Arizona pitcher TJ Nichols enters transfer portal; Wildcats officially hire Kevin Vance

Talented but inconsistent Arizona right-hander TJ Nichols is one of nine one-time Wildcats whose names appear in the NCAA transfer portal, per D1Baseball.com.

Nichols is the most notable of the bunch in that he’s been a regular contributor for the past three seasons; all the others were part-time players or freshmen who didn’t get much, if any, playing time this past season.

Nichols began the 2023 campaign as Arizona’s Friday-night starter. But after a promising performance in the season opener vs. then-No. 2 Tennessee, Nichols regressed and lost his spot.

Nichols finished with a 3-5 record and a career-worst 8.27 ERA. He walked 29 batters, hit 17 and allowed 12 home runs in 57⅔ innings.

Nichols’ ERA climbed in each of his three seasons, going from 4.77 as a freshman in 2021 to 5.50 to this past season’s 8.27.

Despite those struggles, Nichols is considered a draftable prospect because of his size (6-5, 189) and ability. His fastball regularly registered in the upper 90s this season. He’s ranked 149th in the latest Baseball America Top 500 for the 2023 MLB Draft.

Nichols’ likely departure coincides with Arizona making a change at the pitching coach position. The UA has hired Kevin Vance to replace Dave Lawn, who served in the role the past two seasons. Nichols played his first season under Nate Yeskie, who left after the ’21 campaign for Texas A&M.

Vance on board

Arizona officially announced the hiring of Vance on Monday. He comes to Tucson from Boston College, where he helped the Eagles reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

“We are thrilled to add a proven winner in Coach Vance to our program,” UA coach Chip Hale said in a news release. “Kevin has built pitching staffs with defined identities and found success at every step on his coaching journey. He consistently displays an elite capacity to leverage analytics to maximize each of his pitcher’s abilities. Rounding out our staff with a tough worker and tireless recruiter completes this program and sets us up for immediate and long-term success.”

Vance, who pitched in the Diamondbacks organization when Hale was their manager, spent the past two seasons at Boston College. He spent the previous five years at Rhode Island. At both stops, he served as recruiting coordinator, and the UA’s news release stated that Vance will not only “oversee the Arizona pitching staff” but “contribute to the program’s recruiting efforts.”

Vance, 32, is originally from San Diego. He was a two-way player at UConn and a 19th-round pick in the 2011 draft.

“I couldn’t be more thankful to Coach Hale and the entire Arizona baseball staff for welcoming me to Tucson,” Vance said. “The opportunity to build on the renowned winning tradition here is what you dream of. Further developing the talented pitching staff already in place will be my top priority. I’m excited to get to work and get back to Omaha for the Wildcat family and for the city of Tucson.”

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Candiotti commits

A pitcher with a familiar name announced his commitment to Arizona over the weekend.

Clark Candiotti, the son of former MLB pitcher and Diamondbacks broadcaster Tom Candiotti, said Saturday via Twitter that he’s transferring to Arizona.

The younger Candiotti, who prepped at Scottsdale Chapparal, spent this past season at Wichita State, where he posted a 7-4 record with a 4.87 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 77⅔ innings. The Shockers parted ways with Coach Eric Wedge in February and recently hired Brian Green away from Washington State.

Arizona will be the final stop on a nomadic journey for Candiotti, a 6-5, 235-pound right-hander. He spent the 2020 season at Saint Mary’s, pitched for Vernon (Texas) College in ’21 and went 7-1 at Grayson College in Denison, Texas, in ’22 before transferring to Wichita State.

Inside pitch

UA outfielder Chase Davis is ranked 28th in BA’s Top 500. The publication has him going to the San Diego Padres with the 25th pick in its latest mock draft.

Other UA players to make the Top 500: outfielder Mac Bingham (352), first baseman Kiko Romero (429) and right-hander Chris Barraza (435).

Two UA signees made the list: right-hander Blake Wolters (49) and outfielder Easton Breyfogle (157). Wolters is a rising prospect who might not make it to campus.

Although the season isn’t over yet, D1Baseball’s transfer tracker has exceeded 2,000 players.