TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (12-4) and Cincinnati Bearcats (11-6) open up Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series at Hi Corbett Field this weekend. Friday and Saturday first pitches are set for 6:00 p.m. MST, while Sunday's finale will begin at 11:00 a.m. MST.

All three games this weekend will be available to ESPN+ subscribers and feature play-by-play from Brody Dryden.

The Wildcats are defending a perfect home record after defeating ASU on Tuesday night to run their tally to 9-0 this season at Hi Corbett Field. Arizona has won five straight, and 12 of their last 13 games after opening the year 0-3.

The first 400 fans through the gates on Friday night will receive a commemorative inaugural Big 12 season baseball; gates open at 5:00 p.m. MST.

For more, a complete series preview is below.
 

Date	Opponent	Time (MST)	Arizona Pitcher	Opponent Pitcher
Friday, March 14	Cincinnati	6:00 PM	RHP Collin McKinney (0-1, 1.04)	TBA
Saturday, March 15	Cincinnati	6:00 PM	RHP Owen Kramkowski (2-1, 6.23)	TBA
Sunday, March 16	Cincinnati	11:00 AM	RHP Smith Bailey (0-1, 2.25)	TBA

Leading Off...

• The Arizona Wildcats kick off their inaugural Big 12 Conference campaign this weekend as they host the Cincinnati Bearcats at Hi Corbett Field.
• All three games this weekend will be broadcast to subscribers on ESPN+ featuring play-by-play from Brody Dryden.
• Friday night marks the official beginning of the Big 12 era for Arizona Baseball, as well as the first-ever baseball matchup between Arizona and Cincinnati.
• Tuesday's 3-2 win over ASU marked the Wildcats 300th home victory since permanently moving to Hi Corbett Field prior to the 2012 season. During that stretch they have gone 300-123 (.709) at Hi Corbett and have the second-most home wins in the Big 12.
• With three home runs so far this season and 32 in his career, infielder Mason White currently sits tied for ninth on the Wildcats career leaderboard. White is tied with Moises Duran (2001-04) and is one homer shy of moving into a tie for 7th all time.
• The Arizona pitching staff has issued only 34 walks in 16 games and posted an average of 2.22 free passes per nine innings pitched, the second-best mark in Division I. The Wildcats 4.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio is currently the fourth-best mark in the nation.
• The Wildcats have posted a perfect 9-0 record at home this season while out-scoring their opponents 77-20. Inside the friendly confines of Hi Corbett Field, Arizona has registered an eye-popping .366 batting average to go along with a sparkling 1.75 ERA and an impressive .985 fielding percentage.
• Arizona's 11 triples lead the Big 12 Conference and are four more than second place TCU (7).

SOME SERIES THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats look to defend their unscathed home record while simultaneously kicking off their inaugural Big 12 Conference campaign this weekend at Hi Corbett Field as they welcome the Cincinnati Bearcats to Tucson for a three-game series...All three games this weekend will be available to ESPN+ subscribers featuring play-by-play from Brody Dryden...Friday night marks the beginning of the Big 12 Conference era for Arizona Baseball, who previously logged 46 seasons in the Pac-10/12 and 17 seasons in the WAC...This weekend is the first ever meeting between Arizona and Cincinnati on the baseball diamond; the Bearcats are one of two Big 12 opponents that the Wildcats will play for the first time this season, along with Kansas...Tuesday's 3-2 win over ASU marked the Wildcats 300th home victory since permanently moving to Hi Corbett Field prior to the 2012 season...During that stretch they have gone 300-123 (.709) at Hi Corbett and have the second-most home wins in the Big 12...The Arizona pitching staff has issued only 34 walks in 16 games and posted an average of 2.22 free passes per nine innings pitched, the second-best mark in Division I...The Wildcats 4.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio is currently the fourth-best mark in the nation...The Wildcats have posted a perfect 9-0 record at home this season while out-scoring their opponents 77-20...Inside the friendly confines of Hi Corbett Field, Arizona has registered an eye-popping .366 batting average to go along with a sparkling 1.75 ERA and an impressive .985 fielding percentage...Arizona's 11 triples lead the Big 12 Conference and are four more than second place TCU (7)...The Wildcats enter the weekend ranked No. 19 by Perfect Game and are receiving votes in both the NCBWA Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll...Cincinnati is led by second-year head coach Jordan Bischel, who has led the Bearcats to a 43-31 record during his tenure.

STREAKONOMICS: Infielder Garen Caulfield currently sports the longest active hit streak on the team at seven games. During that seven-game strech, Caulfield has hit .360 (9-of-25) with two runs, three doubles, one triple, eight RBI, and as many walks (3) as strikeouts (3). Outfielder Brendan Summerhill also boasts an extended hit-streak, having knocked himself on base in five straight games. Summerhill has also reached base safely in all 16 of the Wildcats games this season, giving him the longest active on-base streak on the team. Caulfield (7 games), infielder Andrew Cain (6 games), and outfielder Aaron Walton (5 games) all have extended active on-base streaks as well.

