# 2021 Arizona Wildcats baseball team

The 2021 Arizona Wildcats baseball team represented the University of Arizona during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats played their home games for the 10th season at Hi Corbett Field. The team was coached by Jay Johnson in his 6th season and final season at Arizona. Following the season, Coach Johnson was hired as the head baseball coach at Louisiana State University. The Wildcats ranked 10th in Collegiate Baseball's preseason poll - their highest preseason ranking in any poll since 2013 - and their incoming recruiting class was ranked 4th in the nation by D1Baseball. On May 23, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 Championship for the first time since the 2012 season that saw the team win the College World Series. Following a 3-11 loss by the Oregon Ducks to the California Golden Bears on May 28, the team clinched their first outright Pac-12 title since 1989. On May 30, Hi Corbett Field was selected as one of the NCAA's 16 postseason Regional sites for the first time since 2012. The following day the Wildcats were selected as the tournaments No. 5 overall seed - their first selection as a top 8 seed since the implementation of the current seeding system in 1999 - marking their first postseason appearance since 2017. On June 6, the Wildcats defeated UC Santa Barbara 5-2 to win the Tucson Regional and advance to their first Super Regional since 2016 when the team forged their way to the College World Series finals. The Wildcats would go on to defeat Ole Miss 2 games to 1, to advance to their 18th College World Series appearance all-time. They subsequently were eliminated in two games, losing to the defending champion from 2019, No. 4 seed Vanderbilt as well as Stanford.

## Previous season

The Wildcats began the 2020 season 10–5, good for a tie for third-place in the Pac-12 prior to the NCAA's decision to cancel the season on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the season's cancellation, all Division I college baseball players were granted an extra year of eligibility.

## Personnel
### Opening day

Opening Day Starters :
| Name | Position |
| Donta Williams | Center fielder |
| Jacob Blas | Shortstop |
| Kobe Kato | Second baseman |
| Branden Boissiere | First baseman |
| Ryan Holgate | Designated hitter |
| Daniel Susac | Catcher |
| Tyler Casagrande | Right fielder |
| Jacob Berry | Third baseman |
| Mac Bingham | Left fielder |
| Chase Silseth | Starting pitcher |

