Getting to the College World Series is a goal of every program, but only eight get to do so each year. Those are long odds in a sport with more than 300 schools competing at the Division I level.

Arizona has done so 19 times, most recently last June when it continued a recent trend of making it to Omaha every fourth NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats had previously gone in 2021, 2016 and 2012, winning it all in 2012.

Getting to the CWS is tough enough. Getting back can be even harder. The last time the UA made consecutive trips to Omaha was 1985-86, when after an 0-2 performance in the first visit it returned and won the third of its four national titles.

Since then the Wildcats have made the postseason the year after a CWS appearance four of five times, including in 2022 when as a first-year coach Chip Hale got his team to the regional finals.

The first step toward trying to get back to Omaha begins this weekend at Surprise Stadium outside Phoenix. Arizona will face former Pac-12 foes Stanford and Oregon State as well as Michigan in a round-robin event on the field where the Big 12 will host its conference tournament in May.

Hale said his players are anxious to face someone other than themselves, something he noticed in the final intrasquad games.

“I feel like our hitters were almost to the point where they were guessing, because they face these same pitchers all the time, they’re almost guessing what’s coming,” he said. “And I think we just need to get somebody else on the mound in different uniform to get our guys jazzed up again. I think we showed a lot of energy. But I think once we get another team in the other dugout, it’s gonna be fun. I’m thinking about getting some uniforms of other schools next year to play in our intrasquads.”

Here’s what to watch for when the UA opens the 2026 season in Surprise:

Arizona only has three regular hitters back from last season’s 44-win team, and one might not play this weekend. Junior outfielder Easton Breyfogle, who has dealt with lower body injuries during his college career, got “dinged up” during the last weekend of preseason and his availability is uncertain.

Senior Maddox Mihalakis and junior Andrew Cain are the other returning regulars. Mihalakis is locked in at third base, while Cain may start the season in right field but can also play first base and DH.

Shortstop Mathis Meurant, who started 27 games in 2025 at either third or DH, will take over for Mason White. Meurant hit .245 with two home runs and 10 RBI but struck out 35 times in 35 times in 115 plate appearances, and being able to make contact will determine if he holds that position or gets beat out by freshman Cash Brennan.

Milwaukee transfer Tyler Bickers is set for second base, and could be the leadoff hitter, while Oregon State transfer Carson McEntire will start in left or center. First base and catcher are expected to be platoons.

A candidate to start in the outfield, junior college transfer Chaz McNelis, is out to start the season after breaking a bone in his leg in the preseason.

“We’re going to run some different lineups out there,” Hale said. “On the position player side, some guys have emerged as starters, but there’s a bunch of young kids that are hungry and are fighting for jobs as well.”

The rotation (and beyond)

Arizona is expected to lean heavily on its pitching this season, and that’s evident in the guys who will start the first three games. Junior Owen Kramkowski, sophomore Smith Bailey and redshirt junior Collin McKinney will start Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

That’s the same three right-handers that started 49 of 65 games in 2025, with Kramkowski and Bailey starting every weekend and combining for eight postseason starts including two in the College World Series. Kramkowski was 9-6 with a 5.48 ERA, striking out 92 in 90 innings after logging only 1.1 innings the previous season, while Bailey went 3-3 with a 3.94 ERA as a true freshman.

McKinney had been the Friday night starter for the first 11 weeks last season before eventually getting moved to the bullpen, his issues related mostly to control. He had a 3.98 ERA in 54.1 innings with 60 strikeouts and no home runs allowed, but he walked 35 and hit 14 batters.

Tulane lefty transfer Luc Fladda and freshman righty Jack Lafflam were also in consideration for the first weekend. One figures to start Tuesday’s home opener against Omaha and the other be one of four starters needed for next weekend’s home series with UConn.

Arizona will be bringing 14 pitchers with it to Surprise, and a lot of them will be new faces. Only three relievers are back (and healthy) for this season, with the rest of the bullpen made up of transfers and freshmen.

With Tony Pluta out for the year due to an elbow injury, senior righty Garrett Hicks (5-2, 6.11) will get first shot at closer duties. Hicks, a converted catcher, led the UA with 34 appearances last season and had 49 strikeouts in 45.2 innings, with most of his roughest outings involving him coming out for a second inning of work.

Stanford, in its second year in the ACC, was picked to finish 10th out of 16 teams. The Cardinal return more than 60 percent of its plate appearances and innings pitched from a squad that was 27-25.

Arizona has won six in a row over Stanford, including three games that its starting pitcher—senior righty Nick Dugan—was the scheduled starter. Dugan was 6-0 with a 4.80 ERA last season.

Oregon State, who was also at the College World Series last season, is playing an independent schedule for the second year in a row before the Pac-12 returns with a new set of schools in 2027. The Beavers are projected by D1Baseball to host another regional and bring back a lot of pitching but will be fairly new on offense.

The UA will match up against OSU lefty Ethan Kleinschmidt, who was 8-5 with a 3.56 ERA and struck out 113 in 91 innings.

Sunday’s matchup with Michigan will see the Wildcats face former ASU head coach Tracy Smith, now in his fourth year with the Wolverines. No starting pitcher has been announced.