The Arizona Wildcats' 2018 signing class has received several high marks in recent weeks. The class, which arrived on campus in August, has been ranked No. 3 in the country by Collegiate Baseball, No. 11 by D1Baseball.com and No. 13 by Baseball America.
 
The Wildcats' class is headlined by six players who were selected in June's Major League Baseball Draft, but opted to fulfil their commitments to Arizona, rather than start their pro careers.  Arizona hasn't had a higher ranking from Collegiate Baseball since having the top-ranked class in 1990. The No. 11 ranking from D1Baseball.com is the highest since it began ranking classes in 2015.
 
"This class is a reflection of a lot of hard work by our coaching staff and members of our entire athletic department," Coach Jay Johnson said. "It starts with (assistant coaches) Sergio Brown and Dave Lawn putting forth a tremendous amount of time and effort on the road to put this class together since we arrived at Arizona. I believe this class is also a reflection of everything the University of Arizona and our program has to offer elite baseball student-athletes.
 
"We are excited to begin working with these new players, help them reach their full potential, and believe they will form a great foundation for our program for the next few years."
 
The 2018 class arrived on campus in August and is currently taking part in skill development hours with the coaching staff before fall practice Thursday. Several of the newcomers will make their Wildcat debuts Thursday night at Kino Stadium when Arizona faces Hermosillo in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta. First pitch is scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m.
 
More on the 2018 Class
 
 The six drafted players are:
* OF Ryan Holgate // Davis, Calif. // Davis HS // 32^nd round, Minnesota Twins
* RHP George Arias Jr. // Tucson, Ariz. // Tucson HS // 34^th round, San Diego Padres
* RHP Ian Mejia // Sahuarita, Ariz. // Sahuarita HS // 35^th round, New York Mets
* C Austin Wells // Las Vegas, Nev. // Bishop Gorman HS // 35^th round, New York Yankees
* RHP Bryce Collins // Valencia, Calif. // Hart HS // 39^th round, Minnesota Twins
* LHP Andrew Nardi // Simi Valley, Calif. // Moorpark College // 39^th round, Washington Nationals
 
In addition to the six drafted players, the Cats also welcomed in several highly regarded recruits, including:

• Pitcher/infielder Tony Bullard (ranked No. 498 on Baseball America's Top 500 draft prospects)
• Right-Handed Pitcher Nate Brown, a transfer from Florida and member of the 2017 National Championship Team
• Left-Handed Pitcher Randy Abshier
• Infielder Dayton Dooney
• First Baseman/Pitcher Brandon Boissiere
• Catcher/Utility man Matthew Dyer is also a part of this year's recruiting class after transferring from Oregon and sitting out last season, per NCAA rules.

 
The group of incoming players will join a strong nucleus returning from last year, headlined by All-Pac-12 selection Nick Quintana at third base. Also back are juniors Randy Labaut, Cameron Cannon and Matt Fraizer, along with sophomores Zach Sherman, Gil Luna, Jacob Blas, Donta Williams, Jonathan Guardado, Tate Soderstrom and Blake Paugh.
 
The Wildcats will open their season Feb. 15 at Hi Corbett Field versus Massachusetts-Lowell.