The University of Arizona baseball team begins a four-game home series against UConn on Thursday evening at Hi Corbett field with the contest schedule to begin at 6 p.m, marking the first-ever matchup between the two programs.

The Wildcats will play one game against the Huskies over each of the next four days, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, while Sunday's conest is slated to begin at 1 p.m.

All four contests this weekend will be available for viewing on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through StatBroadcast.

LEADING OFF:

• The Arizona Wildcats host the UConn Huskies for a four-game series for opening weekend at Hi Corbett Field

• All four games this weekend will be broadcast on ESPN+ featuring play-by-play from Brody Dryden. Saturday and Sunday's contests will feature Brett Gleason as the analyst.

• Thursday night's matchup will be the first-ever matchup between Arizona and UConn as the two programs have never met on the diamond previously.

• After a hitless performance in the season opener, freshman Tony Lira is a combined 7-13 over Arizona's last three games, and has recorded at least two hits in each of the three contests.

• Freshman Caleb Danzeisen has cracked the starting lineup in Arizona's past two games and leads the team in on-base percentage (.429). He has recorded a hit in each of the past two games.

• After missing opening weekend due to a minor injury, Easton Breyfogle made his season debut on Tuesday night and went 2-4 at the plate.

• Arizona has committed just one error in four games, leading to a .993 fielding percentage which ranks third in the Big 12.

• 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.

SOME WEEKEND THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats enter opening weekend at Hi Corbett aiming to secure  a series win and  build momentum ahead of their trip to Las Vegas for the 2026 Las Vegas Classic...Arizona will host the UConn Huskies for the first time in program history for a four-game homestand...All four games will be broadcast to subscribers on ESPN+ with play-play-play from Brody Dryden and color commentary by Brett Gleason on Saturday and Sunday...UConn is led by Jim Penders who is in his 23rd season at the helm of the program...Arizona has solidified its starting rotation for the weekend with Luc Fladda (Thursday), Owen Kramkowski (Friday), Smith Bailey (Saturday), and Collin McKinney (Sunday).

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. Former Wildcat player Garen Caulfield joined the staff as a Graduate Assistant Coach ahead of the 2026 season following a tremendous four-year career at Arizona. As a player, Caulfield had one of the most successful four-year careers on the field in recent history for the Wildcats, as he competed for Arizona from 2022-25. He ranks second in program history behind Chip Hale in games played, appearing in 231 contests across his four seasons with the Wildcats. Caulfield also ranks second in career at-bats (877) and sixth in sacrifice flies (17). He will serve as Arizona's first base coach. Bill Ralston also joined the staff as a Hitting Analyst for the 2026 season. Ralston played four years of collegiate baseball, concluding his career at Saint Mary's. During his senior year, he batted .272 with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, and 31 RBI.

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 HONORS: 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.

LIRA LEADING THE OFFENSE: Freshman Tony Lira has gotten off to a tremendous start in his first season of action. Offensively, he leads Arizona in batting average (.389), hits (7), and total bases (8). After going 0-5 in the season opener, Lira is 7-13 at the plate and has recorded two or more hits in each of Arizona's past three games, including a three-hit performance against Oregon State. In addition to leading the way offensively, Lira has also been exceptional on defense. He has recorded 25 putouts and four assists with zero errors.

MARTINEZ MAKING AN IMPACT: Senior relief pitcher Matthew Martinez has been outstanding for the Wildcats so far this season. Martinez made his debut in the season opener against Stanford, pitching three innings and allowing just one hit and zero runs, while striking out seven batters. He followed that performance up with another stellar outing on Tuesday night against Omaha. The senior pitched 2.2 innings and did not allow a single hit, while striking out three batters.

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. He had a difficult outing in his season debut against Stanford; however, he will aim to bounce back on Friday night. 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. Bailey was tremendous in his season debut against #12 Oregon State, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing just three hits and two runs, while striking out four batters. 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. McKinney had a highly effective outing to begin the season, as he pitched 4.2 innings against Michigan, allowing two runs, while recording eight strikeouts. 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. Arizona has also brought in a plethora of new pitchers via trasnfers that could have the chance to make a significant impact this season. Among the newcomers include, Luc Fladda (Tulane), Nolan Straniero (Elon), Patrick Morris (Western Kentucky), Evan Brandt (Weatherford College), Corey Kling (USF), JT Drake (Texas Tech), Maclain Roberts (Pima CC), and Sam Round (Paradise Valley CC). Fladda started 15 games on the mound for Tulane last season serving as the Friday starter for the Green Wave.  He appeared once over the weekend against Oregon State, allowing just one hit and zero runs in 1.1 innings of work. Fladda will have the opportunity to start on Thursday for the first time in an Arizona uniform. Straniero started 14 contests for Elon last year, Brandt was a 2025 NJCAA First Team All-American, and Morris appeared in 27 games for the Hilltoppers throughout the 2025 campaign. Kling appeared in 14 games for USF during 2025 with three starts, and Drake appeared in 15 contests for the Red Raiders last year. Roberts and Round each had tremendous seasons in the JUCO ranks and will look to make an impact for the Wildcats in their first season at the Division I level. Roberts, a left-hander originally from New Zealand, began playing baseball in 2019 after watching the World Series on TV and developed quickly - earning spots on the New Zealand U18 and U23 National Teams, before being selected to the New Zealand National Team roster for the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers.