for second all-time in TU history for career saves with 9 after picking up 2 bigs saves during the 2021 season. "I would first like to thank Coach Hogue for giving me the opportunity to become a Ute," Parker said. "I am so thrilled to be joining the staff here at the University of Utah. I am looking forward to being a part of such a great program and University, and getting to work this fall! I also want to thank Coach Strimple and Coach Owens at the University of Tulsa for helping me to learn and become a better coach." Parker joined the Hurricane staff after spending one season at her alma mater, Oklahoma, as a volunteer assistant. During her season with the Sooners, Oklahoma was 20-4 before the season was cut short due to the pandemic, following one year serving as an assistant coach at William Jewel. Parker played four seasons at Oklahoma, becoming a two-time national champion. During her extraordinary career, she was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team four times, 2016 Female Athlete of the Year and 2015 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Parker was vital in leading the Sooners to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series. The pitcher earned All-Tournament team selections in each of the three appearances. The Sooner finished her career ranked second in Oklahoma history for career win percentage (.872), wins (123), appearances (174), strikeouts (968) and shutouts (37). She ranks fourth all-time in games started (134), innings pitched (867.1), saves (six) and strikeouts per seven innings (7.81). The Independence, Mo., native played one season with the USSSA Pride in the National Pro Fastpitch league. She helped lead the Pride to the 2018 Cowles Cup Championship, taking home the title. Parker graduated from Oklahoma with her undergraduate degree in Arts and Sciences with Distinction with an emphasis in Coach and Leadership in 2018.

EUGENE, Ore. – Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, a two-time All-American at Arizona and the 2018 Pac-12 home run champion, will join the Oregon softball staff as a volunteer assistant coach, head coach Melyssa Lombardi announced Monday. "We're excited to have Alyssa as a member of our staff," said Lombardi. "As a coach, she brings the experience of being both a recent graduate and one of the top players in the Pac-12, as well as now competing a professional, which will be invaluable to our student-athletes. "Alyssa has a terrific all-around feel for the game. Her approach at the plate made her one of the toughest players to face in the Pac-12. I also admire how she was able to persevere through adversity and overcome injuries." Palomino-Cardoza capped an impressive collegiate career in the spring of 2021 by leading the Wildcats to their second consecutive Women's College World Series appearance. She was named a NFCA first team All-American in 2018 and 2019, making her the first UA player to win back-to-back All-America honors in nearly a decade. In her career, the four-time all-Pac-12 selection hit 69 home runs, which ranks eighth on Arizona's career list and is tied for 11th all-time in Pac-12 annals. She also finished her career with 53 doubles to rank tied-for-fourth in UA history. Palomino-Cardoza was an all-Pac-12 first team selection in 2018 and 2019 and a second team pick in 2017 and 2021. She was a three-time Pac-12 all-defensive selection, including the 2019 season when she did not commit an error while starting all 62 games in centerfield for the Wildcats. She was also a four-time NFCA All-West Region first team honoree. The five-year starter had a career batting average of .346, a .717 slugging percentage and an otherworldly OPS of 1.162. Palomino-Cardoza was also one of the best defenders in the Pac-12 with a .990 career fielding percentage. She hit 19 home runs in the back-to-back seasons of 2018 and 2019, which lead the league in 2018 and ranked 11th nationally. As a freshman, Palomino-Cardoza hit 16 home runs with 54 RBI to help the Wildcats win the Pac-12 title in 2017. Before Arizona, the Mission Viejo, Calif., native set the Junior World Women's Championship record with 27 RBI in the 10-game tournament. Palomino-Cardoza led the U.S. Junior National Team to a 10-0 record and the gold medal in the 2015 event and was named the USA Softball junior female athlete of the year. She was a first-team high school All-America as a junior and senior, helping Mission Viejo High School to the national championship in 2014 and a state runner-up finish in 2015. Palomino-Cardoza also won three national titles with her club team, OC Batbusters.

NORMAN — Oklahoma softball head coach Patty Gasso announced Friday the addition of transfer utility player Alyssa Brito from the University of Oregon.