## Schedule and results

2021 Arizona Wildcats baseball game log :
| Regular season ||||||||||
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site/stadium | Score | Win | Loss | Save | Overall Record | Pac-12 Record |
| Feb 19 | Ball State | #10 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 3-0 | Silseth (1-0) | Weatherly (0-1) | Vannelle (1) | 1-0 | |
| Feb 20 | Ball State | #10 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 7-8 | Baker (1-0) | Churchill (0-1) | None | 1-1 | |
| Feb 21 | Ball State | #10 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 2-5 | Ruetschle (1-0) | Flanagan (0-1) | Orselli (1) | 1-2 | |
| Feb 22 | Ball State | #24 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 11-5 | Nichols (1-0) | Johnson (0-1) | None | 2-2 | |
| Feb 25 | Southeastern Louisiana | #24 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 7-4 | Silseth (2-0) | Kinzeler (0-1) | Price (1) | 3-2 | |
| Feb 26 | Southeastern Louisiana | #24 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 13-11 | Murphy (1-0) | Shaffer (1-1) | Vannelle (2) | 4-2 | |
| Feb 27 | Southeastern Louisiana | #24 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 4-3 | Long (1-0) | Bartley (0-1) | Flanagan (1) | 5-2 | |
| Feb 28 | Southeastern Louisiana | #24 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 14-2 | Nichols (2-0) | Upton (1-1) | None | 6-2 | |
| Mar 4 | vs Oklahoma | #24 | Dr Pepper Ballpark • Frisco, TX | W 20-13 | Vannelle (1-0) | Taggart (0-1) | None | 7-2 | |
| Mar 5 | vs Oklahoma | #24 | Dr Pepper Ballpark • Frisco, TX | W 12-1 | Murphy (2-0) | Olds (0-1) | None | 8-2 | |
| Mar 6 | vs Dallas Baptist | #24 | Dr Pepper Ballpark • Frisco, TX | W 15-8 | Vannelle (2-0) | Sagedahl (0-1) | Flanagan (2) | 9-2 | |
| Mar 7 | vs Missouri | #24 | Dr Pepper Ballpark • Frisco, TX | W 8-4 | Nichols (3-0) | Hise (0-2) | None | 10-2 | |
| Mar 11 | Wichita State | #13 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 8-5 | Silseth (3-0) | Eddy (1-2) | Price (2) | 11-2 | |
| Mar 12 | Wichita State | #13 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 9-10 | Stuempfig (2-0) | Vannelle (2-1) | Haase (3) | 11-3 | |
| Mar 13 | Wichita State | - | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | Cancelled | - | - | - | - | - |
| Mar 13 | Air Force | #13 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 2-5 | Fairburn (2-2) | Irvin (0-1) | Skenes (2) | 11-4 | |
| Mar 14 | Wichita State | - | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | Cancelled | - | - | - | - | - |
| Mar 14 | Air Force | #13 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 14-5 | Price (1-0) | Shuger (0-1) | None | 12-4 | |
| Mar 19 | at #15 UCLA | #21 | Jackie Robinson Stadium • Los Angeles, CA | L 2-3 | Mullen (4-0) | Price (1-1) | None | 12-5 | 0-1 |
| Mar 20 | at #15 UCLA | #21 | Jackie Robinson Stadium • Los Angeles, CA | W 7-3 | Cooper (1-0) | Mora (1-1) | Vannelle (3) | 13-5 | 1-1 |
| Mar 21 | at #15 UCLA | #21 | Jackie Robinson Stadium • Los Angeles, CA | L 3-11 | Saum (1-2) | Flanagan (0-2) | None | 13-6 | 1-2 |
| Mar 22 | at Loyola Marymount | #23 | George C. Page Stadium • Los Angeles, CA | W 18-2 | Long (2-0) | Paquet (0-1) | None | 14-6 | |
| Mar 26 | #15 Oregon | #23 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 5-4 | Silseth (4-0) | Ahlstrom (1-2) | Vannelle (4) | 15-6 | 2-2 |
| Mar 27 | #15 Oregon | #23 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 15-2 | Irvin (1-1) | Kafka (2-1) | None | 16-6 | 3-2 |
| Mar 28 | #15 Oregon | #23 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 13-18 | Walker (3-1) | Nichols (3-1) | None | 16-7 | 3-3 |
| Apr 1 | at #14 Arizona State | #19 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium • Phoenix, AZ | W 10-5 | Murphy (3-0) | Corrigan (0-1) | None | 17-7 | 4-3 |
| Apr 2 | at #14 Arizona State | #19 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium • Phoenix, AZ | W 7-6 | Vannelle (3-1) | Osman (1-2) | Price (3) | 18-7 | 5-3 |
| Apr 3 | at #14 Arizona State | #19 | Phoenix Municipal Stadium • Phoenix, AZ | L 2-3 | Fall (4-1) | Nichols (3-2) | Levine (2) | 18-8 | 5-4 |
| Apr 6 | #18 Arizona State | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 14-2 | Abshier (1-0) | Bodlovich (0-1) | None | 19-8 | |
| Apr 9 | California | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 5-1 | Silseth (5-0) | Holman (0-1) | None | 20-8 | 6-4 |
| Apr 10 | California | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 4-3 | Irvin (2-1) | White (3-1) | Abshier (1) | 21-8 | 7-4 |
| Apr 11 | California | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 1-9 | Pasqualotto (4-3) | Nichols (3-3) | Proctor (1) | 21-9 | 7-5 |
