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University of Arizona

The University of Arizona Athletics
McKale Ctr - 1 National Championship Dr Tucson, AZ 857210096
Division 1 Arizona
Public Very Large National competitor

Coaches

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Caitlin Lowe

Four-time Wildcat All-American and Olympic silver medalist Caitlin Lowe was named Arizona's seventh head softball coach in June of 2021. Lowe was promoted to head coach following nine seasons on Mike Candrea's staff, including the previous four seasons as the team's associate head coach.


Lowe returned to her alma mater in 2012 after a hall-of-fame professional career and a successful international career with USA Softball. Lowe served as the program's director of operations in 2013 and the team's volunteer assistant coach in 2014 prior to joining the coaching staff full time in 2015.


Through two seasons at the helm of Arizona Softball, head coach Caitlin Lowe holds a 68-47 record. Lowe wrapped up her first season as the head coach at the 2022 Women's College World Series. Lowe returned to her alma mater in 2012 after a hall-of-fame professional career and a successful international career with USA Softball.


One of the best centerfielders and leadoff hitters in the sport's history, Lowe has become an even better coach. She has made an immeasurable impact with UA's outfielders and its offense. Lowe, Arizona's career leader in stolen bases, also works with the Wildcats on base running.


Since Lowe joined the coaching staff in 2014, Arizona has won 40 or more games in seven of the nine seasons (not including the 2020 season which was cut short due to COVID-19), advancing to super regionals in eight of the nine seasons, including back-to-back-to-back trips to the Women's College Series in 2019, 2021, and 2022. She also helped guide the Wildcats to the Pac-12 Championship in 2017, the program's 12th conference title.


In 2023, Arizona posted a .985 overall fielding percentage, the best fielding percentage by an Arizona team in program history, and the Arizona outfielders combined for a .975 fielding percentage. Centerfielder Jasmine Perezchica did not commit an error in the outfield. Junior second baseman Allie Skaggs earned the Rawlings Gold Glove and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors after committing zero errors in 168 chances.


In her first year at the helm of Arizona Softball in 2022, Lowe guided the Wildcats to their third-consecutive WCWS appearance. She became the first head coach in their first year to lead their team to the WCWS since the tournament expanded past 16 teams in 1988, and the first female head coach to do so in WCWS history. Following an 0-8 start to Pac-12 play, Lowe coached Arizona to their 35th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 25th overall WCWS appearance.


In Lowe's first game as head coach, the No. 9 Wildcats beat Southern Utah 22-1 in five innings, the largest opening day victory in school history.


Lowe, whose specialty is her work with the UA short-gamers, has mentored two of the last four Pac-12 batting champions. Reyna Carranco earned the distinction in 2019 before Janelle Meoño won the award in 2021. Meoño, the 2021 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, became the first UA freshman to hit .400 in a season (.439) since Lowe did it herself in 2005 (.437).


Since Lowe's addition to the coaching staff in 2014, Arizona's offense has posted one of its most proficient 10-year offensive runs in school history. Three of Arizona's top eight batting averages have occurred in the last nine years and the Wildcats have hit .294 or better every year since Lowe has joined the staff.


During her playing career, Lowe did not commit an error as a four-year starter in center field. In 2017, with her defensive expertise guiding the way, Arizona's three starting outfielders combined for one total error and had the best outfield fielding percentage (.994) in school history. That helped the Wildcats finish 52-9 and win their 11th conference championship. Lowe and the UA coaching staff was named NFCA Region Coaching Staff of the Year.


In 2019, Arizona's outfielders combined to post a .968 fielding percentage with 10 outfield assists, led by first-team All-American centerfielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, who did not commit an error in 71 defensive chances. Lowe also helped mentor Reyna Carranco to the Pac-12 batting title. The Wildcats went 48-14 and went to the Women's College World Series.


Lowe, a letterwinner from 2004-07, boasts some of the most impressive credentials in her time with the sport. A two-time national champion (2006 and 2007), Lowe’s name is scattered throughout the Arizona record books: Lowe remains second in batting average (.446), fourth in hits (351), fourth in triples (12), seventh in runs scored (242) and first in stolen bases (156). She was unanimously named the greatest centerfielder of all time, both by a fan vote and by the 7Innings Podcast crew in its Greatest Softball Team of All-Time.


