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Arizona begins baseball season at Shriners Children's College Showdown in Texas

Arizona begins the 2025 college baseball season at the Shriners Children's College Showdown in Arlington, Texas this weekend with games versus three different teams.
ByAlan Rubenstein|
May 25, 2022; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Chip Hale (8) returns to the dugout after a meeting with pitcher Dawson Netz (27) against the Oregon Ducks in the third inning during the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament at Scottsdale Stadium. Ncaa Baseball Arizona At Oregon
May 25, 2022; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Chip Hale (8) returns to the dugout after a meeting with pitcher Dawson Netz (27) against the Oregon Ducks in the third inning during the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament at Scottsdale Stadium. Ncaa Baseball Arizona At Oregon | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Arizona begins its 2025 season versus Mississippi, number 15 Clemson and Louisville in the Shriners Children's College Showdown at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas this weekend. The Wildcats will play the Rebels on Friday, the Tigers on Saturday and the Cardinals on Sunday.

Arizona begins the season ranked 21st in the D1Baseball and NCBWA polls and 20th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Oklahoma State was picked to win the Big XII with nine first-place votes in the Big XII preseason poll. Arizona is picked second in the Big XII with four first-place votes.

Arizona holds a 3-2 series lead versus Clemson, 2-0 against Louisville (2-0), while Mississippi leads the All-Time series with the Wildcats 4-3. The Wildcats and Rebels most recently played in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, which was the second consecutive year they met in the postseason.

Shortstop Mason White and outfielder Brendan Summerhill were named preseason All-Big XII by FloSports, which is streaming the Shriners Children's College Showdown. Summerhill led Arizona with a .324 batting average in 2024 and had eight home runs and 59 runs batted in.

White was Arizona's best all-around hitter in 2024 with a team leading 19 home runs, 65 RBIs and 144 total bases while having a .603 slugging percentage and .995 OPS. In 239 chances, White had a .933 fielding percentage with 16 errors, which was more than double anyone else on Arizona.

The pitching matchups for this weekend are Collin McKinney for Arizona versus Hunter Elliott for Mississippi on Friday. Owen Kramkowski of Arizona versus Ethan Darden for Clemson on Saturday and the Wildcats starting Smith Bailey versus Peter Michael for Louisville on Sunday.

Arizona is completely rebuilding its rotation in 2025. McKinney was 3-6 with a 6.70 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 49.2 innings for Baylor in 2024. Kramkowski allowed four runs, two earned in 1.1 innings over three relief appearances in 2024. Bailey is a true freshman who was the fifth ranked prospect and top pitcher in Arizona in the 2024 class.

Arizona will play at 2 PM Mountain Time on Friday, 10:00 AM MT on Saturday and 9:30 AM MT on Sunday. For those attending the games in Arlington, the local start times are 3 PM, 11:00 AM and 10:30 AM Central Standard Time. Arizona plays its home opener on Tuesday versus New Mexico.

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