"Replacing" Tony Pluta
What does the Tony Pluta injury mean for Arizona?
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Some absolutely brutal news came out of Tucson on Tuesday, when it was reported that Arizona’s senior closer Tony Pluta will miss the season after suffering a UCL injury that will require Tommy John surgery.
“I am truly gutted that I will not be able to compete with my teammates and represent the University of Arizona and the city of Tucson on the diamond this year,” Pluta said in a statement released by the university. “With that said, I will do all that I can to help this team succeed and get back to Omaha this season, and I am looking forward to returning to the mound next year. Thank you to everyone, especially my teammates, coaches, and family, who have supported me in this difficult time. Bear Down!”
The press release also included a statement from Arizona head coach Chip Hale.
“I am devastated for Tony,” said Hale. “He is an incredibly hard-working, high-character, and dedicated individual who is a tremendous representation of Arizona Baseball both on and off the field. I expected Tony to have another exceptional season and continue to display that he is one of the best relief pitchers in the country; however, I am fully confident that he will recover from this and continue to have an outstanding career in baseball. Tony has unbelievable poise and resolve, and despite this unfortunate news he has remained in high spirits and will continue to be an integral part of our team throughout the season.”
Pluta earned Stopper of the Year and All-American honors in 2025 after setting the Arizona single-season record for saves with 14, including the game-and-series-sealing save against North Carolina to clinch Arizona’s 19th trip to the College World Series.
In all, Pluta made 30 appearances in 2025, striking out 34 across 37 innings while allowing just six earned runs. His ability to pitch multiple innings per outing was a huge gift for Arizona as well, as he posted 12 multi-inning outings.
But even those stats don’t provide the full picture of who Tony Pluta has been for the Wildcats. He’s a source of energy and a veteran voice in the locker room, and was a huge reason why the Wildcats reached Omaha a year ago.
The senior was looking to go out on another high note, as ee was recently named to the 2026 Golden Spikes Preseason Watch List, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List, and was tabbed as a preseason First Team All-American by multiple outlets.
The Trickle-Down Effect
The loss of Pluta is a big one in its own right, because losing an All-American and veteran glue guy is always terrible. The loss is compounded by the current reality for Arizona, which is that the Wildcats are in a partial rebuild.
Few teams lost more production out of their lineup than Arizona this offseason, which saw almost 10 WARc depart largely via graduation and the MLB Draft. While Hale and his staff did well to bring in veteran production and talented freshmen, it usually takes time for a lineup of mostly new faces to sort itself out.
The good news for Arizona was that it returned nearly all of its most productive arms from a season ago, and the hope was that the pitching staff would carry the water early on in the season while the lineup gelled.
That could still be the case, with excellent starting arms in Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey, and a host of talent behind them that can keep Arizona in ballgames by stifling opposing offenses.
But arguably the biggest comfort would have been having the ability to hand the ball to Pluta in the ninth, or even the eighth, and knowing he was going to finish the job.
Who Steps Up for the Wildcats?
The obvious next question is: who fills the incredibly large void created by Pluta’s injury?
The reality is, it’s going to be nearly impossible to fully replace a talent like Pluta (1.244 WARc in 2025), and I have a hard time seeing any one pitcher fully taking on that responsibility. Based on how much Pluta did for the Wildcats, it wouldn’t make sense to ask a single player to step into that role.
That being said, I do think there’s a path to minimizing the damage done by Pluta’s injury through a collection of bullpen arms, although it will require each of those players to step into situations they haven’t faced before.
This weekend will give us a first look at who Hale and pitching coach Sean Kenny will hand the ball to in those high-leverage situations, with the Wildcats heading to Surprise, AZ for the 2026 College Baseball Series where they’ll face Stanford, Oregon State and Michigan. Here are some names to keep in mind when the time comes.
Western Kentucky transfer Patrick Morris (1.029 WARc in 2025) is probably one of the most equipped players to take on a portion of this responsibility, with a changeup and slider that both drew whiff rates over 35% in 2025. 12 of his 17 appearances last season were of the multi-inning variety as well (two of which were starts), and he struck out 33 across 32.1 innings of work while allowing just four earned runs.
Returning reliever Garrett Hicks (0.581 WARc in 2025) is another option to take on the closer role, at least part time as they work through this challenge. Hicks struck out 49 in 45.1 innings of work last season while issuing just 13 walks.
Sam Round (1.184 WARc in 2025) is an intriguing arm that could see an increase in responsibilities as well. The Paradise Valley CC transfer has an interesting 3/4 arm angle and a fastball up to 96 and a wipe out slider, and he’s coming off an excellent fall in his first season with the Wildcats. Round is used to eating innings, throwing 63 innings across 13 relief appearances last year while striking out 90.
Texas Tech transfer JT Drake (-0.231 WARc in 2025) was brought in this offseason as a bullpen arm after making 15 appearances in relief for the Red Raiders last season. Drake only threw 13.2 innings and had an ERA close to 6, but in the prior two seasons at Pima CC he made 41 appearances with a 2.21 ERA.
Freshman RHP Benton Hickman is another arm that will need to step into a larger role than anticipated as well. Hickman put together a strong fall and was already expected to have a late-inning role prior to Pluta’s injury. Hickman was Perfect Game’s No. 10 overall prospect from Arizona for the class of 2025.
Banged Up Arms Across the Big 12
Arizona isn’t the first Big 12 team to lose a player to Tommy John this season, as the surgery continues to feel as if it’s taking place more and more often across all levels of competition. Of course, it’s not just that injury that has several Big 12 teams looking for solutions ahead of opening weekend.
TCU lost veteran reliever Louis Rodriguez to the same injury in the fall. The Frogs will rely on a combination of arms, including Stopper of the Year Watch List arms Kade Eudy and Walter Quinn, to overcome the loss.
Oklahoma State lost weekend rotation arm Hunter Watkins to a torn ACL this fall, which he suffered during a routine fielding drill. West Virginia starter Chase Meyer will miss the first 3-4 weeks of the season with a broken finder suffered around Thanksgiving, meaning the Mountaineers will be dependent on a handful of D2 transfers to make an early impact.
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