TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona baseball team is set to kick off the 2026 season with a three-game slate in Surprise, Arizona at the College Baseball Series.

The Wildcats will commence the 2026 campaign against former Pac-12 foe Stanford this Friday at 6:00 p.m., before taking on No. 12 Oregon State on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Arizona will conclude the weekend with a contest against Michigan on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Arizona enters its fifth season under the guidance of head coach Chip Hale, and the Wildcats are coming off Hale's best campaign yet at the helm of the program, as they posted an overall record of 44-21 in 2025, winning the Big 12 Tournament Title and reaching the College World Series.

Arizona brings back a large portion of its pitching from the 2025 season, highlighted by starters Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey; however, the Wildcats return just three position players who competed in 75 percent or more of contests last year, as they will have a new-look lineup this season.

All three contests this weekend will be available for viewing on FloCollege and live stats will be available through StatBroadcast.

LEADING OFF:

• The #24 Arizona Wildcats open the 2026 season, their fifth under the direction of head coach Chip Hale, at the 2026 College Baseball Series in Surprise, Arizona.

• Arizona will face Stanford, #12 Oregon State, and Michigan at  Surprise Stadium, with all three games airing live on FloCollege. Mike Ferrin will handle play-by-play duties for the three games while David Aardsma will serve as the analyst.

• The Wildcats are set to take on former Pac-12 opponents Stanford and Oregon State for the first time since joining the Big 12. Arizona holds an advantage in their all-time series against Michigan (47-12), but trails both Stanford (88-121), and Oregon State (44-46).

• Head coach Chip Hale — a standout alumni and Arizona's all-time leader in games played, hits, and total bases — enters his fifth year leading his alma mater. Hale has led the Wildcats to NCAA Tournament berths and 30+ wins in each of his first four seasons in charge in Tucson.

• Hale is coming off his best campaign yet at the helm of the program, leading Arizona to a Big 12 Tournament Title and an appearance in the 2025 College World Series, marking Arizona's 19th trip to Omaha.

• Prior to losing their season-opener last year, Arizona had won 16 consecutive season-opening games. 

• Arizona has won five straight games against Stanford, dating back to the 2023 season.

WEEKEND THEMES: The No. 24 Arizona Wildcats begin their fifth season under the direction of head coach Chip Hale this weekend at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona where they will face off against Stanford, No. 12 Oregon State, and Michigan in the 2026 College Baseball Series. Hale has guided the Wildcats to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 30+ wins in all four seasons at the helm, and back-to-back conference championships...Hale's coaching staff includes fifth-year assistant coaches Trip Couch (recruiting coordinator, outfielders) and Toby DeMello (hitters, catchers), along with first year assistant coach Sean Kenny (pitchers)...The Wildcats enter the 2026 season coming off a campaign that saw them reach the College World Series and expectations are somewhat, as Arizona returns nearly 60 percent of its pitching production from last year...Arizona was picked by the Big 12 coaches to finish second in the conference and the Wildcats are rated in the Preseason Top 25 in three of the five major polls...Arizona received unfortunate news this past week, as reigning NCBWA Stopper of the year and consensus Preseason All-American Tony Pluta sustained an injury that will force him to miss the 2026 campaign; however, the Wildcats are loaded with starting pitching led by Preseason All-Big 12 honoree Owen Kramkowski and 2025 Freshman All-American Smith Bailey...Stanford is led by head coach David Esquer, who has led Stanford for the past nine seasons and helped steer The Cardinal to five NCAA Tournament berths including three consecutive appearances in the College World Series from 2021-23. Oregon State is led by seventh-year head coach Mitch Canham, who has led the Beavers to the NCAA Tournament in each season at the helm of the program, including an appearance in the 2025 College World Series...Michigan is led by fourth-year head coach Tracy Smith who has led the Wolverines to a record of 93-79 over the past three seasons. Arizona has a long history against both Stanford and Oregon State, as they will square off with two former Pac-12 foes. The Wildcats have played The Cardinal 209 times and they have faced the Beavers 90 times throughout history. Sunday's meeting between Arizona and Michigan will be the 60th all-time meeting between the two programs. 

CATS COACHING STAFF: The Wildcats are led this season by fifth-year head coach Chip Hale — he was hired on July 5, 2021, and signed an extension this past offseason that will keep him at the helm of the program through 2030. Hale, the Wildcats all-time leader in games played, hits, and total bases during his time in Tucson from 1984-87, brought 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 coming off his best season leading the Wildcats, as Arizona compiled an overall record of 44-21. The Cats had an exceptional postseason run, kicking it off by winning the 2025 Big 12 Tournament in their inaugural season as a member of the conference. Arizona then proceeded to go undefeated to win the Eugene Regional; and, after dropping the first game of the Chapel Hill Super Regional to North Carolina, the Cats bounced back to beat UNC in consecutive games and advance to the College World Series. Hale is once again joined 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 after his second season in Tucson. Since arriving, he has helped craft one of the most dangerous offenses in America, one that has averaged 7.15 runs per game and batted .289 under his guidance. Couch, one of the nation's top recruiting coordinators, joined the Wildcats in the same role in 2022 after splitting the previous 11 years between Houston and South Carolina. Across his decades of collegiate coaching experience, Couch has made 14 NCAA postseason appearances, developed 15 All-Americans, and directly coached 42 MLB Draft selections. The Wildcats added a new pitching coach this season after former assistant coach Kevin Vance departed to take the head coaching job at San Diego State. Hale tabbed 29-year collegiate coaching veteran Sean Kenny as the man to oversee Arizona's pitching staff. Kenny made his way to Tucson from Iowa this past December. A seasoned veteran, Kenny has spent the past 16 years working with Power 5 programs, including stops at Michigan, Georgia, and Houston.

