In front of the Arizona softball team in March, former Wildcats pitcher Kenzie Fowler was told by her former coach, Mike Candrea, about her induction into the UA Sports Hall of Fame.
Fowler says the moment “really threw me for a loop” and “shocked” her.
Not long after Fowler was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, the Tucson native and Canyon del Oro High School knew it was conceivable to make the UA Sports Hall of Fame, “but man, did not see it coming, for sure.”
“I’ve known since March, but with the news hitting last week, it started to sink in a little bit,” Fowler said. “I still feel like I’m going to have to wait until August for it to really hit me. ... I was very lucky and honored to be inducted into the Pima County Hall of Fame representing my city, and now I’m representing my college. Pretty special times.”
2008 softball player of the year: Canyon del Oro's Kenzie Fowler. Photo by Dean Knuth / Arizona Daily Star
As a Wildcat, Fowler was a two-time All-American and two-time All-Pac-10 pitcher, and she ranks in the Top 10 in UA softball history with 87 wins, 857 strikeouts, and four no-hitters.
Fowler, who now works in the Arizona athletics creative services department, will join a UA Sports Hall of Fame class that includes former basketball standouts Andre Iguodala and Jason Terry, baseball star Bob Ralston and track and field athletes Lawi Lalang, Nick Ross and Julie LaBonte.
“It’s very secretive, they don’t tell you the class you’re going in with, so you find that out with the public,” Fowler said. “I was like, ‘Who is the class I’m going in with?’ It is a stacked class. There were some moving pieces, but it’s fun to find out the way that I did and having Coach Candrea break the news.”
Fowler joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” this week to talk about her Arizona career, her favorite memories playing softball at the UA and playing for Candrea:
As a Tucson native and softball star, was it always the plan for you to pitch for the hometown Wildcats?
A: “Yes, I think so. I committed when I was 14 (years old), which was a little crazy, but I was one of the first really young recruits, then it started to be more of a thing. I had a couple of visits set up at Washington, UCLA and ASU, but then ended up committing (to the UA) when I was 14 — kind of by accident, to be honest. My parents didn’t have the conversation, ‘Hey, what does your future look like? You’re just 14, let’s get you through your freshman season of high school volleyball and see what happens with varsity softball.’ Those were the conversations I had, then I committed, and we were like, ‘OK, new plan, we’re going to Arizona, and what is the future look like and what is the path?’
“I grew up in Tucson and saw Jennie Finch in her prime, so I grew up in the stands of Hillenbrand (Stadium). My parents bought season tickets in ‘92 during the first revision of Hillenbrand. They had the same season tickets when I began pitching. When I say I grew up in the stands, I was sleeping at their feet at 2 or 3 years old while they watched Arizona softball play. Fell in love (with softball) at an early age, and I played a lot of different sports but softball was the one that stuck.”
What is your favorite memory at Hillenbrand Stadium?
A: “I’m not sure if I have a favorite memory from when I was little, because they all just kind of blend together. For me, it was who was formative in who I wanted to be as a softball player, and I had my favorite players. Leah O’Brien as a first baseman who also played center field. Toni Mascarenas, I remember asking my mom when I was 9 if she could do my hair like Toni, because Toni had three braids and a ponytail, it was a very iconic look. When you’re 9 years old, you wanted to be like the biggest players in the game, so I wanted my hair to look like Toni. Then, honestly, Jennie (Finch). Jennie was so huge for me, watching her pitch, and she also hit. People don’t know that I hit a little bit, and I even hit freshman year, but we were a little bit thin on staff for me to continue that. Watching her be a two-way player, I went home and was like, ‘How did Jennie do this? How did she approach her at-bat? How did she keep her poise in the circle?’ So much of what I implemented was from watching her and having big eyes when I was 10 years old.
“I have a couple (from when I was a player). My freshman year at the College World Series, we got our butts kicked by Tennessee. People probably remember the illegal pitch that was going on and it came out of nowhere and it was the worst way to open up the World Series, so our backs were against the wall. It’s double-elimination and we’re facing Washington, which was the team that personally kicked my butt my first year in college in Seattle. That was my freshman awakening, like, ‘Oh, this is what it’s like to not be good.’ ... Who do we see in first game of elimination in the World Series? It was Washington, and we were able to win 4-3 and make a run to the championship. ... There were a lot of great moments.”
UA pitcher Kenzie Fowler shakes hands with head coach Mike Candrea before the start of their game against Cal on May 12, 2011. UA defeated Cal in 10 innings 2-1 at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
How was it playing under am iconic coach like Candrea?
A: “Couldn’t have asked for a better coach. He is so good at what he does and he could still be coaching if he really wanted to. I’m glad he’s enjoying retirement. He’s legendary. So much of what I know about the game of softball came from him. His temperament, he treated all of us so differently and it was fun to get coached by one of the best — if not, the best — of all time.”
Arizona softball coach Caitlin Lowe and players Allie Skaggs and Aissa Silva address the Wildcats 10-4 loss in Game 2 of their NCAA Tournament Super Regional matchup against No. 5 national seed Oklahoma State on Saturday, May 25, 2024. (Video provided by NCAA)
