Connection to coach led infielder Ariel Antigua to choose Arizona baseball

The courtship actually goes deeper than that.

Antigua drew interest from then-South Carolina recruiting coordinator Trip Couch while still in eighth grade in Lake Worth, Florida. Antigua committed to the Gamecocks.

“I wanted to go there mainly because of the connection I had with him,” Antigua said. “He ended up parting ways with South Carolina. I ended up parting ways with them, as well. He went to Arizona. I went to Tennessee.”

Several years later, they’re finally together. Couch is entering his sixth season as Hale’s recruiting coordinator. Antigua entered the transfer portal after this past season and signed with the Wildcats.

Again, Couch led the charge.

“He reached out to me right away,” Antigua said. “I had an idea if he reached out to me that I was gonna come here. I kind of wanted to let it play out a little bit just to see what could happen. But I'm glad I’m here.

“I've known him for so long. We've had such a good connection. I knew he wants the best for me. I trust him with my career. I know I'm in a good spot.”

Antigua made his unofficial UA debut as the program’s representative Monday at a news conference previewing the Mexican Baseball Fiesta. Although he basically just got here, Antigua was a natural choice: He’s bilingual.

The Mexican Baseball Fiesta will mark Antigua’s on-field debut. Arizona is set to face Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the tournament opener Oct. 1 at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Although he has never played in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta, Antigua knows what to expect.

“I grew up playing baseball in Miami,” said Antigua, who has Puerto Rican and Dominican roots. “If you know about baseball in Miami, you know how hectic it can be out there.

“It's nothing really new to me. Even in high school, we had speakers and we had little shakers. We were always making noise.”

Antigua was Perfect Game’s 34th-ranked shortstop coming out of Trinity Christian Academy in 2023. Antigua appeared in 130 games over three seasons at Tennessee but never secured a full-time starting position. He batted .199 with a .307 on-base percentage in 136 at-bats.

Antigua still got a lot out of the experience.

“It was awesome,” he said. “My first year (2024) we won a national championship. Being under Tony Vitello and how he manages the game is unbelievable. He's a one-of-one human. I love that guy to death.

“Everything happens for a reason. I'm here now in Tucson, which is where I want to be. I'm grateful for the past three years I had.”

Hale wanted to improve Arizona’s athleticism up the middle and believes Antigua can provide that.

“I think we got one,” Hale said, adding that Antigua “fills a spot that enables us to put some of those younger guys at different spots where they might be more successful.”

If Antigua can hold down shortstop, Arizona conceivably could put rising sophomore Cash Brennan at third base, where he played well late in his freshman year. Nate Novitske, who split time between third and second base as a redshirt freshman, could slot in at second.

Antigua said the coaching staff hasn’t placed any expectations on him just yet.

“Nothing's really promised,” he said. “You go out there, and you compete. You compete for your spot.

“They just want me to be myself, be a leader, bring that savvy that I have. Not everybody here is like me, so kind of change the culture a little bit.”

Comings and goings

Antigua is the only full-time position player Arizona has added from the portal. The Wildcats’ transfer haul took a hit in the MLB Draft.

Three pitchers who had committed to Arizona — Garrett Ahern, Collin Cobb and McCarty English — were drafted and signed by MLB clubs.

Ahern (Grand Canyon) signed with the New York Yankees for $150,000. English (Southern Mississippi) got the same amount from the Tampa Bay Rays. Cobb (Williston State College) got a $177,500 signing bonus from the Texas Rangers.

Arizona also lost one of its high school signees, Canyon del Oro catcher Francisco Rivero Jr. Rivero signed with the Washington Nationals for $250,000 after being drafted in the 15th round.

One other UA prep signee, right-hander Jack Byers, was drafted but did not sign a pro contract by Monday’s deadline.

The losses to the draft sent Arizona back into the transfer market, where it added three more players: right-handers Randy Guzman (Winthrop) and Nolan Foster (Abilene Christian) and two-way player Gunnar Penzkover (Grand Canyon).

Two of Arizona’s transfers are ranked in the top 500 by 64Analytics: right-handers Trevor Baumler (TCU; No. 171) and Dylan Weekly (New Mexico State; No. 421).

D1Baseball ranks Arizona next to last in the Big 12 in terms of net WAR (Wins Above Replacement) added via the portal. That ranking does not include Foster, who announced his commitment to the UA on Sunday.

Salazar sighting?

There’s a strong possibility that at least one former Wildcat will play in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta.

Ex-UA catcher Cesar Salazar is expected to join the Naranjeros for the Mexican Pacific Winter League season, Hermosillo general manager Francisco Gamez said.

Salazar is currently playing for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Houston Astros’ triple-A affiliate. He has appeared in 45 games for the Astros over the past four seasons.

Salazar, who’s from Hermosillo, has played for the Naranjeros since 2018, his last year at Arizona. Salazar last played in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta in 2022.

Hermosillo is slated to play a second exhibition game vs. Arizona on Oct. 9 at Hi Corbett Field.