Caitlin Lowe got exactly what she set out to get in her Class of 2025: power hitting.
It’s a small but mighty class of four that has a lot of “pop.”
“We're getting ready to graduate some of our pop — not necessarily the year that they come in, but the year after that — it's really important for us to get a year under their belt training with some of our hitters,” Lowe said on a Zoom call Monday.
Arizona's head coach Caitlin Lowe awaits the pre-game meeting at home plate as the Wildcats get ready to take on Lipscomb for their first game of the night on Day 2 of the Candrea Classic at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson on Feb. 9, 2024.
“Not (to) have all the pressure right away but really be able to compete, compete early. And I think we did that with this class. I think I'm most proud of just the competitors and the people that they are stepping in. I think they really embody what it means to wear the ‘A’ already, and that will only get better when they come here. But (we) definitely wanted to have some power, whereas in some classes, we blend speed, in some classes more pitching than others, but it was a big deal for us to kind of have some good pop in the infield with this one.”
The class is made up of Molli Daley from Tucson’s Salpointe Catholic; Rylie Holder from Fulshear, Texas’ East Bernard; Kezi Lucas from Pauoa, Hawai'i’s Kamehameha Schools Kapalama; and Sina Talataina from San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic.
The junior class Lowe is expecting these four to take the bat from consists of shortstop/infielder and 2024 Pac-12's co-defensive player of the year Tayler Biehl (.254 average, 27 RBIs); left fielder and gold glove winner Dakota Kennedy (.400 average, 34 RBIs); right fielder Kaiah Altmeyer (.333 average, 27 RBIs) and infielder/shortstop Logan Cole, who missed all but five games last season with a right shoulder injury.
Arizona outfielder Dakota Kennedy celebrates getting to second base during the first inning of of the NCAA Softball Tournament Super Regional matchup in May between OSU and the Wildcats at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Holder is the only pitcher — a righty in the group. She is ranked No. 4 in the region by Extra Innings and No. 10 by Line Drive Media Elite 100. Her club team, Impact Gold, took third place in the 18U Alliance National Championship.
“She’s way more than an arm,” Lowe said.
It’s the second time in as many years that the Wildcats have dipped into the Hawaiian market. Freshman infielder Jenna Sniffen played at Maryknoll in Kapolei. Both Lucas and Sniffen traveled to the mainland to play club softball — Sniffen with Athletics Mercado and Lucas with three different teams, most recently for LK Black Hawai'i.
“We think we have to just play three games a day (meanwhile) they're flying, making a five-hour flight over to compete in a tournament,” Lowe said. “Props to them.”
Lowe expects Lucas to play all positions in the infield and possibly behind the plate.
Talataina is a two-time national champ with her club team, Athletics Mercado. She was named offensive player of the year at her high school and a two-time all-conference honoree. She plays the corner spots in the infield – first and third.
“She has a lot of pop in her bat,” Lowe said.
That brings us to the hometown player, Daley. She is a three-time Class 4A state champion, a two-time All-Region 4A Kino honorable mention and a Southern Arizona Softball 4A first-team honoree. Daley’s club team, Impulse Nielson, finished third at the Fireworks Power Pool Colorado.
“She was a very pleasant late surprise (signing on Monday),” Lowe said. “She stood out to us at camp and coming to camp was her goal her whole softball life growing up. And (she) just got consistently better, which was cool to see. She's very fast, she's got a strong right arm in the outfield.”
In addition, her dad, John, works in UA’s Athletic Department as the Assistant A.D., Creative Services.
Inside pitch
As with all signees for the class of 2025, the athletes did not sign a national letter of intent. Instead, they signed a financial aid agreement and a revenue-share contract. With the impending House settlement — which is bringing about the revenue sharing — Lowe is seeing an investment in her program.
“When I had my meeting (with UA Athletic Director Desireé Reed-Francois), I was very impressed with what we're able to do to support softball, and I think for the type of athlete we recruit and the ones we're going after, I think it's going to be very competitive. I was very happy about it. I think it's different, too. Different schools are going to invest in different sports, right? I think we love softball, and Tucson loves softball, and I think that's very important for us to stay competitive in the future, too.”
While there is a lot of money being thrown around at some schools for softball players, it hasn’t had too much of an impact on Arizona, “We've definitely still been able to recruit in our system,” Lowe said.
“We are still extremely competitive in the landscape that is college athletics right now.”
Lowe said that part of it is Arizona’s winning tradition, some of it is the Wildcats’ recruiting strategy and it comes back to that support.
“You'd be hard-pressed to find many schools around the country that are as well-supported in the softball department as we are here, as far as facilities, as far as other things,” Lowe said. “I think the full package is what makes it exciting and still exciting to parents and recruits but we also have to adjust with the times.”
Amber Freeman, Lowe’s newest assistant coach, is working with the hitters and catchers. Prior to joining the staff, she had stints at Cal, Georgia and Vanguard University and is in Team USA’s coaching pool.
“I was very impressed with her composure, her knowledge base; she is the exact temperament I want our hitters to have,” Lowe said.
Freeman served as catcher for Arizona’s rival, ASU, but don’t hold that against her, “She’s in the better Arizona school, that’s all I have to say,” Lowe said.
“We joke about it all the time, and her parents are rocking the right colors now, and all is well,” Lowe added.