| Apr 13 | at Grand Canyon | #13 | Brazell Field • Phoenix, AZ | L 4-5 | Glover (2-1) | Vannelle (3-2) | None | 21-10 | |
| Apr 16 | at Washington State | #13 | Bailey-Brayton Field • Pullman, WA | L 2-21 | White (5-2) | Silseth (5-1) | None | 21-11 | 7-6 |
| Apr 17 | at Washington State | #13 | Bailey-Brayton Field • Pullman, WA | W 13-8 | Irvin (3-1) | Mills (3-3) | Flanagan (3) | 22-11 | 8-6 |
| Apr 18 | at Washington State | #13 | Bailey-Brayton Field • Pullman, WA | W 14-8 | Murphy (4-0) | Hawkins (2-5) | Vannelle (5) | 23-11 | 9-6 |
| Apr 20 | New Mexico State | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 11-4 | Abshier (2-0) | Mejia (0-2) | None | 24-11 | |
| Apr 23 | USC | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 8-5 | Silseth (6-1) | Esqueda (4-2) | Flanagan (4) | 25-11 | 10-6 |
| Apr 24 | USC | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 10-6 | Murphy (5-0) | Gursky (1-1) | None | 26-11 | 11-6 |
| Apr 25 | USC | #16 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 8-4 | Smith (1-0) | Cornwell (4-4) | Vannelle (6) | 27-11 | 12-6 |
| Apr 30 | Utah | #10 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 11-1 | Silseth (7-1) | Kelly (0-8) | None | 28-11 | 13-6 |
| May 1 | Utah | #10 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 4-3 | Cooper (2-0) | Hurdsman (1-1) | Vannelle (7) | 29-11 | 14-6 |
| May 2 | Utah | #10 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 15-3 | Smith (2-0) | Watson (2-6) | None | 30-11 | 15-6 |
| May 4 | Grand Canyon | #8 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 13-2 | Nichols (4-3) | Markl (1-1) | None | 31-11 | |
| May 7 | at #14 Stanford | #8 | Sunken Diamond • Stanford, CA | L 4-5 | Pancer (5-2) | Flanagan (0-3) | None | 31-12 | 15-7 |
| May 8 | at #14 Stanford | #8 | Sunken Diamond • Stanford, CA | W 20-2 | Irvin (4-1) | Mathews (4-1) | None | 32-12 | 16-7 |
| May 9 | at #14 Stanford | #8 | Sunken Diamond • Stanford, CA | L 2-8 | Williams (1-1) | Smith (2-1) | None | 32-13 | 16-8 |
| May 10 | at Santa Clara | - | Schott Stadium • Santa Clara, CA | Cancelled | - | - | - | - | - |
| May 14 | Washington | #11 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 17-16 | Abshier (3-0) | Lamb (3-2) | None | 33-13 | 17-8 |
| May 15 | Washington | #11 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 4-1 | Irvin (5-1) | Guerrero (1-3) | None | 34-13 | 18-8 |
| May 16 | Washington | #11 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 11-2 | Luna (1-0) | Raeth (2-2) | None | 35-13 | 19-8 |
| May 18 | New Mexico State | #8 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 14-3 | Murphy (6-0) | Dickson Jr. (1-2) | None | 36-13 | |
| May 21 | at Oregon State | #8 | Goss Stadium • Corvallis, OR | W 12-4 | Silseth (8-1) | Washburn (3-2) | None | 37-13 | 20-8 |
| May 22 | at Oregon State | #8 | Goss Stadium • Corvallis, OR | L 1-3 | Hjerpe (3-5) | Irvin (5-2) | Mulholland (13) | 37-14 | 20-9 |
| May 23 | at Oregon State | #8 | Goss Stadium • Corvallis, OR | W 6-5 | Vannelle (4-2) | Watkins (2-4) | None | 38-14 | 21-9 |
| May 27 | Dixie State | #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 4-2 | Abshier (4-0) | Gonzales (2-5) | Luna (1) | 39-14 | |
| May 28 | Dixie State | #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 9-11 | Hart (3-5) | Flanagan (0-4) | Hardman (1) | 39-15 | |
| May 29 | Dixie State | #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 5-4 | Vannelle (5-2) | Gerber (1-2) | None | 40-15 | |
| NCAA Tucson Regional ||||||||||
| Jun 4 | (4) Grand Canyon | (1) #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 12-6 | Nichols (5-3) | Ohl (10-2) | None | 41-15 | |
| Jun 5 | (3) UC Santa Barbara | (1) #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 4-0 | Irvin (6-2) | McGreevy (9-2) | None | 42-15 | |
| Jun 6 | (3) UC Santa Barbara | (1) #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 5-2 | Murphy (7-0) | Callahan (3-4) | Vannelle (8) | 43-15 | |
| NCAA Tucson Super Regional ||||||||||
| Jun 11 | #14 Ole Miss | #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 9-3 | Cooper (3-0) | Diamond (3-5) | None | 44-15 | |
| Jun 12 | #14 Ole Miss | #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | L 3-12 | Nikhazy (12-2) | Irvin (6-3) | Miller (1) | 44-16 | |
| Jun 13 | #14 Ole Miss | #6 | Hi Corbett Field • Tucson, AZ | W 16-3 | Nichols (6-3) | Broadway (4-3) | None | 45-16 | |
| College World Series ||||||||||
| Jun 19 | #1 Vanderbilt | #5 | TD Ameritrade Park • Omaha, NE | L 6-7 | McElvain (5-1) | Vannelle (5-3) | None | 45-17 | |
| Jun 21 | #7 Stanford | #5 | TD Ameritrade Park • Omaha, NE | L 5-14 | Williams (5-2) | Irvin (6-4) | Palisch (2) | 45-18 | |

