Greg Byrne arrived as Arizona's athletic director during the glory days of the UA softball program. In Byrne's second year, Arizona reached the finals of the College World Series, the type of season Mike Candrea’s softball teams had come to expect for two decades.
But then, totally unexpected, Arizona didn't even qualify for the WCWS from 2011-17, at which time Byrne left to become the AD at Alabama.
How's this for an unexpected juxtaposition: Byrne's Crimson Tide are the No. 1 seed at the ongoing WCWS, 55-7 through Thursday, and Byrne employs a coach, Patrick Murphy, who has won 1,371 career games, chasing Candrea's record of 1,674. (Oklahoma's Patty Gasso is at 1,621).
Alabama's Jocelyn Briski (23) celebrates following the Women's College World Series softball game between the Crimson Tide and the UCLA Bruins at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, May 28, 2026.
Byrne and his softball staff have mostly done it with homegrown talent; four starters are from Alabama and another from Georgia. But the Tide did reach back to Arizona for their ace pitcher, Jocelyn Briski, 22-3. She beat UCLA in Thursday's WCWS opener. Briski chose ’Bama after a remarkable prep career at Phoenix Desert Vista High School. She did not even visit UA, instead narrowing her choices to Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan.
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It doesn't take much imagination to think that if UA had been successful in recruiting Briski, it would be the Wildcats, not Crimson Tide, at the World Series this week.
