The 2025 season was successful for Arizona baseball and head coach Chip Hale, who reached the College World Series leading the program for the first time in his career. Hale has made the postseason every single season resulting in four trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Overall, Hale has a record of 152-95 with a tournament record of 7-9 making him one of the most successful coaches in program history through the first four seasons at the helm.
Hale’s success earned him a new four-year contract extension that has him locked up with the program through the 2030 season.
Jun 13, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Chip Hale on the field during the game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
During the postseason run to the College World Series, Arizona’s offense was red hot like it had been all season with infielder Mason White, who has been a menace at the plate hitting 49 home runs putting him second all-time in program history behind Shelley Duncan, who hit 55 with the Wildcats.
To go along with his 49 home runs, White drove in 173 RBI in 704 plate appearances where he racked up 222 hits while batting .315 for his career. He did all this while starting in 173 games during his time with the program.
Now, the Wildcats will be looking to get back to the College World Series and a fifth-straight postseason. To help get the team back in that position, Hale has put together the No. 24 ranked recruiting class according to Perfect Game USA’s recruiting rankings.
Jun 15, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Arizona Wildcats shortstop Mason White (24) throws to first against the Louisville Cardinals during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
With the majority of the 2026 class wrapped up, Hale and his staff have started to lay the groundwork for the 2027 class and have landed a commitment from outfielder Lukas Waite, who is one of the top prospects in the West Coast.
Waite is listed as a 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder, who is listed as the No. 67 prospect for the 2027 MLB Draft.
When looking at Perfect Game USA, they have his outfield velocity listed at 94 MPH, which was last recorded on June 12, 2024. That is the same time Waite was tracked at 97 MPH for his exit velocity off the bat.
Committed!! 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vtc7taSenA
— Lukas Waite (@lukaswaite01) October 31, 2025
Arizona is closing out its fall ball schedule and will be gearing up for the 2026 season in hopes of making it back to the postseason and waves in the Big 12 conference.
This season will be interesting to see where the offense will come from for Arizona, which saw its top three bats be selected in the MLB Draft.
Please be sure to let us know what you think of the addition of Lukas Waite for the 2027 recruiting class. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.