Arizona was picked to finish second in the Big XII and pitchers Owen Kramkowski and Tony Pluta earned preseason all-conference as released on Thursday. Arizona opens the 2026 season on February 13 against Stanford in Surprise, Arizona.
TCU, which Arizona defeated 2-1 in 10 innings to win the 2025 Big XII Tournament, was picked as the favorite to win the conference in 2026. Arizona plays a three-game series at TCU from April 10 through 12 in what will be one of the most anticipated trio of games in the Big XII in 2026.
Kramkowski leads a strong Arizona pitching rotation in 2026. In 2025, Kramkowski had nine wins and six losses in 18 starts with a 5.48 earned run average over 92.0 innings. Kramkowski was named a third-team preseason All-American by Perfect Game.
Pluta was the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year in 2025, returns to Arizona in 2026 to anchor the bullpen. Pluta had 14 saves in 30 appearances in 2025 with a 1.46 ERA and 34 strikeouts. Pluta led the Big XII and was fourth nationally in saves.
The countdown to first pitch for #Big12BSB continues... pic.twitter.com/5Q9lGcxjtU
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) February 5, 2026
Chip Hale, who played on the 1986 Arizona College World Series champions, enters his fifth season as head coach with a 152-95 record. Hale led Arizona to the 2024 Pac-12 regular season and tournament championship and the 2025 College World Series.
A look at the 2026 Arizona schedule
In addition to Stanford, Arizona will play Michigan and Oregon State in Surprise. After hosting Nebraska-Omaha for a single game and a four-game series against Connecticut, Arizona plays in the 2026 Las Vegas Classic versus Oregon, Vanderbilt and California-Irvine.
Arizona will open Big XII play with a three-game series at Utah from March 13 through 15. Texas Tech is at Arizona from March 20 through 22 in its first Big XII home series of 2026. Arizona hosts Arizona State from April 2 through 4 in their Big XII meeting of 2026.