Mississippi State Softball Tucson Regional Opponent Preview: Arizona
By Ethan Lee
Arizona is the toughest foe that the Mississippi State softball team could face in the Tucson Regional of the NCAA Tournament
The Arizona Wildcats are, without any sort of a doubt, the toughest team that the Mississippi State softball team could take on this weekend. Which, you know, makes a ton of sense given that the Arizona Wildcats are hosting the Tucson Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs won’t play Arizona initially, but they’ll need to get through the Wildcats to make it into the super regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
And, that feat, isn’t easily accomplished. Arizona has only been bested a grand total of 14 times this year. Through the season, Arizona has 40 wins and 14 losses, with most of those conferences coming against Pac-12 opponents.
The Pac-12, like the SEC, is one of the toughest conferences to play college softball in. Many of the nation’s best teams play there. And, in Pac-12 play, Arizona went 13-11.
Beyond just Arizona’s wins and losses, another key part of their resume is where they’ve won many of their games. At home, in Tucson, Arizona is 25-4 this year. With this regional happening on their, their home field advantage can’t be discounted.
There’s no way around it. MSU is really going to have to watch out for Arizona this weekend.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will need to play to the full extent of their potential to make sure they get through this regional. That means that MSU cannot afford to slip up before playing Arizona.
Next: Mississippi State Will Face North Dakota State On Friday
The Bulldogs simply can’t afford to take a loss in any game before taking on the Arizona Wildcats. North Dakota State and St. Francis are both formidable opponents. However, Arizona is the toughest one Mississippi State can face in Tucson.