It's that time of year where you smell the scent of freshly cut grass, the combination of butter and popcorn and hot dogs cooking on the grill. Yes, those things mean baseball is back in the desert and Arizona is set to open its season on Friday in the MLB Desert Invitational against No. 2 Tennessee.
The last time the Wildcats stepped on to the field of play, Arizona fell 22-6 in the Coral Gables Regional to Ole Miss finishing the season with a 39-25 record. Now, under second-year head coach Chip Hale, the Cats will be looking to build off what they achieved last season to get to the next-level and potential reaching the College World Series, or simply put, Omaha.
All and all, the Wildcats had a successful season reaching the tournament in Hale's first season. However, the team struggled after getting off to a hot start going 21-9 during the non-conference portion of the schedule. The issues cam in conference play where Arizona went 16-14 giving up an average of 5.8 runs per game. At the end of the day, it was the pitching that eventually became to problematic for the team.
Now, the Wildcats will be heading into the 2023 season looking to improve their rotation, and seeing which position players emerge as leaders in the clubhouse.
Key subtractions:
- Daniel Susac (MLB draft)
- Tanner O'Tremba (MLB draft)
- Garrett Irvin (graduation)
