Arizona has been announced as part of the field for the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas to open up the 2022 season in February. The Wildcats will begin the season with three games in three days facing Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the event. Michigan and Auburn are the other two participants in the six-team tournament.

Globe Life Field, the home of the Texas Rangers, will host the tournament and it will mark a return to the stadium for UA head coach Chip Hale. His last game as a Major League Baseball coach with the Detroit Tigers last season took place at Globe Life Field.

He ultimately left the team to take over the head coach position at his alma mater this summer after serving as the Tigers' third base coach this season.

The Wildcats three opponents in Arlington combined to post a 100-68 (.595) record last season, with Texas Tech advancing to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

Hale inherits a team that made it to the College World Series last season and returns several key players at important positions, including Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Daniel Susac.

UA is expected to have another strong season in Hale's first year as head coach, and the team recently wrapped up fall ball allowing the new coach to have a better idea of what his squad will look like this year.

"We have a lot of guys that can play different positions," Hale recently said about his first team at Arizona. "We've moved them around a lot between the outfield and first base. All the middle infielders can play all over. That's important.

"Just a really highly-competitive group, which I expected. ... It's a winning group."

Of the three opponents that Arizona will face in Arlington this season, Texas Tech advanced the furthest in last season's NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders reached the Super Regional round while the three teams combined to finish with nearly a 60% winning percentage after going 100-68 in the 2021 season.

FloSports has the exclusive rights to stream the entire event while tickets for the three-day tournament are expected to go on sale in January.

State Farm College Baseball Showdown schedule

Feb. 18: Arizona vs Kansas State – 2:00 p.m. MST

Feb. 19: Arizona vs Oklahoma – 6:00 p.m. MST

Feb. 20: Arizona vs Texas Tech – 1:30 p.m. MST

****

> DISCUSS the article with other Arizona baseball fans because the Wildcats Own Omaha

> WATCH the latest videos from GOAZCATS.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel

> FOLLOW us on Twitter (@goazcatscom, @MattGOAZCATS, @THutch1995, @AverieKlonowski)

> FOLLOW us on Instagram (@goazcats)

> LIKE us on Facebook

> SUBSCRIBE for all the latest Arizona Wildcats team and recruiting news (subscribe now)