Baseball fails to make postseason

The NCAA baseball post season brackets were announced on Monday and, as expected, Arizona did not make it in.

There were some that thought the Wildcats may have been able to sneak in due to the fact that they won 14 of their last 20 games. However, a closer look reveals that the way they finished the season was not all that impressive.

Arizona was 0-10 against teams ranked in the top 25 and 2-15 against those in the top 50. In other words, there was little reason to believe that the UA could compete with the better teams in the country.

Going into the season, there were somewhat high expectations for Arizona, but it seems that the Wildcats lost too much last season.

Offensively, Arizona was just fine. Dillon Baird may have been the best player in the league, finishing the year first in the conference in batting average at .433, on base percentage at .504, doubles with 21 and hits with 84.

In addition, he allso finished in the top three in slugging percentage, RBIs, and total bases. His .433 average is recognized as the sixth best in conference history and it is a foregone conclusion that he will be drafted high and not return next year.

Speaking of next year, it will be interesting to see how the UA does. There is plenty of talent but pitching could once again be an issue. If Arizona can get that problem straightened out, the Wildcats should be major contenders. If not, it should look just like it did this season.