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Happy Friday! We made it through another week — I hope yours has gone well!
I wanted to wish all the dads out there a very happy Father’s Day! I’m trying my best every day as a father of three young children, but I have to tell you, I was one lucky kid. My dad made it look easy!
Now seems like the perfect time for a joke, so hear you go: When does a dad joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent!
On to the show!
Wildcats College World Series Primer: What to Watch For
At long last, the College World Series is bearing down upon us.
See what I did there?
The Wildcats baseball team continues its pursuit of a fifth national championship this morning, facing off against No. 13 Coastal Carolina at 11 am (ESPN). The Wildcats and Chanticleers actually kick off the festivities in Omaha, and the two schools share their bracket with No. 8 Oregon State and Louisville.
Bracket two features upstart Murray State, No. 15 UCLA, No. 6 LSU and No. 3 Arkansas, and the winners of each respective double-elimination bracket will face off in a best-of-three series next weekend, beginning on Saturday.
Buckle up – this is going to be fun.
Odds Favor the Traditional Powerhouses, but Anything Can Happen
First, a quick look at the odds, according to bet365, heading into this weekend. Arkansas is favored (+190) to win its first-ever national title, while Murray State (+4000) is the biggest underdog. The Wildcats, for what it’s worth, have the sixth-best odds out of the final eight schools at +1400.
Coastal Carolina is favored over Arizona by 1.5 runs in today’s matchup, which is intriguing considering the only other time the two schools met was in the 2016 College World Series championship.
The Chanticleers won that matchup in three games, giving this series a little extra juice.
The Wildcats have weapons up-and-down their lineup, including closer Tony Pluta, who has been recognized with multiple All-American awards in just the last week alone. Arizona has already shown strong mettle, recovering from an 18-2 loss in their first Super Regional matchup before winning two straight over No. 5 North Carolina to reach Omaha.
Arizona is no stranger to the College World Series, as this is its 19th overall appearance, which is tied for the eighth-most in the nation.
- Coach Chip Hale is the 21st individual to make the College World Series as both a player and a coach. He won a national title as a student-athlete with the Wildcats in 1986.
- Arizona is 43-32 at the College World Series, marking the sixth-most wins in CWS history, three behind LSU’s 46.
- Shortstop Mason White’s 48 career home runs rank second in program history.
- Since the NCAA Baseball Championship format change in 1999, Arizona has advanced to five College World Series, winning one National Championship in 2012 and finishing as runner-up in 2016.
- Chip Hale is only the second coach in program history to lead their team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first four years, joining Frank Sancet, who made 14 stright tournament appearances from 1950-63.
- Arizona Baseball is one of just 10 programs in the history of college baseball to win 3,000 games.
Take a Deeper Dive: Our PHNX Wildcats crew caught up with Mason White, who is a Tucson native out of Sailpointe Catholic High School.
Padres Day: The Diamondbacks open up a critical three-game set against NL West foe San Diego tonight with a chance to make up some ground. The Padres have stumbled a bit since starting the season hot, but are 4.5 games in front of Arizona, offering a huge opportunity to make up some ground in both the division and Wild Card races.
Wheel Good Gesture: D-backs outfielder Pavin Smith is surprising kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs of The Valley with 150 brand new bikes and helmets later today, alongside the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and Sky Pest Control. What a way to head into the weekend!
It’s Getting Drafty: Make sure to check out the NBA Diehard Draft Guide — Led by ALLCITY draft analysts Derek Bodner of PHLY and Will Gottlieb of CHGO, this guide is your one-stop-shop as teams across the league gear up to reshape their rosters!
Note the Diehard draft guide is best viewed on desktop or tablet!
Don’t Fold: The Mercury kick off a four-game road trip in Vegas on Sunday, marking another Commissioner’s Cup game. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm AZ time, and the game will be broadcast on Arizona’s Family / 3TV.
Rise Up: Rising FC looks to continue its winning ways, as it travels to Oklahoma for a Saturday-evening clash against second-place FC Tulsa (5:30 pm, Arizona’s Family Sports). Phoenix has not lost a match since falling 1-0 to San Antonio on April 26, and is currently fifth in the Western Conference table.
Tip Of The Hat By Branded Bills
Check out our interview with Arizona shortstop Mason White!
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