The MLB Draft confirmed what ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ fans saw throughout the 2025 season: The Wildcats were a wildly talented bunch.
Coming off a trip to the College World Series, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ had nine players drafted Sunday and Monday — the most for the UA since the draft was reduced to 20 rounds in 2021 and tied for the fifth most in program history.
The ’25 club had plenty of high-end talent, as evidenced by the fact that four players were picked in the first five rounds: Outfielders Brendan Summerhill (Tampa Bay) and Aaron Walton (Cleveland), shortstop Mason White (Boston) and catcher Adonys Guzman (Pittsburgh).
Five UA pitchers — Julian Tonghini, Hunter Alberini, Casey Hintz, Raul Garayzar and Michael Hilker Jr. — were taken between Rounds 7 and 20.
Summerhill, coming off an injury-plagued junior season, lasted a little longer than expected. Projected to be a top-25 pick, Summerhill went to the Rays with the 42nd selection Sunday in what’s called “Competitive Balance Round A.â€
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ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ right fielder Brendan Summerhill makes a running catch on a fly ball from Cincinnati’s Jack Natili in the third inning of their Big 12 game on March 14, at Hi Corbett Field.
If you consider that to be a first-round pick — the second round began with No. 44 — Summerhill became the fourth Wildcat to go in Round 1 in the past six drafts and the third who played for Chip Hale. The other three are catcher Austin Wells (2020), catcher Daniel Susac (2022) and outfielder Chase Davis (2023).
Summerhill suffered a fractured right hand at West Virginia on March 23 after punching a water cooler in the dugout. He missed the next 16 games.
In his second game back, at Texas Tech on April 26, Summerhill pulled a hamstring while trying to beat out a groundball. He missed only a week (aside from one pinch-hitting appearance) but was never 100% again, according to Hale.
Summerhill was hitting .414 at the time of the hamstring injury. He finished at .343. Whether the injuries contributed to his draft slide is unclear.
Despite those ailments — and 21 missed games in all — Summerhill recorded a career-best 1.015 OPS, tied his career high with six triples and walked more than he struck out (36-24). Summerhill’s .459 on-base percentage would have ranked fifth in the Big 12 if he had enough appearances to qualify.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Brendan Summerhill celebrates his fourth-inning home run against Utah Valley in the NCAA Tournament’s Eugene Regional on May 31 at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
For his career, Summerhill slashed .323/.424/.535 with 14 home runs, 33 doubles, 12 triples, 97 runs scored, 99 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and an 82-80 walk-to-strikeout ratio in 124 games.
The 42nd pick carries a projected signing bonus of $2.33 million.
“Really good bat-to-ball skills,†Tampa amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci said, . “Very projectable, athletic body. He's far from (a) finished product, but on both sides, offensively and defensively, I think he's really heading in the right direction, and I think he's just starting to kind of find his stride as a player.â€
The man who played to Summerhill’s right in center field, Walton, came off the board 24 spots later at No. 66, the first pick of Competitive Round B.
Walton transferred from Samford to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ last summer and became one of the Wildcats’ best players. A high school tight end whose physique has drawn comparisons to Mike Trout, Walton slashed .320/.437/.589 with 14 home runs, 22 doubles, 71 runs scored, 49 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 23 attempts.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Aaron Walton, left, gets greeted at home by Tommy Splaine after he drove them both across the plate with a homer in the eighth inning for a 6-3 lead against TCU on May 2, at Hi Corbett Field.
Although most draft projections had Walton going around pick 150, Hale believed Walton would go higher because of his size, athleticism and character.
The No. 66 pick has a projected signing bonus of $1.32 million.
“He's a strong, physical, athletic center fielder,†said Paul Gillispie, Cleveland’s senior vice president of scouting, . “He has a football background, so you can see the strength, the power, the speed, athleticism, twitch. The profile that he has is really exciting.â€
Summerhill and Walton were ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s only selections on Day 1, which covered Rounds 1-3. White quickly came off the board on Day 2, going to the Red Sox with the 13th pick of the fourth round.
An overlooked prospect coming out of Salpointe Catholic High School, White stamped his name in the UA record book. In three seasons, he socked 49 home runs, second most in school history. He also totaled 111 extra-base hits, most in UA annals.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ batter Mason White fights off a pitch to earn an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the first inning against Oklahoma State in their Big 12 game April 11 at Hi Corbett Field.
As a junior, White notched multiple career highs, including home runs (20), RBIs (73), runs scored (63), triples (eight) and all three triple-slash categories (.327/.412/.689). He was named the MVP of the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament’s Eugene Regional and was named a third-team All-American by D1Baseball.
White is listed on the draft tracker as a shortstop, where he played the past two seasons. He also could profile at second base, where he played as a freshman.
The last Wildcat to be picked by the Red Sox was another prolific middle infielder, Cameron Cannon, who went to Boston in the second round in 2019. The Red Sox took UA third baseman Bobby Dalbec in the fourth round in ’15. Dalbec went in the exact same spot as White — No. 118 overall.
The 118th pick carries an approximate signing bonus of $642,200.
