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Instead, the Wildcats are part of a clump of teams vying for one of those coveted spots.

No. 24 Arizona lost to TCU 13-6 at windy Hi Corbett Field. The Wildcats already had clinched the series via a 5-4 comeback victory Saturday night, which followed a 6-3 win Friday. Their quest for a sweep was undone when the Horned Frogs scored in four consecutive innings from the second through the fifth, capped by a five-run frame that gave them a 9-2 lead.

“We just want to win series,� UA coach Chip Hale said. “We were happy to win this series. Obviously, we let this one get away early. I was really proud of the guys, the way they battled and pushed them a little bit at the end.�

The Wildcats trimmed their deficit to 10-6 with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Horned Frogs responded with three in the top of the ninth.

Arizona visits Grand Canyon on Tuesday before playing its final home series vs. Utah May 9-11. The UA concludes the regular season at Houston the following weekend.

“If we can just win the next two series, I think we’ll put ourselves in good shape,� Hale said. “If somehow things get weird and we’re out of the top four, then we’re out of the top four. But we gotta be playing our best baseball going into the Big 12 tournament.�

Arizona (33-14) and TCU (33-15) are part of a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12 with 15-9 conference records. The other team in that mix is Kansas, which got swept at home by Cincinnati. Kansas State is one game behind at 14-10.

West Virginia leads the conference at 18-4. Arizona State is in second place at 16-8. The Wildcats hold head-to-head tiebreakers over both, although it would take an improbable set of circumstances to catch the Mountaineers (who also will play two fewer league games because of weather cancellations).

The Cats also would win a tiebreaker with the Horned Frogs. TCU would have the edge over Kansas after sweeping the Jayhawks last month. Arizona and Kansas don’t face each other in conference play this season.

The teams that finish in the top four get a bye in the Big 12 Tournament, which is slated for May 21-24 in Arlington, Texas. With a bye, a team essentially faces a “normal� week with three potential games Thursday-Saturday.

How Arizona would configure its starting rotation if it finds itself in that situation remains to be seen.

Freshman Smith Bailey struggled for the second straight Sunday, allowing four runs in three innings (plus two batters). Bailey yielded five hits and three walks while striking out only one TCU hitter.

Has he hit the so-called “freshman wall�?

“Well, that’s a question,� Hale said. “This is the time of year where it is hard as a freshman. You’re gonna have to take care of your body and find a way to do it.�

Arizona has a potential alternative in senior right-hander Raul Garayzar, who has moved to a weekend role and pitched well out of the bullpen Saturday. Garayzar threw 3â…” scoreless innings, earned the win and lowered his season ERA to 2.61.

“He’s definitely moving up,� Hale said. “And obviously he’s lengthened out. So ... if we need that, he’s in good shape for it.�

Arizona’s lineup could get a significant boost Tuesday. Hale said star junior Brendan Summerhill could serve as the DH after missing most of the past seven games because of a hamstring injury. Summerhill, who pinch-hit and drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly Saturday, could be back in right field by the Utah series, Hale said.

“He’s one of our dudes, and we need all the dudes we can get, especially right now,� said shortstop Mason White, who had a triple, an RBI and a run scored Sunday. “So it’s gonna be really helpful when we get him back.�

Summerhill has missed 21 games because of injuries. Arizona has gone 13-8 without him. The Wildcats are 20-6 with him. They’ve won four of six series without Summerhill or with him in a pinch-hit-only capacity.

“It was a success,� White said of the TCU series. “We took two or three from a really good team over there. They’ve got a lot of vets that we’ve been playing against all my three years here now. It was a good weekend.�

Inside pitch

– TCU’s 13 runs were the most by a UA opponent at Hi Corbett this season. The previous high was nine vs. New Mexico State on April 8.

– Arizona had been 21-0 this season when scoring six or more runs and had won 27 such games in a row dating to last year.

– Aaron Walton had two would-be home runs knocked down by a stiff wind that was gusting at over 20 mph. “It’s really tough, especially as a hitter, when you know the wind is going to affect it that much,� White said. “But you can’t really think about it too much. Just do the best you can.�

– Arizona’s first five runs scored on non-hits — a groundout, three sacrifice flies and an error.

– TCU coach Kirk Saarloos was ejected in the bottom of the fourth inning. Saarloos objected to a check-swing ruling. Third base umpire Mike Morris warned Saarloos, who continued to protest and got tossed. Former UA assistant Dave Lawn took over the pitching decisions from that point forward.

– For the second straight game, an internet outage interrupted the live stream on ESPN+ and prevented viewers from seeing the final few innings.