Arizona Baseball: Pitcher Garrett Irvin announces return

As Arizona Baseball adjusts to the Chip Hale era, the Wildcats got great news for 2022 as pitcher Garrett Irvin announced his return for next year. 

The 2021 Arizona Baseball season is over, and we’ve got a long way to go until next season as the Wildcats look to reload under newly hired head coach, Chip Hale. Luckily, he will have a key piece returning with stud pitcher Garrett “Gary” Irvin.

Coming into 2022, Hale will have a bit of a rebuild of sorts as previous head coach Jay Johnson left town taking a few pieces with him to Baton Rouge.

Arizona Wildcats

While a few other players entered the all-too-famous transfer portal, at least Irvin is returning to Arizona, as the Wildcats’ stud hurler announced his return on Wednesday evening via social media.

While 2021 didn’t quite end the way many fans had hoped, Arizona Baseball will at least have a few key pieces for 2022, most namely, Garrett Irvin.

A soon-to-be senior, “Gary” finished 2021 with a respectable 6-4 record and a 4.58 ERA in 18 starts. He was also second on the team in strikeouts with 75.

Of course, he will forever be known for his complete-game shutout he pitched against UCSB in the Regional Tournament in Tucson. Holding the Gauchos to just three hits in the Wildcats’ win, as a result, Garrett aptly earned the name “Gary” following his dominant performance.

So, being one of the few proven arms returning for Arizona, he will likely be the Wildcats’ “ace” next season. And outside of Gary, the Wildcats will also see talented players like Daniel Susac, Tony Bullard, Tanner O’Tremba, and Quinn Flanagan among others.

While I don’t expect Arizona to be the deep and talented team like they were in 2021, they should still have a few pieces to make them fairly competitive in the Pac-12, and it all starts with Gary.

As Hale continues to adjust to the college game, it will be interesting to see how this roster and coaching staff continues to take form.