This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It was one thing for the members of the 2014-15 Utah basketball team to say they lost to eventual national champion Duke in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Utah's 2016 baseball players may be able to say they swept the national champions in a three-game series.  Arizona, which finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Pac-12, is two wins away from a title. The Wildcats open a best-of three final series with Coastal Carolina on Monday (5 p.m. MDT) in the College World Series at Omaha, Neb.  Although not quite to the level of conference champion Utah, Arizona overachieved in the regular season after being picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12. But that was nothing compared with what the Wildcats have done in the postseason. Arizona won a regional tournament at Mississippi State as a No. 2 seed. In Omaha, the Wildcats beat Miami in their opening game, but then lost 1-0 to Oklahoma State.  So they had to win three elimination games – beating UC Santa Barbara once and Oklahoma State twice – to win their bracket and advance to the final series against Coastal Carolina, another surprise team. Arizona is seeking the program's fifth national title, after winning in 1976, 1980, 1986 and 2012.  – Kurt Kragthorpe