As expected, Arizona made the first cut to host postseason baseball.
The UA was among 20 predetermined sites to host a regional round and potentially a Super Regional, the NCAA announced Friday. The Division I Baseball Committee will pick 16 sites to host regionals on May 30. The field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament will be announced the next day.
The NCAA implemented this system to give host sites adequate time to set up COVID-19 testing and other health-and-safety measures.
Arizona ranks seventh nationally in RPI. The Wildcats are 32-13, 16-8 in the Pac-12, and they’re tied for first place in the league with a .667 conference winning percentage. The UA begins a three-game home series against Washington on Friday at Hi Corbett Field.
Arizona was one of three Pac-12 schools to make the initial list of 20. The others were Oregon (No. 10 in RPI) and Stanford (No. 17). One other West Coast school, Gonzaga (No. 23), has a chance to host.
Every school that made the top 20 has an RPI of 28 or higher.
The NCAA will allow up to 50% fan capacity for the NCAA Tournament. That percentage will vary by site, depending on state and local health mandates. The UA has upped capacity to 30% for this weekend’s baseball and softball games.
NCAA regionals are scheduled for June 4-7. Super Regionals are June 11-14. The College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, begins June 19.
