Mason White hits 3 of UA-record 8 homers as Wildcats roll into regional final

EUGENE, Ore. — Arizona baseball is headed to the Eugene Regional final, and the Wildcats did it by hitting the ball over the wall again and again.

Arizona smacked a program-record eight home runs at hitter-friendly PK Park — including three by junior shortstop Mason White — in a 14-4 victory over Utah Valley on Saturday night.

The win sends the Wildcats into a Sunday-night matchup against UVU or Cal Poly. The Wolverines and Mustangs square off earlier in the day in an elimination game.

With one more win, Arizona can advance to Super Regionals for the first time under Chip Hale. A loss Sunday night would force a winner-take-all game Monday.

“The mindset will be the same," Hale said. "Just play nine innings the best we can and win a baseball game. If it doesn’t work out that way, then we have to worry about the next day. But we just worry about one at a time.”

Power hasn’t been Arizona’s calling card. The Wildcats had the second-fewest home runs among the four regional participants entering Friday. Swinging for the fences isn’t usually a winning strategy at massive Hi Corbett Field.

White has been the exception. His three-homer outburst upped his team-leading total to 19. The Salpointe Catholic High School product has hit 10 long balls since May 9.

White became the ninth player in UA history to hit three homers in a game. The last one to do it was Emilio Corona on April 30, 2023, at Oregon State.

"It's really cool," said White, who went 4 for 5 with four RBIs and four runs scored. "We saw the wind when we got here, during BP, and then nothing changed during the game. We just hit like we know how to hit."

White wasn’t the only Wildcat to go yard against the Wolverines. Tommy Splaine and Brendan Summerhill hit solo shots in the fourth. White’s third of the game came two batters later.

Arizona expanded its lead from 7-4 to 13-4 with a six-run seventh. The rally featured two-run homers by Aaron Walton and Adonys Guzman.

Garen Caulfield broke the record with an opposite-field solo homer in the eighth. The previous mark of seven was set on April 8, 2001, at Washington State.

The dimensions at PK Park are homer-friendly. Additionally, the wind was blowing straight out Saturday. Oregon and Cal Poly combined for eight home runs in the first game of the day.

"Any ball that goes up, you kind of hold your breath a little bit," Utah Valley coach Nate Rasmussen said. "They hit eight home runs. And they didn't hit eight cheap home runs. They got them."

Arizona could have had a ninth homer, but UVU center fielder Nate Bach leaped over the wall to rob Guzman in the top of the third.

After registering only two hits in a 3-2 win over Cal Poly in the regional opener Friday, Arizona showed a better offensive approach against UVU. The Wildcats made more hard contact and hit line drives into the alleys when they weren’t launching the ball over the fence. They finished with 19 hits.

"The big thing is the W," Hale said. "Any way we're going to do it. Yesterday was with two hits. Today was a lot more."

The unsung hero Saturday was junior right-hander Casey Hintz, who threw three hitless innings out of the bullpen.

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Hintz relieved starter Raul Garayzar, who labored through three-plus innings. Hintz entered in the fourth with the bases loaded and nobody out. Arizona led 7-2 at the time.

Hintz induced three straight groundouts. Two of them drove in runs. But that was an acceptable outcome given the situation.

Hintz's mindset in that scenario?

"It was just to get outs," he said. "Get groundballs, turn a double play and just minimize what's going on. That’s all you can do is minimize, go pitch by pitch, and just don't let them get more damage than they're already doing.”

Hintz retired the next six batters he faced to keep the score at 7-4. Seven of the outs were groundouts; the other two were strikeouts.

Michael Hilker Jr. pitched the final three innings to earn the save. He allowed only one hit and struck out seven.

The Wildcats didn't know whom they'd face next when they left the postgame news conference late Saturday night. They didn't even know if they'd be the home team or the road team.

None of that matters at this point.

"Just stay on the attack," Hintz said. "We want to win every game. Go pitch by pitch, no matter who we’re playing, who’s up to bat, who’s pitching against us."

"The mission hasn't changed," White added.

Inside pitch

– A bloop double in the seventh gave White 110 career extra-base hits, tying Dave Stegman for first on Arizona’s all-time leaderboard.

– Arizona’s 14 extra-base hits set a school record. The previous mark of 13 was set vs. Oregon on May 5, 2019.

– Walton's home run was his first since he hit two against TCU on May 2. He went 3 for 6 and was one of seven Wildcats to log multiple hits.

– Splaine hadn't homered since April 23. He matched his career high with four hits, going 4 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

– Utah Valley left fielder Jimmy De Anda suffered a lower-body injury while trying to run out a dropped third strike in the bottom of the second. He had to leave the game.

– White was lifted for a pinch runner after walking in the ninth inning. He said he had a cramp and would be fine for Sunday's game.