TUCSON, AZ - As Arizona Baseball (36-21, 20-10) hosts a Regional to begin NCAA Tournament play, we break down who the Wildcats will play host to next weekend in Tucson!
Well, Arizona Baseball defied all the odds! Despite having an RPI of 31 (the lowest of all host Regional Teams), the Wildcats were awarded a regional in Tucson!
Making news on Sunday afternoon, the NCAA announced the 16 Regional host sites for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and to our delight, the Wildcats will be playing baseball in Tucson this weekend!
However, the question is who would the Wildcats be playing host to?
Well, on Monday morning, the NCAA announced the rest of the Tournament field, and coming to Tucson will be (2) Dallas Baptist, (3) West Virginia, and (4) Grand Canyon.
Tucson Regional
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 27, 2024
(13) @ArizonaBaseball @GCU_Baseball@WVUBaseball@DBU_Baseball#RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/3dNXnv1oFo
And with Arizona Baseball hosting a Regional, we give a brief overview of each team that the Wildcats could potentially see at Hi Corbett.
(2) Dallas Baptist
Head Coach: Dan Heefner
Conference: Conference USA
Current Record: 44-13 (17-7)
Tournament Résumé:
- RPI: 17
- Non-Conference RPI: 25
- Strength of Schedule: 84
- Non-Conference Strength of Schedule: 80
(3) West Virginia
Head Coach: Randy Mazey
Conference: Big 12
Current Record: 33-22 (19-11)
Tournament Résumé:
- RPI: 37
- Non-Conference RPI: 54
- Strength of Schedule: 50
- Non-Conference Strength of Schedule: 152
(4) Grand Canyon
Head Coach: Gregg Wallis
Conference: Western Athletic Conference (WAC)
Current Record: 34-23 (2-7)
Tournament Résumé:
- RPI: 96
- Non-Conference RPI: 79
- Strength of Schedule: 141
- Non-Conference Strength of Schedule: 18
A pretty solid and competitive field, this isn't the most favorable group of teams that the Wildcats will face this weekend; however, all you can hope for is a solid showing from the Cats. They earned the opportunity to be here, now it is time to deliver!
Baseball action will kick off Friday when Arizona takes on the Lopes of Grand Canyon. The first pitch time has yet to be announced!
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