Should be a less chaotic offseason than after the last trip to Omaha
OMAHA, Neb.—Four years ago, Arizona took a veteran team full of seniors and future draft picks to Omaha and promptly went 0-2. History has repeated itself, as the Wildcats’ 2025 trip to the College World Series also ended after just two games.
But while there’s plenty of uncertainty for the UA heading into this offseason, it’s nothing like what the program faced following the 2021 exit. Within days of that Omaha run ending it had lost its head coach, as Jay Johnson left to take the LSU job, and by the time Chip Hale was hired 10 days later a good chunk of the returning roster had gone into the portal and several incoming recruits had backed off their pledges.
Hale isn’t going anywhere, even though he’s heading into the final year of his initial contract and due a raise after completing his fourth season with a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, something last accomplished at Arizona by Frank Sancet. And while there will be notable losses, particularly from the batting order, the ability to reload from the portal and the school’s commitment to include baseball in its revenue sharing should make it easier to maintain success.
“This is the beauty of college baseball,” Hale said after Sunday’s season-ending loss to Louisville. “We get to go back, and the guys who are going to leave, they’re going to leave and get drafted. And now we’re going to get a new team and have some fun doing it.”
Before looking ahead to 2026, a quick look back at the just-finished season. Arizona’s 44 wins were tied for 11th-most in school history, one behind the 45 victories recorded in 2021. The Wildcats averaged 6.53 runs per game, a slight uptick from a year ago, and the team batting average of .286 was also up from 2024.
Arizona’s ERA ended at 4.85, up almost a half-run from last season’s 4.46, but that still ranked in the top 50 nationally. And for the second year in a row the Wildcats ranked in the top 12 in walks allowed per nine innings (3.27) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.83), with some huge success stories in the form starters Smith Bailey and Owen Kramkowski and closer Tony Pluta, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year.
Pitching coach Kevin Vance and strategist John DeRouin got the most out of this staff, and Arizona will do whatever it takes to keep them on staff. Vance, a San Diego native, has had his name mentioned for the San Diego State head coaching job.
Arizona carried 40 players this season but in 2026 will be down to 34, not including existing players it designates as being grandfathered into the program as part of the recent House vs. NCAA settlement. Anyone held over in that way likely would be walk-ons, as the Wildcats can only have up to 34 on scholarship.
Here’s a look at Arizona’s personnel situation heading into the summer:
Moving on
Arizona had seven seniors on the 2025 roster, but three have gotten an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA following a decision related to JUCO experience. The only players who are for sure done with college baseball are second baseman Garen Caulfield, first baseman Tommy Splaine and relievers Eric Orloff and Julian Tonghini.
Caulfield finished his career second in school history in games played (231) and at-bats (877), behind only Hale. Splaine and Orloff were the last remaining players recruited by Johnson, while Tonghini joined the team as a transfer last summer.
Those will not be the only Wildcats whose college careers are over. As many as 11 could get taken in the 2025 MLB Draft, with outfielders Brendan Summerhill and Aaron Walton and shortstop Mason White the most certain to get picked and each is expected to sign pro deals. Summerhill is projected as a 1st-round pick, though his stock may have taken a hit when he tailed off at the end of the season after coming back from hand and hamstring injuries.
Others who could get picked include catcher Adonys Guzman, third baseman Maddox Mihalakis and right-handed pitchers Hunter Alberini, Raul Garayzar, Garrett Hicks, Casey Hintz, Collin McKinney and Pluta.
Potential portal departures
Five members of the 2025 team entered the portal when it opened on June 2: pitchers Jack Berg, Christian Coppola, Kenan Elarton and Karter Muck and infielder Richie Morales. It would be a huge surprise if that’s the extension of the transfers out, though for the most part in the Hale era the departures haven’t included many impact contributors.
McKinney, who was Arizona’s Friday starter the first 12 weekends before getting taken out of the rotation altogether before the postseason, may enter to keep his options open if he’s not drafted. A few other pitchers who saw limited action in 2025, such as righties Carson Johnson and Bryce McKnight, could also look for a bigger role elsewhere, the same for reserve hitters TJ Adams, Ethan Guerra and Dom Rodriguez. That trio combined for 85 at-bats.
Arizona redshirted five freshmen, and two of them—catcher Kade Thompson and infielder Jackson Forbes—have already started playing summer ball. One of more of them could get talked into going elsewhere by one of their temporary teammates.
The portal closes on July 1, so there’s more than two weeks before Arizona knows for certain who is coming back. Many existing players have already agreed to deals to return for 2026 but those are easy to get out of.
Top returners
Only two of Arizona’s regular starting nine are not draft eligible, and both would be big pieces of next year’s team. Left fielder Easton Breyfogle, who usually hit ninth, could be Summerhill’s successor in the leadoff spot, while Cain will get a shot at the first base job and his powerful left-handed bat will be in the lineup.
Mathis Meurant is in line to replace White at shortstop after mostly playing at third this season. When he got to play short he was electric, and as a switch hitter he provides great lineup versatility. Gunner Geile started 16 games in the outfield, mostly when Summerhill was out with his broken hand, and will be in play for a bigger role while redshirt freshmen Thompson (catcher) and Anthony Lira (first base) are in Arizona’s long term plans.
The starting rotation, a major question mark entering 2025, could be one of the best the Wildcats have had in years. Bailey and Kramkowski combined to make 36 starts and throw 181 innings, and they could be joined by top 2024 recruit Mason Russell. Russell, a lefty, appeared in seven games this season and struggled, much like Kramkowski did as a freshman, but he’s scheduled to pitch in the Cape Cod League this summer and if he progresses will be in the mix for the third starting spot.
Depending on the draft, the Wildcats could bring back almost all of their top bullpen arms. That includes Garayzar, who can also start, and Martinez, both of whom got an extra year thanks to their JUCO careers.
New blood
Arizona signed 13 players in November and in the spring got commitments from a pair of standout JUCO prospects. They all won’t get to campus at the end of July.
Righty Jack Lafflam is ranked by MLBPipeline as the No. 117 draft prospect in the 2025 draft, and fellow righty Cameron Millar is No. 132. They’re both also in Baseball America’s Top 500 list along with righty Dylan Wood and outfielder Caleb Danzeisen. All four could get drafted, and it will depend on where and how much they’re offered to sign.
The same goes for JUCO All-American commit Chaz McNellis, a left-handed hitting outfielder from College of Southern Nevada who hit .443 this season.
The UA managed to avoid losing any signees last summer, as Bailey went undrafted while Russell was a 20th-round pick. Both had told MLB clubs what it would take to sign them, a significant sum, and the hope will be that most of this year’s potential draftees are also motivated to play college baseball.
Transfer needs
Arizona has already picked up two players from the portal, getting commitments from former Western Kentucky lefty Patrick Morris and ex-Texas Tech righty JT Drake. Both are insurance policies for the potential losses the bullpen incurs from the draft, and there’s room for another arm or two. Same goes if there’s a solid starting pitcher to give the Wildcats more options.
From a hitting standpoint, right-handed bats will be a priority especially if Guzman and Walton are drafted. The open field positions could include second base, center field and catcher.