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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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