After a season dominated by conference matchups, West Virginia has a new set of teams to familiarize itself with.
The Tucson Regional, hosted by the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson, Ariz. this weekend, shows similar trends across the team pool. Three of the four teams are located in the southern part of the United States, three teams’ records are within three wins of each other’s, and all of the teams will be facing West Virginia for the first time this weekend.
Due in part to WVU’s location being far removed from that of opponents Arizona, Dallas Baptist, and Grand Canyon, the rest of the pool saw at least one region opponent in the regular season. Both Dallas Baptist and GCU faced off against Arizona in March, giving the Wildcats the most exposure to the region.
WVU, meanwhile, will be going in blind. The Mountaineers enter the Tucson Regional with a 33-22 record and an 0-2 finish at the Big 12 Tournament. Here is what WVU can expect from the rest of the region.
No. 13 Arizona (36-21)
Conference: Pac-12
First Regional Opponent: Grand Canyon
Arizona earned its hosting position and the No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament somewhat unexpectedly. The Wildcats consistently rank in the 19 to 25 range by the Coaches Poll and have had a relatively easy postseason thus far.
In the Pac-12 Tournament, where the Wildcats won the conference title, Arizona never had to face off against another NCAA Tournament qualifier. Both Oregon and Oregon State, who join Arizona in the regional round, were bounced in pool play at the conference tournament, leaving the title for Arizona’s taking. The Wildcats also fell to California in pool play but did not have to face the team again in the conference’s semifinal or final round.
Six Wildcats made the Pac-12’s All-Conference team, including three pitchers and star sophomore outfielder Brendan Summerhill, who marked a .329 batting average on 231 at-bats and recorded 76 hits, 50 runs, 58 RBIs, and eight home runs this season.
Arizona’s biggest name, though, is its coach, Chip Hale. Hale won the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award after winning the regular season and postseason in the conference. Hale has a 108-72 record with the Wildcats and unrivaled experience necessary for preparing players for the next level, as he played eight years in the MLB and coached six seasons at the same level, including a season as bench coach for the World Series champions, the Washington Nationals, in 2019.
Overall, Arizona is set to win Tucson without much competition, but the road paved for the Wildcats this season may allow one of their opponents to catch them off guard. They face off against GCU at 9 p.m. ET on Friday.
Dallas Baptist (44-13)
Conference: Conference USA
First Regional Opponent: West Virginia
Dallas Baptist enters the Tucson Regional with the best regular season record. With that, the Patriots also enter with a 5-2 record against Big 12 opponents and a victory against region host Arizona.
The Patriots are one of two Conference USA teams heading to the regional round, with the other being Louisiana Tech. DBU defeated Louisiana Tech 17-10 in the final game of its undefeated conference tournament run.
Junior pitcher Ryan Johnson will be a name to look out for in the Regional after he earned Conference USA’s Pitcher of the Year honors. Johnson pitched a 10-2 record this season with a 1.81 ERA and DBU’s program record for strikeouts in a season with 147.
Altogether, Dallas Baptist accounted for 11 spots on the All-CUSA team this season, allowing the Patriots to make noise at the bottom of the Coaches Poll top 25 for much of the season.
Grand Canyon (34-23)
Conference: Western Athletic Conference
First Regional Opponent: Arizona
As the fourth seed in the Tucson region, Grand Canyon will have the honor of playing the region host Arizona in its first game. It will be the teams’ fourth time facing off this season. GCU holds a 2-1 advantage in the regular season series.
The Antelopes made noise this season out of the WAC to the point that they are the sole representatives of the conference in the NCAA Tournament. GCU holds a 34-23 season record and the current momentum against Arizona after defeating the Wildcats 24-8 in seven innings in their most recent meeting on April 30.
Despite being the WAC’s only regional qualifier, GCU has a lot of ground to make up for after its conference tournament appearance. Like West Virginia, GCU went 0-2 in the conference tournament, allowing fifth seed Tarleton State to win the WAC title with just a 27-28 regular season record.
With 14 10-run outings this season, Grand Canyon certainly has the firepower to make noise in the regional round, but its inconsistency could hold it back. As such, the Antelopes mirror West Virginia in many ways entering the Tucson regional and will likely be the Mountaineers’ most evenly-matched opponents this weekend.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