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Olympian, former NPF player and head coach and All-American Lauren Lappin has been hired as Arizona Softball's assistant coach. Lappin has been the head coach for the Chicago Bandits for two years and an assistant coach for University of Missouri - St. Louis softball for five years. "I could not be more excited to welcome Lauren to the Wildcat Family," said head coach Caitlin Lowe. "Her experience as a player and coach at the highest levels will be a huge asset to our program. She has always impressed me with her ability to make everyone around her better. Her passion and energy for this game is infectious and will no doubt have an immediate impact on our program." Lappin has an outstanding softball resume, including playing at Stanford, NPF experience and being a member of Team USA. Lappin also has eight years of coaching experience in the NCAA, the NPF and with Athletes Unlimited. "I am thrilled at the opportunity to join the Arizona Wildcat softball family and the entire UA community," said Lappin. "Caitlin Lowe is one of the best leaders and humans in our sport and I feel incredibly honored to join this amazing staff to carry on the rich tradition of Arizona Softball. I cannot wait to get to Tucson, meet the team, and Bear Down!" Collegiately, Lappin played at Stanford from 2003-06 and proved to be a force on the softball field at catcher and at shortstop. In the Stanford record books, Lappin remains eighth all-time in batting average (.337) and hits (247), sixth in runs scored (168), seventh in stolen bases (31), third in assists (511), and tenth in triples (8). In her four years at Stanford, Lappin was a two-time Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006 and received second- and third-team NFCA All-America honors in 2004 and 2005. Lappin was also named first-team All-Pac-10 in 2004, second-team All-Pac-12 in 2003, and second-team All-Pacific Region in 2006. In 2004, Lappin was a WCWS All-Tournament Team selection as a sophomore. As an Olympian in 2008, Lappin was a silver medalist with Team USA, led by former head coach Mike Candrea and teammates with Arizona greats: head coach Caitlin Lowe, Jennie Finch, and Lovie Jung. Lappin played with Team USA from 2004-2012 and is a three-time World Cup Champion and a Pan American gold medalist. Following her years playing on Team USA, Lappin went on to serve as assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team in 2012. During her NPF career, Lappin played with the USSSA Pride and the Pennsylvania Rebellion. Lappin and Lowe were teammates on the 2010 USSSA Pride Cowles Cup championship team, and Lappin helped the Pride to another Cowles Cups championship in 2013. She also earned All-NPF honors as a second baseman with the Rebellion in 2014. After playing in the NPF for five years, Lappin announced her retirement in 2015 and helped build the softball program at Chicago's Roosevelt University, where she coached for four years. Most recently, Lappin served as an assistant coach with UMSL, the head coach for the Chicago Bandits, and a facilitator for Athletes Unlimited. Lappin spent five years as the assistant coach at UMSL, helping the Tritons to a 162-116 record. With Lappin on the staff, the Tritons had three trips to the NCAA tournament and two GLVC tournament championships. As the head coach of the Chicago Bandits, Lappin led the team to the title of NPF 2019 Regular Season Champions and was awarded NPF Coaching Staff of the Year in 2019 with fellow coaches Amber Flores and Lance McMahon. With Athletes Unlimited, Lappin acted as a facilitator to act as a mentor and support the athletes and captains.  Lappin will join head coach Caitlin Lowe and assistant coach Taryne Mowatt-McKinney to complete the Wildcats' coaching staff.

In a coaching career that spanned four decades, Mike Candrea established a legacy of elevating the game of softball, growing women's sports, and helping build a program and athletics department at the University of Arizona that became synonymous with championships. Candrea was able to achieve all of that and moreover, the course of 36 seasons as thousands of student-athletes, coaches, staff members, and fans had their lives changed for the better by a man affectionately known as "Coach".

Find photos of Arizona softball from the 2021 Hillenbrand Invitational taken by photographer Rebecca Sasnett from USA TODAY Sports.

It’s a different feeling being defending national champions without playing a single Women’s College World Series game last season. Then again, just about everything in 2020 has been different thanks to a global pandemic, social unrest, and a college sports landscape that saw spring seasons abruptly halted.

University of Arizona head softball coach Mike Candrea didn’t set out to become the winningest college coach in the sport’s history. When he enrolled at Central Arizona College, his heart was set on playing major league baseball.

TEMPE - Arizona State softball head coach Trisha Ford announced the hire of Jimmy Kolaitis as the new assistant coach for Sun Devil Softball.

BERKELEY - After guiding Tulsa's pitching staff to a top-six ERA ranking last season, Mitch Roberts has been named assistant coach for the California softball team as announced by head coach Chelsea Spencer on Wednesday. 

BERKELEY – Chelsea Spencer, who won an NCAA title during an All-American career at Cal before embarking on a coaching career, has agreed to become the next softball head coach for the Golden Bears.

A new theme that you will see this week is a day dedicated to NCAA softball teams. Over the years we covered the athletes, told their stories, and broadcasted their games. What better way to showcase these programs than to have a whole day dedicated to them. We will be dripping out exclusive videos and articles pertaining to that team all day long. By the end of the day, you'll know honestly know that program on a personal level. UCLA, you're up.

At a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group and Athletic Directors earlier today, the Pac-12 made the decision to cancel all Pac-12 conference and non-conference sport competitions and Pac-12 championships through the end of the academic year, including spring sports that compete beyond the academic year.  This decision follows both the Pac-12’s earlier decision to suspend all sports until further notice, and the decision by the NCAA to cancel the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 NCAA basketball tournaments as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships.

The Pac-12 Conference has made the decision to cancel the remainder of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament and all Pac-12 sport competitions and Pac-12 Championship events, effective immediately, until further notice.  This decision has been made in consultation with our member universities in an effort to limit the spread of the virus and in the interest of the health and safety of our student-athletes, campus personnel, working and event personnel, and all those who attend Pac-12 events.