Previewing Arizona Baseball’s Super Regional matchup

Win and advance is the name of the game at this point, and as Arizona Baseball returns to action this weekend, we preview their Super Regional matchup against Ole Miss.

With the baseball action heating up in Tucson, naturally, the stakes are getting higher for Arizona Baseball as they return to action this weekend to take on Ole Miss in the Super Regionals.

Last weekend the Wildcats dominated in Tucson, winning all three games as they outscored GCU and UC Santa Barbara 21-8, and here is a recap of what Arizona Baseball did right in Regional play…

Arizona Wildcats

• Arizona had a total of 38 hits and 21 runs on the weekend.
• The Wildcats’ defense and pitching were locked in, holding their opponents to eight runs on 27 hits.
• Overall, it was an all-around Team Effort on offense as many players contributed including Tony Bullard who had a big weekend, as well as Tanner O’Tremba and Nik McClaughry.
• Garrett “Gary” Irvin was sensational in his start against UCSB. The junior left-hander threw the complete-game shutout in game two of the Tucson Regional, surrendering just three hits while striking out 10 as he improved to 6-2 on the season.
• Arizona’s relief pitching was solid, shutting things down and helping secure wins against GCU in the first game, and UCSB in the Regional Championship game.
• Coach Jay Johnson made great adjustments over the weekend, and he has the team bough-in and playing well.
• Hi-Corbett Field was rocking all weekend as the Wildcats averaged 4,369 fans per game. *Note, Arizona is 29-7 at home this season and the home-field advantage could be huge for the Wildcats.

Moving Forward to Super Regionals

Arizona will look to keep their confidence riding high, their bats hot, as well as maintaining strong pitching as they look to clinch their 18th College World Series.

The Wildcats got great contributions from virtually everywhere, and whether it was offense or defense, it was a total team effort as the Wildcats advanced swiftly through the Tucson Regional. We’ll see if they can replicate those results against a tougher Ole Miss squad.

Previewing Arizona Baseball’s matchup against the Ole Miss Runnin’ Rebels:

Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Mike Bianco 
Head Coaching Record: 911–525–1 (811–454–1 at Ole Miss)
Current Record: 44-20 (18-12)

Pitching:

Overall, the Rebels have a decent pitching group that’s holding opponents to a combined 4.55 ERA, a .245 batting average, and 736 strikeouts.

• Largely led by their ace Doug Nikhazy, the junior left-hander has been very good this year, compiling an 11-2 record with a 2.39 ERA, 132 strikeouts, all while holding batters a .180 average. Look for him to get the start in game one.
• Behind Doug, Gunnar Hoglund has been a solid day two or day three starter, compiling a 4-2 record with a 2.87 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 11 starts.
• Outside of those two, Ole Miss has a few solid pitchers they use, however, deeper into the rotation is where things get a little thin for the Rebels, where they have 12 pitchers with a 5.00 ERA or higher.

Hitting:

Overall, this is a good offensive group that comes to Tucson. The Rebels pack a lot of power from the plate, combining for a .289 batting average, 82 home runs, 420 RBI’s, and 460 runs scored.

• As a team, the Rebels are averaging 7.19 runs per game. By comparison, Arizona is averaging 8.59 runs per game.
• Ole Miss has three batters all with double-digit home run totals for the year, while Tim Elko is the heart and soul of this group. A captain, Tim has been playing with a torn ACL, and the senior has been having a tremendous year, batting .329 from the dish with 16 home runs and 54 RBI’s.
• The Rebels currently possess an impressive .457 slugging percentage and a .387 on-base percentage.

How to watch Super Regionals:

• Friday 6/11 – 6:00 pm MST ESPNU
• Saturday 6/12 – 7:00 pm MST ESPN 2
• Sunday 6/13 – 6:00 pm MST ESPN 2 or ESPNU (If Necessary)