VETERAN WILDCATS getting ‘one more shot.’

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arizona Wildcats were far from a lock to make the NCAA Tournament field, but they finally were able to celebrate wh e n the last pairing of the 16 regionals were announced during Monday’s selection show on ESPN2.

The Wildcats (33-24) were among the last four at-large teams selected along with Louisiana-Lafayette, Oklahoma and Troy.

Arizona will play TCU ( 37-22) at 8 p. m. today in the Fayetteville Regional at Baum-Walker Stadium hosted by the University of Arkansas.

“It was a crazy experience for sure,” Arizona outfielder Chase Davis said of waiting to see if the Wildcats would be selected. “It was one that we won’t forget.

“It was super exciting, and nerve-racking. … We know what ceiling we have, and we know we’ve got to rise to the occasion.”

Senior shortstop Nik McClaughry said it was a far different experience than previous seasons when the Wildcats knew they were in the field.

“This year we didn’t really know what to expect,” McClaughry said. “It was an exciting day hearing our name called at the last minute.

“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re excited we got the chance.”

Arizona went 3-1 in the Pac-12 Tournament, beating Arizona State 12-3, Oregon State 13-12 and Stanford 14-4 before losing in the championship game to Oregon 5-4.

Stanford is hosting a regional as the NCAA Tournament’s No. 8 seed and Oregon State and Oregon also are playing in regionals.

Arizona State was among the last four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament field along with Kansas State, Kent State and California-Irvine.

“I felt really good for the kids,” Arizona Coach Chip Hale said. “We have a veteran group and I just really wanted them to get one more shot.

“They had played so hard and made up so much ground late in the year and showed everybody that they were a tournament-worthy team.

“Now, is that going to get you in? You need a lot of things to work for you. Our RPI [No. 45] was good, we knew that. We played a lot of good competition. We played great in our conference tournament.

“But our goal was to win that tournament, and we came up one game short. So you just sort of leave it out there for the committee.”

Auburn Athletic Director John Cohen, chairman of the NCAA selection committee, said Arizona’s 16 total victories over Pac-12 teams, including in the conference tournament, weighed into the decision to include the Wildcats in the 64-team field.

“The way they were playing and when they were playing their best, especially in the last quarter of that season, I think the committee felt like they were deserving,” Cohen said on ESPN2’s selection show.

Hale is a former Major League player, manager and coach in his second season as coach at Arizona, where he played from 1984-87. His junior season the Wildcats won the 1986 College World Series.

“When our name popped up, just to see the guys celebrate, as a coach and an older guy who’s been through this thing, it makes you feel good for them,” Hale said. “We’re going to play confident, we’re going to play hard.”

Hale said the Wildcats aren’t on a mission to validate their inclusion in the NCAA Tournament.

“I think when you start trying to prove you need to be in there, it just makes these guys too tight,” he said. “We have an older group that’s been through this, so hopefully they’ll use that experience to their benefit.”

McClaughry is a three-year starter.

“I think we’re just playing with house money,” McClaughry said. “We’ve got nothing to lose, and we’re here to play hard and we’re here to win games.”

Davis said he’s looking forward to playing in Baum-Walker Stadium.

“This is a great atmosphere to play in, great ballpark,” Davis said. “We’ve heard lots of good things about it, so I’m excited to take it all on.”