### Tucson Regional

Tucson Regional Teams :
| (1) Arizona Wildcats | (4) Grand Canyon Antelopes | (2) Oklahoma State Cowboys | (3) UC Santa Barbara Gauchos |

### Tucson Super Regional

Tucson Super Regional Teams :
| (5) Arizona Wildcats | vs. | (12) Ole Miss Rebels |

## College World Series

2021 College World Series Teams :
| NC State Wolfpack | (9) Stanford Cardinal | (5) Arizona Wildcats | (4) Vanderbilt Commodores | Virginia Cavaliers | (3) Tennessee Volunteers | (7) Mississippi State Bulldogs | (2) Texas Longhorns |
| First round | First round | First round | | | Second round | Second round | Second round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | |
| | NC State | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Stanford | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Stanford | 4 | | | | NC State | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona | 6 | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 7$^{12}$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Vanderbilt | 7$^{12}$ | | | | | | | NC State | 1 | – | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | | NC State | 1 | – | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | Bracket 1 | 4 | Vanderbilt | 3 | – | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Stanford | 14 | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 3 | – | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Arizona | 5 | | | 9 | Stanford | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Vanderbilt | 8 | 2 | 0 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 2 | 13 | 9 | |
| 3 | Tennessee | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 2 | 13 | 9 |
| | Virginia | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Virginia | 6 | | | | Virginia | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Mississippi State | 2 | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 1 | | | | | | 7 | Mississippi State | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | 7 | Mississippi State | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | Bracket 2 | 2 | Texas | 8 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Tennessee | 4 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Texas | 8 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 8 | | | 2 | Texas | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Virginia | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Rankings

Ranking movements :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| Coaches' | | * | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Baseball America | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| NCBWA† | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
† NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season. * A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

## 2021 MLB draft

| Player | Position | Round | Overall | MLB Team |
| Ryan Holgate | OF | 2 | 70 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| Brandon Boissiere | OF | 3 | 82 | Washington Nationals |
| Donta' Williams | OF | 4 | 106 | Baltimore Orioles |
| Gil Luna | LHP | 9 | 275 | Chicago White Sox |
| Chase Silseth | RHP | 11 | 321 | Los Angeles Angels |
| Kobe Kato | 2B | 13 | 388 | Houston Astros |
| Austin Smith | RHP | 18 | 547 | Atlanta Braves |