TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Wildcats begin their 2019 baseball season with a four-game series against UMass Lowell that wraps up with a game this Sunday, Feb. 17 at Hi Corbett Field. First pitch for the series finale is set for 1:00 PM.

The Wildcats opened the series with a 12-4 victory over the visiting River Hawks on Friday night. Freshman Austin Wells led the team with a 3-for-5 performance that included his first collegiate home run and four RBI.

Freshman Ryan Holgate and Cameron Cannon both posted monster performances on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats swept the River Hawks in a day/night doubleheader. Arizona won the first game 18-4 and added a 19-4 victory later in the day.

Below is a full preview of the series:
 

Date	Time (MST)/Result	Wildcats Pitcher	River Hawks Pitcher
Friday, Feb. 15	W, 12-4
Saturday, Feb. 16	W, 18-4
Saturday, Feb. 16	W, 19-4
Sunday, Feb. 17	1:00 PM	RHP Quinn Flanagan (0-0, -.--)	RHP Sal Fusco (0-0, -.--)

Live Stream: Available through ArizonaWildcats.com
Radio: None
Live Stats: Available through StatBroadcast.com

All-Time Series: Wildcats lead, 1-0
Last Meeting: Arizona topped UMass Lowell 12-4 on Friday

Leading Off...

• The Wildcats open up the 2019 season with a four-game series against visiting UMass Lowell. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
• Head coach Jay Johnson enters his fourth season with the Wildcats. Through his first three campaigns, Arizona has posted a record of 121-67, an average of 40 wins per season. The Wildcats 121 wins over that stretch are the second most in the Pac-12.
• Dating back to 2008, the Wildcats have gone 11-0 in their home openers. They have held their opponent scoreless in each of their last three home openers, winning by a combined margin of 12-0.
• Opening Day ceremonies will include a special jersey recognition for former Wildcat and National Baseball Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman. His jersey will be recognized pregame, while the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Trevor Hoffman bobblehead.
• The Wildcats roster features 18 returning players and 17 newcomers. The team returns five starting position players and one starting pitcher from the 2018 squad.
• Infielder Nick Quintana was named to the 2019 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list last week. The award is presented annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player.

LID LIFTER: Under head coach Jay Johnson, the Wildcats have gone 3-0 in the first game of the season while out-scoring their opponents by a combined score of 18-1...During that same stretch, Arizona has logged three consecutive shutout victories in their first home game of the season, taking down Cal State Fullerton 2-0 in 2016, cruising past Eastern Kentucky 6-0 in 2017, and topping Bryant 4-0 in 2018...In those three shutout wins, the Wildcats pitching staff has allowed just 11 hits while striking out 24...Arizona has won 10 consecutive Opening Day contests, last losing their opening game of the season at Georgia in 2008...The Wildcats also ride a home opener win streak that dates back to 2004 (6-3 loss to BYU in 2003)...Arizona last dropped their first series of the year in 1994, losing two of three games to New Mexico...February 15 will be the earliest date that the Wildcats opened their season since the 2015 squad kicked off their campaign with a 7-3 victory over Eastern Michigan on February 13.

COACHING STAFF: Head coach Jay Johnson returns for his fourth season leading the Wildcats field staff...Johnson was hired on June 8, 2015 and has since led Arizona to a record of 121-67...The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament in each of Johnson's first two seasons, making him the first coach in school history to achieve that feat...Johnson is joined by assistant coaches Sergio Brown and Dave Lawn, and volunteer assistant coach Marc Wanaka...The 2019 season marks the fourth consecutive season for the entire staff, which ties the Wildcats with UCLA for the most stable coaching staff in the Pac-12.

COMING IN HOT: Wildcats Opening Day starter, left-handed pitcher Randy Labaut, looks to build on an extensive resume of first-game dominance by Arizona pitchers dating back to the 2010 season...During that stretch, every Wildcats starter has notched a quality start (6.0+ innings pitched, 3 or fewer ER allowed).

Opening Day Starting Pitcher Results

YEAR	OPPONENT	STARTING PITCHER	FINAL LINE
2018	Bryant	Cody Deason	7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 K
2017	Eastern Kentucky	JC Cloney	7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 K
2016	at Rice	JC Cloney	7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 9 K
2015	Eastern Michigan	Austin Schnabel	6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 8 K
2014	Kent State	James Farris	7.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 9 K
2013	Coppin State	Konner Wade	6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 8 K
2012	North Dakota State	Kurt Heyer	7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 7 K
2011	North Dakota State	Kurt Heyer	7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 8 K
2010	Utah Valley	Kurt Heyer	6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 13 K
TOTALS			61.2 IP, 34 H, 7 R, 71 K

WINNING WAYS: Under the guidance of head coach Jay Johnson, the Wildcats have logged 121 wins in three seasons, the second-highest total in the Pac-12 since 2016 (first: Oregon State, 146)...The next closest team is Stanford, with 119 wins since 2016...During that three-year stretch, Arizona is one of only three Pac-12 programs with 100+ wins; the average wins total of the eight other schools during that period is just 81...Of the Wildcats 121 wins since 2016, 70 have come at home, 38 have been tallied on the road, and 13 have been earned at neutral sites.

