From dropping the first NCAA Super Regional game 18-2 to winning two straight to capture the series against North Carolina, the Arizona Wildcats ride a strong wave of momentum into the program’s 19th Men’s College World Series appearance.
North Carolina was favored with home-field advantage at Chapel Hill, but Arizona changed the narrative and now head to Omaha as winners in 10 of 11 games and Big 12 champions. The Wildcats will draw Coastal Carolina in their first matchup Friday at 11 a.m. MST after the Chanticleers defeated fourth-ranked Auburn in Alabama in the Super Regional.
The winner will advance to play either Louisville or Oregon State.
“Our numbers don’t show how well this team can hit the ball out of the park, so that when we get into an offensive environment like in Oregon it just explodes,” said Tucson native Mason White, a junior shortstop.
Arizona’s key contributors include White, who collected three hits and two RBIs in the three-game series. White’s two-run single in the eighth inning sealed the victory in Sunday’s finale, and he’s hoping to provide the same spark in pursuit of a title.
“We grind out every pitch, this team adapts to this pitch by pitch mindset,” White said.
No. 11 Coastal Carolina (53-11) enters the CWS riding a 23-game winning streak. While the team’s last loss came at College of Charleston on April 22, the CWS offers no guarantees against the Wildcats despite going nearly two months without the taste of defeat.
“Nothing stood out to me about playing Arizona, outside of the fact that they are a really good team,” Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall said Thursday.
Coastal Carolina catcher Caden Bodine slugs his way to the CWS with five home runs and 41 RBIs. Another powerful hitter that has remained an equal to Arizona is redshirt senior Sebastian Alexander, who has 10 home runs along with 63 hits.
Eight winners of the super regionals are equally split into two double-elimination brackets. The bracket winners will face off in a best-of-three series to determine the NCAA champion.
Omaha’s Schwab Field has similar dimensions to Tucson’s Hi Corbett Field, which could motivate a hot-hitting Wildcat squad. “It feels very familiar, you can’t hit the ball up in the air, you can’t hit lazy fly balls,” White said.
Schwab Field ranges to 335 feet, roughly featuring the same dimensions as Hi Corbett Field. This could possibly apply a spark to the Wildcats offense. However, both Coastal Carolina and Arizona will have to look sharp defensively in order to provide depth to the stadium which seats 24,000 fans.
Wildcats closer Tony Pluta was recently selected to the ABCA/Rawlings West All-Region First Team. Recording 34 strikeouts with 14 saves, the Chicago native could be a factor during Friday’s game. The Wildcats used a total of nine bullpen pitchers through the three-game series to keep themselves ahead of the Tar Heels in crucial moments.
Owen Kramkowski enters the College World Series with 83 strikeouts and a 5.48 ERA. Smith Bailey, who earned three wins with a 4.01 ERA, will also work with Kramkowski to represent the Wildcats.
Over the last year, Arizona has been combating the process of recruiting good players. Wildcats focus on acquiring 10-12 players a season, and the offseason strategy has put them in position to compete for a championship.
“We come together as a staff at Arizona and can’t complain about this, these kids are on ESPN every weekend and they have great fans down there, the only way we can change this is by going to Omaha,” Wildcats coach Chip Hale said Thursday.
Overall, Arizona will be represented in a big way heading to Omaha. Pitchers receiving invites to camps, to batters who have faced rehab early in the season. Both teams have pulled off upsets and many fans wonder who will remain victorious.
“Getting Chip here for his first time as a coach just means the world to all of us, especially the ones that came in under him, and being the third generation is just huge,” White said.
BTW…they lost!
I was told that ‘no team’ has ever previously come back to win from a first round loss ; So place your bets! The odds are good for a change to this ‘status quo’