Expectations were minimal for the Arizona baseball team heading into the season. The team was projected to finish No. 9 in the Pac-12 Conference by the media and, in fairness to those involved in the voting process, it wasn’t necessarily an outlandish projection.
Arizona, as head coach Jay Johnson admitted before the season started, had few proven pitchers on its roster and lost key contributors from its lineup, which was not exactly a recipe for success. The Wildcats looked like the team the media thought they were at the beginning of their conference schedule.
They started 3-6 in conference play after being swept by Utah, despite Arizona leading in all three games until the late-innings.