TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona baseball team will welcome #25 Arizona State to town this weekend, as they will host the Sun Devils in a critical Big 12 series at Hi Corbett Field.

Arizona (9-19, 2-7) is set to host its intrastate rival ASU (21-8, 5-4) at a vital point in the season for both teams.

The series is slated to begin on Thursday night and all three games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday's contests will be available for viewing on ESPN+, while Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

LEADING OFF: 

• The Arizona Wildcats host the #25 Arizona State Sun Devils for a three-game series at Hi Corbett Field.

• The first two games of the series will be broadcast on ESPN+ featuring play-by-play from Mike Harris, while Saturday's game will air on ESPN2 with Clay Matvick handling play-by-play duties and Mike Rooney serving as the analyst.

• Arizona and ASU have played 501 times previously dating back to 1907, with the Wildcats holding a 265-235 advantage in the series. 

• ASU won the first of five matchups between the two teams this season, collecting a 10-4 victory in Tempe earlier this year (3/10).

• Arizona is 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, dropping the second game of the season to #12 Oregon State 7-6, before falling to #13 West Virginia 7-4 on Tuesday.

• Carson McEntire is coming off a 2-4 performance with three RBI at the plate against WVU that included his team-leading sixth home run of the season and a double.

• Tony Lira continues to set the tone for Arizona offensively this season, as he leads the team in batting average (.357) and hits (41), and he has recorded a hit in 15 of the past 17 games.

• Starting pitchers Luc Fladda and Smith Bailey rank 10th and 11th in the Big 12 in ERA, respectively.

• True freshman Caleb Danzeisen leads the team in on-base percentage entering the weekend (.473) and he has reached base in 20 of 22 games.

SOME WEEKEND THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats and the Arizona State Sun Devils meet for a three-game series at Hi Corbett Field beginning on Thursday night…Thursday night's contest will mark the 502nd meeting between the two programs, as the series dates back to 1907…The two squads will meet five times this season, and ASU won the first matchup, securing a 10-4 victory over Arizona in a midweek matchup in Phoenix on March 10…Arizona has dropped four consecutive contests, as they were swept at UCF last weekend and fell to #13 West Virginia 7-4 on Tuesday night…After a strong stretch at the plate, the Wildcats have hit an offensive slump over the past four games, hitting just .150 as a team while averaging five hits and 3.75 runs per game over the four-game losing streak…Prior to the current four-game losing streak by Arizona, the Wildcats had found their stride offensively after a tough start to the season. Over the previous 15 games before the UCF series, Arizona went 8-7 and was hitting .303 as a team while averaging 10.8 hits and 7.2 runs per game…Over that same stretch, the Wildcats had six separate players batting over .300, with Tony Lira leading the way at .393 and Nate Novitske right behind him with an average of .389…Despite struggling offensively over the past four games, Arizona has hit five home runs over the stretch, including hitting a season-high three home runs last Friday against UCF…Arizona matched its season-high by recording 16 strikeouts against West Virginia on Tuesday night; however, they set a season-high by walking 10 batters…Tony Lira has had an exceptional debut season for Arizona, as the redshirt freshman has started all 28 games and he has tallied a hit in 21 games, including collecting multiple hits in 16 contests…Fellow redshirt freshman Nate Novitske has also had an impressive debut campaign, and he ranks second on the team in batting average (.333) and hits (37)...Novitske has recorded at least one hit in 19 of 25 games this season, and he was named the MVP of the Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic earlier this year after collecting three hits in all three games throughout the weekend…True freshman Caleb Danzeisen has been exceptional both in the field and at the plate for Arizona, as he leads the team in on-base percentage (.473) and has reached base in 20 of 22 games this season, including reaching base two or more times in 13 contests…Redshirt freshman Jackson Forbes is tied for first on the team in RBI this season (19), despite only playing in 17 of 29 games…Forbes has 17 hits, seven of which have been extra-base hits, including four home runs…Carson McEntire is tied with Forbes in RBI (19), and he leads the team in home runs (6), while being tied for first in extra-base hits (12), and he has two home runs over the past four games…Arizona's starting pitching staff has been solid this season, with Owen Kramkowski, Smith Bailey, and Luc Fladda set to start on the mound once again this weekend…Kramkowski enters with an ERA of 5.97 and a record of 1-3 across seven starts and 34.2 innings…Earlier this season, Kramkowski was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (3/9) after an outstanding performance against Fresno State in which he tossed 6.0 scoreless innings while striking out 12 and issuing no walks…Smith Bailey has been impressive for the Wildcats, entering the game with 4.46 ERA and 3-1 record throughout seven starts and 38.1 innings…Bailey's ERA ranks as the 11th best in the Big 12 and he is 13th in the league in strikeouts (35)...Fladda has also been exceptional for Arizona, and he is 10th in the Big 12 in ERA (3.82) and owns a record of 2-0 with 29 strikeouts and he has issued just three walks…Fladda has thrown seven or more innings in three of six starts, and last Sunday he pitched a season-high 7.2 innings, allowing just five hits and two runs against a potent UCF offense…The Wildcats have had a multitude of relief pitchers make a significant impact this season, led by Garret Hicks who boasts an ERA of 3.29 across 13.2 innings…Last Sunday, Hicks pitched a career best 4.1 innings, while allowing no runs and just one hit while striking out three…Arizona State is led by fifth-year head coach Willie Bloomquist who owns a record of 147-113 at the helm of the program…The Sun Devils have had a strong season so far, entering the weekend with an overall record of 21-8, including a mark of 5-4 in Big 12 play with series wins over TCU and Kansas State…ASU has been particularly impressive at the plate, as they rank third in the Big 12 and seventh in the nation in batting average (.329) and they are also first in the conference and third in the country in home runs (58)...Landon Hairston has had a sensational season for the Sun Devils, and he is first in the conference and third in the country in batting average (.469), while also ranking second in the nation in home runs (17).

