Arizona announced on Tuesday that All-American closer Tony Pluta is out for the 2026 season. The announcement came three days before Arizona opens its season on Friday against Stanford in Surprise, Arizona. Pluta was named the 2025 National Stopper of the Year.
Per the Arizona Athletics page, Pluta sustained an injury and will have UCL surgery that will force him to miss the 2026 season. The announcement about Pluta came four days after he was named to the Golden Spikes preseason watch list, which honors the best amateur baseball player nationally.
Pluta has improved in each of his three seasons with Arizona. In 2025, Pluta had three wins and no losses with 14 saves in 37.0 innings pitched, while allowing 28 hits with seven walks and 34 strikeouts and compiled a 1.46 earned run average.
Arizona head coach Chip Hale and Pluta both issued statements about the announcement that the All-American is out for the season. After not getting selected in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft, Pluta decided to return to Arizona for his senior season.
A setback for an even greater comeback.
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) February 10, 2026
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Replacing Pluta
Losing Pluta three days before the season starts is a brutal blow for the Arizona baseball program and Hale. It is far too late for Arizona to be able to get someone to replace Pluta from outside the Arizona baseball program.
Smith Bailey and Owen Kramkowski will lead the top of the Arizona pitching rotation. Collin McKinney, transfer Luc Fladda, or freshman Jack Lafflam are expected to round out the rotation. Hale could try Fladdam, Laffla,m or McKinney as the closer with whoever does not start this weekend.
Senior Garrett Hicks, who was often used as a long reliever in 2025, is another possibility for Arizona as the stopper. Hale might also use a stopper by committee this weekend against Stanford, Oregon State and Michigan.