Arizona will host arguably the best collection of teams in one regional this week after the NCAA revealed the field of 64 teams for the upcoming postseason baseball tournament Monday. The Wildcats earned the No. 5 overall seed in the tournament and will host three talented teams in the Tucson Regional beginning Friday.

The Wildcats will open up against in-state program Grand Canyon at Hi Corbett Field this Friday night at 7 p.m. MST while Oklahoma State and UC Santa Barbara will square off on the other side of the bracket earlier in the day.

All four teams in the Tucson Regional finished the regular season with at least 35 victories.

"It's a great field and it's to be expected," UA head coach Jay Johnson said during a media session with reporters Monday. "I think there were so many teams in contention for bids you knew you were gonna end up with three good opponents. So, that is not a surprise to me at all."

Arizona split its two meetings with GCU earlier this season with a 5-4 extra-innings loss on the road back in April before a convincing 13-2 win over the Lopes earlier this month in Tucson.

GCU won the WAC baseball tournament Saturday and will have some momentum heading down to Tucson this weekend in what will be the program's first appearance in the Division I NCAA Tournament.

Knowing that his team has already played GCU twice this season, including losing one of the matchups, gives Johnson confidence that his team will be prepared come Friday night.

"Familiarity, number one," he said about the advantage of opening the postseason against a team Arizona has already played this year. "Number two, I think that in reference to our opponent, it obviously will grab our players' attention. They'll be respected, and we'll know we need to put a good week of preparation in."

Johnson doesn't believe the lack of postseason experience on Arizona's roster will hinder the team heading into the regional, and he is pleased that his group was rewarded for the season it put together after collecting 40 wins for the first time since 2007 in addition to winning its first outright Pac-12 title since 1989.

The UA head coach was confident heading into Monday's release that his team had done enough to earn one of the coveted national seeds.

"It's only a number, but let's talk about the number for a second," Johnson said. "There's 300 teams that play Division I baseball, so you're the top of the 1%. I'm proud of the players for accomplishing that. Today was kind of the last celebratory day of what they've accomplished to this point.

"To have postseason baseball at Hi Corbett, to be in that position is a tremendous accomplishment. I think we're more than deserving of that number and that seed. It could've been one better, it could've been one worse but they hire other people to decide those things. Now it's just about the play, and it's about the preparation. That's my sweet spot, my comfort zone."

Securing the No. 5 seed ensures that if Arizona advances to the next round it will host a super regional matchup against the winner of the Oxford Regional hosted by 12th-seeded Ole Miss. Florida State, Southern Miss and Southeast Missouri State are part of that regional.

Arizona's Friday evening matchup against GCU will be broadcast on ESPN3.

1. (5) Arizona (40-15)

2. Oklahoma State (35-17)

3. UC Santa Barbara (39-18)

4. Grand Canyon (39-19-1)

Friday: Arizona vs GCU (7 p.m. MST/ESPN3); OSU vs UCSB (1 p.m. MST/ESPN3)

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