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On one hand, it seems like just yesterday there was a press conference announcing that she was going to take the helm, the day after legendary coach Mike Candrea retired.

On the other hand, it seems like this seat has been her home for much longer. Walking into her office at McKale Center with all her awards from her playing days, as well as the program’s many trophies behind glass cases, it’s as if this was exactly where she was always meant to be.

The Star sat down with Lowe for a wide-ranging conversation on the depth of her squad, what the infield will look like now that the stalwarts of Allie Skaggs at second, Carlie Scupin at first and Blaise Biringer at third have all graduated, as well the Italy trip.

Last year around this time, we sat down and talked about your freshmen and one that you highlighted was Regan Shockey. Did you have any idea at that time that she was going to end up being one of the best freshman in the country?

A: “I don’t want to say yes, but just the way she came to practice every day, I knew she was going to be successful. I knew she was going to be a great college player right away because of just the way she shows up and does the little things the right way all the time and goes hard all of the time.�

You added a good transfer class. What does each one of them bring?

A: “Let’s start with Kiki (Escobar, transfer from Oregon State). I would say Kiki is our little Swiss Army knife. Now, in the infield, there’s always, it seems like, one every year that’s rotating from each position. She’s taken balls at third, short, second and first. Occasionally, we pop her into the outfield when we’re down someone in the scrimmage, but just an athlete all around. She’s passionate about the game. Plays hard all of the time, great off the ball, energy and I feel great about being able to plug her into any of those spots.

“Sydney Stewart (transfer from UW) fit in absolutely right away. Syd got to just take that Italy trip with us. She didn’t get to play because she wasn’t cleared yet. But she fit in right away with our girls and I think that was the biggest thing. She’s very much a good culture kid, high character, big, strong, can hit the hit the heck out of the ball, but really just shows up and has a great work ethic every day.

“Saya (Swain, transfer from Iowa State) is so much fun to watch as a pitcher. She just has this competitive energy that I think is unmatched in the circle. Each of our pitchers has that but in a very different way, and she is very confident when she has the ball in her hand. I love people who embrace that closing role. She just adds a whole new dynamic to our bullpen. It’s really hard to see the ball out of her hand and she has a lot of different ways that she can beat you.�

Tayler Biehl has shortstop locked down, but what is the rest of your infield going to look like having to replace the other three positions?

A: “Jenna (Sniffen), Kiki and Kate Vance have all been working at third base. We didn’t skip a beat defensively, and everyone looks great over there. It’s really nice to have that group just have Tayler right in their back pocket — it’s been great for their growth. Second base, Logan (Cole, back from shoulder injury) and Kiki have been working there for the most part. They’re very similar in that they’re steady in their performance. You know what you’re going to get, defensively, great leaders on the field. And then first base has been a rotation of quite a few hitters, really, (Devyn Netz, Miranda Stoddard, Escobar, Anyssa Wild and Stewart) and just seeing what kind of combinations work.�

It seems like this is the first time as a head coach that you’ve had so much depth. How does this change your situational in-game strategy?

A: “100%. I think the fun thing about this is that it gets very tactical as far as the matchups we have and being able to put people in according to their strengths. I think that’s something you’re going to see with our pitching staff. When you have that many arms (8), they’re at the top of their game, and they all look different, it gets really fun to place people in certain roles. That’s something we haven’t had in a few years.

“The way I look at our hitters is so awesome because so many of our hitters I could see in a DP role and a pinch hitting role. They’re all crushing it in inner-squad scrimmages. It’s really can we put them in those positions that we know they have the best chance to succeed? They are different types of hitters. Someone’s strength is someone else’s weakness and that makes it fun because then you feel like you have something in your toolbox for given situations. Being able to figure out that equation of what a starting lineup looks like, plus your pieces coming in off the bench, is going to be fun.�

What do you think you gained from your trip to Italy over the summer?

A: “It was once in a lifetime; so much fun. The difference I noticed was when our freshmen came in in the fall, they already had that bonding experience. Usually, when you’re a freshman, you’re stepping straight into workouts, class, practice, everything gets thrown at you all at once. It was nice to have that bonding experience with no school. We had softball and touring — a different part of Italy every single day.

“It was also interesting because it was once in a lifetime, too, as we had our outgoing seniors with us. (There were) interactions that probably never would have happened got to happen and wisdom departed. That was a really cool piece of it, to hear from someone like Scupin as a freshman, and take reps next to her, even though she’s not going to be in the lineup this year. That is a very cool experience because it’s something they never would have gotten otherwise.