HOME COOKIN': Since 2016, the Wildcats have posted a record of 70-20 (.778) in home games at Hi Corbett Field...During that three-year stretch, Arizona has a record of 19-4-1 in home series going two or more games...The Wildcats last dropped a home series April 20-22, 2018 against Stanford (0-3)...Arizona has not lost a non-conference home series while Jay Johnson has been head coach...During Johnson's tenure, the Wildcats have combined to hit .316 (939x2976) while posting a 3.28 ERA (296x811.0) in home contests...Infielders Cameron Cannon (.382) and Nick Quintana (.364) combined to hit 14 home runs with 65 RBI at home in 2018.

AMONG THE BEST: Arizona's 2018 signing class has been tabbed among the best in the nation by multiple news outlets, ranking No. 3 according to Collegiate Baseball, No. 11 by D1Baseball.com, and No. 13 by Baseball America...The No. 3 ranking from Collegiate Baseball is the highest mark given to the program by that outlet since 1990...The 2018 class featured six players who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft: outfielder Ryan Holgate (32nd round, Minnesota Twins), right-handed pitcher George Arias Jr. (34th round, San Diego Padres), right-handed pitcher Ian Mejia (35th round, New York Mets), catcher Austin Wells (35th round, New York Yankees), right-handed pitcher Bryce Collins (39th round, Minnesota Twins), and left-handed pitcher Andrew Nardi (39th round, Washington Nationals)...Also notable from the 2018 class is infielder/right-handed pitcher Tony Bullard, who was ranked No. 498 on Baseball America's Top 500 draft prospects list, and right-handed pitcher Nate Brown, a transfer from Florida who was a member of the Gators 2017 National Championship team.

SUMMER STANDOUTS: After highly-successful summer campaigns, head coach Jay Johnson tabbed right-handed pitcher Preston Price as Arizona's Summer Pitcher of the Year, while outfielder Justin Wylie was honored as the Wildcats Summer Player of the Year...Price pitched for the Anchorage Bucs of the Alaska Baseball League over the summer, going 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA over 41 innings of work...Wylie logged time with the Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, hitting .414 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and 25 RBI across 32 games...Wylie led the league in batting average and ranked third in home runs.

WHAT AN HONOR: Wildcats infielders Nick Quintana and Cameron Cannon have earned numerous preseason accolades leading into the 2019 campaign...Quintana was named a Preseason Second-Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and a Preseason Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game, and Collegiate Baseball...Quintana was also selected to the 2019 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list; the Golden Spikes Award is presented annually to the nation's top amateur baseball player...Cannon earned Preseason Second-Team All-American recognition from D1Baseball.com...Also from D1Baseball.com, Quintana was listed as the No. 3 third baseman in the country, while Cannon checked in as the No. 2 ranked second baseman in the nation.

STICK WITH NICK: After logging an impressive freshman campaign in 2017, infielder Nick Quintana doubled down with an even more impressive sophomore turn in 2018...Quintana finished last season ranking among the Pac-12 conference leaders in home runs (T-6th, 14), RBI (8th, 55), total bases (T-10th, 125), and slugging percentage (11th, .592)...His 14 home runs last year were the most swatted by an Arizona underclassman since Bobby Dalbec crushed 15 in 2015...Of his 14 home runs in 2018, 10 of them came while playing at Hi Corbett Field, while all 14 came in the final 31 games of the season...His power streak continued into the summer, where he played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cap Cod Baseball League and ranked second on the team with five home runs.  

SHOT OUT OF A CANNON: Infielder Cameron Cannon came into his own during a spectacular sophomore campaign in 2018, hitting .321 with 59 runs scored, eight home runs, and 50 RBI while starting in all of Arizona's 56 games...With those numbers, he earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors...Cannon finished the season ranked among the top players in the Pac-12 in runs scored (T-4th, 59), doubles (T-5th, 21), and walks (8th, 37)...Following the 2018 season, Cannon ventured to the Cape Cod Baseball League to play for the Falmouth Commodores, where he hit .263 in 42 games and earned a selection to the All-Star Game as a representative of the West Team.

