SCOTTSDALE โ In 2019, when Arizona made a late run for the postseason that ultimately fell short, Chip Haleโs predecessor came to a realization.
โIf you donโt know that youโre in the tournament when you go to bed the night before,โ Jay Johnson said, โyouโre not in the tournament.โ
If that holds true, the 2023 Wildcats played their last game of the season Saturday night.
Arizona came as close to winning the Pac-12 Tournament โ and guaranteeing a spot in the NCAA Tournament โ as possible without doing so. The UA lost to Oregon 5-4 in the championship game at Scottsdale Stadium.
In doing so, the Wildcats (33-24) also lost control of their fate. Whether they emerge on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble will depend on the analysis of the selection committee and the results of other conference tournaments around the country.
Working in the Cats’ favor: Even with Saturday’s loss, their RPI stood at a respectable 45 as of Sunday afternoon, per WarrenNolan.com. Arizona also has a solid 8-12 record against Quad 1 opponents and a strength-of-schedule ranking of 29th.
As recently as a few weeks ago, the Wildcatsโ RPI was in the mid-60s. They worked their way onto the bubble by winning seven of their final nine games, including a pair of victories over projected top-eight national seed Stanford.
โTheyโve battled,โ Hale said Saturday night. โItโs the team we thought we had. We pitched better. We swung the bats.
โWe have a good club. We have a club that can compete.โ
Arizona is a much better team today than it was a month or two ago. The problem: Every game counts. Even with a 3-1 record in the Pac-12 Tournament, the Wildcats have an aggregate record of 16-19 against league opponents (including a midweek win over Arizona State in April).
Meanwhile, other results Sunday did not work in Arizonaโs favor. In the American Athletic Tournament final, Tulane stunned top seed East Carolina. The Green Wave, at 19-40, are headed to a regional. So are the Pirates, who were in contention to host.
In the Conference USA Tournament final, a similar scenario unfolded: Charlotte upset top seed Dallas Baptist to steal a bid. The 49ers werenโt projected to make the NCAA Tournament; the Patriots were fighting for one of the 16 host spots.
Which brings us to something else Johnson said in 2019 after the Wildcats failed to make the NCAAs for the second straight season:
โIf youโre relying on the events of the last day which you cannot control โ meaning conference-tournament finals โ youโre probably not in a good position.โ
Heading into Sunday’s games, D1Baseball.com projected Arizona as the second team out; Baseball America had the Wildcats as the first team out.
Itโs that close.
The official answer will be revealed during the selection show at 9 a.m. Monday (ESPN2).
No looking back
Arizona had a series of near-misses and heartbreaking losses during the regular season. If half of them had gone the other way, the Wildcatsโ outlook would be decidedly different.
One glaring example: The UA squandered a 10-0 lead against Oregon on April 1, losing 13-11.
Hale said he doesnโt think about what could have been.
โItโs not productive,โ Hale said. โYouโre just gonna regret everything youโve done. If we could change anything, Iโd change a lot. But you canโt. So you gotta move forward. And thatโs what we teach our guys.โ
Arizonaโs Tony Bullard smacks a solo homer in the eighth for the final margin in the Wildcatsโ 5-4 loss to Oregon on Saturday. UA will find out its NCAA Tournament fate Monday morning.
Pac plaudits
Four Wildcats โ position players Tony Bullard, Chase Davis and Nik McClaughry, plus pitcher Bradon Zastrow โ made the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team. All were deserving choices.
Bullard, who made the team as the DH, went 7 for 14 (.500) in the tournament with two home runs, four RBIs and seven runs scored. He has at least one hit in nine consecutive games.
Davis, named the tournament MVP, went 6 for 17 (.353) with two home runs, 12 RBIs and five runs scored. His eight-game hitting streak was snapped Saturday night.
McClaughry went 8 for 18 (.444) with one home run, six RBIs and seven runs scored while playing error-free defense at shortstop. McClaughry has hit safely in eight straight games.
