Arizona State baseball fans sound off on Sun Devils’ exclusion from NCAA Tournament
The ASU baseball team was among the first four teams out of the 64-team field in the NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Devils finished fifth in the Pac-12 and had a resume that included series wins over Oregon State and UCLA. ASU fell out of the top spot in the Pac-12 following a sweep from Stanford and remained on the bubble of making the tournament. In the final predictions, the Sun Devils were among the last four in following a win over OSU in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Instead, Arizona made the field despite finishing eighth in the Pac-12 and having 12 conference wins as opposed to 16 wins from ASU and 17 wins from USC, two teams that did not make the cut.
The Sun Devils have an RPI of 52nd in the nation, according to ncaa.com. The RPI (ratings percentage index) ranks teams based on their wins and losses and their strength of schedule. Arizona has an RPI of 45.
More: Arizona State among first 4 teams out in NCAA Baseball Tournament; UA going to Arkansas
ASU fans sounded off on the decision on Twitter:
An incredible season by @ASU_Baseball and @williebloom its really sad your WHOLE body of work (including regular season conference record) doesn't matter anymore. Truly sad. The @NCAABaseball committee got this wrong
— Warren Brannoch (@azfbplayer68) May 29, 2023
ASU BASEBALL GOT ROBBED https://t.co/0md6To1mao
— frankie💕 (@Frankiecollins0) May 29, 2023
I'm very disappointed that @ASU_Baseball was left out of the NCAA tournament, but I liken it to a batter being rung up on a called 3rd strike on a pitch an inch or 2 outside. You have to Swing, and not let that Umpire make that call. 😕
— Dave Rasley (@JoeBear72) May 29, 2023
I don’t follow college baseball much but it seems like ASU baseball fans should worry about less about tournament selection criteria and more about the team’s W-L down the stretch. They were ranked inside the top 20 and then stopped winning games.
— Johnathon Poppe (@JPopASU) May 29, 2023
Thank you @ASU_Baseball and @williebloom for a wonderful season. Progress was made and while it didn’t end the way we wanted (eerily invoked ‘99) I am excited for the future.
— TL (@tltyrrell) May 29, 2023
Why Arizona made the cut over ASU, USC
During Monday’s selection show on ESPN, NCAA Baseball Committee Chairman and Auburn athletic director John Cohen explained why Arizona (33-24, 12-18) was among the last four in.
“Arizona had 16 wins against Pac competition when you include the tournament and the extra game they played against Arizona State,” Cohen said. “Those last two games they played against Arizona State — and that’s not what you’re basing the entire decision on, it’s just a piece of it — were really impressive.”
Arizona made a deep run in the Pac-12 Tournament as an eighth seed, defeating No. 5 ASU in a 12-3 rout. The Wildcats took care of NCAA Tournament-bound Oregon State and Stanford, before falling to Oregon in the championship game.
Cohen added: “On our rep calls too, the representative from the Pac said this is a team — we had three meetings — and they just said this is a team you do not want to play and ranked Arizona higher than where they were in the league at that time and they just kept pressing forward and playing better.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State baseball fans sound off on NCAA Tournament bracket