300 REASONS TO LOVE THE JUICE BOX: Tuesday night's 3-2 victory over ASU gave the Wildcats their 300th home win since moving to Hi Corbett Field permanently in 2012. Over that stretch they have averaged just under 24 home wins per season, enduring only one losing home record, hosted three NCAA Regionals and two NCAA Super Regionals, and won 30+ home games twice. 

TUCSON'S OWN: Infielder and Tucson native Mason White has put together back-to-back successful seasons for his hometown Wildcats, and has already slugged his way into the Arizona Baseball record books. With 10 home runs as a true freshman, a team-leading 19 last year as a sophomore, and three more so far this year, White is now tied for ninth in program history with 32 dingers. In two-plus years he has averaged one home run every 15.9 at-bats, putting him on pace to finish with approximately 42 career home runs and rank third all-time for his hometown program.

HOME SWEET HOME: Since Arizona Baseball moved to Hi Corbett Field for the 2012 season, the Wildcats have enjoyed a tremendous home field advantage. Over those 13+ seasons, Arizona has posted a home record of 292-123, winning games at a .704 clip. Their home winning percentage over that stretch is the third best mark in the Big 12 Conference, while their 291 home victories are second most in the conference.

THE FRENCH CONNECTION: Arizona infielder Mathis Meurant, who was born and raised in France, is the lone player on the Wildcats roster from outside the United States. With assistance from Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24 on Twitter) and the French Baseball and Softball Federation it has been confirmed that, upon his Wildcat debut on opening weekend in Arlington, Meurant became the first French player at the Power Conference level in NCAA history. Meurant originally hails from Vaires-sur-Marne, a small town just east of Paris. Following a breakout performance in week two against San Diego in which he posted a 2.200 OPS, Meurant was selected as the Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week, making him the first Arizona Baseball player to receive a Big 12 weekly award.

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. The Wildcats logged their 3,000th victory with a 3-2 win over UCLA on March 29, 2024. Across time as a player (1984-87) and as a coach (2022-present), Arizona head coach Chip Hale has contributed to over 8% (268) of the program's all-time wins.

THE AMERICANS: Two Wildcat juniors, outfielder Brendan Summerhill and infielder Mason White, have both earned Preseason All-America nods from multiple outlets. The two combined to produce an outsized majority of the Arizona offense last season, and both are primed to feature heavily in what looks to be a veteran lineup in 2025. Since 2023, Summerhill and White have combined for 191 runs scored, 272 hits, 120 extra-base hits, and 196 RBI. White also earned Freshman All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball following his debut campaign in 2023.

AMONG THE BEST: Five standout Wildcats were recognized prior to the season beginning by D1Baseball as they organized their preseason position rankings. The group is led by Preseason All-Americans Mason White, who was tabbed as the seventh-best shortstop in the country, and Brendan Summerhill, who was selected as the twelfth-best outfielder in the nation. Second baseman Garen Caulfield (second base), Casey Hintz (relief pitcher), and Tony Pluta (relief pitcher) were all also honored with spots on their lists.

0-2, 1-2, OR DIE TRYING: Under assistant coach Kevin Vance the Wildcats pitching staff has excelled at limiting walks; last year, Arizona led the entire nation in both BB/9 (2.56) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.46). Four weeks into the 2025 season and the Arizona staff has come close to replicating both of those marks and ranks inside the nation's top five programs in each metric. Through 16 games, the Wildcats BB/9 of 2.22 is second best in Division I, while their strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.35 ranks fourth.

MIDAS TOUCH: Arizona Baseball outfielder Brendan Summerhill was honored with one of 55 spots on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, USA Baseball announced earlier this month. Summerhill is the first Wildcat to earn a spot on the preseason watch list since outfielder Chase Davis landed on the 2023 edition. He is the 12th Arizona player to be named to the preseason watch list since its inclusion in the awards process in 2008, and the third developed by head coach Chip Hale (Davis 2023, Daniel Susac 2022). Summerhill, a junior, has logged two-plus seasons and 96 games in an Arizona uniform and posted a .321 career batting average. The Chicago native enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign last year, leading the team in both batting average (.324) and on-base percentage (.399) en route to earning Pac-12 All-Conference honors. Summerhill contributed to the Wildcats 2024 Pac-12 Championship season in all facets of the game, scoring 50 runs, slugging 32 extra-base hits, driving in 59 RBI, stealing seven bases, and playing strong defense.

BIG CONFERENCE, BIG HONORS: Arizona infielder Mason White and outfielder Brendan Summerhill both earned spots on the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Players are nominated for, and voted onto, the Preseason All-Big 12 team by the league's 14 head coaches. At the same time, the Wildcats were selected to finish second in the 2025 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll with four first place votes, marking their highest selection since the 2021 team was picked to finish second in the 2021 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll. Arizona will face the teams that finished ranked directly ahead of (Oklahoma State) and behind (TCU) them in the poll at home this season. The complete 2025 Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll can be found on the right side of page three of these notes.