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Last year, as a sophomore, Summerhill hit a two-run, walk-off double to defeat Oregon State and clinch the Pac-12 regular-season title in the last Pac-12 sporting event in Tucson.

On Wednesday, he might have one-upped himself.

In his first game back after missing a month because a fractured right hand, from UT Arlington’s Merek Sears over the right field wall at Hi Corbett Field.

One pitch, one home run, one happy baseball player.

“You really can't make that up,� a smiling Summerhill said afterward. “It was awesome.�

Leading off and playing DH, Summerhill went 2 for 3 with a double, two walks and a stolen base in No. 16 ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s 9-3 victory. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ improved to 19-5 with the star junior in the lineup. They went 10-6 without him.

“It was beautiful,� UA coach Chip Hale said. “He's been chomping at the bit.�

Summerhill couldn’t do any baseball activities after hurting his hand on March 23 at West Virginia. (He declined to say how the injury occurred.) As soon as he was cleared to do so, Summerhill began a hitting program. He took batting practice last weekend at BYU.

Other than wearing a hand guard over an altered batting glove on his right hand, Summerhill looked like his usual self at the plate. He isn’t 100% healed yet and is expected to continue to serve as the DH when ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ visits Texas Tech Friday through Sunday. But even if he can’t play right field, having Summerhill’s bat back in the lineup is a big deal.

Wednesday’s performance raised Summerhill’s batting average to .417, which would lead the Big 12 if he had enough appearances to qualify. His on-base percentage sits at .513, and his slugging percentage is .698.

Projected to be a first-round pick in this year’s MLB Draft, Summerhill said he never considered sitting out the rest of the season to protect his draft stock.

“Once I found out the news, it was really tough for me,� Summerhill said. “But then it was like, ‘OK, now what's next?’ And that's get to work on rehab, get back out here as soon as I can for my teammates and just play hard — just get back to showing these guys that I'm all about them.�

McKinney goes deep

Junior right-hander Collin McKinney, who will start the opener vs. Texas Tech, is beginning to pitch like the ace ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s coaching staff thought he could become.

McKinney has a 3.08 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and a 17-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his past two outings. Critically, he was able to go deeper into those games, pitching 5â…” innings vs. Oklahoma State and six vs. BYU. He had completed five innings in only one of his previous eight starts.

“He's been throwing more strikes,� Hale said. “When he's in the zone with the fastball and he can shoot it up there, it's been very dynamic for him because his breaking stuff has been really good. His changeup has been good.

“The problem is, the walks, the hit batsmen have hurt him. We need to get him into that sixth, seventh inning.�

McKinney had a BB/9 rate of 6.23 in his first eight starts. He lowered it to 2.31 in the last two.

“It's just sticking to the process,â€� said McKinney, who transferred to ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ from Baylor last summer. “Trying to eliminate the result and just going out there with a clear mind. Once you do that, then good things tend to happen.â€�

McKinney has been working with pitching coach Kevin Vance on some mechanical adjustments after experiencing a dip in velocity earlier in the season. McKinney said the goal is to move more freely.

“Just trying to be athletic and let my body sync up on its own,� McKinney said. “It knows what to do. I've been playing baseball for however many years now. ... Instead of trying to think of what I should do, just let my body naturally react.�

Said Vance: “Some self-discovery in there is just as important as the mechanical side of things. Finding your own rhythm, finding what works for you and making it your own. He’s really done that. It’s been pretty cool to watch.�

Fellow righty Casey Hintz has piggybacked McKinney regularly, throwing as many as five innings out of the bullpen. Vance said that’s been almost a crutch at times for McKinney; Vance was glad to see him work through some adversity and get over the 100-pitch mark in each of his past two outings.

“He's been doing a lot better from the 80- to 100-pitch mark,� Vance said. “When he's throwing strikes, his stuff is so good that I like our chances. Now that the command is a lot (better), it's just easier to send him back out because you know what you're going to get.�

DeMello due date

UA hitting instructor and third base coach Toby DeMello’s wife, Caitlin, is due with the couple’s second child on June 7. If all goes according to plan, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ will be playing in a Super Regional at that time.

To prepare for DeMello’s potential absence, Hale has coached third base in a pair of games. He has allowed DeMello to run the offense from the dugout.

“I really enjoyed it,� DeMello said. “It's just a different perspective ... to see the whole picture, as opposed to at third, when guys get on, you're consumed with one guy at a time.�

Hale seems to be a little less aggressive than DeMello as a third base coach. Hale put up a late stop sign for Mason White against Grand Canyon on April 15, drawing a reaction from the dugout.

“It was funny,� DeMello said. “Our team was joking like, ‘Oh, you would have sent him, huh?’ I feel like I send everybody, and we’ve gotten burned a little bit this year by it.�

Inside pitch

– UA sophomore Andrew Cain remained out of the lineup against UT Arlington after getting hit in the knee by a pitch on April 17 at BYU. Hale said the hit-by-pitch resulted in an irritated nerve that has kept Cain sidelined. If the irritation subsides, Cain will start in right field vs. Texas Tech.

– F°ù±ð²õ³ó³¾²¹²Ô Gunner Geile has taken advantage of injuries to Cain and other outfielders. Geile, who spent his first three years of high school at Salpointe Catholic before finishing at IMG Academy, has gone 5 for 11 in his past three games, raising his average from .188 to .256.

– Texas Tech is 8-10 in Big 12 play but 13-23 overall. The Red Raiders have played the third-hardest nonconference schedule in the nation, per . “They’ve got a lot of talent,� Hale said. “These are dangerous teams now. It’s getting toward this point (where) they know they have to win to get into ... the big dance.�

– Right-handers McKinney (0-1, 2.79), Owen Kramkowski (6-3, 5.08) and Smith Bailey (1-1, 3.47) are scheduled to start for ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥. They’ll face righties Mac Heuer (1-2, 6.15), Tyler Boudreau (1-2, 9.00) and Zane Petty (1-2, 5.82).