Arizona (44-20) will play Louisville (40-23) at 11 a.m. PT Sunday, the first step in what would be a tremendously steep climb to stay alive in the series. The Wildcats would have to win four in a row to reach the championship series, with three of those on consecutive days.

Arizona made it to Omaha all but one year from 1954-60 and won its three titles in the 1970s and 1980s across five CWS appearances. After missing it 17 consecutive times between 1987 and 2003, the Wildcats returned to the CWS in 2004, marking their first of five appearances this century. Four of those trips have come since 2012.