Arizona Closer Tony Pluta Make Massive Decision

Arizona received massive news on star closer Tony Pluta and his future with the team.

Jun 15, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Arizona Wildcats pitcher Tony Pluta (37) throws against the Louisville Cardinals during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

One of the major reasons why Arizona baseball was able to make it to the College World Series and go on a surprising run was the performance by the Wildcats’ bullpen, which was one of the better pens in the NCAA leading up to Omaha.

The biggest piece in that pen was closer Tony Pluta, who was a workhorse for the team giving head coach Chip Hale a reliable arm to go to day-in and day-out.

Now, MLB Draft has come and gone with Pluta going undrafted leaving fans wondering if he was going to sign with a team, or return to Tucson for another season.

Well, on Tuesday Arizona announced that Pluta will be returning for another season in the desert giving the Wildcats a massive shot in the arm for their bullpen.

During the 2025 season, Pluta was lights out posting a 1.46 ERA in 37innings of work where he made 30 appearances on the year. In those innings he allowed just six earned runs while striking out 34 batters to his seven walks.

His performance during the regular season earned him one of the biggest honors that a relief pitcher can win. Pluta won the 2025 Stopper of the Year Award while earning Second Team All-Big-12 honors.

When looking back at Pluta’s first season with the program he didn’t see very much time on the mound making six appearances and totaling seven innings where he posted a 7.71 ERA.

From that point on, Pluta worked hard and developed under Hale and his staff turning into one of the best bullpen pieces in college baseball.

So far in his career, Pluta has totaled 71 ⅓ innings making 61 appearances with a 2.70 ERA leading to a 5-1 record. In those innings of work, he has allowed zero home runs while giving up 22 earned runs to go with his 61 strikeouts and 10 walked batters.

Pluta has 16 career saves with 14 of them coming last year leading to his award winning season.

The bullpen was the strength of the Wildcats for most of the season, now the team will have their closer back as they try to make another run to the College World Series.

Now, Arizona’s offense was fully loaded last year with three MLB high draft picks in Brendan Summerhill, Aaron Walton and Mason White leading the way.

So far, the 2026 season looks like the Wildcats will rely more on their pitching staff with the bullpen playing a massive role yet again.

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