Arizona will open the 2023 baseball season on national TV against one of the top programs in the country.
The UA will face Tennessee in the MLB Desert Invitational on Friday, Feb. 17, in Scottsdale. The game between the Wildcats and Volunteers β the No. 1-ranked team entering last yearβs NCAA Tournament β will be broadcast on MLB Network. It will have a first pitch of 6 p.m. from Salt River Fields.
Tennessee is ranked fifth in Collegiate Baseballβs preseason poll for 2023. Arizona is No. 33.
The other participants in the MLB Desert Invitational are Michigan, Fresno State and UC San Diego. TV information, matchups and first-pitch times will be announced at a later date. Arizona is scheduled to face UCSD on Monday, Feb. 20.
Fifteen other UA games were selected for Pac-12 Networks telecasts, including road series against Arizona State (March 24-26), Oregon State (April 28-30) and Stanford (May 12-14).
Baseball's automated ball and strike (ABS) system, or the robotic umpire, is one of sports' newest tech innovations. After tryouts in the lower leagues, the system is set to be tested in Triple-A baseball this year. Experts talk about how the ABS system works and whether this is an idea that is going to help or hurt Americaβs pastime.
