Chip Hale seeks ‘new identity’ for Arizona baseball offense after sluggish season

That’s the way Wildcats coach Chip Hale described what’s to come for his program, which needs an infusion of talent as well as a new hitting coach.

On the heels of a 19-34 season in which Arizona failed to qualify for the Big 12 Tournament, changes were expected. They’re already underway.

The day after the season ended, Hale decided to part ways with hitting coach Toby DeMello, who’d been part of the staff since Hale returned to his alma mater in 2021.

As of Thursday evening, seven players from this season’s roster had declared their intention to enter the transfer portal, which officially opens Monday.

The new hitting coach will have a “huge say” in what the lineup looks like next year, Hale said. He couldn’t name names when he met with reporters Thursday, but he did indicate what he’s seeking in DeMello’s successor.

“We’re searching for ... a new identity,” Hale said. “I kinda wanted to flip the script and use Hi Corbett to our advantage. I’m trying to find somebody that has that mindset of ‘low and hard’ and using all this grass that we have out here.”

Hi Corbett Field might have the deepest dimensions in college baseball. If you can hit the ball into the gaps or down the lines, singles can become doubles and doubles can become triples.

You have to be able to put the ball in play to make that happen. Entering this weekend’s NCAA regionals, Arizona had the fourth-most strikeouts per game (9.38) in the Big 12. The Wildcats’ on-base percentage of .340 ranked last — 33 percentage points behind 13th-place Houston (.373).

Hale said Arizona’s offensive needs include “some guys that can set the table a little bit,” in particular “somebody that can lead off and be a pest.” He also mentioned boosting the Wildcats’ athleticism up the middle.

Hale would like to have the new hitting coach in place “as soon as possible,” he said. But he has only so much control over that.

“I’ve talked to a number of people, and I have a pretty good idea,” Hale said. “But we gotta let the season end for these other teams. He may still be coaching.

“I've had a lot of interest from guys I knew in the professional ranks, and basically my comment to them is: ‘I want a sitting offensive coordinator or hitting coach at the college level.’ I think that's the kind of offense that we need here.”

Regarding Arizona’s style of play, Hale went so far as to say he doesn’t want anyone to bring up Hi Corbett’s power-suppressing dimensions moving forward.

“That's one of the things that we're going to stop talking about,” Hale said. “Since I've been here, it's like, ‘Oh, this place is so big, the wind blows in, blah blah blah.’ There's more grass on this field than any field in the country. So let’s take advantage of that. Let's make our offense go that way more.”

Smith Bailey update

Arizona’s portal pitching needs will depend greatly on the status of right-hander Smith Bailey, who appears set on returning to Tucson for his junior season.

Bailey never has publicly mentioned pitching anywhere other than the UA. But he’d be one of the most sought-after players on the market if he entered the portal — even coming off a season that fell short of his freshman campaign.

Bailey went 3-4 with a 4.67 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 61⅔ innings before missing the end of the season because of a shoulder injury. He went 3-3 with a 3.94 ERA in 2025, when he was an every-weekend starter for a College World Series team and earned Freshman All-American accolades.

“All indications are that he wants to come back and be a Wildcat,” Hale said. “He wants to be a part of changing it and flipping the script for this thing.”

Nothing is guaranteed, though. As Hale said: “I won't be comfortable with anybody that’s here (now) until June 30 and the portal closes.”

He added that even if players have signed agreements that seemingly would bind them to Arizona, it wouldn’t matter. Those deals always include out clauses, Hale said.

Inside pitch

– Two players coming off shoulder surgeries won’t be able to play this summer but are expected back sometime during the offseason. Hale said outfielder Easton Breyfogle should be able to hit by the time fall workouts start. Infielder Gavin Triezenberg’s return date will be closer to Christmastime.

– After an injury-riddled season, Hale said the program will change its offseason workout routine. “We're actually going to ... go back more to what we did in the past,” he said. “The last two years, we changed a lot of our weightlifting and conditioning based on some of what our pitching coaches wanted to do.

“We're going to ... just get back to basics and get big and strong. It was very noticeable playing Oklahoma State. Those dudes walked up there, and our guys were like, 'Oh my god, these are grown men.’ That's what we have to get (to).”

– Junior right-hander Owen Kramkowski might be the only Arizona player selected in this year’s MLB Draft. The Walden Grove High School product is ranked 202nd in Baseball America’s Top 500 released earlier this week.

– One of the members of Arizona’s 2026 signing class, right-hander Dusty Dunwoody, decommitted earlier this spring. Hale expected more pitchers from the '26 and '27 classes to decommit after pitching coach John DeRouin and assistant Owen Cuffe took MLB jobs, but Dunwoody is the only one so far.