(Tucsn, AZ) The much anticipated Opening Night at renovated Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium will have to wait one more day as the Wildcats’ 2019 home-opener vs. New Mexico was rained out on Thursday evening in Tucson.
The night was not a total wash, however, as University of Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins, Arizona Director of Athletics Dave Heeke and Doby Hillenbrand, who, along with her late husband William, funded the original stadium in 1993, joined Arizona Head Softball Coach Mike Candrea and the 2019 Wildcats for the ribbon cutting to officially re-open the stadium.
“This is a very special day for our athletic department,” said Heeke, addressing the hundreds of fans who remained to watch the stadium’s Grand Re-Opening. “Thanks to everyone who stuck around through the rain to be here for this special moment. To Doby, thank you for helping us build the original, and I hope we were able to maintain that great atmosphere, this great place, this great landmark, and make it just a little bit better.”
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The ribbon cutting officially signaled the opening of the state-of-the-art facility, which received an $8 Million renovation this offseason, transforming the historic stadium into one of the nation’s best softball facilities with amenities for both fans and players.
“It’s not often that a man gets to live two dreams,” said Candrea, before correcting himself to include his wife on Valentine’s Day. “To go back to 1993 when Bill and Doby Hillenbrand gave us Hillenbrand Stadium that we were so used to, and to see now a little remodel, but a very special place. I could thank so many people, but I do want to thank our administration, especially Dave Heeke and Erika Barnes for making this happen.”
Arizona’s first game in the stadium is now pushed back to Friday afternoon. The Wildcats are hosting the Hillenbrand Invitational this Friday-Sunday, welcoming in New Mexico, South Florida, UIC, #7 Alabama and Cal State Fullerton for the three-day, 15-game event. UA’s first game in the stadium will take place on Friday, Feb. 15 at 3:45 p.m. vs. South Florida, in the first of two games tomorrow for UA; Arizona will take on Illinois-Chicago at 6 p.m. MST
Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services
HILLENBRAND INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
| DATE | TIME | MATCHUP/RESULT | LINKS |
| Friday, Feb. 15 | 9 a.m. | Illinois-Chicago vs. Cal State Fullerton | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Friday, Feb. 15 | 11:15 a.m. | South Florida vs. Alabama | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Friday, Feb. 15 | 1:30 p.m. | New Mexico vs. Alabama | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Friday, Feb. 15 | 3:45 p.m. | ARIZONA vs. South Florida | Pac-12 Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Friday, Feb. 15 | 6 p.m. | ARIZONA vs. Illinois-Chicago | Pac-12 Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Friday, Feb. 15 | 8:15 p.m. | Cal State Fullerton vs. New Mexico | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 | 9 a.m. | Illinois-Chicago vs. South Florida | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 | 11:15 a.m. | Cal State Fullerton vs. South Florida | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Cal State Fullerton vs. Alabama | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 | 3:45 p.m. | ARIZONA vs. Alabama | Pac-12 Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 | 6 p.m. | ARIZONA vs. New Mexico | Pac-12 Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 | 8:15 p.m. | Illinois-Chicago vs. New Mexico | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Sunday, Feb. 17 | 9 a.m. | South Florida vs. New Mexico | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Sunday, Feb. 17 | 11:15 a.m. | Alabama vs. Illinois-Chicago | FloSports Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
| Sunday, Feb. 17 | 1:30 p.m. | ARIZONA vs. Cal State Fullerton | Pac-12 Live Stream • Live Stats • Twitter |
