SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The Arizona Wildcats are set to play seven of their next eight games on the road, beginning Wednesday night versus Arkansas. The Wildcats and Razorbacks will face off Wednesday night at San Diego State. 

The game will be televised by COX Cable's YourView and Cox Sports Television. 

A full preview is below:

Date                Time (MST)            Location (Ballpark)                                            Starters
Wed., Feb. 21    8 p.m.                  San Diego, Calif. (Tony Gwynn Stadium)        LHP Kacey Murphy vs. TBA

TV: YurView and Cox Sports Television
Radio: There will be no radio broadcasts.
Live Stats: Live stats will be available through ArizonaWildcats.com.
All-time series: Arizona leads 4-2

Leading Off...
•    Arizona travels to San Diego to take on No. 4 Arkansas at San Diego State, before opening play in the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Friday.
•    The Wildcats will play seven of their next eight games on the road, facing four Big 10 opponents, an SEC foe, a team from the Mountain West and WCC power, San Diego.
•    Arizona pitching surrendered just two runs in the opening series versus Bryant. Since 1950, Arizona has given up fewer than two runs in an opening series just once. 
•    Cesar Salazar, Michael Flynn, Alfonso Rivas and Cody Deason have won 87 games their first two seasons at Arizona, which is the most by an Arizona player since David Shermet, Chip Stratton and Michael Thorell won 96 in 1985 and 1986. 
•    Junior first baseman Alfonso Rivas was a first-team NCBWA preseason All-American, and a second-team pick by D1 Baseball and a third-team selection by Baseball America. Rivas had the most RBI by an Arizona underclassman since 2003 when he drove in 63 last year.
•    Arizona and Arkansas hook up for the second straight year. Last year, the two programs faced off in Frisco, Texas with Arizona pulling out a 3-0 win.


No Runs for You: The Wildcats allowed just two runs in their first three games of the season against Bryant. Led by starter Cody Deason, Arizona tossed a shutout in the opener, before giving up just one run each in the next two games. The two runs allowed in the first three games of a season were the fewest since 2011. Since 1974, Arizona has given up fewer than two runs in the first three games just once, which came in 1974 against Texas Tech.

Fewest Runs Allowed in First Three Games of Season Since 1950

Year	Runs Allowed (Opponent)
1974	1 (Texas Tech)
2018	2 (Bryant)
2011	2 (North Dakota State)
1997	2 (Hawaii-Hilo)
1968	2 (Pacific and UTEP)
1960	3 (New Mexico and Pepperdine)
2007	4 (Gonzaga)

 
Singles Only: Arizona pitchers combined to give up 20 hits in 27 innings in the opening series versus Bryant. Of those 20 hits, just two went for extra bases. The Cats surrendered a home run in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader and then a double in Sunday's series finale. The other 18 hits were all singles, with Bulldog hitters batting just .217 against Arizona pitching.
 
Minimizing Any Damage: Bryant batters went just 6 for 42 with runners on base last weekend for a .143 average. With runners in scoring position, the Bulldogs went just 2 of 22 against Arizona pitching, for an .091 clip. Coach Dave Lawn's pitching staff also buckled down with two outs, allowing Bryant batters to go just 4 for 27 with two outs. The three weekend starters, Cody Deason, Michael Flynn and Avery Weems didn't allow a single hit with two outs, combining to force Bryant batters to go 0 for 15.
 
On the Flip Side: While Arizona's pitchers did an impressive job of limiting Bryant hitters with runners on base and in scoring position, Arizona's offense went to work in those situations with great success. Arizona batted .371 (13 for 35) with runners on base and was even better with runners in scoring position, going 10 for 24 for a .417 clip. Cameron Cannon and Cal Stevenson combined to go six for nine in those situations. The Wildcats also had six two-out RBI, as opposed to just one for Bryant. Cannon started 27 of 59 games for the Wildcats last season, receiving 84 at-bats. A bigger fixture of the lineup this year, Cannon is close to surpassing his RBI total of seven from a year ago already.
 
The Cambino: Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon had a strong start to his season against Bryant. The Glendale Mountain Ridge High School product went 4 for 10 against the Bulldogs with a team-high four RBI. He's also tied with Cal Stevenson for the team lead in runs with three. Cannon also drew a pair of walks and reached base at a .500 clip for the weekend. Cannon and Stevenson were the only two Wildcats to have at least one hit in each of the three games.

Dealing on Opening Day: Junior right-hander Cody Deason continued an impressive trend on Opening Day for the Wildcats last weekend in his first start of the season. Deason went seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and five walks, while striking out three. Since 2010, every Arizona Opening Day starter has gone at least 6 1/3 innings without giving up more than three runs. Five times in that span, the Arizona starter has gone at least seven innings, giving up either one run or zero runs. Kurt Heyer and JC Cloney were especially dominant on Opening Day, combining for five starts, and going 5-0, allowing just three runs in 34 innings.
 

