Arizona is Now the Premier Baseball School in the State

During the 2021 offseason, Arizona was looking for a head baseball coach when Jay Johnson left Tucson for LSU and after a coaching search the Wildcats and then-A.D. Dave Heeke hired former UA star Chip Hale to be the sixth coach in the modern era of the program.

In four seasons as the head coach, Hale has made the postseason every single season and has posted a record of 152-95 that includes two conference tournament titles, one super regional appearance and a trip to the College World Series.

Despite ending the regular season by losing five out of its last eight games, the Wildcats were able to get hot and make a run to the College World Series with the season coming to a close after going 0-2 against Coastal Carolina and Louisville.

During the run, Arizona’s offense was able to keep the team in games helping them advance to the next round. The Wildcats averaged 6.5 runs throughout 11 postseason games and scored 10-plus runs four times and twice in the Eugene Regional.

Leading the offensive charge for Arizona was shortstop Mason White, who posted a team-high 20 home runs while driving in 73 runs and batting .327 on the season. During the NCAA postseason, White hit four home runs, drove in seven RBIs and racked up eight hits.

With that success, Arizona has seen nine players get drafted in the recent MLB Draft, which featured outfielder Brendan Summerhill going in the first round, Aaron Walton going in the second and infielder Mason White selected in the fourth.

When Hale was hired, in-state rival ASU made a similar move by hiring alumni Willie Bloomquist in order to get the program back on track.

This past season, the Sun Devils made it to the NCAA postseason for the first time under Bloomquist and saw nine players taken in the MLB Draft.

Since 1980, Arizona has won three national titles. Meanwhile the Sun Devils have won just one and have lost one title to the UA.

So, is ASU the better program still?

The answer is clearly no and that Arizona has surpassed ASU over the last 40-plus years despite having one less title.

Now, Arizona will be looking to make its second CWS under Hale while ASU is still lost in the desert despite having talent on its roster under Bloomquist.

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