WEEKLY RECAP. BYU (18-16, 5-10 Big 12) is coming off a 9-3 win in the crosstown clash with Utah Valley on Tuesday night at Miller Park. BYU is 3-2 in its last five games, with midweek wins over Utah Tech (19-1) and UVU (9-3) and a 1-2 record at Utah last weekend (9-8, 4-8, 6-9).
Arizona (26-10, 10-5 Big 12) went 4-1 in its last five games winning both midweek games versus New Mexico State (11-9) and Grand Canyon (14-4), while going 2-1 in a home series with Oklahoma State (2-4, 5-1, 5-4).
CONFERENCE LEADERS. As a team, BYU is top five in the Big 12 in doubles (3rd, 82) and RBI (5th, 257). Defensively the Cougars are top five in fielding percentage (3rd, 979) and runners caught stealing (3rd, 12).
Individually five Cougars are top 10 in the Big 12 statistically, including first baseman Cooper Vest who leads the league in fielding double plays (27) and is second in total chances (314) and putouts (291). He is also top 10 in five other categories including home runs (T2nd, 12), hit by pitch (2nd, 12), runs scored (T3rd, 41), RBI (T5th, 40) and total bases (T5th, 88). Outfielder Bryker Hurdsman is top 10 in doubles (T4th, 13) and average (10th, .362), while Luke Anderson is fourth in RBI with 41. Shortstop Ryder Robinson is second in the Big 12 in assists (106) while his middle infield keystone combo mate Brock Watkins is tenth in slugging at .649.
COUGAR BATS. Four Cougars enter the weekend series with Arizona hitting over .300 on the year. Hurdsman leads BYU in batting average (.362), doubles (13), triples (2) and stolen bases (7), and has scored 38 runs with 20 RBI. Watkins is hitting .351 while slugging .649, with 32 RBI and 24 runs. Anderson, who has played three positions for BYU in 2025, is the Cougars’ leader in hits (48) and RBI (41), while hitting .343, with 29 runs. Outfielder Keoni Painter is hitting .340 with 15 runs and eight RBI, while Vest is hitting .291 and leads BYU in runs (41), home runs (12), triples (2), total bases (88) and slugging (.657), and is second in RBI (40) and doubles (9).
ON THE HILL. BYU enters the weekend with a change on the hill as Justis Reiser makes his first start of the season on Thursday and first since March 29, 2022 versus Washington State. Reiser is 3-0 in 13 appearances in relief for the Cougars this season. The sophomore from South Jordan, Utah has thrown 18 strikeouts to 11 walks and is allowing opposing batters .212 in 18 innings pitched.
Jaden Harris and Garrison Sumner will make their 10th and ninth starts of the season, respectively, for BYU in games two and three versus Arizona. Harris went a career-long 6.1 innings in the Cougars’ 6-4 loss at Utah on April 11. The senior righty has 21 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched in 2025. Sumner returns to starting action Saturday after missing game three at Utah. The Salt Lake Community College transfer is 3-1 in eight starts with 30 strikeouts to 12 walks through 36.2 innings.
OUT OF THE PEN. The Cougars top five relievers have combined for 57 appearances and 79 innings with an 5-4 record and four saves. Right hander Brayden Marx has logged 15 appearances with 22 innings in relief and is holding opponents to a .253 average with 24 strikeouts. Lefty Nolan Ficklin is 2-1 on the year and has logged 12.1 innings in 14 relief appearances. Right handers Jake Porter and Hayden Coon have appeared in nine and six games with ERAs of 1.88 and 1.38 respectively. Both are 1-0 on the year and are holding opposing hitters under .235. Left hander Ashton Johnson has 13 appearance and has logged 17.1 innings. He has win and two saves with a 3.63 ERA.
SERIES HISTORY. BYU and Arizona meet for the 32nd time on Thursday and first since a 6-1 Arizona win in Tucson on April 18, 2018. The Cougars and Wildcats last matched up in Provo on April 4, 2016 with Arizona winning 11-5. BYU’s last win over the Wildcats came in a 6-3 decision on January 30, 2003 in Tucson. Arizona leads the all-time series 22-9.
FLASHBACK TO THE WAC. Seventeen of the previous 31 meetings between the Cougars and Wildcats came during the two programs’ time as Western Athletic Conference foes from the 1963 to 1978 baseball seasons. With BYU in the WAC North Division and Arizona in the South, the two met 15 times in the WAC Baseball Tournament with their final meeting coming May 20, 1978 in an 8-4 Wildcat win.
KNOW THE FOE. Arizona entered 2025 picked second in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and ranked 21st in the D1Baseball.com Preseason Top 25. The Wildcats finished No. 25 in the final D1Baseball poll after winning the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles but falling to Grand Canyon and Dallas Baptist in the NCAA Tucson Regional.
Fourth-year head coach Chip Hale has Arizona entering week 10 ranked No. 22 nationally and tied for third in the Big 12 (26-10, 10-5) with Kansas State. The Wildcats have won four of their first five Big 12 series with a sweep of Cincinnati and two of three games taken over No. 24 West Virginia, Arizona State and Oklahoma State. Arizona’s nonconference schedule included wins over then-No. 1 Texas A&M (3-2) and No. 18 Mississippi State (6-5).
The Wildcat bats lead the Big 12 with 26 triples powered by a pair of preseason all-conference selections in outfielder Brendan Summerhill (6) and infielder Mason White (4). White leads Arizona in RBI (39), home runs (7) and total bases (86). Outfielder Aaron Walton holds the team lead in batting average (.351), hits (46), runs scored (44) and doubles (12).
Arizona’s pitching staff leads the Big 12 in fewest walks (111) and home runs (16) allowed along with a third-place standing in fewest runs allowed (171). Wildcat starter Collin McKinney leads the league in ERA at 2.25 while his bullpen features the league’s leader in appearances (Garrett Hicks, 20) and saves (Tony Pluta, 7). Hicks and reliever Casey Hintz rank top-3 in the Big 12 with five and six wins, respectively.
This weekend’s matchup pits two of the conference’s best fielding units against each other. BYU comes in third with a fielding percentage of .979 and Arizona fourth at .976.
