Three Arizona Baseball standout pitchers were selected Monday in the first 10 rounds of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft — southpaw Jackson Kent and right-handers Clark Candiotti and Anthony “Tonko” Susac — indicating the strength of the Wildcats’ pitching staff this season that contributed to Pac-12 regular-season and tournament championships.
Another reliable pitcher Cam Walty, a right-hander, might be selected between rounds 11 and 20 on Tuesday. Walty paced the program with eight wins and a 3.29 ERA while racking up 75 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to a .266 batting average. His 3.29 ERA was third-best in the Pac-12.
Kent, Candiotti and Walty were first-team All-Pac-12 selections, the first time that has happened in program history.
That’s a testament to the work performed by new pitching coach Kevin Vance, who joined the program after serving two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Boston College.
Vance, with the help of the Wildcats director of player development John DeRouin, helped engineer one of the greatest pitching turnarounds in the nation in 2024. Arizona’s pitching staff improved their team ERA over a run and a half from the previous season, marking the 20th largest ERA improvement in the country and the fifth-best among Power Five programs.
The Wildcats’ 1.51 improvement from the 2023 team’s 5.97 ERA created a impressive 4.46 ERA in 2024, the second-best mark in the Pac-12 and the 21st-best nationally.
Frizona’s pitchers issued the fewest walks in Division I (149) while leading the nation with a 3.46 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 2.56 walks over nine innings rate.
Along with the three starting pitchers and Tonko Susac out of the bullen, right-handed reliever Casey Hintz also earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors.
Arizona now boasts nine players picked within the top 10 rounds under third-year head coach Chip Hale, who has an MLB background of being a manager and coach. Multiple Wildcats have been selected in 13 consecutive MLB drafts, dating to 2011.
Cats Nats
Jackson Kent is off the board and headed to our nation's capital! pic.twitter.com/quswmlox2Q
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) July 15, 2024
Kent, who was selected by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round with the No. 108 overall pick, enjoyed a breakout season in 2024 while serving as the Wildcats’ Friday night starting pitcher. The Pac-12 all-conference selection made 15 starts and went 3-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 86 innings. The tall left-hander had eight quality starts and worked five or more innings in 12 of 15 starts.
Welcome to San Diego, Clark!
With the 135th pick in the 2024 #MLBDraft, we have selected RHP Clark Candiotti from Arizona (AZ). pic.twitter.com/0DbIuy3iER
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 15, 2024
Candiotti, who was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round with the No. 135 overall pick, made 16 starts and went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA while leading the team and the Pac-12 with 103 strikeouts. Candiotti earned spots on the Pac-12 all-conference and Pac-12 all-tournament teams and finished the year top five on the circuit in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP. He tossed a pair of complete games, including a shutout performance over Stanford that earned him Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors. Across 10 starts in Pac-12 play, Candiotti went 6-3 with a 2.71 ERA, giving him the third-best conference ERA in the league last year. Candiotti, the son of 16-year Major League veteran Tom Candiotti, was the first Arizona pitcher since 2021 and third in the last decade to surpass 100 strikeouts in a season.
With the 255th pick of the 2024 #MLBDraft, the Texas Rangers select RHP Anthony Susac from @ArizonaBaseball. pic.twitter.com/8UDuFD4UCX
— Rangers Player Development (@TEXPlayerDev) July 15, 2024
Susac, who was selected by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round with the No. 255 overall pick, served in multiple roles for the Wildcats. He especially excelled after moving into the Arizona bullpen, where he went 2-0 with three saves and a 4.03 ERA. Susac — the cousin of Arizona 2022 first-round selection Daniel Susac — held opponents without an earned run in 11 of n16 relief appearances and posted nine consecutive scoreless outings from April 2 – May 5. His efforts during Pac-12 play: 1-0 with one save and a 1.35 ERA across 6 2/3 innings. Over three years in Tucson, Tonko Susac logged 50 appearances and tossed 115 2/3 innings of work while earning seven wins.
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