The University of Arizona baseball team is set to face No. 21 Oklahoma State in a three‑game Big 12 series in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to close out the 2026 regular season. The matchup, scheduled from Thursday through Sunday, carries significant implications for both programs as they jostle for positioning in the conference tournament.
Arizona enters the series just one game behind Texas Tech for the final Big 12 Tournament berth, with the Red Raiders holding the tiebreaker advantage. Games will be played at 4 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Thursday and Friday, and at 10 a.m. MST on Sunday, giving the Wildcats a compact but intense schedule.
Leading the Wildcats’ offense, senior Beau Sylvester has recorded a hit in 20 of his last 21 games and tops the team with a .379 batting average in Big 12 play. Freshman phenom Cash Brennan continues a nine‑game hitting streak and has started the past six contests, while sophomore Carson McEntire enjoyed a breakout week, going 6‑for‑14 with a home run and a double.
Key performers to watch
Tony Lira, a redshirt freshman, paces the club in hits (70), OPS (.928), on‑base percentage (.421) and doubles (17), underscoring his all‑around impact. On the mound, Owen Kramkowski has logged at least five innings in each of his last ten starts and sits ninth in the Big 12 with 73 strikeouts, while true freshman Evan Brandt made a strong debut, tossing five scoreless innings in his first start.
Oklahoma State arrives with a 34‑18 overall record and a 16‑8 mark in conference play, boasting one of the league’s most potent offenses that leads the Big 12 in home runs (128) and slugging percentage (.564). Head Coach Josh Holiday, now in his 14th season, holds an impressive 509‑281‑2 record and has guided the Cowboys to three straight conference series victories over Arizona State, TCU and Texas Tech.
Coaching landscape
The series also marks a milestone for several Wildcats freshmen, including Nate Novitske, Caleb Danzeisen and Jackson Forbes, who have each started at least 25 games this year. Their contributions add depth to a roster that has seen five separate freshmen start 25 or more games, a testament to the program’s developmental pipeline.
With the postseason on the horizon, the outcome of these games could determine Arizona’s seeding and the trajectory of its recruiting narrative heading into the next season. The stakes are heightened by the proximity of the Big 12 Tournament, making every at‑bat and pitch a potential turning point for the Wildcats' championship aspirations.