The time is now for Arizona Baseball to deliver

Coming into 2021, expectations are high for Arizona Baseball, and the time is now for the Wildcats to stand up and deliver. 

It has been a long time since fans have seen any Arizona Baseball action in the desert, but finally, after a long 348 days of waiting, the Wildcats returned to the baseball diamond for the highly anticipated 2021 season.

Coming in, there has been plenty of hype with this team, especially as this group returns a large contingency of their talent from last years’ canceled season. Plus, the Wildcats also brought in an elite class to round out this team.

Arizona Wildcats

Because of the talent the Wildcats have, Arizona entered the year with a Top 25 ranking in hand. So naturally, the expectations are going to be high.

As Arizona took to the field on Friday against Ball State, things looked promising too. Now in year two with elite pitching coach Nate Yeskie, the Wildcats were in rare territory, delivering a pitching gem to shut out the Cardinals 3-0 in Friday evenings win.

However, quickly the perceptions have since changed as Arizona has now dropped two-straight games to Ball State, with bullpen pitching still struggling, and the bats going a bit silent.

With Arizona falling to the Cardinals 5-2 on Sunday afternoon, the pressure now begins to mount for Arizona head coach Jay Johnson, as the team currently sits at 1-2 on the season.

With all the talent that Arizona Baseball has and the staff that they have put together, there is no excuse for the Wildcats not to deliver.

Johnson is now in year six with the Wildcats and he hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2017. Since 2018, despite having numerous draft picks and lofty expectations, the team is just 77-52.

This year, the team has to deliver. They have had a full year under pitching coach Yeskie, they return a lot of talent, and they’re preseason Top 25 ranked. The excuses are out, and it is time for the Wildcats to stand and deliver.

This is a program with an illustrious history! With Four National Championships, 17 College World Series appearances, 39 NCAA Tournament appearances, and hundreds of MLB Draft picks, Arizona has got to find a way to get it done, or it may be time to find someone else who will.