Editorβs note: For more than six decades, the UA has been college baseball royalty, making 17 College World Series appearances and winning four national championships. The Star is reliving each of the teamβs trips to Omaha.
2012: Cats capture fourth title with dominant run
What went down: Brandon Dixon ripped an RBI double into the right-field corner and Trent Gilbert followed with a two-run single, and the Arizona Wildcats used a ninth-inning rally to beat South Carolina 4-1 to capture the 2012 College World Series β the UAβs fourth title in program history and first since 1986.
Robert Refsnyder was named the Seriesβ most outstanding player after going 2 for 3 and scoring the go-ahead run in Arizonaβs title-clinching win. The future big-leaguer went 10 for 21 with five RBIs and six runs scored in the College World Series. UA catcher Riley Moore, shortstop Alex Mejia, outfielders Joey Rickard and Refsnyder, designated hitter Bobby Brown and pitcher Konner Wade made the all-tournament team. James Farris started the championship-clinching game in place of All American Kurt Heyer, and earned the win.
Arizona won all five of its games in Omaha, beating Florida State twice, blanking UCLA 4-0 and beating South Carolina in back-to-back nights in the best-of-three championship series.
From the archives: The Starβs Ryan Finley wrote that Arizonaβs team of destiny wouldnβt be denied:
Their so-called defensive substitution delivered the biggest hit of his life. Their No. 9 hitter batted like a cleanup guy. The College World Seriesβ hottest team found life when things seemed to be falling apart, and because of it, the Arizona Wildcats are national champions. β¦
The UAβs fourth baseball title, and first since 1986, included two unlikely heroes. But Arizonaβs formula for success β¦ remained the same as it was in its first four victories in Omaha: pitch, play good defense and force the opponent to make a mistake. When South Carolina flinched, the Wildcats capped their run through college baseballβs most brutal gauntlet.
UA beat Florida State twice and shut out UCLA before sweeping South Carolina in the best-of-three championship series in 2012.
He said it: UA coach Andy Lopez said he was blessed to be around the 2012 roster. βOur best players are our best human beings in the program,β he said. βAnd thatβs a real deadly combination when you suit up as a team.β
After Omaha: Refsnyder was drafted by the New York Yankees while the Wildcats made their postseason run, signing as a fifth-round pick. He was in the big leagues less than three years later, making his debut against the hated Boston Red Sox. The infielder/outfielder hit .302 in his first season with the Yankees, but has been unable to replicate it in recent years. He appeared in the big leagues with the Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays every year between 2015-18, but spent 2019 in the minors. He took part in the Texas Rangersβ spring training this year, hitting .333 in 24 at-bats as a no-roster invitee.
In this June 25, 2012 file photo, A spectator rushes the playing field and pats Arizona center fielder Joey Rickard in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals against South Carolina in Omaha, Neb. The Division I baseball championship, decided in this city of just under a half-million for the past 70 years, is among the many sporting events canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eric Francis, file)
The big number: 10. Arizona went 10-0 in the 2012 postseason, and played five consecutive College World Series games without trailing once.
