Arizona began this season as a ranked team, but going 0-3 during its opening weekend—albeit to a trio of teams that are currently in the Top 25—made that go away quickly.
Since then the Wildcats have won 18 of 20 games and are coming off a weekend series win at West Virginia to keep them tied atop the Big 12 standings. That has warranted a return to the Top 25.
D1Baseball has ranked Arizona No. 23 in its latest poll, the only Big 12 school on the list. The Wildcats are now ranked in all five major polls, sitting as high as 12th.
Cats are hot pic.twitter.com/bVAueiOY1X
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) March 24, 2025
Arizona (18-5, 5-1) took two of three at West Virginia, clinching the series with an 11-4 win Sunday that saw it score six times in the 8th and twice in the 9th. Adonys Guzman had two of the UA’s four home runs, and along the way achieved villain status with Mountaineers fans.
That game also saw junior right fielder Brendan Summerhill exit after five innings, and Michael Lev of the Arizona Daily Star is reporting Summerhill could miss three to four weeks with a hand injury.
Summerhill, a projected first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, is hitting .409 as Arizona’s leadoff hitter. He has two home runs, 24 RBI and .500 on-base percentage and a Division I-leading six triples.
The West Virginia series began with an historic performance in winning 6-4 in 16 innings. Arizona pitchers recorded 29 strikeouts in that game, beating the previous school record by eight.
Arizona returns to action Wednesday at home for a nonconference game against Seattle before hosting Baylor over the weekend. The Bears (16-7, 2-4) lost two of three at home to Kansas State, which is tied for Arizona for first place with a 5-1 Big 12 record.