Reigning Big 12 Tournament champion Arizona has been picked to finish second in the conference by the league’s baseball coaches.
TCU is the overwhelming favorite, having received 13 of 14 first-place votes in the annual preseason poll released Thursday. Coaches cannot vote for their own team, so it stands to reason that the Wildcats’ first-place vote came from Horned Frogs coach Kirk Saarloos.
West Virginia landed at No. 3 in the poll, followed by Arizona State. Kansas and Oklahoma State tied for fifth.
Two Wildcats made the 19-player Big 12 preseason team: starting pitcher Owen Kramkowski and reliever Tony Pluta.
Kramkowski, who attended Walden Grove High School, had a breakout sophomore season, compiling a 9-6 record with 90 strikeouts in 92 innings while ascending into the Friday-night starter role.
Pluta was named the NCBWA Stopper of the Year as a junior last year, setting the UA single-season record with 14 saves. Pluta posted a 3-0 record with a 1.46 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. He was named a first-team preseason All-American by D1Baseball.
Closer Tony Pluta, left, gets a bear hug from catcher Adonys Guzman as Julian Tonghini (49) and others join the celebration after Arizona rallied to defeat TCU 2-1 in 10 innings in the Big 12 Baseball Championship title game Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
TCU, which is ranked No. 10 in D1’s preseason Top 25, placed four players on the preseason all-conference team. The Horned Frogs also nabbed the preseason Player of the Year (Sawyer Strosnider), Pitcher of the Year (Tommy LaPour) and Freshman of the Year (Lucas Franco) awards.
ASU grabbed three spots on the preseason all-league team, and transfer Dean Toigo was named the preseason Newcomer of the Year.
Arizona opens the 2026 season on Friday, Feb. 13, vs. Stanford in the College Baseball Series in Surprise. The Wildcats’ home opener is Feb. 17 vs. Nebraska Omaha.
Arizona faces TCU in Fort Worth April 10-12. The Wildcats took two of three from the Horned Frogs at Hi Corbett Field last season and defeated them 2-1 in the Big 12 Tournament Championship Game.
