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Six players have publicly committed to the Wildcats via social media since the 2024 season ended last month. Five are pitchers.

“You can see what we targeted,� UA coach Chip Hale said. “It was the big focus.�

Under first-year pitching coach Kevin Vance and his assistant, John DeRouin, Arizona in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.46) and BB/9 rate (2.56). It’s believed to be the first time the Wildcats have paced the country in any pitching category.

But none of the leaders of that effort — all-conference weekend starters Clark Candiotti, Jackson Kent and Cam Walty — will be back next season. Candiotti and Walty are out of eligibility. Kent, who’d be a redshirt junior next season, could be selected in this month’s MLB Draft.

So Hale, Vance and DeRouin sought viable replacements, and they believe they’ve found some intriguing candidates.

The headliner is 6-6, 230-pound right-hander Christian Coppola, who was a Freshman All-American in 2023 at Rutgers before regressing last season. Coppola posted a 3.68 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 66 innings two years ago. His ERA ballooned to 7.63 in ’24, largely because he walked 33 batters in 43⅔ frames. He allowed only 44 hits and logged 47 strikeouts.

Coppola is joined by another big-framed righty in 6-5, 224-pound Collin McKinney, who’s transferring from Baylor. McKinney said out his freshman year, 2023, because of injury. He posted a 6.70 ERA in ’24. In 49⅔ innings, McKinney struck out 60 batters but walked 35.

Vance and DeRouin proved this past season that they can take talented throwers and mold them into effective pitchers. Arizona’s pitching improved in every facet with mostly the same cast of characters as the year before.

“We feel good about the guys that have committed,� said Hale, who can’t discuss specific players until they’re officially enrolled at Arizona. “They are all guys that have special traits that John and Kevin really like.�

Right-hander Michael Hilker Jr. also has numbers. He went 8-2 with a 2.07 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and 106 strikeouts in 78â…“ innings last season at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he was a first-team Division III All-American for the Warhawks.

Two more right-handers are coming from the junior-college ranks. Garrett Hicks logged four saves and a 2.11 ERA across two seasons at Pima Community College. Hunter Alberini had five saves, a 1.42 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 31â…” innings at College of Southern Nevada, which previously sent future major-leaguer Chase Silseth to the UA.

Arizona’s other known transfer pickup is former Samford outfielder Aaron Walton, who posted a .286/.396/.492 slash line with nine home runs, 15 stolen bases and 52 runs scored in 189 at-bats for the Bulldogs last season.

Arizona has lost nine players to the transfer portal, per , but none was expected to have a significant role in 2025.

“The kids who've gone in the portal are kids we love, were great Wildcats, but they really needed to go somewhere to find a place where they can play every day,� Hale said.

The portal for baseball closed Tuesday, though names could still trickle out in the coming days. Hale doesn’t expect any 11th-hour surprises.

“I think we'll be OK,� he said. “The core of our team is pretty solid, so I'm not worried.�

Staff watch

Keeping Vance and DeRouin on board has been a source of worry for Hale this offseason. The two were so successful in Year One at Arizona that they were bound to draw interest from other programs — especially ones with bigger budgets.

Hale said it was “touch and go� in the last week with Vance, who remains on staff. DeRouin and hitting coach Toby DeMello also have had opportunities elsewhere.

“From the end of our regional run until now, there's been a lot of lot of different things happening,� Hale said. “We're hoping that everything holds serve and we're going to have these guys back.�

Staff shuffling across the sport will continue into July. , which lost its head coach, Jim Schlossnagle, to Texas shortly after the Aggies lost to Tennessee in the College World Series finals.

“That's where we are in college baseball now,� Hale said. “We can't play in that pool right now, but we know we're gonna have a good opportunity to put a good team out there next year.�

Pitching Wing

The UA program continues to invest in pitching technology, and Vance and DeRouin are intimately involved in those projects.

They’re helping build the inside the Terry Francona Hitting Center. The pitching lab will be named after former UA pitching coach and Pima County Sports Hall of Famer Jim Wing.

“We're excited about the idea that we can honor him,� Hale said. “Coach Wing is as sharp as they come, even today.�

Arizona last month became the 12th program to install a “force plate� mound by NewtForce. The mound provides “quick visual feedback of 3D ground-reaction forces to optimize lower-half training and maximize player development,� .

Hale’s contract

Hale has two years left on his contract. He said he hasn’t had any talks about an extension with first-year athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois as of yet.

“It just hasn't come up yet because they are working so hard as an administration to try to get everything straightened out, the new organizational chart and putting everybody where they need to be,� Hale said. “And she's still obviously getting a feel for our program and me as a coach.

“I think once she feels comfortable, there'll be a time and a place for that. But right now, that's not an issue.

“I'm a Wildcat. I’m here to coach this team. Whatever she feels is best, and the administration feels is best, we’ll move in that direction.�

Hale agreed to a five-year contract in July 2021 worth about $500,000 annually. He has led the Wildcats to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as well as Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles this past season. They have yet to advance past the regional round under Hale.

“Overall, it was a fantastic year for these guys,� Hale said. “We were struggling early, we turned it around and we had a good conference season. There's no doubt about it. Our out-of-conference play, including the playoffs, was not up to snuff, and we have to do better, especially at the end.

“Myself as a head coach, and our coaching staff, we have to do a better job of figuring out a way, whether it's a mental or a physical deal, to turn that corner.

“We didn't like the way that it ended. We need to find a way to play better in the regionals, whether it's at home or on the road.�

Inside pitch

• One unexpected name in the transfer portal: RHP Kyler Heyne. Heyne made 25 relief appearances for Arizona last season, going 3-0 with a 4.15 ERA after transferring from Kansas State. Because he played in junior college in 2021, , Heyne has one more year of eligibility — but not at the NCAA Division I level. He can play one more season in Division II or III or in NAIA, Hale said.

• The UA is looking into whether LHP Jaeden Swanberg has another year. The Salpointe Catholic High School product transferred to Arizona after spending three seasons at Pima, including the ’21 COVID year. He went 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 19 appearances last season.

• Two players whom Arizona signed in November, right-handers Ryan Anderson and Kansai Sugimoto, will not be joining the program.