Zastrow had one of the standout starting performances in the tournament, limiting the powerful Stanford offense to four runs in seven innings in the Wildcatsโ 14-4, run-rule victory over the top-seeded Cardinal in the semifinals Friday. Zastrow had five strikeouts and zero walks.
Several other UA players performed well enough to merit consideration. First baseman Kiko Romero went 5 for 14 (.357) with two homers, six RBIs and four runs scored. Aiden May started two of the four games and allowed only three earned runs in 10 innings for a 2.70 ERA.
Coach Chip Hale said during his postgame address that Arizona deserves to make the NCAA Tournament. Will the selection committee see it the same way? (video by Michael Lev / Arizona Daily Star)
Photos: Arizona can't get by Oregon in 5-4 loss in championship game of Pac-12 Baseball Tournament
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Oregon's Rikuu Nishida (56), left, and Drew Smith (17) come out to meet Jacob Walsh (25) after he mashed a solo homer into the right field power alley in the sixth inning and getting the Ducks back on top of Arizona 4-3 in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Oregon players rush onto the field to celebrate their 5-4 win over Arizona in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's Emilio Corona (26) sits alone on the bench as the Oregon Ducks celebrate on the field after the Wildcats fell 5-4 in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona second baseman Mason White hops to play the hop on a grounder by Oregon's Gavin Grant in the third inning of their game in the final of the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament in Scottsdale on May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's Chase Davis (5) gets hit on the foot by a pitch against Oregon in the first inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
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Arizona shortstop Nik McClaughry runs down a high chopper by Oregonโs Rikuu Nishida that ended up an infield RBI single and a 3-1 Ducks lead in the fourth inning of the Pac-12 Tournament championship game in Scottsdale on May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizonaโs players gather for a huddle before the start of Saturdayโs game against Oregon. UA will face TCU in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Friday night.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizonaโs reliever Casey Hintz (16) waits on the bench to go back out to face Oregon in the sixth inning of the Pac-12 championship game Saturday night in Scottsdale. Oregon won 5-4.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's Garen Caulfield (1) flexes on second after slapping a lead off double against Oregon in the third inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Oregon's Rikuu Nishida, right, just beats the throw to Arizona first baseman Kiko Romero, reaching on a Wildcat error in the third inning of their game in the final of the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale on May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's second baseman Mason White (24) loses the handle on the throw as Oregon's Rikuu Nishida (56) steal second in the third inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Oregon's second baseman Gavin Grant (5) turns the pivot over Arizona's Mason White (24) for a double play in the fourth inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizonaโs Mac Bingham, right, beats the throw to second base in the Pac-12 championship game Saturday night in Scottsdale. The Wildcats (33-24) survived the bubble to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Oregon's catcher Bennett Thompson (16) swipes late as Arizona's Kiko Romero (12) dives past him for an inside the park homer during the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's shortstop Nik McClaughry (11) gets the easy fielderโs choice, fielding a ball by Oregon's Rikuu Nishida (56) to end the Duck half of the sixth inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's Kiko Romero, left, knocks his cleat with the bat as Oregon catcher Bennett Thompson celebrates Romero's swinging strikeout with the bases loaded to end the Wildcats' seventh inning during their game in the final of the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale on May 27, 2023.
University of Arizona vs Oregon
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Arizona's shortstop Nik McClaughry (11), left, and second baseman Mason White (24) canโt believe White didnโt double off Oregon's Sabin Ceballos (21) a screaming line drive in the seventh inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023. The call was overturned and Ceballos was called eventually called out.
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Arizonaโs Tony Bullard smacks a solo homer in the eighth for the final margin in the Wildcatsโ 5-4 loss to Oregon on Saturday. UA will find out its NCAA Tournament fate Monday morning.
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Arizona's Jackson Kent (22) and the Wildcat pitching staff loosen up just before taking on Oregon in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.
