Caitlin Lowe will make $225,000 annually plus bonuses as part of a five-year deal to replace Mike Candrea as the Arizona Wildcatsโ softball coach, according to contract details obtained by the Star Wednesday in response to a public records request.
The contract, which was signed by Lowe on Sept. 28 and UA president Robert C. Robbins on Oct. 6, triples the $75,000 Lowe made last season as the Wildcatsโ associate head coach. Her new deal also includes performance and academic bonuses.
Lowe was named Arizonaโs new coach on June 7, the same day Candrea retired following 36 years, 1,674 wins, 24 Womenโs College World Series appearances and a record eight national championships. Candrea was making $345,000 annually when he left his coaching job. He remains on staff as an adviser to other UA coaches, though his new salary terms have not yet been released. The Star placed a public records request for them four months ago.
Loweโs promotion capped a season of hirings, firings and extensions unprecedented in Pac-12 history. Between December 2020 and last June, the UA fired its football and menโs basketball coaches, replacing them with first-time head coaches Jedd Fisch and Tommy Lloyd; extended womenโs basketball coach Adia Barnesโ contract twice, awarding her a base salary of $1 million annually; hired a new baseball coach, Chip Hale, and a new soccer coach, Becca Moros; and gave new deals to golf coaches Laura Ianello and Jim Anderson and menโs tennis coach Clancy Chields.
Loweโs promotion was instantaneous, in part because the decision seemed obvious. Though sheโs never been a head coach before, Lowe, 36, is viewed as a rising star in the profession. Candrea said Lowe โhas been a superstar her entire lifeโ โ whether it was a Wildcats outfielder, a United States Olympian, pro softball player or assistant coach.
โShe is bright, a good communicator, understands what it takes having been there as an athlete, and the players love her,โ Candrea said in June. โWithout a doubt, Caitlin is the best person to continue the Arizona legacy into the future. She will be a superstar for many years to come.โ
Lowe said she โcould not have asked for a better mentor in this game and most importantly in lifeโ than Candrea.
Loweโs contract also includes:
Annual bonuses ranging from $5,000 (for winning the Pac-12) to $15,000 (for winning a national championship);
Annual bonuses ranging from $1,500 to $7,500 based on her teamโs multi-year APR scores and cumulative GPA;
A company vehicle, or $600 per month if no car is available;
10 tickets to each home softball game;
Six tickets to each road softball game;
Two football season tickets, two basketball season tickets and two sports passes (for other UA sporting events);
One country club or health club membership.
The UA must pay Lowe 60% of her remaining base salary should it choose to fire her without cause during the course of her contract. Should Lowe leave on her own before June 20, 2022, she would owe the UA $100,000. That figure drops to $50,000 on June 21 and $25,000 a year later.
Typical of recent UA contracts, Loweโs deal includes a mitigation clause that would require her to seek employment in softball if she is fired. Any money she would make would then come out of the money owed her by the university.
