Arizona Baseball still needs work to make the NCAA Tourney

The 2022 Arizona Baseball season is winding down, and the Wildcats will have a bit more work to do if they are to make the NCAA Tournament this season. 

We are trekking along in the 2022 Arizona Baseball season and so far, it has been a bit of an up and down season in Chip Hale’s first year as head coach of the Wildcats, especially over the past few weeks.

Before the Wildcats’ mid-week tilt against ASU near the beginning of April, Arizona was 21-8 and ranked No. 11 in the country.

However, over the last month, the Wildcats are just 12-9 and have dropped precipitously in the rankings as well as in the Pac-12 standings.

At times, the Wildcats have looked very competitive beating Creighton, ASU, and Nevada in subsequent series. However, at other times, Arizona has looked very pedestrian, losing three-game series’ to Utah, Washington State, and USC on the road.

And with just a few games left on the season, Arizona Baseball may have some work to do still if they are to make the NCAA Tournament.

As it stands, Arizona has a decent resume, but the Wildcats could stand to improve a little with marquee series against the Oregon schools looming.

Here’s a quick look at the Wildcats’ postseason resume…

Arizona Baseball

Overall Record: 33-17 (14-10)
Current Pac-12 Standing: Tied for 3rd with UCLA
Current RPI Ranking: 40
Strength of Schedule: 48

Record vs. RPI Teams:

1-25: 0-0
26-50: 7-4
51-100: 17-12
101-200: 1-1
200+: 8-0

On paper, their resume doesn’t look too bad, and you would have to assume that the Wildcats would just sneak into the Tournament with this resume.

However, the challenge ahead for Arizona will be a daunting one. For starters, Arizona will welcome No. 2 Oregon State this weekend who are currently 38-9 on the year and are playing some of their best baseball.

Following that series, Arizona will have another tough challenge awaiting them as they close out the regular season with a tough road trip to Eugene where they will play Oregon. The Ducks are currently ranked No. 19 in the RPI standings.

Hopefully, the Wildcats can find some answers down the stretch to secure a playoff berth!