The University of Arizona baseball team (42-18) punched its ticket to the Super Regionals in emphatic fashion, blanking the California Polytechnic State University 14-0 to complete a sweep of the NCAA Eugene Regional at PK Park at Eugene, Ore., on Sunday, June 1.
It was another offensive eruption for the Wildcats, who smashed 6 home runs and tallied 13 hits in the shutout. The win marked Arizona’s fourth shutout of the year and first in the NCAA Tournament since June 5, 2021, against the University of California, Santa Barbara (4-0).
The win advances the Wildcats to their sixth Super Regional appearance since the format was introduced in 1999.
Center fielder Aaron Walton led the onslaught with a historic performance, going 4-for-5 with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs. The 3-homer game was the first of Walton’s career and the second by a Wildcat this postseason. Third baseman Maddox Mihalakis also joined the fireworks show, launching two long balls as part of a 3-for-4, 3-RBI night. First baseman Tommy Splaine added his 3rd homer of the regional in the bottom of the seventh, giving Arizona 15 total home runs over the weekend.
Freshman right-hander Smith Bailey was lights out on the mound, tossing six shutout innings while scattering 4 hits and striking out five. Bailey improved to 3-3 on the season, backed by a bullpen trio that combined for three scoreless innings. Hunter Alberini, Julian Tonghini and Matthew Martinez each worked a clean frame to preserve the shutout.
Arizona overwhelmed its opponents in Eugene, outscoring them 31-6 across three games, extending a dominant offensive stretch that began in the Big 12 Tournament.
The loss ended a strong postseason run for Cal Poly (43-19), which captured the Big West title to reach its first regional since 2014.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats are headed to Chapel Hill Regional to face the No. 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in next weekend’s NCAA Super Regional. The first pitch begins on Friday, June 6, at 9 a.m. MST at Boshamer Stadium. The Wildcats will face the Tarheels through Sunday, June 8, with the games airing on ESPN2.
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