Game Notes: Arizona Baseball at (24) Rice

HOUSTON, TX - First-year head coach Jay Johnson and the Arizona Wildcats are set to venture to the Lone Star State to take on the 24th-ranked Rice Owls in a three-game series starting Friday at 5 p.m. MST at Reckling Park.

Arizona is 20-2 on opening day since 1994. The Wildcats are 36-6 all-time on opening weekend.

This is the first time since 2008 that Arizona has opened the regular season on the road. It is also the first time in school history that the Wildcats will open the season with two-straight road trips.

Friday night's game is Jay Johnson's first career game as head coach for the Wildcats.

Arizona is set to play 13 games in 18 days starting on Friday.

Rice head coach Wayne Graham is in his 25th season and has accumulated 1,076 wins during his time at Rice. The Owls have been to 21 straight NCAA Tournaments, advancing to seven College World Series and winning the 2003 National Championship.

On Tuesday, Bobby Dalbec was named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List.

Dalbec has collected a flurry of preseason awards this winter. After batting .319 and leading the Pac-12 in home runs with 15 last season, he was named a Louisville Slugger, Perfect Game, D1 Baseball, Baseball America and Hero Sports Preseason All-American in the past couple months.

The Wildcats will have to replace one of the best, if not the best middle infield in college baseball with the departures of Kevin Newman and Pac-12 Player of the Year Scott Kingery.

Arizona has 12 newcomers on the 2016 roster.

Friday, Feb. 19
5 p.m. MST | LHP Blake Fox (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP JC Cloney (0-0, 0.00)

Saturday, Feb. 20
3 p.m. MST | TBA vs. TBA

Sunday, Feb. 21
Noon MST | TBA vs. TBA