No MLB, No Problem: Arizona Baseball will fill void in 2022

While several Millionaires and Billionaires fight over making more money, one place that won’t be locked out will be at Hi Corbett Field as Arizona Baseball prepares for the 2022 season. 

While Major League Baseball and the Players Association are stuck in a bitter battle, largely surrounding finances (not that that benefits Minor League players like where a lot of Wildcats currently are), one entity that is gearing up in full swing is the NCAA, which of course means our beloved and defending Pac-12 Champion Arizona Baseball team.

If Major League Baseball owners like Ken Kendrick of the Diamondbacks (FYI, the lockout vote was 30-0 in favor of) are willing to risk the future of the sport, then the way for fans to fight back, is by packing the stands at a local level that does not include Major League Ballparks.

Whether that is in Tucson, Phoenix, or any other town local to us, people need to support College Baseball, and the players’ desires to get to that next level.

Hopefully, as has been the case between lockouts, and one that spans a full duration without impact, we have not seen a lockout in baseball since 1994.

With a trio of good D1 programs in the state that also includes Grand Canyon and Arizona State, there are plenty of options for fans across the region to support the great sport of baseball without going to an MLB game.

Despite the immediate drama that followed their brief stop in Omaha that included the swift departure of their head coach, and starting third baseman to new ventures, the 2022 Arizona Wildcats look primed and ready to defend their Pac-12 Title this season.

Led by new bench boss and former Arizona Diamondbacks Manager and World Series Champion Chip Hale, as well as the No. 23 prospect according to MLBPipeline’s catcher Daniel Susac, the Wildcats will once again have their sights set on finishing their season in Omaha at the College World Series.

With a recruiting class loaded with talent including several of the top players from the talent-rich state of Arizona, the Wildcats have also brought in a 1B/OF from what appears to be Arizona Football’s California home base of Servite High School in Anaheim.

Beyond that, Arizona has added a top prospect out of New Mexico as well. Coming in, Coach Hale has quickly been able to restock the depth for the Wildcats.

Luckily, Arizona will also have plenty of returning options to help steer the ship, as Tyler Casagrande, Nik McClaughry, Tanner O’Tremba, and Blake Paugh look to man the field, while the Wildcats also feature a nice set of returning pitchers which includes TJ Nichols, Dawson Netz, Chandler Murphy, and Garrett Irvin.

Overall, Arizona Baseball has some solid options for Chip Hale to dispatch for a team that is slated to start as a Top 15 squad in the country.

https://twitter.com/ArizonaBaseball/status/1479235959271137281

Oddly enough for Hale and Arizona Baseball, the 2022 season is set to begin where Hale’s professional coaching career came to an end, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, as the Wildcats take part in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown taking place February 18-20.

In Arlington, the Wildcats will take on Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech before heading home to take on the Grand Canyon University on February 22.