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The two biggest ones:

– Who are the corner outfielders going to be?

– Who will be the Sunday starter?

As Chip Hale noted during a news conference to discuss the Wildcats’ 2026 signing class and wrap up fall ball, Arizona lost the bulk of its lineup from last season’s College World Series squad. Only three starting position players return: Easton Breyfogle, Andrew Cain and Maddox Mihalakis.

“We got a long way to go,” Hale said. “For a coach, it's a really fun year because we get to develop some guys. I really couldn't tell you who our starting nine position players are right now. Most of the time, at this time, you kind of know — you’re trying to figure out what the order is going to be. But there's going to be a lot of battling going on in January.”

Breyfogle will be moving from left field to center field. Cain is slotted at first base but could be in the mix in right field if others don’t pan out.

Arizona brought in outfield reinforcements via the transfer portal and junior college. Carson McEntire played for Oregon State’s 2025 CWS squad. Hale said McEntire is an “extremely good defender." That could give him the edge in left field, a spot that requires extremely good defense at Hi Corbett Field.

“Big power,” Hale added. “Just need to get him consistent, and he's got a chance to do that.”

Sean Barta (Pima Community College) and Chaz McNelis (College of Southern Nevada) are also in the corner-outfield mix. Both suffered injuries that hampered their progress during fall ball.

Another option: Moving an infielder to the outfield. Freshman Cash Brennan, recruited as a shortstop, is one such possibility. Brennan “really opened our eyes” during fall ball, Hale said.

“He's a long-levered kid (6-foot-4) that just has swung the bat well,” Hale said. “He's played good defense at short. ... There's an opportunity there.”

A freshman could emerge as the No. 3 starter behind Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey (who served as the Sunday starter as a freshman last season). Jack Lafflam’s fastball has reached the upper 90s.

“He just has to be consistent throwing strikes,” Hale said of the 6-6 right-hander.

That’s been a recurring problem for veteran Collin McKinney. McKinney opened last season as Arizona’s Friday-night starter. But poor control — 35 walks and 14 hit batters in 54⅓ innings — led to a demotion to the bullpen. McKinney had a mostly promising fall.

“He's got the stuff,” Hale said. “His secondary stuff was really good this fall. His velo wasn't like it was last spring, but that's fine. With the intensity level of the spring, I think it'll tick back up. He has a good chance to pitch for us on Sunday.”

Another possibility is left-hander Luc Fladda, a transfer from Tulane. Fladda throws strikes (11 walks in 76⅔ innings last season) but doesn’t have the velocity to blow away hitters (just 62 strikeouts).

The wild card is sophomore left-hander Mason Russell, who missed most of fall ball because of injury. Russell was the highest-rated draft prospect in Arizona’s 2024 signing class. He elected to come to school but struggled in limited time as a freshman.

Hale said Russell is healthy now and has begun throwing bullpens.

“Knock on wood, he'll come back in January and he'll compete for that spot,” Hale said. “He obviously has the stuff to do it.”

Recruiting revisions

Hale and his staff took a somewhat different tack in recruiting the 2026 class: They didn’t rush it.

Several players committed over the summer, after their junior year of high school.

“These are guys we've always liked,” Hale said. “Trip (Couch, Arizona’s recruiting coordinator) does a really good job of letting a lot of these kids know. We don't want to go out and commit guys to then release them and say, ‘You haven't done well enough.’

“So we kind of waited and just saw how they did. And their progression was really good. They got better.”

Arizona also has two signees from Southern California, an area that has produced countless UA baseball players over the years but had been untapped by Hale and his staff.

“When the rules were you could go out and commit anybody from whatever, sixth grade on — from the Little League World Series if you wanted to — the SEC really started to get into L.A., and they went really hard. ... So that hurt us,” Hale said. “UCLA, for a long time, had built a fence around there, even before the SEC got in there.

“When we got here as a staff, we really wanted to get in. It's been tough.”

The breakthrough signees are pitcher Dusty Dunwoody of Simi Valley and outfielder Drew Ward of Pasadena. Ward is the son of f, who played at UCLA with UA football coach Brent Brennan.

Inside pitch

– Arizona signed two Tucson products in catchers Cooper Kruk (Catalina Foothills High School/Pima CC) and Francisco Rivero Jr. (Canyon del Oro).

“Super excited,” Hale said. “Cooper had a great high school career. ... I think he was kind of hidden away here in Tucson. A lot of people started to see him and see the growth physically. He’s a big dude.

“And then Rivero, his parents are from Venezuela. He’s been a good high school player here. He’s got big power. Really good behind the plate. He moves around real well. Both kids will have a really good chance to play here early in their career.”

– Hale said promoting John DeRouin to pitching coach helped Arizona retain its big-time arms after the departure of Kevin Vance.

“The biggest thing you worry about now is, when a guy has success, is he going to go in the portal? Even here,” Hale said. “As good as our program is, as well as we're able to take care of our guys — whether it's scholarship, NIL deals, revenue sharing, whatever it is — there's always that chance that guys are going to jump and go for more money. A big part of our pitching staff staying was because of John being elevated.”

– Hale said freshman right-hander Benton Hickman has a chance to be an immediate contributor out of the bullpen, even in late-inning situations. Hickman and Lafflam were teammates at Phoenix Brophy College Prep.

– Arizona added another player to the ’26 class after signing day: right-hander Hawk Bowers of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas.