EUGENE, Ore. — The initial celebration was relatively subdued — more midweek than postseason.
No dogpiles for the Arizona Wildcats.
That’s because they aren’t done yet.
Arizona cruised to a 14-0 victory over Cal Poly on Sunday night to sweep the Eugene Regional. The Wildcats are headed to Super Regionals for the first time under Chip Hale. They’re far from satisfied.
“I hope that's how they feel,” Hale said. “That's how I feel. I feel like this team has more on their mind.”
The ghosts of regionals past haunted veterans such as junior third baseman Maddox Mihalakis. Arizona got swept in regionals each of the past two seasons — including at home last year — before breaking through in Eugene.
“It feels awesome,” said Mihalakis, who had two home runs for the first multi-homer game of his career. “Last year was definitely a disappointment. We had such a great season. I think it left a sour taste in a lot of the mouths of the people who came back.
Arizona's Aaron Walton, right, rounds third base after hitting one of his three home runs vs. Cal Poly in the Eugene Regional final on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
“This year we just played with that extra chip on our shoulder coming here in this regional. Going down the final stretch of the year, we really turned it on and played our baseball. We’ve just been putting our best foot forward every day. Being able to come out here (and have) success is great, and it's awesome to be able to keep going.”
Arizona’s next opponent will be determined Monday afternoon. Oklahoma defeated No. 5 overall seed North Carolina on Sunday to force a winner-take-all game.
If the Tar Heels win, the Wildcats will head to Chapel Hill. If the Sooners win, the Super Regional series will take place in Tucson or Norman.
Aaron Walton hit three home runs against Cal Poly, and Smith Bailey threw six scoreless innings as the Wildcats advanced to the Super Regional round for the first time since 2021. That was also the last time Arizona made it to the College World Series.
After a breakout performance at the plate Saturday night — 19 hits, including a school-record eight home runs — the Wildcats came out swinging Sunday.
Arizona's Maddox Mihalakis rounds third base and signals to the dugout after hitting the first of two home runs vs. Cal Poly in the Eugene Regional final on June 1, 2025, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
They scored five runs in the first inning and three more in the second. Again, the long ball went a long way.
Arizona hit three home runs in the first two innings. Two came off the bat of Walton, who added No. 3 in the sixth. One night after Mason White became the ninth Wildcat to hit three homers in a game, Walton became the 10th. Before Saturday he hadn’t homered since May 2.
All three were two-run shots. The second came in the second inning against left-hander Josh Morano, who spent his freshman season at Arizona in 2023-24.
Mihalakis — one of only two Wildcats who hadn’t homered in the regional at that point — hit a solo shot three batters later to make it 8-0.
On a day full of dramatic finishes and upsets across the country — including the Nos. 1 and 2 national seeds being eliminated — Arizona never let Cal Poly up for air.
Freshman starter Smith Bailey had a lot to do with that. Bailey scattered four hits over six scoreless innings. It was his second quality start in three outings. He has allowed just two runs in those three appearances — one of which clinched the Big 12 championship, the other a ticket to Super Regionals.
Arizona's Smith Bailey delivers a pitch vs. Cal Poly in the Eugene Regional final on Sunday at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. Bailey threw six scoreless innings.
Aside from altering his pitch mix, Bailey said he didn’t change anything down the stretch.
“I treat my preparation as if it's every other Sunday game,” Bailey said. “Today happened to be also on a Sunday, which was nice. But I just trust my preparation throughout the week and keep on my routine. So it's the same thing every single week, no matter if it's the last game of the College World Series or opening day against a nonconference team.”
The Mustangs were involved in a dramatic finish earlier Sunday. They walked off upstart Utah Valley in 11 innings. Senior first baseman Zach Daudet provided the winning run with a solo homer to right-center.
The Wildcats watched the last several innings from a warmup area adjacent to Oregon’s hitting center beyond the right field wall. Not having to play an extra game allowed Arizona to set up its bullpen for Sunday night.
Hunter Alberini, Julian Tonghini and Matthew Martinez each pitched a scoreless inning. Martinez, whose father played at Arizona, secured the last out with a strikeout.
Arizona poses for a team photo after defeating Cal Poly 14-0 to win the NCAA Tournament's Eugene Regional on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
The Wildcats exchanged a few hip bumps and “Bash Brothers” arm locks before forming their typical high-five line. “Bear Down Arizona” played over the sound system before being abruptly cut off.
Hale did a postgame interview on ESPN+ with a ring of bananas around his neck. The team posed for a photo with a banner depicting the Eugene Regional bracket.
“The message hasn’t changed since the very beginning,” Walton said. “We’ve got a special group. I’m excited to see where we end up.”
Inside pitch
– Arizona hit six home runs and had 15 in three games in the regional. The Wildcats have 20 home runs in six postseason games and 32 in their past 12 games. They had 42 in the first 48 games of the season.
– Tommy Splaine homered for the second time in as many games. He had two homers during the regular season.
– Splaine, Walton, White, Garen Caulfield and Adonys Guzman were named to the Eugene Regional All-Tournament Team. White was named MVP of the regional on the heels of being named the Most Outstanding Player in the Big 12 Tournament.
– Arizona notched its first shoutout in an NCAA Tournament game since Garett Irvin blanked UC Santa Barbara on June 5, 2021, at Hi Corbett Field.
