TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (6-9) will travel to face Arizona Staet (11-4) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Tuesday night with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m. MST. Arizona enters the contest coming off a three-game sweep of Fresno State, and the Wildcats have won five of their past six games.

LEADING OFF:

• The Arizona Wildcats travel to face the Arizona State Sund Devils for a midweek game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
• Tuesday night's contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will be aired over the radio on 1290AM featuring play-by-play from Brody Dryden. 
• Arizona and Arizona State have played 500 times previously throughout history, with the Wildcats holding an 265-234-1 advantage in the all-time series.
• Arizona won three of four games against ASU last season, but the Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 8-4 in the final game between the two teams last year.
• Arizona is coming off a weekend sweep of Fresno State in which the Wildcats scored 29 combined runs.
• Nate Novitske has had a multi-hit performance in six of Arizona's past seven games and is a combined 18-33 at the plate over the stretch.
• Tony Lira is coming off a stellar week in which he went 11-18 at the plate with two doubles and a home run, while reaching base 13 times.
• After getting off to a slow start this season, Maddox Mihalakis went 7-13 with a team-high eight RBI and two doubles throughout the three-game series against Fresno State.
• Andrew Cain went 4-7 with three RBI, a double and a home run over the final two games of the weekend  series.
• Owen Kramkowski was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week on Monday after throwing six scoreless innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts in a shutout win over Fresno State on Friday.

SOME GAME THEMES: Tuesday night's contest will mark the 501st all-time meeting between Arizona and Arizona State with the series dating back to 1907...The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and will also air over the radio on 1290am with Brody Dryden on the call...Arizona and Arizona State played four times last season, with Arizona taking three of four games against the Sun Devils...ASU won the most recent matchup between the two teams, as they won the series finale 8-4 over the Wildcats last year...Arizona has elevated their play after a slow start, and they have now won five of their past six games, with victories over Vanderbilt, UC Irvine, and a three-game sweep of Fresno State...Redshirt Freshman Nate Novitske has been exceptional at the plate for the Wildcats, as he has recorded six multi-hit games in Arizona's past seven contests and was named the MVP of the Live Like Lou Las Vegas CBC...Tony Lira continues to lead the team in total hits this season (24), and he is coming off a week in which he went 11-18 at the plate, while reaching base 13 times across Arizona's four games...Lira most recently went 4-4 with a walk in the series finale against Fresno State...The Wildcats has scored 46 runs in the past seven games after scoring just 27 runs across their first eight contests...Arizona scored 29 total runs against Fresno State, including a season-high 14 on a season best 14 hits in the series finale...Arizona's pitching staff leads the Big 12 in strikeouts (162)...Arizona State is led by fifth-year head coach Willie Bloomquist who owns a record of 137-109 at the helm of the program...The Sun Devils have gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 campaign, as they enter Tuesday night's contest with a record 11-4 and they are coming off a three-game sweep of LMU...ASU ranks second in the Big 12 in batting average (.340), runs (147), and hits (177) and they lead the conference in home runs (31). 

NOVITSKE AND LIRA LEADING SPARKING THE OFFENSE: 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. Novitske leads the team and ranks third in the Big 12 with a .440 batting average and over Arizona's past seven games; Novitske is 18-33 at the plate with seven RBI and seven runs scored, while only striking out four times. Novitske has six multi-hit games over that same stretch, including five games with three hits. He hit the first home run of his career in the series finale against Fresno State on Sunday. Lira has also been outstanding for the Wildcats, as he ranks first on the team in hits (24) and extra base hits (6), while ranking second in batting average (.381) and on-base percentage (.451). Lira is coming off a week in which he went 11-18 at the plate, including going 4-4 with a walk in the 14-4 victory over Fresno State on Sunday.  

MIHALAKIS GETS GOING: Senior Maddox Mihalakis entered the season with high expectations after starting 60 games for the Wildcats last season. Mihalakis got off to a slow start at the plate, but he had a superb weekend for Arizona. The senior went 7-13 with eight RBI and three runs scored in the series against Fresno State, recording at least two hits in all three contests.

BULLPEN HOLDING IT DOWN: Despite losing 2025 NCBWA Stopper of the Year, Tony Pluta, to injury before the start of the season, Arizona has had a multitude of pitchers step up and make a significant impact out of the bullpen. Senior Matthew Martinez has been outstanding for the Wildcats this season. Martinez has been dominant in nearly every outing, as he has appeared in five games, tossing 9.0 innings and posting an ERA of 2.00, while recording 16 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to a .138 average. Martinez threw 2.0 innings in his most recent outing against GCU last Tuesday and allowed just one hit and no runs while posting four strikeouts. Maclain Roberts, a transfer from Pima CC, has been exceptional this season. The junior from Auckland, New Zealand has made four appearances and is yet to give up a run in 9.0 innings. Roberts has allowed just four hits and has struck out 14 batters with zero walks. Patrick Morris, a senior who transferred from Western Kentucky, has also been impressive for the Wildcats. Morris has pitched 11.1 across seven outings and has allowed 11 hits and five runs.  

FRESHMEN SHOWING OUT: Arizona has had four different freshmen start at least eight games apiece the season, and they have continued to make a notable impact. In addition to Redshirt freshmen Nate Novitske and Tony Lira, True freshmen Caleb Danzeisen, Cash Brennan, and Redshirt freshman Jackson Forbes have had noteworthy starts to their collegiate careers. Danzeisen has started 11 games for Arizona, and he is third on the team with an on-base percentage of .409. Brennan, the younger brother of current UCLA starting right-fielder Payton Brennan, has started eight games and is batting .233, and he has been stellar at short stop. Forbes has appeared in six games with four starts, and he is batting .333 with seven RBI. Forbes has pinch-hit twice this season and is 2-2 with a double and a home run.