Arizona Baseball

Notes and takeaways from Arizona’s season ending loss to Louisville at College World Series

By Lori Burkhart

Posted on June 16, 2025

*Arizona outfielders Easton Breyfogle and Aaron Walton after Breyfogle laid out to rob a run during the Wildcats’ 8-3 loss to Louisville at the College World Series (Arizona Athletics photo)*

A season to remember

OMAHA, Neb. — What a ride this season has been. From 0-3 to start the season to 44-21 and a spot in the College World Series.

While every player dreams of holding that trophy at the end of the series, that dream came to an end for Arizona with an 8-3 loss to Louisville on Sunday here at Charles Schwab Field.

There is no shame in getting to Omaha as one of the eight best teams in the nation.

First baseman Tommy Splaine and second baseman Garen Caulfield, both seniors, had advice for the younger players on the team after Sunday’s loss.

Splaine’s advice, “I just say keep going. All those guys have done a terrific job, especially (freshman starter Smith) Bailey. Just stick with it. And, I guess, the mistakes and challenges that you make, you really do learn from. Garen and I have been here for four years, that’s been a big reason why we got here today, and (coach) Chip (Hale). Just keep going.”

Caulfield’s advice, “I would say like guys like Smith and I would say (Easton) Breyfogle and (Andrew) Cain, it’s going to be a good core group of guys that have a lot of experience in the postseason. I would just tell them to keep the focus on the team and not get caught up in their own personal stats, or whatever is going on, because the best teams play together and love one another like we did this year.”

The Wildcats ended the season as Big 12 Tournament champions, Eugene (Ore.) Regional champions and Chapel Hill (N.C.) Super Regional champions.

Mason White set an Arizona extra-base career hit record with 111, while Tony Pluta’s 14 saves set a program record for most saves in a season.

Pluta was also named NCBWA First Team All-American and was awarded the NCBWA Stopper of the Year.

Caulfield was also mindful of a distinction he has with the program.

“My time as a Wildcat, I had the second-most at-bats in school history behind this guy (Hale) over here,” said Caulfield, who finished with 877 at-bats in his four-year career while Hale had 978 from 1984-87. “There’s probably no other school I’d want to play for. And I’m super thankful for the staff for keeping me that long.”

A bright future for the Wildcats

For the younger players, the experience they were able to gain in the Big 12 tournament, Eugene Regional, and Chapel Hill Super Regional, as well as “The Greatest Show on Dirt” at Omaha, will give them confidence and grit for the next opportunity.

Bailey had another solid outing on the mound for the Wildcats, throwing 92 pitches, including 55 strikes in six innings. He allowed seven hits and two runs while striking out four and walking two.

“I’m just going to take from this experience to be a leader for our team next year and try to bring us back next year and hopefully get a little bit of a different result,” Bailey said on moving forward after Arizona was eliminated.

Good job, Smith #MCWS x @ArizonaBaseball pic.twitter.com/rYoX6j4bWc

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 15, 2025

With more than 15 players potentially returning and new commitments coming in, next year’s team will be poised to keep Arizona in the national spotlight.

“I hope they can take what they learned in this run,” Hale said of his team. “Sometimes losing, not making it to where you want to get to, these things are going to happen. We have guys that are going to play in a World Series in the future. And they’re going to lose the World Series.

“How do you handle it? We have guys who aren’t going to play another game of baseball. They’re going to have families and be in business. They might be struggling; how are they going to make it so that their family is better, their business is better? And I hope they learn from that.”

Walden Grove graduate Owen Kramkowski, who evolved into Arizona’s Friday-night starter this year, is slated to return as a junior along with Bailey, helping to make the rotation formidable again next season.

Recruiting will get a boost

How much Bailey and Kramkowski developed this season, in addition to late-season fellow starter Raul Garayzar, under pitching coach Kevin Vance and director of player development John DeRouin, should pay dividends for Arizona’s recruitment of pitchers.

Bailey said as much in his postgame comments Sunday.

“I think it’s something that everyone can look at, recruits can maybe look at and see that Vance and John and all the coaches have done a great job with development,” Bailey said. “Beginning of the season or before the season started, it wasn’t the best. And then John and Vance did a great job helping me improve throughout the season and getting me to where I am today.”

Recruitment of pitchers is already developing with two transfers, both of them relievers, in the portal committing to Arizona.

Western Kentucky left-hander Patrick Morris, who had a 1.11 ERA in 32 innings pitched for the Hilltoppers, and Texas Tech right-hander JT Drake (formerly of Pima Community College) have already pledged to Arizona.

The transfer portal is open until July 1.