Arizona Baseball Will Open Season in Surprise

Arizona baseball was able to shock teams during the 2025 season by making it to the College World Series led by a high-powered offense and head coach Chip Hale guiding the ship. It was the first trip to the CWS for Hale as a coach after being the leader of the program the past three seasons.

This marked the first time since the 2021 season when then-head coach Jay Johnson took the team to Omaha before leaving for LSU after the season.

Last year, Arizona opened everything up in Texas from globe life field. Things got off to a tough start for the Wildcats as they went 0-3 with losses to Ole Miss, Clemson and Louisville.

Ironically enough, Arizona's season came to an end with an 8-3 loss to Louisville, which beat UA in the Shriners Children's College Showdown at the start of the year.

Now, instead of opening in Texas, Arizona will be starting the 2026 season in its own state. The Wildcats will be in Surprise, Ariz., where they will participate in the tournament that will feature Michigan, Oregon State, Stanford and UA. 

The games will go from Feb. 13 to the 15 and gives Arizona the chance to face two former Pac-12 foes in the Beavers and Cardinal, which are two powerhouse that UA is very familiar with.

The Wildcats will have new faces on the roster with the addition of three transfers in infielders Tyler Bickers and Beau Sylvester and outfielder Carson McEntire, who comes from Oregon State. So, there is a chance that McEntire faces his old team and gets at-bats against the Beavers.

Last season in Milwaukee, Bickers hit .369 while smacking four home runs and driving in 42 RBI, which were a career-high in his two seasons with the program. He played in 58 games taking 225 plate appearances.

McEntire shined in the Super Regionals where against Florida State he was able to knock in a home run while driving in two RBI helping the Beavers advance to the CWS.

It’s a long way til the 2026 season and the team will go through fall camp to see what they have on the roster before playing any meaningful game. So, there could be a chance that Hale will still be looking to add to his roster before Arizona takes the field in Surprise.

Please be sure to let us know what you think about the Wildcats opening the 2026 baseball season in the state. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.