In 2007, Lowe was awarded the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, given annually to the senior displaying excellence in the community, the classroom, character and in competition, as well as the adidas Golden Shoe Award, given to the nation’s best base-stealer. The Tustin, Calif., native was a two-time finalist for the Honda Softball Award (2005 and 2007) as well as a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year in 2005.


Lowe is one of only six Wildcat players to be named an NFCA All-American in each of her four years with the program and joined Leah Braatz (1994, 95, 97, 98) as the only two players in Arizona history to be awarded first-team All-America all four years.


An Olympian in 2008, Lowe took home the silver medal competing for Team USA under Head Coach Mike Candrea. Lowe competed for Team USA from 2005-2008.


Lowe graduated from UA in 2007 with a degree in psychology and a minor in communications. She joined the staff following a Hall of Fame professional career with the USSSA Pride of the National Professional Fastpitch.


In 2015, Lowe married Paul Nagy. The two have two children, Harper and Beckham.

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Lauren Lappin

U.S. Olympian, former NPF player and head coach, and All-American Lauren Lappin was hired as Arizona Softball’s assistant coach in June of 2021.


Lappin was the head coach for the Chicago Bandits for two years and an assistant coach for University of Missouri - St. Louis softball for five years before joining the Arizona staff in the summer of 2021.


In her two seasons as an assistant at Arizona, the Wildcats have posted fielding percentages of .965 (2022) and .985 (2023). As the defensive coach, Lappin coached the 2023 team to the best fielding percentage by an Arizona team in program history and second-best fielding percentage in the NCAA in the season (20 errors in 1338 chances). She helped second baseman Allie Skaggs earn the Rawlings Gold Glove and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year after Skaggs committed zero errors in 168 chances in 2023. Skaggs became the first second baseman in program history to have a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.


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.


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.

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Josh Bloomer

Arizona Softball hired Josh Bloomer as an assistant coach, the program announced in June of 2023. Bloomer comes to Arizona following an NCAA Regional appearance with South Carolina.


Bloomer will serve as the hitting coach for the Wildcats.


“We are thrilled to welcome Josh and his family to Tucson,” head coach Caitlin Lowe said. “A proven winner, Josh has truly enhanced every program he’s been a part of. His energy and passion for this game is infectious and I’m excited to see him add another dimension to our dynamic offense.”


Bloomer joins Arizona after one season at South Carolina as the hitting coach for the Gamecocks. Under Bloomer’s guidance in 2023, the Gamecocks finished with a 40-22 record – a 14-win improvement from their 26-30 record in 2022 – and made their first postseason appearance since 2019.


In his lone season as South Carolina’s hitting coach, the Gamecocks finished the season ranked third in the SEC with 78 doubles in 2023 – improved from finishing the 2022 season ranked 12th in the SEC in doubles.


Prior to South Carolina, Bloomer spent three seasons at Duke, helping lead the Blue Devils to the 2021 ACC Tournament title and was a member of the 2021 and 2022 NFCA Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year.


During his time at Duke, the Blue Devils had a 111-27 record and ranked in the top five of the ACC in batting average in each of his three seasons. In 2022, Duke hit .330 to rank second in the ACC and ninth in the NCAA – the highest batting average in the program’s history. Duke ranked first or second in the ACC in all offensive categories in 2022, highlighted by leading the conference in home runs per game (1.76), slugging percentage (.610), on-base percentage (.417), and scoring (7.16). Duke’s scoring and slugging percentage ranked third in the NCAA.


In 2021, Duke led the ACC in doubles (79) and triples (15) under Bloomer’s guidance and ranked fifth in the conference with a .271 batting average. The Blue Devils won their first ACC Tournament Championship with a 44-12 record and earned the No. 13 seed in their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.


In the shortened 2020 season, Bloomer helped Duke rank in the top 30 in the NCAA in several offensive categories with a .319 batting average (26th), a .528 slugging percentage (19th), 44 doubles (15th), .37 triples per games (21st), and 6.59 runs per game (19th).


Before coaching at Duke and South Carolina, Bloomer had coaching stints at Louisville Male High School and Mercy Academy in Louisville. At Louisville Male, Bloomer led the softball program to a 458-147-4 record in seven seasons, highlighted by winning the NFCA and Kentucky state championship titles in 2019, six regional championships, and state runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2017.


Bloomer served as the head softball coach at Mercy Academy from 2005-12 and led them to the Kentucky state championship in 2012.


Bloomer is a graduate of the University of Kentucky where he earned his master’s in education in 2002.

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