The Arizona Wildcats will have to traverse three time zones to kick off their 41st appearance in the NCAA Baseball Tournament on Friday.
That’s because the Wildcats (37-23 overall, 16-14 Pac-12) earned the No. 2 seed in the Coral Gables Regional hosted by Miami.
To advance to Omaha for a second consecutive season, Arizona will have to find a way to knock out the ACC stalwart, which went 39-18 during the regular season in addition to going 28-8 at home in 2022.
The Wildcats’ first test will be against Ole Miss (32-22, 14-16 SEC) at 4 p.m. Arizona time on Friday.
Here’s a breakdown of how to wager on the first NCAA Baseball Tournament to be held since Arizona sports betting launched in September.
Coral Gables Regional Schedule
Friday
Game 1: Canisius vs. No. 6 Miami (9 a.m., ESPN+)
Game 2: Ole Miss vs. Arizona (4 p.m., ESPNU)
Saturday
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Sunday
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Monday
Game 7: Game 6 rematch, if necessary
Wildcats a Longshot to Win Coral Gables Regional
Caesars Sportsbook Arizona lists Arizona at +320 to win the regional, ranking third behind Miami (+100) and Ole Miss (+180) despite being the No. 2 seed in the pod.
At FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona, the Wildcats have +380 odds of winning the regional, third behind the Hurricanes (-125) and Rebels (+175).
DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona has the Wildcats as a +125 moneyline underdog in their tournament opener against the Rebels.
The Wildcats have won five regional championships in their history, doing so in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021.
Coral Gables Regional Winner
Arizona in Middle of the Pack to win CWS
The four largest Arizona betting apps have the Wildcats’ College World Series title odds between +6000 (Caesars Sportsbook Arizona) and +10000 (FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona).
In-between, you’ll find Arizona at +6600 to win it all on BetMGM Arizona, ranking in a tie for 23rd in the 64-team field with TCU, Ole Miss, East Carolina, and Maryland.
The Wildcats are listed at +7500 to win the 2022 College World Series on DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, ranking 28th overall.
College World Series Champion Odds
Who to Watch from Arizona in the Tournament
The Wildcats have several MLB Draft prospects on their roster this year, but none more highly considered than catcher Daniel Susac.
Susac, who led Arizona in average (.367), hits (94), RBIs (61), and slugging percentage (.591) as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022, is ranked as the 12th-best prospect in this year’s draft by The Athletic’s Keith Law.
Another name to keep an eye on is starting pitcher Garrett Irvin, who led the team in innings pitched (89.1) with a 3.22 ERA and a more than 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Irvin, along with fellow starter TJ Nichols, were key cogs in the Arizona pitching staff that led the school to its first College World Series appearance in five years a season ago.