LIRA AND NOVITSKE SETTING THE PACE: After struggling at the plate to start the season, Arizona significantly elevated their offensive play over a 15-game stretch prior last weekend's series against UCF, and Redshirt Freshmen Nate Novitske and Tony Lira have led the way. Lira has been outstanding this season, and he leads the team in batting average (.367), hits (41), slugging percentage (.548), runs (20), and he is second in both home runs (5) and on-base percentage (.444). Lira has started all 28 games for the Wildcats this season and has recorded a hit in 21 of 28 contests, including posting two or more hits in 16 games. He enters the weekend recording a hit in 15 of the past 17 games, and over that stretch dating back to Arizona's first contest against Grand Canyon on March 3, Lira is batting .400 with a .488 on-base percentage. He is hitting .500 with runners in scoring position this season, going 12-24 in such situations. Novitske has also been superb for Arizona this season, and he ranks second on the team in batting average (.333) 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 25 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.

STARTING ROTATION ON LOCK: Arizona brought back a large portion of its pitching from the 2025 season, as six of 11 pitchers who threw at least 18 innings last season returned for the 2026 campaign, highlighted by returning starters Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey. Kramkowski has been the Friday night starter so far, while Bailey has served as the Saturday starter. Both 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. 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. Kramkowski did not have a great start to the season; however, he had a tremendous performance against Fresno State to get back into form, in which he struck out a career-high 12 batters in six innings to help lead Arizona to a shutout victory over Fresno State this past Friday. It was the first time all season that Fresno State had been shutout, and Kramkowski was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week following the superb performance. Overall, this season he is 1-3 with a 5.97 ERA across 34.2 innings. Kramkowski leads the team and ranks 12th in the Big 12 in strikeouts (36), and he has pitched at least 5.0 innings in each of his last four starts. Bailey is in 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 has been tremendous for the Wildcats this season, as he is 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA and an opposing batting average of .266 in seven starts. Earlier this season against Fresno State, he threw a career best 7.0 innings and allowed just four hits and no runs, while striking out a career-high nine batters to help propel Arizona to a victory. Bailey is 11th in the Big 12 in ERA (4.46), 13th in strikeouts (35), and 16th in opposing batting average (.266). Senior transfer Luc Fladda has emerged as the Sunday starter for the Wildcats and has been exceptional this season. The Tulane transfer started 30 games across two seasons for the Green Wave the past two years, before joining Arizona ahead of the 2026 campaign for his final collegiate season. Fladda has tossed 37.2 innings this year and has issued just three walks while recording 29 strikeouts. Fladda has an ERA of 3.82 which ranks first on the team. He is holding opposing hitters to a .261 average at the plate. Fladda had one of the best performances of his career against UC Irvine (3/1), as he pitched 7.0 innings and allowed no runs on four hits and no walks, while matching a career-high with nine strikeouts, and he has pitched 7.0 innings or more in three of six starts.

BULLPEN HOLDING IT DOWN: Arizona has had a multitude of relief pitchers make significant contributions this season. Garrett Hicks has led the way, holding a 3.29 ERA with a record of 2-0 and two saves. Hicks is coming off one of the best performances of his career last Sunday against UCF, where he pitched a career-high 4.1 innings and allowed no runs and just one hit. Maclain Roberts has also been impressive out of the bullpen, and he has a 3.94 ERA across 16.0 innings, while recording 20 strikeouts to six walks, and he is holding opposing hitters to a .203 average. Patrick Morris, a transfer from Western Kentucky, has tossed 21.1 innings across 13 appearances, and he has a 4.64 ERA with 20 strikeouts. Matthew Martinez has delivered in exceptional fashion in numerous outings, and he is holding opposing hitters to a .188 average which ranks first on the team among pitchers with at least 10.0 innings thrown. Martinez had a signature performance on Tuesday against WVU, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six.

FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Arizona has had five separate freshmen start 13 or more games this season, and they have continued to make a noteworthy impact. Redshirt freshman Tony Lira and Nate Novitske and true freshmen Caleb Danzeisen have led Arizona offensively all season. Redshirt freshman Jackson Forbes has started 15 games and he leads the team in RBI (19) and has been impressive offensively and defensively. True freshman Cash Brennan, the younger brother of UCLA outfielder Payton Brennan, has started 13 contests and has made numerous highlight plays at short stop.