Arizona announces increased capacity for baseball, softball games

Improved COVID-19 conditions in Pima County has made it possible to have more fans at Arizona Wildcats baseball and softball games this month.

Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke announced in his weekly Wildcat Wednesday newsletter that the UA has been given the green light to increase capacity to 30 percent at upcoming outdoor events. The change will go into effect with Arizona softball’s final regular season homestand that begins May 13 at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium.

Hillenbrand, which holds 2,956 fans, averaged about 364 for the most recent games against Utah and Cal but can now accommodate roughly 887. The Wildcats should have no trouble filling that number for their remaining four home games, which are against Pac-12 leader UCLA.

Arizona baseball, which has seven regular-season home games remaining at Hi Corbett Field, averaged almost 1,270 fans at the 9,500-seat stadium during its just-completed 8-game homestand. The Wildcats’ next game at Hi Corbett is May 14 vs. Washington.

Both baseball and softball are hoping to host regional sites for their respective NCAA tournaments, with the NCAA recently announcing it would allow up to 50 percent capacity at those sites.