The Arizona Wildcats baseball team is on a roll.
They won the Big 12 championship by defeating TCU in 10 innings at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. They swept their way through the Eugene Regional, scoring 31 runs to defeat Cal Poly and Utah Valley.
Now the 42-18 Wildcats take an eight-game win streak to Chapel Hill, where they will take on North Carolina in a super regional starting Friday.
Junior infielder Mason White, who leads the team with 80 hits and 19 home runs, will enter the super regional with momentum after collecting three home runs and four RBIs against Utah Valley.
“No extra stats in the postseason, just winning the game is what matters,” White said Tuesday.
Other key contributors include junior outfielder Aaron Walton, who has 48 RBIs and leads the the team with 21 doubles. Junior outfielder Brendan Summerhill, who has battled hand and hamstring injuries this season, admits to struggling since he has returned.
“Lots of reinforcement and positive self-talk the last four weeks since rehab,” Summerhill said.
Fellow outfielders Gunner Geile and Dom Rodriguez “are unsung heroes to me” Summerhill said about his teammates’ support.
On the pitching side, sophomore right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski struck out 82 batters and only walked 15 this season. Meanwhile, freshman right-hander Smith Bailey from Peoria has posted a 3.97 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP. Bailey started the last game of the Eugene regional and kept Cal Poly scoreless through six innings.
Senior right-hander Julian Tonghini, who played his first two seasons at Boston College then one with Indiana, has found his comfort zone in the Wildcats pitching rotation. He heads to the super regional with a 4.44 ERA.
Team chemistry will make the difference, Arizona coach Chip Hale said.
Arizona has made the super regional every fourth NCAA tournament this century. The last time the Wildcats competed in a super regional was in Tucson in 2021, when they won a three-game series against Ole Miss and advanced to the College World Series.
They hope a successful outing in North Carolina helps them do the same.