Year	Opponent	Starting Pitcher	Final Line
2018	Bryant	Cody Deason	7 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 3 Ks, W
2017	Eastern Kentucky	JC Cloney	7 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 6 Ks, W
2016	At Rice	JC Cloney	7 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 9 Ks, W
2015	Eastern Michigan	Austin Schnabel	6.2 IP, 3 runs, 8 Ks, W
2014	Kent State	James Farris	7.2 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 9 Ks, W
2013	Coppin State	Konner Wade	6.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 8 Ks, W
2012	North Dakota State	Kurt Heyer	7 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 7 Ks, W
2011	North Dakota State	Kurt Heyer	7 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 8 Ks, W
2010	Utah Valley	Kurt Heyer	6 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 13 Ks, W

 
First Up: Junior Alfonso Rivas manned left field as a freshman, before mainly handling the designated hitter role last year as a sophomore. This year, Rivas will move to first base to take over for JJ Matijevic. Rivas was named first-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and a second-team pick by D1Baseball and a third-team selection by Baseball America. Rivas hit .371 last season in 58 games last season. He led the Pac-12 in on-base percentage and totaled 63 RBI, the most by an Arizona underclassman since 2003 when Jeff Van Houten drove in 73. Rivas was ranked as the sixth-best hitter in the country by D1Baseball and the third best first baseman in the nation by D1Baseball. Rivas went 2 for 10 in the opening series of the season against Bryant, but drove in three, walked twice and scored twice.

Most RBI by an Arizona Underclassman Since 2000

Player (Class)	Year	RBI
Jeff Van Houten (Sophomore)	2003	72
Alfonso Rivas (Sophomore)	2017	63
Brad Glenn (Sophomore)	2007	62
Jordan Brown (Sophomore)	2004	57
Robert Refsnyder (Sophomore)	2011	55
Bobby Dalbec (Sophomore)	2015	53
Steve Selsky (Sophomore)	2010	52

 
More on Rivas: The junior from San Diego will look to follow up his banner sophomore season with a strong junior year. Rivas had 20 multiple-hit games last year, while leading the team with 15 multiple-RBI games. Rivas will be a sure fire middle-of-the-order bat for the Wildcats this season after starting 24 times as the team's No. 2 hitter last year and 17 times as the third-place hitter.
 
Pac-12 Leaders in On-Base Percentage (2017):
1. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, .483
2. Dallas Carroll, Utah, .465
3. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State, .449
4. Cal Stevenson, Arizona. .448
 
Pac-12 Leaders in Batting Average (2017):
1. JJ Matijevic, Arizona, .383
2. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State, .380
3. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, .371
 
Hitters Hit: Arizona returns several key pieces from last year's team, which was one of the best offensive clubs in the nation. Arizona led the Pac-12 in batting average (.308), doubles (133), RBI (396), runs (453) and slugging percentage (.442). Arizona's .308 average was the team's best since the 2012 National Championship team hit .329. The 132 doubles were the most since the Cats had 133 in 2009. The 36 team home runs were also the most since hitting 46 in 2009. Among the offensive faces back this year include Alfonso Rivas, Cal Stevenson, Cesar Salazar, Nick Quintana and Mitchell Morimoto.
 
New Number, Better Cal?: Cal Stevenson returns to the Wildcats for his senior season, but has done so with a new number and a new position. Stevenson, who wore No. 3 last year, will wear No. 8 this year after his favorite player and namesake, Cal Ripken Jr. Stevenson will also move from right field to centerfield for his final year as a Wildcat. Stevenson batted .311 last season, playing in 58 of 59 games. He led the Pac-12 in runs (61) and walks (48). He had 19 multiple-hit games and was one of four players to hit above .300 in conference play for the Wildcats. Stevenson was named to Perfect Game's Preseason All-Pac-12 team with Alfonso Rivas. He got his senior year off on the right foot last weekend against Bryant, going 6 for 12 with a pair of triples, three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. He also handled all seven of his defensive chances in centerfield. Stevenson had at least one hit in each of the three games against the Bulldogs and was the only Wildcat to have two multiple-hit games in the series.
 
