Arizona Wildcats Baseball Transfer Selected For All-NECBL Postseason Award
Aaron Walton hasn’t put on an Arizona Wildcats baseball uniform yet but he’s already coming to the program with a buzz-worthy honor courtesy of his play in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
The NECBL selected Walton to its honorable mention team after his play with Ocean State.
In 26 games he batted .311 with two home runs and 21 RBI. He had 28 hits in 90 at-bats and his .880 OPS helped him record seven multi-hit games.
Walton earned his invitation based on his play with his former school, Samford. He announced his commitment to the Wildcats in June. The berth with Ocean State also gave him a chance to get to know three future Arizona teammates — Owen Kramkowski, Bryce McKnight and Zach Plasschaert.
In two seasons with the Bulldogs, Walton slammed 15 home runs, with an on-base percentage of .380 and an OPS of .871. Last season he batted .286 with nine home runs, 36 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
The NECBL is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. The league celebrated its 30th anniversary this season and has sent more than 230 alumni to the Major Leagues, including 30 first-round draft picks.
Walton, a Brentwood, Tenn., native played shortstop, third base, outfield and pitcher at Brentwood High School, where he batted .419 with 19 RBI in 36 games his senior years.
Entering college he was the No. 11 ranked outfielder in Tennessee and a Top 500 national player. He also played football in high school and finished with 2,639 receiving yards and 37 touchdowns, a career that included an all-region selection.
He will have two years of eligibility at Arizona.
Arizona went 36-23 last season with a 20-10 record in the Pac-12, the program’s final year in the conference. The Wildcats will play in the Big 12 this season.
The Wildcats swept through the Pac-12 Tournament, beating Washington, Cal, Stanford and USC on its way to the title. That earned Arizona the chance to host a regional in Tucson. But, the Wildcats lost to Grand Canyon and Dallas Baptist back-to-back and were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
Chip Hale remains the coach at Arizona. A member of the Wildcats’ 1986 College World Series championship team, the former Major League player and coach will enter his fourth season hoping to take the program to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. Arizona has won at least 33 games in each of Hale’s three seasons.
MATT POSTINS