| 1997 NCAA Division I softball season | |
| Defendingchampions: | Arizona |
| Tournament Link: | 1997 NCAA Division I softball tournament |
| Tournament: | Tournament |
| Wcws Link: | 1997 Women's College World Series |
| Wcws: | Women's College World Series |
| Wcwschamp: | Arizona |
| Wcwstitlecount: | 5th |
| Wcwsrunnerup: | UCLA |
| Wcwscount: | 15th |
| Wcwscoach: | Mike Candrea |
| Wcwscoachcount: | 5th |
| Wcwsmop: | Nancy Evans |
| Mopteam: | Arizona |
| Prevseason Year: | 1996 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1998 |
The 1997 NCAA Division I softball season, a play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1997. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 1997 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 1997 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 26, 1997.
The 1997 NCAA Women's College World Series took place from May 22 to May 26, 1997 in Oklahoma City.[1]
.539 – Kim Durce, Alcorn State Braves
78 – Leah Braatz, Arizona Wildcats
45-10 – Sarah Dawson, Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
0.37 (13 ER/242.2 IP) – Trinity Johnson, South Carolina Gamecocks
NCAA Division I season hits:132 – Alison McCutcheon, Arizona Wildcats[2]
Freshman single game stolen bases:6 – Kathy Ching, Yale Bulldogs; April 6, 1997
Sophomore single game stolen bases:7 – Lisa Guillory, Nicholls State Colonels; February 20, 1997
Freshman class stolen bases:64 – Kathy Ching, Yale Bulldogs
Senior class doubles:27 – Sara Pickering, Washington Huskies
Senior class shutouts:31 – Sarah Dawson, Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
Senior class innings pitched:400.2 – Sarah Dawson, Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
Team batting average:.439 – Alcorn State Braves
Trinity Johnson, South Carolina Gamecocks[3] [4]
| YEAR | W | L | GP | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | |
| 1997 | 34 | 4 | 43 | 33 | 32 | 24 | 4 | 242.1 | 82 | 25 | 13 | 23 | 399 | 0.37 | 0.43 |
The following players were members of the All-American Teams.[5]
First Team
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR. | ULM Warhawks | ||
| Nancy Evans | JR. | Arizona Wildcats | |
| Trinity Johnson | SR. | South Carolina Gamecocks | |
| C | Leah Braatz | JR. | Arizona Wildcats |
| 1B | JR. | Arizona Wildcats | |
| 2B | Sara Pickering | SR. | Washington Huskies |
| 3B | Leticia Pineda | JR. | Arizona Wildcats |
| SS | Laura Williams | SR. | Georgia Tech Yellowjackets |
| OF | Alison McCutcheon | SR. | Arizona Wildcats |
| JR. | Fresno State Bulldogs | ||
| Sandy Rhea | JR. | Utah Utes | |
| DP | Lisa Dacquisto | SR. | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| UT | Debbie Bilbao | JR. | Iowa Hawkeyes |
| AT-L | Traci Conrad | SO. | Michigan Wolverines |
| Sarah Fredstrom | JR. | Colorado State Rams | |
| FR. | UCLA Bruins | ||
| Amanda Scott | FR. | Fresno State Bulldogs | |
| Barb Wright | SR. | Missouri Tigers |
Second Team
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| B'Ann Burns | SR. | UCLA Bruins | |
| Nikki Johnson | SR. | Colorado State Rams | |
| Desarie Knipfer | JR. | Cal Poly Mustangs | |
| C | Jennifer Parker | SR. | CSUN Matadors |
| 1B | Alleah Poulson | SR. | UCLA Bruins |
| 2B | Jennifer Buford | JR. | Colorado State Rams |
| 3B | Monica Armendarez | JR. | Indiana Hoosiers |
| SS | Jennifer Lizama | FR. | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| OF | Shelley Brown | SR. | Washington Huskies |
| Robyn Yorke | JR. | Fresno State Bulldogs | |
| Lea Twigg | SR. | Iowa Hawkeyes | |
| DP | Dana Degen | FR. | Hawaii Rainbow Wahine |
| UT | Tina Plew | SR. | South Carolina Gamecocks |
| AT-L | Kelly Holmes | SR. | Michigan Wolverines |
| Kari Knopf | SR. | Iowa Hawkeyes | |
| Nina Lindenberg | JR. | Fresno State Bulldogs | |
| Jill Most | SR. | Oklahoma Sooners | |
| Becky Newbry | SO. | Washington Huskies |
Third Team
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susie Bugliarello | SR. | Sacramento State Hornets | |
| Jamie Schuttek | SR. | Southern Illinois Salukis | |
| FR. | UCLA Bruins | ||
| C | Brandi Macias | SR. | Iowa Hawkeyes |
| 1B | Jamie Foutch | SO. | Oklahoma State Cowgirls |
| 2B | Tammy Pytel | JR. | Northern Illinois Huskies |
| 3B | Stephanie Bonillas | JR. | New Mexico State Aggies |
| SS | Christie Ambrosi | SO. | UCLA Bruins |
| OF | Myssi Calkins | SR. | FSU Seminoles |
| Erin Hickey | SR. | DePaul Blue Demons | |
| Priscilla Welch | SR. | Illinois State Redbirds | |
| DP | Tiffany Clark | FR. | ULL Rajin' Cajuns |
| UT | Tarrah Beyster | FR. | Oregon State Beavers |
| AT-L | Stephanie DeFeo | SR. | ULL Rajin' Cajuns |
| Kristy Fuentes | SR. | FSU Seminoles | |
| Christy Hebert | SR. | Iowa Hawkeyes | |
| SO. | UMass Minutewomen | ||
| Kim Rondina | SR. | UNLV Rebels |