TREVOR HOFFMAN JERSEY RECOGNITION: Following his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Arizona Wildcats will proudly honor former player Trevor Hoffman with a special jersey recognition ceremony prior to Friday's Opening Day contest...Hoffman will be in attendance on Friday, and as part of the ceremony will throw out the first pitch...The first 2,500 fans in attendance at Friday's game will receive a commemorative Trevor Hoffman bobblehead featuring Hoffman in his No. 15 Arizona jersey...Hoffman will be the second former Wildcats baseball player to have their jersey recognized, joining fellow former standout Terry Francona, the current manager of Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians...Hoffman played shortstop at Arizona from 1988-89 and went on to enjoy an 18-year Major League career as a pitcher...His 601 career saves are second-most all-time in Major League history, and he was a seven-time all-star.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Wildcats 2019 roster features nine players who call the state of Arizona home: left-handed pitcher Gil Luna (Casa Grande), catcher/utility Matthew Dyer (Glendale), right-handed pitcher Ian Mejia (Sahuarita), outfielder Justin Wylie (Chandler), left-handed pitcher Avery Weems (Flagstaff), outfielder Blake Paugh (Scottsdale), infielder Cameron Cannon (Glendale), right-handed pitcher George Arias Jr. (Tucson), and right-handed pitcher Quinn Flanagan (Chandler)...The only state with more representation on the Wildcats roster is California, which serves as the home state for 17 players...Other home states included on the roster include Nevada (3), Hawaii (2), Wisconsin (1), Virginia (1), Ohio (1), and Maryland (1).

THE OTHER GUYS: Since head coach Jay Johnson took over for the Wildcats, the club has posted a record of 74-22 (.771) in non-conference competition...Arizona has won 15 consecutive non-conference competitions dating back to March 6, 2018, and has never lost a non-conference series since 2016...Arizona's last non-conference loss was a 3-2 decision against Michigan State on March 4, 2018...As a team in 2018, the Wildcats hit .300 with 80 extra-base hits and registered a 2.48 team ERA across a 26-game non-conference slate.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Wildcats freshman right-handed pitcher George Arias Jr. is the son of former Arizona baseball player George Arias, who played for the Wildcats in 1993...During his one season with Arizona, Arias Sr. appeared in 60 games and hit .345 with 23 home runs and 75 RBI...His 23 RBI still stand as the second-most in a single season in school history...Arias Sr. went on to play Major League Baseball with the California/Anaheim Angels and San Diego Padres...Arias Jr. is a native of Tucson, Ariz. where he attended Tucson High School, playing under head coach Oscar Romero.
GOING STREAKING: Junior outfielder Matt Frazier, junior infielder Nick Quintana, and junior infielder Cameron Cannon all enter the 2019 season with active eight-game on base streaks...Frazier hit .280 (7x25) with five runs scored, one double, one home run, seven RBI, and six walks during his streak...Quintana posted a batting average of .414 (12x29) with 11 runs scored, two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, and eight walks over the course of his streak...Cannon hit .355 (11x31) with 11 runs scored, seven doubles, one home run, six RBI, and eight walks across his streak...The longest on-base streak posted last year by a player returning for the 2019 season was a 17-game streak posted by infielder Jacob Blas.

BREAKOUT BLAS: As a freshman in 2018, infielder Jacob Blas posted a stellar .305 (39x128) batting average while playing in 43 games (35 GS)...In addition to his impressive average, Blas notched 27 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs, 28 RBI, and 17 walks to go with a .398 slugging percentage and .407 on-base percentage...Blas' eight multi-RBI contests last year ranked fourth on the team...He registered an eight-game hitting streak from May 11-24...While starting at both shortstop and second base, Blas posted a .951 fielding percentage, committing just seven errors on 136 total chances.

RANDY RISING: Junior left-handed pitcher Randy Labaut - who will get the starting nod on Opening Day for Arizona this year - enjoyed a breakout season in 2018...Before his season was derailed by a leg injury last year, Labaut posted a 1.60 ERA across eight appearances (5 GS) while striking out 21 and limiting opposing hitters to a .227 batting average...Labaut notched a career-high seven strikeouts on Feb. 21, 2018 against Arkansas and went a career-best 8.0 innings in a start against Michigan State on March 4...After missing time due to injury, Labaut returned for the Wildcat's season finale at Oregon on May 26, tossing two perfect innings out of the bullpen in an 11-4 victory.

NOW TO THE POLLS: In a polling of the Pac-12 baseball coaches, the Arizona Wildcats were the preseason pick to finish fourth in the conference for the 2019 season...Arizona is behind UCLA, Stanford, and 3 Oregon State, all three teams who have been ranked among the top 12 teams in the country by USA Today, D1Baseball.com, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Collegiate Baseball, and Baseball America...Arizona landed one spot above the Washington Huskies, who advanced all the way to the College World Series following the 2018 season...The Wildcats also earned national preseason recognition from Collegiate Baseball, checking in as the No. 26 ranked team in the country in the publication's Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I preseason poll.