TUCSON, Ariz. – For the fifth time this season, the University of Arizona baseball team and Arizona State will meet on the diamond, as the Wildcats are set to travel to Phoenix to face the Sun Devils in a non-conference matchup at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Arizona is coming off one of its best weeks of the season, with the Wildcats going 3-1 with a run-rule victory over New Mexico State on Wednesday, followed by a road series victory over TCU after winning two of three games against the Horned Frogs.
Monday night’s contest is scheduled to start at 6:35 p.m. (MST) start, and will be available for viewing on ESPN+.
LEADING OFF:
The Arizona Wildcats will wrap up a four-game road stretch at Arizona State on Monday night.
Monday night’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The matchup will mark the 505th all-time meeting between Arizona and Arizona State, with the Wildcats holding a 266-237 advantage in the series.
Arizona and ASU have met four times previously this season, and the Sun Devils have won three of the four matchups.
Arizona is coming off an outstanding week, as they run-ruled New Mexico State on Wednesday, before winning two of three games on the road against TCU to claim their first Big 12 series win this season.
Tony Lira had an exceptional weekend, going 6-for-13 at the plate and he continues to pace Arizona offensively, leading the team in batting average (.261), hits (52), slugging percentage (.521), and on-base percentage (.442).
Mathis Meurant had a superb weekend for the Wildcats, as he went 4-for-10 with two doubles and two RBI.
Beau Sylvester enters Monday’s contest on a six-game hitting streak and he is batting .417 over the stretch.
True freshman Caleb Danzeisen ranks third in the Big 12 in BB% (21.5%) and he is second on the team in on-base percentage (.432) this season, while reaching base in 25 of 28 games this season. He stepped in to pinch-hit and delivered the game-winning RBI single against TCU on Saturday night.
Carson McEntire leads the Wildcats in home runs (7) and extra-base hits (15) this season.
SOME GAME THEMES: The Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils meet for the final time this season in a Monday night non-conference matchup at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona…Arizona and Arizona State have met four times previously this season, with ASU holding a 3-1 advantage in the season series…Arizona is coming off one its most impressive weeks of the season, as they went 3-1 with a run-rule victory over New Mexico State and a road series victory against Big 12 foes TCU…As a team, the Wildcats hit .270 last week, while the Arizona pitching staff boasted a 3.55 ERA with 31 strikeouts and just six walks…Tony Lira led the way for Arizona offensively last week, just as he has done all season, as the redshirt freshman went 7-for-15 (.467) with three RBI and two walks for an on-base percentage of (.529)…Lira continues to lead Arizona in a multitude of offensive statistical categories, including batting average (.361), slugging percentage (.521), on-base percentage (.442), hits (52), and runs (23)…Lira has recorded a hit in 20 of the past 24 games, and he has at least one hit in 26 of 35 contests this year, including collecting multiple hits in 19 games…Mathis Meurant had a breakout weekend for the Wildcats, hitting 4-for-10 at the plate with two doubles and two RBI to help Arizona earn a road series victory over TCU…Beau Sylvester has been superb for Arizona as of late, and he has recorded a hit in each of the past six games that he has played in, and his batting average has ascended to .307 which ranks as third-best on the team…Carson McEntire and Maddox Mihalakis are tied for the most RBI on the team (24), and McEntire leads the squad in home runs (7) and extra base hits (15) this season…True freshman Caleb Danzeisen ranks third in the conference in base-on-ball percentage (21.5%), and he is second on the team in on-base percentage (.432) this season…Danzeisen has reached base in 25 of 28 games this season, including reaching base multiple times in 16 contests…Danzeisen stepped in to pinch-hit with the game tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth in the series finale against TCU on Saturday night and came through with what proved to be the game-winning RBI single…Relief pitchers Garrett Hicks and Maclain Roberts have been stellar for the Wildcats, and Roberts has not allowed a run in his past four outings, while Hicks has not surrendered a run in his past five outings.…Arizona faces an Arizona State squad that enters the weekend with an overall record of 26-11…The Sun Devils are led by fifth-year head coach Willie Bloomquist who holds an overall record of 152-116 at the helm of the program…ASU has been immaculate at the plate season, as they rank third in the conference and sixth in the nation in batting average (.324)…Individually, Landon Hairston is first in the nation in home runs (23) and hits (68), while ranking eighth batting average (.453).
MEURANT AND SYLVESTER STEPPING UP: Seniors Beau Sylvester and Mathis Meurant have significantly elevated their play as of late, and they are each playing arguably the best baseball of their careers. Meurant is coming off a tremendous weekend in which he went 4-for-10 with two doubles and two RBI, while making a multitude of exceptional defensive plays at shortstop to help lead Arizona to a series victory over TCU. Sylvester is on a six-game hitting streak, and he has been superb since the start of Big 12 play, and he is 17-45 at the plate in 12 conference games. He had his best series of the year against ASU last weekend, going 7-for-11 while reaching base 9-13 times. Overall this season, he ranks third on the team in batting average (.307), and third in on-base percentage (.378).
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