SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Arizona Wildcats (3-1) face their first road test of the season this weekend, a three-game series against the San Diego Toreros (2-2) at Fowler Park.

All three games this weekend will be available to stream on ESPN+ with Braden Surprenant on the call.

Arizona's offense continues to be a shining strength of the program, with the Wildcats currently boasting the third best batting average in the entire nation. The Cats pitching staff has shown early signs of improvement as well, with a team ERA and WHIP that both rank among the top third of Pac-12 programs.

This weekend's series in San Diego are the first three games of an 11-game road trip that will give the Wildcats an early test of their retooled roster and coaching staff.

For more, a complete weekend preview is below.
 

Date	Opponent	Time (MST)	Arizona Pitcher	Opponent Pitcher
Friday, Feb. 23	San Diego	7:00 PM	LHP Jackson Kent (1-0, 1.50)	RHP Josh Randall (0-0, 0.00)
Saturday, Feb. 24	San Diego	7:00 PM	RHP Clark Candiotti (0-0, 3.60)	RHP Logan Reddemann (0-0, 5.40)
Sunday, Feb. 25	San Diego	2:00 PM	RHP Anthony Susac (0-0, 0.00)	RHP Ryan Kysar (0-0, 4.50)

Leading Off...

• The Arizona Wildcats hit the road for the first time in 2024 and face a three-game series against the San Diego Toreros at Fowler Park. All three games will be available to watch on ESPN+ with Braden Surprenant on the call.
• Arizona leads the all-time series against San Diego, 14-3, with games dating back to 1980. The Toreros won the most recent matchup on a final score of 5-3 at the Tony Gwynn Classic in 2018.
• The last time Arizona and San Diego faced each other in a three-game series was in 1980, a series in Tucson swept by Arizona on final scores of 12-8, 15-9, and 10-5.
• Arizona Friday night starter Jackson Kent was honored as the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday for his performance against No. 23 Northeastern on Opening Night. It marks the third straight year that a Wildcat pitcher has earned the first Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award of the season.
• The Wildcats current team batting average of .384 leads the Pac-12 and is the third best mark in the nation as of games played on Wednesday. Arizona's 56 hits are tied for the eighth most in Division I.
• Sophomore OF Brendan Summerhill collected six hits on Tuesday against Utah Tech, a feat not accomplished by a Wildcat for 20 years and tying a program single-game record.
• Sophomore infielder Mason White and senior right-handed pitcher Dawson Netz were selected to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team, the first such honor for both players.

SOME SERIES THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats face a three-game road series against the San Diego Toreros this weekend at Fowler Park...This weekend marks the first road competition of the year for the Wildcats; in two years under head coach Chip Hale, Arizona has gone 16-24 (.400) in true road play...Arizona opened the year with a ranked series win over No. 23 Northeastern and a 24-4 romp over Utah Tech at Hi Corbett Field...Arizona's offense, despite replacing numerous starters from the 2023 NCAA Regional team, remains one of the most dangerous units in the nation...The Wildcats are hitting .384 through the first four games of the season, giving them the best batting average in the Pac-12 and the third best mark in Division I...Friday night starting pitcher Jackson Kent earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday following his dominant Opening Night outing against No. 23 Northeastern; he posted career-high marks in innings pitched (6.0) and strikeouts (8) en route to the victory...Sophomore infielder Mason White and senior right-handed pitcher Dawson Netz were selected to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team, the first such honor for both players...Arizona remains unranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, but is receiving votes in the NCBWA Top 25...The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Toreros, 14-3 (.824), but dropped the most recent meeting on a final score of 5-3 at the 2018 Tony Gwynn Classic...Arizona competed in the tournament again in 2020 and played at Fowler Park but did not face San Diego...The Toreros are led by third-year head coach Brock Ungricht, who has steered San Diego to a record of 63-47-1 in his two-plus years in charge.

KENT NAMED PAC-12 PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Arizona Baseball left-handed pitcher Jackson Kent was selected as the first Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for the 2024 season on Monday. Kent's honor marks the third consecutive season that an Arizona hurler has earned the first Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award of the season, following Dawson Netz in 2022 and TJ Nichols in 2023. It's the first conference weekly award of Kent's career. The left-hander drew the starting assignment on Opening Night against No. 23 Northeastern, against whom he worked a career-high 6.0 inning and struck out a career-high eight batters while allowing just one run on four hits. At one point, Kent retired seven consecutive Husky batters while the Wildcat offense pulled Arizona ahead. Kent's performance on Friday night earned him the first win of his career and set the tone for Arizona to claim a series win over No. 23 Northeastern. Kent's performance was part of a larger trend of Wildcat pitchers dominating their Opening Day opponents. Going back to 2010, Arizona starting pitchers on Opening Day have posted 10 quality starts and struck out 110 batters over 93.1 innings; over that stretch, no pitcher has allowed more than three runs.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!: Senior right-handed pitcher Dawson Netz, junior infielder Garen Caulfield, and senior outfielder Emilio Corona have been named Arizona Baseball's 2024 Team Captains. The trio of upperclassmen were voted into their captain roles by their teammates. All three captains have been major contributors on the field, leaders in the clubhouse, and exemplary men off the field.

