Arizona’s success in winning both the Pac-12’s final regular-season and conference tournament titles last season was largely attributed to its strong pitching. However, with several key pitchers moving on, the Wildcats are in need of new talent to stay competitive in the Big 12 starting in 2025.
One of the first additions to bolster their pitching staff is former Rutgers right-hander Christian Coppola, who committed to Arizona recently. Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 230 pounds, Coppola had a standout freshman season with the Scarlet Knights but struggled in his sophomore year.
In 2023, Coppola achieved a 5-5 record with a 3.68 ERA over 13 starts, earning multiple honors as a Freshman All-American. However, his performance dipped the following spring, finishing with a 4-5 record and a 7.63 ERA across 12 starts. Control issues were evident as he surrendered 33 walks in 43.2 innings while striking out 47 batters. By contrast, during his freshman year, he struck out 71 batters and walked 27 over 66 innings.
Arizona hopes Coppola can regain his freshman form and contribute significantly to their pitching rotation as they prepare for the challenges ahead in the Big 12 conference.
Congrats to Christian Coppola on his commitment to @ArizonaBaseball 🔥
CC will join the PAC-12 Champions 🐻#Develop pic.twitter.com/XRdhZN2PnM
— Baseball Performance Center (@The_BPCsj) June 18, 2024
Arizona led the nation in both walks allowed per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2024 under the guidance of pitching coach Kevin Vance and player development director John DeRouin. Assuming they can tweak Coppola the way they did with so many other UA pitchers, Coppola could be a candidate for the starting rotation.
The Wildcats are likely losing all three weekend starters, as righties Clark Candiotti and Cam Walty are out of eligibility and lefty Jackson Kent (who is participating in this week’s MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field in Phoenix) is expected to be drafted and sign a pro deal. Additionally, freshman lefty Josh Morano entered the NCAA transfer portal after getting a few midweek starting opportunities.
