Arizona's roster continues to come together for the upcoming season under first-year head coach Chip Hale. A key reserve decided to return to the program Monday giving the Wildcats another veteran presence. Outfielder Tyler Casagrande posted to Twitter indicating a return to Tucson after he previously entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.
The Leesburg, Virginia native played in 39 games during the 2021 season with seven starts in the outfield for the Wildcats. Casagrande proved to be a key member of the reserve group for the Wildcats with contributions throughout the season.
Casagrande arrived at Arizona in 2019 and began contributing right away with 31 appearances that year. He played in 11 games during the shortened 2020 season.
He hit .244 during the 2021 season with 10 hits in 41 at-bats in addition to scoring 12 runs and driving in seven runners.
The left-handed hitter also drew five walks during his sophomore season.
Casagrande's best game came in an important series for the Wildcats on the road against Oregon State. He went 2 for 3 with one run scored in the final game of that series.
He also contributed in the postseason for the Wildcats as he had one hit in the regional and triple in the clinching game of Arizona's NCAA Super Regional matchup against Ole Miss. Casagrande scored a run in that game as well.
Though he is from the other side of the country, Casagrande has been an Arizona fan for quite some time after gettin an opportunity to see the Wildcats in the College World Series when he was younger. Since that time it has been a dream of his to play at UA.
"My dad took me to Omaha every year when I was growing up," Casagrande said during the season. "The first year he took me was 2012 when Arizona won the National Championship. From that moment on it was my dream school, so it was cool to get to come out here.
"I wanted to do something different. Go play on the West Coast. I've always liked the West Coast and thought it fit my style of play better."
Casagrande was one of a platoon of players to make an appearance in left field for the Wildcats this season. He looked to be the starter early in the season, but eventually former head coach Jay Johnson went in some different directions. Ultimately, Casagrande was able to get on the field more regularly late in the season giving him a bigger opportunity to contribute.
"I was completely open to whatever my role was throughout the season as long as we were winning," he said late in the season. "I took advantage of my opportunities when they came."
Casagrande entered the transfer portal shortly after Johnson's decision to leave Arizona for LSU.
Hale, who has continued to build a relationship with the current team, has retained Arizona third base coach Dave Lawn helping to facilitate some continuity for the program through the coaching transition.
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