TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona baseball team (9-18) will open a five-game home stretch on Tuesday night at Hi Corbett Field against #13 West Virginia (19-5).
Tuesday night's game is slated for 6 p.m. and tickets are available for purchase and can be secured HERE.
LEADING OFF:
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The Arizona Wildcats face the West Virginia Mountaineers in a midweek matchup at Hi Corbett Field.
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Arizona and West Virginia have met seven times previously, with the Wildcats holding a 4-3 advantage in the series.
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Arizona went 3-1 against West Virginia last season, and they won the most recent matchup, defeating WVU 12-1 in the Semifinals of the 2025 Big 12 Tournament.
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Tuesday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ featuring play-by-play from Daron Sutton.
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Arizona is coming off a tough loss to UCF on Sunday, as they fell 3-2 in 13 innings.
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The Wildcats are 0-1 against ranked opponents this season, previously falling to #12 Oregon State 7-6 on opening weekend.
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True freshman Jack Lafflam is expected to start on the mound and he is coming off his first collegiate victory after tossing 4.0 innings and allowing four hits and two runs in a victory over GCU last Tuesday.
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Tony Lira continues to set the tone offensively for Arizona, as he leads the team in hits (40), batting average (.364), slugging percentage (.564) and extra-base hits (12).
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Andrew Cain has elevated his play at the plate as of late, and over the past seven games he is batting .357 (8-23) with five walks, two doubles, a triple, and a home run.
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Jackson Forbes is tied for first on the team in RBI (19) despite only playing in 16 games so far this season.
SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats and West Virginia Mountaineers meet for a midweek matchup on Tuesday night at Hi Corbett Field…Arizona and West Virginia have played seven times previously, with the Wildcats owning a narrow 4-3 advantage in the series…Arizona is coming off a difficult weekend in which they were swept at UCF…The Wildcats dropped the first game 11-6 and they were walked off in the final game to fall 3-2 to the Knights in 13 innings…Tony Lira and Nate Novitske have led the way offensively for Arizona all season…Lira ranks first on the team in batting average (.364), and he has recorded at least one hit in 14 of the Arizona's past 16 games, including 10 multi-hit performances…Lira has started all 27 games for the Wildcats and he has tallied a hit in 20 games, while collecting multiple hits in 16 contests…Novitske is second on the team in hits (37) and batting average (.349)...The redshirt freshman has at least one hit in eight of Arizona's past 10 games, and he has collected a hit in 19 of 24 games this season…Junior Andrew Cain has significantly improved his play at the plate as of late, and over the past 15 games he is hitting .308 with eight RBI, four doubles, two home runs, and one triple, while walking 14 times…Senior Maddox Mihalakis and redshirt freshman Jackson Forbes are tied for first on the team in RBI with 19…Forbes has reached 19 RBI in just 16 games played and 58 total at-bats, and seven of his 16 hits this season have been extra-base hits…True freshman Caleb Danzeisen has been exceptional in his debut season for Arizona and he leads the team in on-base percentage (.473) and has reached base at least once in 20 of 22 games this season, and he has a team-high 22 walks…True freshman Jack Lafflam is expected to make his third start on the mound and he is coming off his best performance yet last Tuesday against Grand Canyon, as he threw 4.0 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and no walks…Arizona's pitching staff ranks fourth in the Big 12 in strikeouts this season (260).
NOVITSKE AND LIRA SETTING THE TONE: After struggling at the plate to start the season, Arizona has significantly elevated their offensive play, and Redshirt Freshmen Nate Novitske and Tony Lira have led the way. Over the past 18 games, Arizona has hit .276 as a team, while averaging 9.7 hits and 6.6 runs per game. Lira has been outstanding this season, and he leads the team in batting average (.364), hits (40), slugging percentage (.564) runs (20), and he is tied for first in home runs (5), while ranking second in on-base percentage (.453). Lira has started all 27 games for the Wildcats this season and has recorded a hit in 20 of 27 contests, including posting two or more hits in 16 games. He enters the weekend recording a hit in 14 of the past 16 games, and over that stretch dating back to Arizona's first contest against Grand Canyon (3/3), Lira is batting .415 with a .506 on-base percentage. He is hitting. 500 with runners in scoring position this season. Novitske has also been superb for Arizona this season, and he ranks second on the team in batting average (.349) and hits (37). Novitske has 10 multi-hit games this season, including seven games with three or more hits. He has recorded at least one hit in 19 of 24 contests. Earlier this season, he was named the MVP of the Live Like Lou Las Vegas Classic after going 9-14 throughout the three-game tournament.
