Omaha is the goal of every college player and team, but only eight groups finish there in mid-June each year College-World-Series.
Arizona was fortunate to be part of this octet in 2021, reaching the CWS in 18.th Time in school history but the journey was swift. The Wildcats were the first team eliminated, losing to Vanderbilt and Stanford, disrupting an otherwise great season.
They hope to return again this June, but in the meantime they are visiting Charles Schwab Field (formerly TD Ameritrade Park) for a 2-match non-conference series against Creighton.
“When we knew we could play at TD Ameritrade, we were really excited,” said the UA coach Chip Hale he said. “It’s a televised game so it’s going to be a real blast for the boys.”
Hale never played at the current CWS Stadium, which opened in 2012, in his first year as Arizona coach, but went to Omaha with the UA in 1984 and 1987. He also knows the city from his time in the lower leagues.
Fourteen current Wildcats were on the CWS 2021 team’s travel squad, including one outside player Tanner O’Tremba, who is actually on his third trip to Omaha. O’Tremba played for Texas Tech in 2019 when the Red Raiders reached the CWS in a game and started in Arizona’s elimination loss to Stanford last June.
Like last year, this will make him the unofficial tour guide for Arizona in and around the stadium.
“It was funny because if you just tell the guys, ‘Hey, whether he’s expecting this or something, they’re going to do it,'” O’Tremba said. “It was cool to have that experience. And I’m glad everyone else experienced it.”
O’Tremba is heating up again after a mid-season crash. He has scored in six straight games and eight of nine with 13 goals, including three home runs in that area.
Arizona, on the other hand, isn’t. The Wildcats (24-12) are 8-8 from a 16-4 start, dropping their last two series of Pac-12 opponents who are more likely to miss an 8-man team Pac-12 tournament finish in the top half of the league next month despite having an 11-5 road/neutral record in Omaha.
“If you visit us…it’s like we’re against the world accord,” Hale said. “So I think they’re enjoying it.”
Creighton (21-8) is 12-0 at Charles Schwab Field, but the Blue Jays haven’t hit the top-100 RPI team at home. They haven’t played with any top-50 team, which will change with Arizona’s 47th number.
Before Arizona began their current 5-game journey, which began with a win over Utah but was followed by two losses, O’Tremba wasn’t concerned that Arizona was calming down of late.
“It’s a long, long season and anything can happen,” he said. “There’s a reason we’re hot to start with. There’s a reason you bother a little in the middle and then get hot at the end. You can’t be hot all year round. Everyone goes through that and I think it’s great just being there for guys to talk about things and listen to them. ”
Returning to Omaha might be just the motivation (to return there in June) that UA needs.
“Hey, that’s the goal,” O’Tremba said. “This is where we want to be. It doesn’t change much but it’s definitely cool to see where we want to be at the end of the year and we want to be the last team to play there. I think it’s great for younger guys too because it’s a famous scene, hopefully when we go back there.
Arizona, who had to use their pen for 13 substitutions in three games in Utah, will begin taking relief for the game on Monday. left-handed Holden ChristianWhoever was closer to the Wildcats but struggled in recent weeks was named as the starting pitcher against Ass Creighton Dylan Tebrake (5-1, 2,81).
