The scorching hot Arizona pitching staff will be tested by another elite offense on Saturday night versus Utah Valley, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Tournament Eugene Regional on Sunday. After allowing one run in each of the previous four games, Arizona beat Cal Poly 3-2 on Friday.
Utah Valley has scored 46 runs in its last five games. The Wolverines enter the game on Saturday night with five consecutive wins. Utah Valley began their winning streak at the outset of the WAC Tournament that they won to earn an NCAA postseason berth.
Arizona has won six consecutive games despite inconsistent offensive performances. After scoring 22 runs in the final two games at Houston, Arizona has scored four or fewer runs in three of the last four games. Arizona beat BYU 4-1, West Virginia 12-1 and TCU 2-1 in the Big XII Tournament before beating Cal Poly.
Before their win over Oregon on Friday night, Utah Valley was 0-4 versus power conference teams in 2025, with two losses each to BYU and Utah and was outscored 47-15 in those games. Utah Valley did win two out of three versus Grand Canyon, who beat Arizona twice in three games, among other common opponents.
Offensive Statistic | Arizona | Utah Valley |
|---|---|---|
Batting average | .280 | .308 |
Slugging percentage | .470 | .502 |
On-Base percentage | .374 | .417 |
OPS | .844 | .919 |
Runs scored | 374 | 513 |
Doubles | 122 | 121 |
Triples | 36 | 22 |
Home runs | 60 | 81 |
Strikeouts | 464 | 527 |
Walks | 240 | 293 |
stolen bases | 47 | 116 |
After three consecutive games with two hits and earning the Big XII Tournament Most Valuable Player, Arizona shortstop Mason White is one for six with a (the game-winning) run scored (in the Big XII Championship Game) in the last two games and Brendan Summerhill has one hit in his last seven games.
Utah Valley is 26th nationally with a .308 team batting average. Four players on Utah Valley have hit double figures in home runs compared to Aaron Walton and White as the only two Wildcats to do so. Arizona had only two hits in its win over Cal Poly and Utah Valley produced five, defeating Oregon.
Statistics | Arizona | Cal Poly |
|---|---|---|
Earned run average | 4.68 | 6.41 |
Strikeouts | 527 | 475 |
Walks | 182 | 245 |
Opponent batting average | .269 | .285 |
WHIP | 1.40 | 1.64 |
Home runs allowed | 34 | 62 |
Raul Garayzar (2-0, 2.18 earned run average) is expected to start for Arizona on Saturday, with Colton Kennedy (5-4, 6.48 earned run average) the projected starter for Utah Valley. Arizona should have a big advantage in pitching on Saturday. Both teams used their closers on Friday.
Arizona and Utah Valley both did just enough in their series openers to advance. Garayzar has been elite since being elevated into the starting rotation. How well Kennedy or another starter pitches for Utah Valley performs on Saturday night could determine who advances to the regional final.