A year after their remarkable 2016 run, the Wildcats are nearing their 2017 opener, we bring you Arizona Baseball’s season preview.
Last year, the Arizona Baseball season was quite special for some reasons. In head coach Jay Johnson’s first year, he led the team to a somewhat surprising 49-24 record and a second-place finish in the College World Series. His team took Coastal Carolina, another Cinderella team, all the way to the final game, final innings until our catcher Cesar Salazar took a bat to the head and there was a possible incorrect call on a controversial run.
Perhaps the pressure may be on this year as the Wildcats try to get back to Omaha, let’s hope they can finish what they started.
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Coming into 2017, the voters (coaches and media) needed to took a longer look at Arizona this time around. Before last season, many had thought the Wildcats would finish somewhere in the bottom half of the conference, but they surprised everyone.
Coming into 2017, the Wildcats have been ranked anywhere from 19th to 22nd overall in the preseason polls. The Baseball News ranked Arizona at No. 7 in December, while the D1Baseball and the NCAA ranked Arizona at No. 19.
New coach, questions with the roster, it seemed like an easy team to overlook. After all, Arizona was essentially in rebuild mode. My how things changed throughout the season and especially as the Wildcats gained momentum and landed in the tournament ending up in the World Series finals.
As the season progressed, Johnson showed off his coaching prowess as he did at Nevada before his arrival in Tucson. Guys like now MLB draftees Bobby Dalbec, Cody Ramer, Zach Gibbons and Nathan Bannister among others became clutch contributors down the stretch. However, here we are a year later, and Arizona has lost those valuable pieces, the challenge will be on to see who steps up.
The Cats are fresh off a spectacular and entertaining season and will have a bit of a fresh look as well going into 2017.
A new spin on a classic look from @nikebaseball for 2017! #MLBTrainingGround 🐻🔽 pic.twitter.com/quCyfhPUUD
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) January 10, 2017
The schedule begins in nearly two weeks, with the Wildcats taking on Eastern Kentucky at Hi-Corbett Field. Arizona will see a nice mix of talented teams, before entering conference play, most notably playing Oklahoma State (the Wildcats’ CWS Semi-Final opponent).
The rest of their schedule can be found online, via the teams’ website.
Look for the Wildcats to still have a talented roster, but again may have some depth concerns. Should Arizona make another deep run, it will be interesting to see how Johnson manages it this time around.
Zona Zealots had a chance to speak to a few of the players about their team last season and their off-the-charts chemistry. Robby Medel talks about their lucky 3-2 towell that made the trip all the way to Omaha.
As noted, Arizona does lose some of their coveted hitting with the departures of Ryan Aguilar, Dalbec, Gibbons and Ramer. However, the team does return talented youngsters like Alfonso Rivas III, Cesar Salazar, Louis Boyd and JJ Matijevic. Additionally, players like Nicholas Quintana, Matt Fraizer, and Cameron Cannon could become key role players as freshmen. As we reported earlier, Arizona Football QB Matt Morin has been given a chance to be a left-handed pitcher.
We still expect Arizona to contend for a Top-3 finish in the Pac-12 Conference, and the Wildcats do seemingly have the talent to at least get back to the post-season. Entering into 2017, Oregon State is the perceived conference favorite early on, with Arizona right behind, and Stanford, Arizona State, and Washington getting a bit of recognition as well.
Next: Matt Morin given Baseball Opportunity
Don’t miss this season at Hi Corbett field where they serve beer, and we have heard they added boxes. If nothing else, Robby Medel and crew’s dancing and cheering from the dugout will keep you thoroughly entertained. At Zona Zealots, we’re excited to see the return of baseball, the Wildcats dugout and we are especially anxious to see how Arizona Baseball succeeds this season. Bear Down, Arizona!