CATS COACHES: The Wildcats are led into the 2024 season by third-year head coach Chip Hale — he was hired on July 5, 2021. Hale, the Wildcats all-time leader in games played, hits, and total bases during his time in Tucson from 1984-87, brings nearly two decades of professional coaching experience to Arizona. During his collegiate career, Hale helped steer the 1986 Arizona Wildcats to their third NCAA National Championship. His professional coaching career was highlighted by a stint as the manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2015-16) and a World Series championship with the Washington Nationals in 2019. Hale is once again assisted by assistant coaches Toby DeMello and Trip Couch. DeMello, who joined the Wildcats from Sacramento State in 2022, was promoted from volunteer assistant into a full-time coaching role during the offseason. Since arriving in Tucson he has helped craft one of the most dangerous offenses in America, one that averaged 7.5 runs per game and batted .301 between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. Couch, one of the nation's top recruiting coordinators, joined the Wildcats in the same role after splitting the previous 11 years between Houston and South Carolina. Across his decades of collegiate coaching experience, Couch has made 13 NCAA postseason appearances, developed 15 All-Americans, and directly coached 42 MLB Draft selections. The Wildcats newest full-time staff addition was assistant coach Kevin Vance, who arrived in Tucson to develop the Arizona pitching staff. Vance joined the Cats following two season at Boston College where he helped lead the Eagles to their first NCAA Regional berth since 2016. Arizona's staff is rounded out by director of baseball operations Will Gaines, in his third season with the program, and director of player development John DeRouin, who is in his first season in Tucson and will work directly with coach Vance and the Arizona pitching staff.

STREAKONOMICS: Six Wildcats have hit safely in all four games this season: Mason White, Richie Morales, Emilio Corona, Easton Breyfogle, Tommy Splaine, and Brendan Summerhill. White also hit safely in each of his last six games last season, giving him a 10-game hit streak that stretches back into the 2023 postseason. Corona has pulled his on-base streak from last year into the beginning of the 2024 season as well; he has reached base safely in each of his last 15 games. White led the team last season with a 17-game hit streak. 

PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 TEAM: Arizona Baseball infielder Mason White and right-handed pitcher Dawson Netz both earned spots on the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team. Players are nominated for, and voted onto, the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team by the league's head coaches. The Pac-12 also released their annual Preseason Coaches Poll on Wednesday, where the Wildcats were selected to finish ninth in the conference standings. Arizona will face the teams selected to finish first through third place in the conference at home this season — the complete 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll can be found on page three of these notes.

PAC-12 FAREWELL TOUR: The 2024 season will be Arizona's final go-around in the Pac-12 — they joined the conference for the 1979 baseball season. Beginning with the 2024-25 academic year, the Wildcats will compete in the Big 12 Conference along with current Pac-12 foes Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado. During their time in the Pac-10 and Pac-12, Arizona Baseball won five Pac-10/12 Championships earned three of their four NCAA National Championships.

EXTRA EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT: Arizona has consistently taken advantage of the large dimensions at Hi Corbett Field since moving there in 2012 — in the decade-plus since the move off campus, the Wildcats hold the Pac-12 lead with 2,181 extra-base hits (second: Stanford, 2,077). During that stretch Arizona has paced the conference in doubles seven times and triples seven times.

SIX-HIT SUMMER: Sophomore outfielder Brendan Summerhill has gotten off to one of the hottest starts in the nation, hitting .579 (11-for-19) through the first four games of the season. Summerhill currently leads the Pac-12 with five doubles, ranks fifth in the conference in batting average, and comes in second in the circuit with 11 RBI. Only three Division I players in the country have more doubles than Summerhill, while his 11 RBI rank tied for sixth nationally. Summerhill has hit safely and scored a run in all four games this year, with multi-hit performances in each of his last two outings. In Tuesday's game against Utah Tech the Chicago native recorded six hits, a feat last accomplished by a Wildcat batter 20 years prior in February 2004.

PITCH PERFECT: The early returns on the Wildcats pitching staff have been broadly encouraging, with the efforts of first-year pitching coach Kevin Vance and director of player development John DeRouin clearly paying dividends. Arizona's team ERA of 3.50 through four games is the fourth-best mark in the Pac-12, while their 1.14 WHIP is the second best mark on the circuit. The Wildcats low WHIP can largely be attributed to Arizona's lack of walks allowed; with just nine free passes issued in four games, the Wildcats have the third fewest walks allowed in the conference.

STATE 48: The Wildcats 2024 roster features 14 players hailing from the state of Arizona. Other states represented on Arizona's roster include California (11), Illinois (6), Texas (2), Minnesota (2), New York (1), Colorado (1), New Mexico (1), and Florida (1). The Wildcats 14 Arizonans represent nearly 36% of the roster. Among the 14 Arizona natives on the roster, five current Wildcats also played their high school baseball in or near Tucson: Andrew Cain (Ironwood Ridge HS), Mason White (Salpointe Catholic HS), Jaeden Swanberg (Salpointe Catholic HS), Alessandro Castro (Pusch Ridge Christian HS), and Caid Bergthold (Catalina Foothills HS).

ROAD FROM THE SHOW: Arizona Baseball, a program that proudly boasts 280 Major League Baseball Draft selections and 94 alumni MLB players, also currently has five players on the roster with MLB ties in their bloodlines. Between those five players, the Wildcats relatives have logged 44 years and 1,357 games worth of Major League service time.

GOLD GLOVES: The Wildcats defensive prowess has improved and continued to increase every season under the direction of head coach Chip Hale. Prior to his arrival, during the 2021 season, Arizona's defensive unit combined to post a .967 fielding percentage on 78 errors. In Hale's first season in charge of his alma mater in 2022, the Wildcats improved those numbers to a .972 fielding percentage on 66 errors. They again showed improvement in 2023, earning a .977 fielding percentage on just 52 errors.

CHASING MILESTONES: Arizona Baseball is just nine wins shy of registering 3,000 all-time victories. The Wildcats would join the ranks of just zeven other programs to boast 3,000 program wins. As it currently stands, Arizona is the 10th all-time winningest program in the history of college baseball. Four of the winningest programs in college baseball history are current members of the Pac-12 Conference.