Larry Ray

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Ask Larry Ray what he remembers about the 2004 NCAA softball tournament regionals, and he gives you a short response.

"That we lost," he said.

UA fans remember 2004 as the year the Arizona Wildcats, with Ray at the helm, failed to make the Women's College World Series for the first time since 1987. And they let Ray know about it.

"I heard it a lot," he said. "It happens in this sport. There can only be one winner. Unfortunately that weekend, we lost two games. I try not to think about that."

In 2004, as in this season, Ray served as the UA's interim head coach while Mike Candrea ran the U.S. Olympic team. The Wildcats finished with a 55-6 record, but lost their 2004 home regional games to Oklahoma and Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Sooners advanced. Ray said afterward he "definitely did not want to be the one at the helm when the string was broken."

Oklahoma returns to Hillenbrand Stadium on Friday to start a best-of-three super regional. The winner advances to the WCWS in Oklahoma City.

"After '04, I'm sure that's his goal this year — to bring us there," catcher Callista Balko said.

A winning weekend likely would help take the sting out of Ray's 2004 disappointment — not that Ray will say it out loud.

"It's definitely in the back of people's minds," pitcher Taryne Mowatt said. "But it's not something that you need to dwell on."

To base Ray's coaching success on what happened May 22, 2004 — when the UA lost two games in one day and was eliminated — would be patently unfair. He is 94-22 in two stints as a UA interim coach. Counting a five-year stay at Florida, Ray is 263-128 as the boss.

The Wildcats started the 2004 season 45-1 but were bit by bad luck in the postseason. Outfielder Autumn Champion injured her knee celebrating a win in the first game of the regionals. She did not play for the rest of the series.

"I thought he got a bad rap, honestly," said Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso. "He did a lot right to get that team to that position and be No. 1 in the country. People take for granted, once you start winning a lot, that that should happen every day, all the time."

Not to mention that he has followed Candrea, who has won 83percent of his games — and eight national titles — at Arizona.

"I think everybody has Coach Candrea on a pretty high pedestal — not that he doesn't deserve it," said undergraduate assistant coach Kristie Fox, who played shortstop on the 2004 team. "He's the best coach in the game, and those are really big shoes to fill.

"In 2004, (Ray) took a lot of the blame for the end of the season. It wasn't his fault in any shape or form."

UA assistant coach Dave Feinberg, who has been friends with Ray for more than 20 years, said he does not think the 2004 season "occupies his mind" this week.

Feinberg compared following Candrea to taking the place of UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

"It's always tough to follow a legend," Feinberg said. "We all feel pressure, the whole staff does. But I think if you coach in this atmosphere, the expectations are high.

"Every one of our players know what's expected. They come here with that pressure. Our whole program's built on pressure."

Which must be a blessing and a curse.

"The coaches don't get the praise. The girls get the praise," Fox said. "But they definitely get all the criticism."

If Ray is thinking about redemption, he's not letting on.

"I'm trying to prepare this team just to play their best softball," he said, "and let whatever happens, happen."