TUCSON, Ariz. — Chip Hale, a star infielder at Arizona from 1984-87 before playing, coaching and managing in the major leagues, has been hired as the Wildcats’ new baseball coach.
Arizona Director of Athletics Dave Heeke announced the hiring Monday.
Hale, 56, will receive a five-year contract pending approval from the state Board of Regents approval.
He will be officially introduced as the 17th head coach in Arizona’s baseball history at a news conference Wednesday.
Hale succeeds Jay Johnson who was named LSU’s new coach last month after six seasons with Arizona and two trips to the College World Series.
Hale was a member of the Wildcats’ 1986 national championship team and still holds school records for games played, hits, walks, at-bats and total bases.
A 17th-round draft pick of Minnesota in 1987, Hale played seven years in the majors for the Twins in Los Angeles Dodgers.
He was the manager of the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders from 2005-06 — winning the Pacific Coast League title in his final season — and managed the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2015-16.
Hale was a bench coach for Washington when the Nationals won the World Series in 2019. He also has coached for the Oakland A’s, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers.
