Arizona is in play to host during the NCAA Baseball Tournament this year after the Division I Baseball Committee announced 20 possible host sites Monday morning. The Wildcats currently sit in first place in the Pac-12 standings plus have the facilities to serve as a host in the postseason.
The decision to announce 20 possible host sites before trimming that number to 16 is something new for the NCAA this year, but because of COVID-19 pandemic it was deemed necessary to have predetermined sites selected ahead of time.
The final 16 sites will be selected and announced May 30 at 5:30 p.m. MST ahead of the announcement of the 64-team field for the tournament at 9 a.m. MST on May 31.
Oregon and Stanford are the other two Pac-12 schools remaining on the list with Gonzaga being the other West Coast program that is part of the 20 possible host sites. Arkansas, Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt are the other potential host sites that will be under consideration.
“Certainly, this has been a unique season, but the committee is very appreciative of all of the schools that submitted bids to host. We received a number of quality bids from schools around the country that were interested in being a part of this championship, including a few potential first-time hosts,” said Jeff Altier, chair of the committee and director of athletics at Stetson. “We are extremely excited to bring the Division I Baseball Championship back in 2021 and let the student-athletes, coaches and fans once again experience this terrific event.”
The NCAA is going to permit the host sites to allow up to 50% capacity during the regional and super regional rounds, though local health mandates could mean varied attendance limits. UA bumped up its capacity for the remainder of the regular season to 30% starting with this weekend's series.
Arizona head coach Jay Johnson expressed confidence that UA would be considered as part of the group based on the Wildcats' success this season. The team currently sits at 32-13 entering its final Pac-12 home series this weekend.
"I expect we'll be on the list, we deserve to be on the list, there's no question we'll be on the list in my opinion," Johnson said this week. "With that being said, there's so much baseball to play. We still have to go out and earn that, and that's really where my head is at.
"We've earned it to this point in time, but the season is not over."
Arizona has not hosted a regional since 2012.
The Wildcats host last-place Washington this weekend for a three-game series beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. MST.
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