CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman Brad Boyer got the chance represent the Wildcats this weekend in front of Arizona's past national champions.

A revamped baseball alumni weekend allowed the program to remember and honor ex-UA players during a three-game series against Baylor.

The weekend served as a homecoming for former Wildcat teammates and an opportunity for them to mentor the current baseball roster.

"I've been coming back here for 15 years and every year it's worth just keeping the foundation of the alumni coming back to reminisce and tell stories," said alumnus Gil Heredia, a starting pitcher of the 1986 national championship team. "The key is to give an incentive to the current player to have a dream of playing in the big leagues."

In past years, the alumni weekend has mainly served as a chance for ex-Wildcat players in professional baseball to scrimmage the current baseball roster. This year, Arizona extended the invitation to all alumni, holding several interactive events and honoring the three national championship teams.

"I've talked to more guys in the last two weeks than I've talked to in 10 years. I've also seen more guys here and it's been so much fun," said alumnus Joe Estes. "Hopefully we can make this an annual tradition."

A dinner reception at La Paloma Hotel Friday night kicked off the weekend festivities. The next morning former and current players teed off in a golf tournament. Some quads held friendly driving and closest-to-the green competitions that usually favored the elder alumni over the young ones.

"We got made fun of a little bit but they get to play every day," said alumnus Ben Diggins. "I only get to play once every couple months, so the older guys kind of whipped up on us."

Diggins had to finish the tournament hitting range balls after he lost all of his regular ones. He said he played better than ex-teammate Shelly Duncan, who lost 15 that day.

Before Sunday's game the alumni signed autographs and had brunch together. At the top of the game's sixth inning, Arizona recognized all three national championship teams coached by Jerry Kindall.

The 1986 title squad, nicknamed the "Cardiac Kids," won the program's third and last national championship. At the beginning of that season they dropped two games to Division II California State Dominguez Hills, coached by current UA head coach Andy Lopez.

UA rolled through the rest of the season to post a 41-18 record. It finished tied for second in the Pacific 10 Conference and advanced to the College World Series behind a complete game victory by Heredia. Arizona won four out of five to win the national title.

"The thing that stuck out the most to me was the camaraderie of the guys," Estes said, who was a relief pitcher and picked up two wins in the College World Series. "We had some real characters like Tommy Hizo and Gar Millay that kept everyone loose."

Arizona won its second national title in 1980 but struggled through the first half of the season with a 17-11-3 record.

"We struggled so much during the middle of the season. At one point we were in last place in the conference and out of nowhere we turned everything around," alumnus Scott Stanley said.

The Wildcats won 14 out of the next 17 games to host and win the NCAA West Regional. They lost the first game of the College World Series, but won five straight en route to their second title in school history.

"The thing that motivated us all year long was that we were a come-from-behind team and never said die," Stanley said.

Arizona won its first national championship in 1976, led by catcher Ron Hassey, the school's all-time RBI leader with 235.

UA made three NCAA appearances in the 1990s, the last coming in 1999. Lopez is in his second year as the head coach and overhauled the roster with 24 new players.

"I think Lopez is going to get the program back to where it was and hopefully get them back to Omaha," Estes said.