Beginning its 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament journey at Hi Corbett Field for the first time in three seasons, 13th-seeded Arizona will have the fans and momentum on its side.
But to get through the Tucson Regional, the Wildcats will first face a rematch against a Grand Canyon (34-23) program they face the last time they hosted — and one which more recently gave the UA its most lopsided defeat of the 2024 regular season.
There was a little bit of foreshadowing for a regional rematch to occur between the two Arizona-based schools, with both teams unexpectedly sharing a flight for respective road trips to Seattle-based road games roughly a month ago before then playing each other in Tucson.
The Wildcats (36-21), who will play GCU on Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+, have dropped two out of three games against the Antelopes this season, with the most recent matchup being a 24-8 UA loss in Tucson.
Arizona relief pitcher Dawson Netz warms up after being inserted into a 7-7 game in the top of the fifth inning against Grand Canyon on April 30 in Tucson. Netz gave up one run in his one inning of work, but the game got out of hand afterward. The Wildcats ended up surrendering four more in the sixth and 12 in the seventh in a 24-8 loss to the Lopes. One month and one day later, the teams meet again in Tucson to open the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
With both teams having such familiarity with each other, the mindset won’t be trying anything new, but rather sticking to what they have been doing and playing their best baseball, according to UA head coach Chip Hale.
“You just have to play to your strengths,” Hale said. “[GCU] is gonna play to their strengths. [We have to] execute. We can’t give them extra outs. We know how good they are, they’re very tough with two strikes, they’re gonna put the ball in play. We’re gonna have to make all the routine plays.
“The teams that win at this point are the ones that do, they execute,” Hale said. “We’re not asking anybody to do anything they can’t do.”
UA rotation set
Hale said Thursday that following Friday night’s start by right-handed pitcher Clark Candiotti, right hander Cam Walty will get the start on Saturday followed by lefty Jackson Kent on Sunday.
Hale said that the reason for the rotational changes came from the idea that at this point of the season, it behooves a team to go with the “hot hand.”
The UA coach added that Candiotti and Walty have pitched really well for the team on the weekends this season and that he hopes the extra time to prepare with coaches will help Kent, who has struggled as of late, for Sunday’s contest.
Grand Canyon pitcher Grant Richardson (22) tries to rally his team from the dugout against the Tarleton State Texans during a WAC tournament matchup May 23 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.
GCU starter has the stuff
Taking the mound for the Antelopes on Friday will be left-handed pitcher Grant Richardson, who in eight starts this season allowed an average of 3.9 hits and 2.1 earned runs per start in a combined 37 innings.
“He’s a big lefty that throws 92 to 95 miles per hour and he’s got a plus slider,” GCU head coach Gregg Wallis said of the sophomore Richardson. “I think he has a big league slider.
“He’s been a great option for us. I feel like we can match up with pretty much anybody when he’s on the mound.”
Hale said that the Wildcats will assess the scouting report on Richardson and figure out the best approach, but at the end of the day it will come down to how they execute and take advantage of the lefty’s potential shortcomings at the bump.
“Good hitters hit mistakes,” Hale said. “And when he makes a mistake, we have to be ready to hit it.”
Home field aids Cats
With many Wildcats playing in the Fayetteville Regional last season, Arizona was able to garner regional experience in a rowdy NCAA Tournament environment, which could pay dividends for the UA this weekend at Hi Corbett Field.
Through this experience in the Arkansas-hosted regional, Arizona gained comfort being in pressure situations, which, according to sophomore shortstop Mason White, will make it easier to play their own game, especially being at home.
“Now being at our own park, [we’re focused on] just playing baseball, not being too worried about the circumstance,” White said.
Walty, who got big time reps in the postseason last year, said that the opportunity was a “learning experience” and that hosting the regional will be a “big deal” for the team; only three current Wildcats have played in a UA-hosted regional.
“It’s gonna be really cool to pitch in front of the fans,” Walty said.
The senior lefty added that hosting while having the Wildcat faithful supporting them will be “a momentum swing” that the team can use going into their respective contests.
“Having ups and downs and they’re still behind us and cheering, it’s just a big advantage,” he said.
