The 2026 season is starting ominously for the Arizona baseball team.
Just days before Fridayβs opener vs. Stanford in the College Baseball Series at Surprise Stadium, the program revealed that All-American closer Tony Pluta will miss the season because of an elbow injury.
After avoiding major pitching injuries the past two seasonsΒ β a significant factor in winning a pair of conference championships and advancing to the 2025 College World Series β the Wildcatsβ luck ran out. They now have a huge hole to fill in the back of their bullpen.
βIt's not going to be easy to replace him,β UA coach Chip Hale told βSpears & Aliβ on Wednesday.
Pluta was named the NCBWA Stopper of the Year last season, when he set the program record with 14 saves. Pluta finished the final two games of the Chapel Hill Super Regional β logging a win and a save β to send the Wildcats to Omaha. Arizona was 32-0 when leading after the seventh inning before the CWS.
Arizonaβs Garrett Hicks pitches during the seventh inning in Game 1 of the Menβs College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 13, 2025.
Right-hander Garrett Hicks contributed to that run of success as a setup man, and Hale said Hicks would get the first chance to fill Plutaβs cleats.
Hicks made a team-high 34 appearances last season, his first as a Wildcat after transferring from Pima Community College. He finished with a 5-2 record, two saves and a 6.11 ERA. But Hicksβ FIP (fielding independent pitching) was nearly two runs lower at 4.34, and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) of 1.36 was fifth best on the team.
Hicks had a 49-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45β innings β not bad for a guy who picked jersey No. 99 as a tribute to the Ricky βWild Thingβ Vaughn character in βMajor League,β which was filmed at Hi Corbett Field.
Hicks was a two-way player at Verrado High School in Buckeye and came to Pima as a catcher. He became a full-time pitcher with the Aztecs and posted a 6-2 record with four saves and a 2.11 ERA in two seasons.
βHonestly, just get in there and compete,β Hicks said last season of his mindset. βWhen you compete, it's gonna go your way most of the time. If it doesn't, it's baseball.β
Arizona reliever Garrett Hicks (99) eyes the plate as he comes on in the sixth inning to face TCU, May 2, 2025, at Hi Corbett Field.
Hicks missed time in the fall but is healthy heading into the opener. Still, Hale said he doesnβt expect Hicks to pitch more than once this weekend.
Arizona stocked up on arms through the transfer portal and has no shortage of additional bullpen options. They include right-handers Evan Brandt, JT Drake, Corey Kling, Samuel Round and Nolan Straniero, plus left-hander Patrick Morris. Freshman right-hander Benton Hickman is another possibility.
Like Hicks, Drake pitched at Pima, where he recorded 15 saves as a freshman before moving to the starting rotation as a sophomore. He spent last season at Texas Tech.
Hale said Pluta is having surgery this week and wonβt be with the team in Surprise. But he will accompany the club on future road trips. His experience and expertise will be assets even if heβs unable to contribute from the mound.
βHe's a rock on this team,β Hale said. βWhether he's pitching or not for us ... Tony is basically another coach in the bullpen.β
Plutaβs injury creates another problem for Hale and his staff to solve. They were already trying to figure out how to replace two-thirds of the starting lineup.
Arizonaβs Easton Breyfogle signals to the dugout after reaching base against North Carolina in Game 1 of an NCAA Super Regional series on June 6, 2025, at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
βI feel like this is going to be one of the most challenging coaching jobs for Chip Hale since heβs been at Arizona,β ESPN analyst Mike Rooney said on βThe Wildcastβ podcast. βThe pieces are still there to have a great season. But whatever layup was possible is no longer available to them. Theyβre going to have to really dig and claw and be creative to put this thing together.β
Breyfogle βdinged upβ
Plutaβs injury isnβt the only one.
Hale said outfielder Easton Breyfogle likely wonβt be able to play in Surprise after getting hurt in one of Arizonaβs final intra-squad scrimmages.
βHe's a little dinged up,β Hale said. βI don't think he's going to get an opportunity to play this weekend. We're going to probably have to hold him out and get him back next week.β
Breyfogle was slated to start in center field or left. He devoted much of the offseason to fitness, including a Pilates regimen, after missing time the past two seasons because of minor injuries.
Arizonaβs Owen Kramkowski delivers a pitch vs. BYU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Baseball Championship on May 22, 2025, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Kramkowski threw six scoreless innings as the Wildcats defeated the Cougars 4-1.
The Wildcats also areΒ without outfielder Chaz McNelis, who suffered a fractured fibula on a hit-by-pitch during a previous scrimmage.
Transfer Carson McEntire β who played last season for Oregon State, Arizonaβs opponent Saturday β likely will start in center. Andrew Cain probably will start in right. Left field could be a spot where Hale tries multiple players over the course of the weekend.
Rotation revealed
Arizona revealed its initial weekend rotation Wednesday evening.
Right-handers Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey waged an intense battle for the Friday-night spot. Kramkowski got the nod following his breakout sophomore season, in which he moved into the Friday role in May and finished with a 9-6 record.
Bailey was a Freshman All-American a year ago, mostly pitching on Sundays. He moves up a day to the Saturday slot.
Righty Collin McKinney, who began last season as the Friday-night guy, will open this year as the No. 3 starter. McKinney fell out of the rotation late last season but brings a promising toolset if he can throw strikes consistently.
Arizonaβs Maddox Mihalakis (33) slides in just before the throw reaches Stanford third baseman Jimmy Nati (6) for a leadoff triple in the fourth inning of their semifinal game in the Pac 12 Tournament, May 24, 2024, in Scottsdale.
Arizona did notΒ name a fourth starter but will need two such options next week with five games on tap.
Pac-12 tourney
The College Baseball Series reunites former Pac-12 rivals Arizona, Stanford and Oregon State. It also features Michigan, whom the Wildcats will face Sunday.
βI love it,β Hale said. βWe were fired up when we got asked to play in it.β
Aside from the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, Arizona played Stanford every year from 1979-2024. Their last meeting was May 24, 2024, in the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale. The Wildcats won 6-3, their seventh consecutive win in the series.
Arizona and Oregon State squared off annually from 1998-2024 (again, with the exception of 2020). They last met on May 18, 2024, at Hi Corbett. The Wildcats won 4-3Β in a walk-off to clinch the Pac-12 regular-season championship.
After the '24 season, Arizona joined the Big 12, Stanford moved to the ACC and Oregon State became an independent in baseball. OSU will be part of the reconstituted Pac-12 starting next season.
Inside pitch
β Stanford will wear No. 9 jersey patches and helmet stickers this season to honor former coach Mark Marquess, who died Jan. 30. Marquess coached the Cardinal for 41 years and won more than 1,600 games during his Hall of Fame career.
β No. 24 Arizona will debut its new pinstriped uniforms and retro hats against Stanford. Hale said the Wildcats will wear their new navy jerseys during the home opener vs. Nebraska Omaha on Tuesday.
β No. 12 Oregon State is opening its season in Surprise for the 12th consecutive year. The Beavers are 10-1 in openers at Surprise Stadium. OSU will face Michigan at 2 p.m.
βΒ Michiganβs head coach is Tracy Smith, who coached Arizona State from 2015-21. Smith is entering his fourth season with the Wolverines. He has a record of 93-79.