Pac-12 leaders in runs scored (2017):
1. Cal Stevenson, Arizona, 61
2. JJ Matijevic, Arizona, 57
3. Jared Oliva, Arizona, 56
4. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, 54
 
Pac-12 leaders in walks:
1. Cal Stevenson, Arizona, 48
2. Matt Winaker, Stanford, 42
3. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, 39
3. Trevor Larnach, Oregon State, 39
 
All Hail, Cesar: Cesar Salazar returns for his third consecutive season as Arizona's primary backstop. Salazar has started exactly 103 games the past two seasons, and has played in 120 games total. The junior from Hermosillo, Mexico, was named All-Pac-12 first-team last year, and was also a member of the Lubbock All-Regional team last year after a strong three-game performance in the postseason. Salazar's offensive production increased last season in several areas. Salazar improved his average, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks total, while striking out three fewer times. He's also posted back-to-back fielding percentages of .992 behind the plate. Salazar threw out 11 of 37 potential base stealers last season. Against Bryant, Salazar threw out the only potential base stealer he saw. He also went 2 for 7 at the plate with a double and three RBI. He reached base in seven of 12 plate appearances against the Bulldogs.
 
Winners Time Four: In their first two years in the program, juniors Cesar Salazar, Alfonso Rivas, Michael Flynn and Cody Deason have won 87 games. No Arizona player has won more in their first two seasons in Tucson since the mid-1980s. Johnny Field and Brandon Dixon, freshmen in 2011, also won 87 games over their first two seasons, capturing the National Championship in 2012. Rivas has started 101 games in that span, while Salazar is one start behind at 100 games. Deason has appeared in 43 total games, while Flynn has made 36 appearances.

Most Wins by an Arizona Player in their First Two Seasons

Wins	Seasons	Player(s)
99	1975-76	Les Pearsey
96	1985-86	David Shermet, Chip Stratton, Michael Thorell
95	1973-74	Dave Stegman
88	1979-80	Patt Roessler, Dwight Taylor
87	2016-17	Cesar Salazar, Alfonso Rivas, Michael Flynn, Cody Deason
87	2011-12	Brandon Dixon, Johnny Field, James Farris, Konner Wade
86	1978-79	Terry Francona

 
 
"Mori-Go-To": Mitchell Morimoto is back in the outfield after a productive junior season. Morimoto will undoubtedly be a go-to player for the Wildcats this season, after starting 46 games last year, and appearing in 52. He finished with the third-highest batting average on the team at .323, while finishing with 43 runs scored, seven doubles, 24 RBI and four stolen bases. Morimoto had 16 multiple-hit games last season and had a 15-game hitting streak during the season, which was the longest by a Wildcat last season. Morimoto started all three games in left field against Bryant for Arizona, driving in two runs and scoring twice.
 
Who's Back? Q's Back: Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Nick Quintana returns for his sophomore season after a stellar rookie campaign. Quintana started and appeared in 58 of the team's 59 games a year ago, posting a .293 average with six home runs, 38 RBI, 17 doubles and 42 runs scored. His 17 doubles were the most by an Arizona freshman since current big leaguer Jett Bandy had 21 in 2010. His six home runs were the most by an Arizona freshman since current Baltimore Oriole Joey Rickard had eight in 2010. Quintana became the first player in Arizona history to win Pac-12 Player of the Week honors after his first series as a Wildcat. He was also the first Arizona freshman since Trevor Crowe in 2003 to have a five-hit game in an opening series. Quintana wasn't quite as good in his opening series this year, but still impressive. The sophomore went hitless his first two games, before going 4 for 5 Sunday with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. It was good enough of a day to lift his batting average to .364 on the very young season.  
 
Medel the Middleman: Last season, right-hander Robby Medel excelled in a middle relief role for the Wildcats, and will have a bigger role this season as a senior. Medel posted a 2.96 ERA in 15 appearances last year, spanning 24 1/3 innings. He struck out 20 batters and held batters to an opposing batting average of .220, without surrendering a home run. He was even better in conference play, posting a miniscule 1.08 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, striking out 12. Batters hit just .200 against him, allowing just 12 hits. The fifth-year senior, who began his career at TCU, appeared in two games over the weekend against Bryant. He totaled two innings without giving up a hit or a walk. He struck out two and earned the save in Arizona's second win of the season, entering in the eighth and getting the final five outs of the game. The righty has been a part of 121 wins in his Arizona career.
 
Juanderful Finish: Over his final four appearances of the season last year, Juan Aguilera posted 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, and striking out four. The hot finish started with 1 2/3 scoreless innings against Arizona State, where he allowed two walks, but no hits. He got another chance three days later against College of Charleston and retired the only batter he faced on two pitches. Aguilera again pitched against Cal on May 27 and tossed 1 2/3 perfect innings against the Golden Bears. The senior from Sierra Vista then earned Arizona's lone win of the post season when he tossed two scoreless innings against Delaware in a 6-5 extra-inning in. His season ERA went from 11.05 to 6.23 during the stretch. Aguilera appeared in Sunday's series finale, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings, while striking out a pair.