Guzman continued ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s run of pro catchers when he was plucked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth round, No. 144 overall. Guzman follows the likes of Daniel Susac, Austin Wells and Cesar Salazar, among others, as UA backstops bound for pro ball.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ catcher Adonys Guzman celebrates from first after driving in a run in the sixth inning against San Diego on Feb. 21 at Hi Corbett Field.
Guzman was considered a draftable prospect coming out of high school. He spent his first collegiate season at Boston College before transferring to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
Renowned for his arm and elite pop time, Guzman developed into a clutch hitter with burgeoning power. After batting .265 with one home run in 136 at-bats as a sophomore, Guzman hit .328 — best among UA qualifiers — with nine homers in 232 at-bats.
Guzman posted a 53-51 walk-to-strikeout ratio in two seasons as a Wildcat. He capped his UA career by being named to the CWS All-Tournament Team.
Pick No. 144 carries an approximate signing bonus of $499,000.
Bullpen bullies
The bullpen was one of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s strengths this past season, and the draft reflected that as well.
Tonghini, Alberini and Hintz were high-leverage relievers, while Garayzar played a critical role as a swingman.
Tonghini went to the Washington Nationals in the seventh round, No. 201 overall.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Julian Tonghini gets in his band work as the Wildcats pitching staff works out in the bullpen prior to the start of their game against Utah on May 9, at Hi Corbett Field.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was the third collegiate stop for Tonghini, who had his best season in his one and only campaign with the Wildcats. Tonghini went 5-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 22 appearances. He struck out 44 batters in 25â…“ innings.
Tonghini has the type of frame (6-4, 208) MLB teams covet and throws his fastball in the mid-90s. He complements it with a tight breaking ball known as a “gyro slider.â€
The 201st pick has a slot value of $302,500. But with Tonghini being out of college eligibility, he’ll likely end up with less than that as a “senior sign.â€
Alberini, another transfer, went to the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round, No. 338 overall.
Alberini spent four years in junior college before coming to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ for the 2025 season. He went 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA in 18 appearances.
Similar to Tonghini, Alberini has good size (6-2, 206), throws in the mid-90s and can generate whiffs. He struck out 33 batters in 20â…” innings.
Hintz went to the Seattle Mariners in the 16th round, No. 482 overall.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Casey Hintz delivers a pitch against Utah Valley in the NCAA Tournament's Eugene Regional on May 31, at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon. Hintz threw three hitless innings out of the bullpen.
Hintz had an up-and-down junior season, finishing with a 7-4 record and a 5.56 ERA as a multi-inning reliever.
He tops out in the low 90s but has a sidearm delivery, a sweeping slider and an effective sinker that produces groundballs when it’s working.
Garayzar went to the Diamondbacks in the 18th round — the first ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-to-ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ draftee since Kevin Ginkel in 2016.
Garayzar, who prepped at Rio Rico High School, spent two seasons at the UA after transferring from South Mountain Community College. After struggling in 2024, Garayzar proved to be a versatile asset in ’25.
Starting in eight of 21 appearances, Garayzar went 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
Garayzar expanded his arsenal this past season to complement a fastball that sits in the mid-90s. He has a projectable frame at 6-4, 219.
Hilker went to the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round, No. 599 overall.
A transfer from Wisconsin-Whitewater, Hilker struggled from most of his lone season at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, finishing with a 6.45 ERA. But he pitched well down the stretch, throwing 5Â â…” scoreless innings over his final three appearances.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Raul Garayzar delivers a pitch against West Virginia in the semifinals of the Big 12 Baseball Championship on Friday, May 23, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Garayzar threw six scoreless innings.
Millar likely to go pro
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s highest-ranked high school signee, right-hander Cameron Millar, probably won’t make it to campus.
Millar was selected in the third round by the Royals. The fact that Millar went that high suggests that he and his representatives worked out a signing bonus greater than the projection for the 97th pick of $788,500.
Millar, who attended Alhambra High School in Martinez, California, caught scouts’ attention in the spring when his velocity jumped into the 96-97 range. He was considered the most likely of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s signees to go straight to the pros.
Assuming it plays out that way, it would mark the second time in three years that the Royals drafted and signed an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-bound pitcher. Kansas City snatched right-hander Blake Wolters in the second round in 2023, giving him a signing bonus of $2.8 million, more than $800,000 above slot.
Cienega’s Jackson to LAA
Cienega High School graduate Isaiah Jackson, who played collegiately at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State, was taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth round, No. 229 overall.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State outfielder Isaiah Jackson, who prepped at Cienega High School, was taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft
Jackson displayed power and defensive skills as the Sun Devils’ primary center fielder over the past three seasons. He clubbed a career-high 18 home runs as a junior in 2025 while driving in 68 runs, stealing 14 bases and posting a .310/.402/.630 slash line.
A first-team All-Big 12 honoree, Jackson did not commit an error this season. The 6-3, 220-pounder also had an impressive showing at the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix.
Jackson is the younger brother of pitcher Andre Jackson, another Cienega product who appeared in 26 games for the Dodgers and Pirates from 2021-23. He’s currently playing professionally in Japan.
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @michaeljlev. On Bluesky: @michaeljlev.bsky.social