After winning the final Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles last year, Arizona is headed for a new challenge this spring with the move to the Big 12. And its recent reputation is coming along as well.
The Wildcats have been picked to finish second in the Big 12 by the league’s coaches, earning four first-place votes. The last time the UA was picked this high in a preseason conference poll was 2021, when Pac-12 coaches had it finishing second and it won the league outright en route to the College World Series.
The Big 12 also released its preseason all-conference team on Thursday, with juniors Brendan Summerhill and Mason White making the list. It’s the second preseason all-conference selection for White, who was on the final Pac-12 team last year.
The UA, ranked 21st by D1Baseball.com in its preseason poll, is coming off a 2024 season in which it swept the Pac-12 titles and hosted an NCAA regional. The bulk of that team returns, with Summerhill and White among eight projected returning starters.
Oklahoma State was picked to win the conference, getting nine first-place votes, with third-place TCU getting the remaining vote for first.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25844151/Screenshot_2025_01_23_at_1.08.28_PM.png)
OSU and TCU both come to Hi Corbett Field this season, but before that the Wildcats will face a stacked nonconference schedule that includes games against both teams that played for the College World Series title. Defending champion Tennessee and runner-up Texas A&M are two of Arizona’s opponents at the Astros Foundation Baseball Classic in Houston Feb. 28-March 2, where it also plays Mississippi State, while Feb. 14-16 in Frisco, Texas, the Wildcats will face Clemson, Louisville and Ole Miss.
Arizona’s first home game is Feb. 18 against New Mexico, but prior to that it will host a Meet the Team event Feb. 8 at Hi Corbett. The intrasquad scrimmage begins at 2 p.m., with an autograph session to follow.
