TUCSON, Ariz. — Following a breakout season in which he put himself squarely in contention for the American League Rookie of the Year award, former Arizona Wildcat standout Austin Wells is heading to the World Series with the New York Yankees.
Wells becomes the 11th Wildcat all-time to advance to the World Series, and his appearance in this year's Fall Classic makes it back-to-back years with a former Arizona player in the World Series after Kevin Ginkel's participation with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023.
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Across his first full season in the Major Leagues, Wells saw time in 115 games and tallied 354 at-bats en route to accumulating an impressive 2.5 WAR. The left-handed hitting catcher scored 42 runs, swatted 18 doubles, clubbed 13 home runs, and drove in 55 RBI while drawing an impressive 47 walks.
To date he has seen time in nine of the Yankees postseason games; his playoff efforts were highlighted by a home run in game four of the American League Championship Series.
Wells, a second-generation Wildcat, was a consensus Freshman All-American and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in his first collegiate campaign in 2019 before earning preseason All-America nods heading into his sophomore campaign.
Across 71 games in an Arizona uniform, Wells posted a eye-popping .357 batting average to go along with 85 runs scored, 21 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, and 74 RBI. As a freshman in 2019 he drew more walks (46) than strikeouts (43) and posted a .462 on-base percentage to set the program freshman record.Â
Another former Wildcat, Pat Roessler (1979-82), advanced to the World Series alongside Wells while serving as the Yankees Assistant Hitting Coach.
Wells, Roessler, and the Yankees will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, with game one slated for this Friday, Oct. 25 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
Wildcats in the World Series
| Year |
Player (Pos.) |
Team |
Opponent |
Result |
| 1936 |
Hank Leiber (OF) |
New York Giants |
New York Yankees |
Loss, 2-4 |
| 1937 |
Hank Leiber (OF) |
New York Giants |
New York Yankees |
Loss, 1-4 |
| 1984 |
Craig Lefferts (P) |
San Diego Padres |
Detroit Tigers |
Loss, 1-4 |
| 1987 |
Joe Magrane (P) |
St. Louis Cardinals |
Minnesota Twins |
Loss, 3-4 |
| 1988 |
Ron Hassey (C) |
Oakland Athletics |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
Loss, 1-4 |
| 1989 |
Craig Lefferts (P) |
San Francisco Giants |
Oakland Athletics |
Loss, 0-4 |
| 1989 |
Ron Hassey (C) |
Oakland Athletics |
San Francisco Giants |
Won, 4-0 |
| 1990 |
Ron Hassey (C) |
Oakland Athletics |
Cincinnati Reds |
Loss, 0-4 |
| 1991 |
Scott Erickson (P) |
Minnesota Twins |
Atlanta Braves |
Won, 4-3 |
| 1997 |
Ed Vosberg (P) |
Florida Marlins |
Cleveland Indians |
Won, 4-3 |
| 1998 |
Trevor Hoffman (P) |
San Diego Padres |
New York Yankees |
Loss, 0-4 |
| 1998 |
George Arias (3B) |
San Diego Padres |
New York Yankees |
Loss, 0-4 |
| 2002 |
J.T. Snow (1B) |
San Francisco Giants |
Anaheim Angels |
Loss, 3-4 |
| 2023 |
Kevin Ginkel (P) |
Arizona Diamondbacks |
Texas Rangers |
Loss, 1-4 |
| 2024 |
Austin Wells (C) |
New York Yankees |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
TBD |
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