AMONG THE BEST: Five Wildcats were recognized in recent weeks by D1Baseball, including four pitchers, as they organized their preseason position rankings. The group is led by 2025 Freshman All-American Smith Bailey who was ranked as the 16th best starting pitcher in the country, and newcomer Tyler Bickers who came in as the 16th best second baseman in the nation. Preseason All-American Owen Kramkowski was tabbed the 39th best starting pitcher and Collin McKinney was ranked as the 171st best starting pitcher. Reigning NCBWA Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta earned the #1 reliever spot in the country; however, he will miss the 2026 campaign due to injury.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Arizona was predicted to finish second in the conference by Big 12 coaches, earning 157 points in the poll and being one of two teams to receive a first-place vote. It is the second consecutive year that Arizona has been predicted to finish second in the Preseason Poll. Additionally, Arizona starting pitcher Owen Kramkowski was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Kramkowski, a 2025 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree enters his junior season with high expectations after a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him take over the Friday starting spot for the Wildcats. Relief pitcher Tony Pluta was also named to the Presseason All-Big 12 team; however, it was announced earlier this week that he will miss the 2026 campaign due to injury. The complete 2025 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll can be found on the right side of page three of these notes.

NEW LOOK LINEUP: Arizona returns just three position players that appeared in 75 percent or more of games last season, as the Wildcats will have a number of new faces in the lineup this year. The returners include Maddox Mihalakis, Andrew Cain, and Easton Breyfogle. Mihalakis has been a consistent presence at third base for the past two seasons. This past year, he started 60 games throughout the season, posting a batting average of .279 and on-base percentage of 354. Breyfogle started 51 games last season, recording a batting average of .244 with five doubles, five triples, and five home runs. Cain made 43 starts throughout the 2025 season and had a batting average of .247 and an on-base percentage of .350. Arizona has brought in a multitude of newcomers, in addition to returning some impressive players who will fill the lineup. Transfers Beau Sylvester (Oklahoma State), Roman Meyers (Golden West College), Carson McEntire (Oregon State), and Tyler Bickers (Milwaukee) are expected to make an immediate impact on the program this season, while highly-touted freshmen Tony Lira, Nate Novitske, and Cash Brennan could also have early opportunities this year.

ACES ON THE MOUND: Arizona returns a large portion of its pitching from the 2025 season, as six of 11 pitchers who threw at least 18 innings last season return for the 2026 campaign, highlighted by returning starters Owen Kramkowski, Smith Bailey, and Collin McKinney. Kramkowski will take the mound on Friday night, while Bailey will start on Saturday, and McKinney will take the mound on Sunday. All three pitchers were ranked in D1 Baseball's Preseason Top-200 Starting Pitcher rankings. Bailey led the way coming in at #16, while Kramkowski landed at #39, and McKinney came in at #171. Kramkowski is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in which he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors after starting 18 games and posting a record of 9-6 throughout the season. He compiled an ERA of 5.48 across a team-high 92.0 innings of work, and recorded 90 strikeouts to just 18 walks. The Sahuarita, Arizona native garnered All-Big 12 Preseason honors and was tabbed a Preseason Third Team All-American by Perfect Game. Bailey enters his sophomore season after an exceptional freshman campaign in which he was named a First Team Freshman All-American by D1Baseball, a Second Team Freshman All-American by Baseball America and Perfect Game, and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. During the 2025 season, Bailey started 18 games on the mound, compiling a record of 3-3. He recorded an ERA of 3.94 across 89.0 innings of work and struck out 80 batters. Bailey also limited opposing hitters to just a .267 average at the plate. McKinney returns for his junior season and will begin the year as the Sunday starter. During his sophomore campaign, he appeared in 15 games on the mound, starting 13 of them. He posted an ERA of 3.98 across 54.1 innings and recorded 60 strikeouts, while limiting opposing hitters to a .234 batting average. In addition to the trio of starters back for Arizona, the Wildcats bring back veteran relief pitchers Garret Hicks and Matthew Martinez. Hicks made 34 appearances throughout the 2025 season and totaled 45.2 innings on the mound, while Martinez made 17 appearances last season and pitched 18.1 innings. 

3,000 CLUB: Arizona Baseball is one of just 10 programs in the history of college baseball to win 3,000 games. As it currently stands, Arizona is the 10th all-time winningest program in the history of the sport. Across time as a player (1984-87) and as a coach (2022-present), Arizona head coach Chip Hale has contributed to over 9% of the program's all-time wins. The 2026 College Baseball Series will feature three of the top-10 winningest programs in NCAA Baseball history, as Stanford (3rd / 3,135 wins) and Michigan (4th / 3,124) are each ranked within the top-five for all-time victories.