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GCU baseball’s Eli Paton on facing Arizona in NCAA regional
Grand Canyon baseball will face Pac-12 champion Arizona in the NCAA Regionals on Friday.
The 2024 NCAA baseball tournament kicks off this weekend with the regional round. Sixty-four teams across 16 regional brackets will begin their quest for an NCAA title in Omaha, Neb. this June.
One of the toughest groups in the field is the Tucson Regional hosted by Arizona. The No. 1-seed Wildcats won their first conference championship in program history this season and were rewarded with a group featuring three more standout teams.
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No. 2-seed Dallas Baptist won the Conference USA tournament and went on an 11-1 run to close the season. They’re a 44-win team playing in its 10th consecutive NCAA tournament. No. 3-seed West Virginia was knocked out of the Big 12 tournament after losses to TCU and Kansas State but features JJ Wetherholt – a consensus top-10 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. No. 4-seed Grand Canyon is the lowest seed in the group but beat Arizona twice already this season.
Who will make it out of Tucson? Here’s what the experts and odds say:
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2024 NCAA baseball: Tucson Regional predictions roundup
The Oklahoman: Dallas Baptist
Justin Martinez says: “Don’t sleep on Dallas Baptist… The Patriots are led by Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Ryan Johnson, who ranked second in the nation in ERA (1.98) and third in strikeouts (147). They also rank 15th in home runs (111) thanks in part to sophomore Grant Jay, who has a team-high 21 homers under his belt.”
College Sports Wire: Arizona
Matt Melton’s sticking with the host team to make it through the group.
247Sports: Dallas Baptist
Carter Bahns writes: “Low-major powerhouses Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon are formidable opponents on the regional… GCU is one of the top candidates to make a splash with a Friday night upset given that it won the regular-season series against Chip Hale’s Wildcats. Look out for chaos in Tucson.”
Sports Illustrated: Dallas Baptist
Brett Gibbons says: “Arizona is not the best team in their own regional… Heck, they may not even be the second best. This group is downright brutal.”
2024 NCAA baseball: Tucson Regional odds
Dallas Baptist is a slight favorite to win the Tucson Regional, per the latest BetMGM odds.
- Moneyline: Dallas Baptist (+150), Arizona (+175), West Virginia (+350), Grand Canyon (+750)
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2024 NCAA baseball: Tucson Regional schedule and how to watch
Friday, May 31
- Game 1: Dallas Baptist vs. West Virginia, 3 p.m., ESPN2
- Game 2: Arizona vs. Grand Canyon, 9 p.m., ESPN+
Saturday, June 1
- Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 4 p.m., TBA
- Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 10 p.m., TBA
Sunday, June 2
- Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 3 p.m., TBA
- Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 9 p.m., TBA
Monday, June 3
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