TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona baseball team is set for its fifth matchup of the season against Arizona State, as the Wildcats prepare to visit Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a non-conference contest with the Sun Devils.
Arizona is coming off one of its most impressive weeks of the season, having compiled a 3-1 record. This included a dominant run-rule victory over New Mexico State on Wednesday, followed by a valuable road series triumph against TCU, where they secured two of three games.
Monday night’s game is slated for a 6:35 p.m. (MST) first pitch and will be available for live streaming on ESPN+.
LEADING OFF:
-
On Monday evening, the Arizona Wildcats will conclude their current four-game road stretch against Arizona State.
-
Fans can watch Monday’s matchup live on ESPN+.
-
This game marks the 505th all-time meeting between Arizona and Arizona State, with the Wildcats holding a 266-237 advantage in the historical series.
-
Having already met four times this season, the Sun Devils have claimed victory in three of those four prior contests.
-
Arizona enters this game following an outstanding week, which saw them run-rule New Mexico State on Wednesday before securing their first Big 12 series win by taking two of three games on the road against TCU.
-
Tony Lira had an exceptional weekend, batting 6-for-13. He continues to be Arizona’s offensive leader, pacing the team in batting average (.261), hits (52), slugging percentage (.521), and on-base percentage (.442).
-
Mathis Meurant also had a superb weekend for the Wildcats, going 4-for-10 at the plate with two doubles and two RBI.
-
Beau Sylvester carries a six-game hitting streak into Monday’s contest, boasting a .417 batting average over that impressive stretch.
-
True freshman Caleb Danzeisen ranks third in the Big 12 for BB% (21.5%) and is second on the team in on-base percentage (.432) this season, having reached base in 25 of 28 games. He delivered a game-winning RBI single as a pinch-hitter against TCU on Saturday night.
-
This season, Carson McEntire leads the Wildcats in both home runs (7) and extra-base hits (15).
SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils are set for their final meeting of the season in a Monday night non-conference clash at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona…This marks the fifth encounter between the two teams this season, with ASU currently holding a 3-1 advantage in the series…Arizona enters this game following one of its strongest weeks of the season, securing a 3-1 record with a dominant win against New Mexico State and a crucial road series triumph over Big 12 rival TCU…Last week, the Wildcats collectively batted .270, while their pitching staff impressed with a 3.55 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and only six walks…Tony Lira continued to spearhead Arizona’s offense last week, just as he has all season, with the redshirt freshman achieving a 7-for-15 (.467) performance, contributing three RBI and drawing two walks for an on-base percentage of .529…Lira remains a statistical leader for Arizona across numerous offensive categories, including batting average (.361), slugging percentage (.521), on-base percentage (.442), hits (52), and runs (23)…He has registered a hit in 20 of his last 24 appearances and has notched at least one hit in 26 of 35 games this year, including 19 multi-hit performances…Mathis Meurant experienced a breakout weekend for the Wildcats, batting 4-for-10 with two doubles and two RBI, instrumental in Arizona’s road series win against TCU…Beau Sylvester has been performing superbly for Arizona recently, having recorded a hit in each of his last six games, pushing his batting average to .307, the third-highest on the squad…Carson McEntire and Maddox Mihalakis share the team lead in RBI with 24 each, while McEntire also tops the team in home runs (7) and extra-base hits (15) this season…Freshman Caleb Danzeisen is currently third in the conference for base-on-ball percentage (21.5%) and holds the second-highest on-base percentage on the team this season at .432…He has successfully reached base in 25 of his 28 games played this year, with multiple times on base in 16 of those outings…In a pivotal moment during Saturday night’s series finale against TCU, with the game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth, Danzeisen entered as a pinch-hitter and delivered the decisive game-winning RBI single…Wildcats relief pitchers Garrett Hicks and Maclain Roberts have been outstanding, with Roberts having not conceded a run in his last four appearances, and Hicks maintaining a scoreless streak over his past five outings…Arizona will confront an Arizona State team that boasts an overall record of 26-11 heading into the weekend…Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils have compiled an overall record of 152-116 during his tenure…ASU’s batting has been exceptional this season, placing them third in the conference and sixth nationally with a .324 team batting average…Individually, Landon Hairston leads the nation in both home runs (23) and hits (68), and also ranks eighth nationally in batting average (.453).
MEURANT AND SYLVESTER STEPPING UP: Seniors Beau Sylvester and Mathis Meurant have recently elevated their performance considerably, arguably playing the finest baseball of their careers. Meurant just had a tremendous weekend, batting 4-for-10 with two doubles and two RBI, complemented by numerous outstanding defensive plays at shortstop, crucial in guiding Arizona to a series win against TCU. Sylvester is currently riding a six-game hitting streak and has been superb since the commencement of Big 12 play, posting a 17-for-45 batting record in 12 conference games. His peak performance this season came against ASU last weekend, where he went 7-for-11 and reached base in 9 of 13 plate appearances. For the season overall, he holds the third-best batting average (.307) and third-highest on-base percentage (.378) on the team.