Arizona baseball will open its season next month as a ranked team.
The Wildcats landed at No. 24 in D1Baseball’s Top 25 preseason rankings, which were released Monday.
This is the second consecutive year the Wildcats have started the season ranked. Last season, they were placed in the No. 21 spot in D1Baseball’s preseason poll.
Arizona also had two preseason All-Americans last year, with pitcher Tony Pluta, named to the first team and pitcher Owen Kramkowski, named to the third team.
This year's preseason ranking follows Arizona winning the Big 12 Baseball Championship last May, after defeating TCU, 2-1. Following the Big 12 Tournament, the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA College World Series, where they eventually were eliminated by Louisville, 8-3.
Arizona finished the season with an overall 44-21 record and the No. 7 ranking by D1Baseball.
Arizona head coach Chip Hale greets his Wildcats during the introductions before UA’s game against Hermosillo in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta on Oct. 2, 2025, at Kino Stadium.
Since last season, Arizona has gone through a plethora of changes, both on a team and personnel level. Nine Wildcats were picked up during the 2025 MLB Draft, including outfielder Brendan Summerhill, shortstop Mason White, catcher Adonys Guzman and five pitchers.
As for staffing, pitching coach Kevin Vance left the program in June after becoming the head coach at San Diego State. He was replaced by John DeRouin, who was promoted but left Arizona last month after accepting a role with the New York Mets. DeRouin was recently replaced by Sean Kenny, who previously worked for Iowa, Houston and Georgia.
Skipper Chip Hale will remain at the helm after signing a contract extension last year, keeping him at Arizona until 2030.
Leading up to the season opener next month, Arizona will host a “Meet the Team” event at 3 p.m. on Jan. 24 at Hi Corbett Field.
The Wildcats will take on Stanford on Feb. 13 during the College Baseball Series in Surprise, in the team’s season opener. Arizona’s home opener is on Feb. 17, when the Wildcats will face Nebraska Omaha.
