Chip Hale's Contract Extension Approved by Arizona Board of Regents
Arizona had a magical year on the diamond in 2025. The Wildcats finished with a 44-21 record and a trip to Omaha before coming up short.
After four years as the Wildcats' skipper, Chip Hale is prepared to stick around in Tucson and try to build on his success.
The Arizona Board of Regents officially approved Hale's four-year contract extension on Thursday, keeping Hale in Tucson through the 2030 season. The deal is worth $2.64 million, providing the 60-year-old coach with $528,000 on average each season.
Hale's original contract, which made him Arizona's coach in 2021, paid him $2.55 million to leave his role as the third base coach for the Detroit Tigers, so this is a slight bump after his first run to the College World Series. In his first three seasons, the Wildcats failed to survive the regional round, including in 2024 when Arizona hosted the regional in Tucson.
Should Hale leave for another job or be fired without cause, his buyout is 65% of what remains of his base salary.
2025 was a massive step forward for the program. 44 wins were the most wins for Arizona under Hale. The Wildcats won the Big 12 tournament in their first season in the conference. They then went on to win the Eugene Regional as the 2-seed and the Chapel Hill Super Regional to advance to Omaha.
There, the Wildcats lost consecutive games to Coastal Carolina and Louisville, eliminating them from the College World Series.
Arizona will have to replace a significant amount of talent this season. The Wildcats lost nine players to the MLB Draft, including outfielders Brendan Summerhill and Aaron Walton, shortstop Mason White and catcher Adonys Guzman.
Hale just finished securing the 2026 recruiting class, which features 15 players and ranks 23rd in the nation. Third baseman Ayden Deome is the highest-ranked player in the class at No. 93, according to Perfect Game.
The roster flip is a challenge to manage, but that means practice during the winter will be intense as Hale tries to figure out how to construct the lineup.
“For a coach, it’s a really fun year because we get to develop some guys,” Hale said. “I really couldn’t tell you who our starting nine position players are now, and most of the time, at this time, you kind of know, trying to figure out what the order is going to be. There’s going to be a lot of battling going on in January.”
Hale's new deal includes incentives for Arizona to repeat its recent success. Winning the Big 12 in the regular season will net him a $25,000 bonus, and winning the conference tournament again will earn him another $15,000. Finding a path back to Omaha also gets him an extra $140,000, while winning the title earns him $200,000.
However, the contract stipulates that there is hard cap of $250,000 in annual bonuses.
How the recruiting class makes an impact remains to be seen, but for now, the Wildcats can bank on a strong list of returners. Right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski figures to be a staple in the rotation after starting 18 games last season and recording 90 strikeouts and a 5.48 ERA.
Third baseman Maddox Mihalakis should be one of Arizona's best bats this season. Mihalakis hit .279 last season with five home runs and 37 RBI in 60 games. Utility player Andrew Cain should also be an impact bat. He played in 49 games and hit .247 with six home runs and 13 doubles.
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Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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