In most cases, the number of players drafted is a strong indication of how good a college baseball team was the previous season. Arizona had nine draftees last year after reaching the College World Series, but following a disastrous 2026 campaign only two Wildcats heard their names called in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 5th round, while fellow righty Collin McKinney went in the 9th round to the Baltimore Orioles.

Kramkowski was taken with the No. 145 picks, which has a bonus slot value of $506,100. McKinney’s bonus slot at No. 260 is $213,300. Players chosen in the 11th round or later can sign for up to $150,000 without it impacting a team’s bonus pool.

The two draft picks for Arizona is its fewest since 2022, when catcher Daniel Susac went in the 1st round and outfielder Tanner O’Tremba went in the 15th round. It was also the first time since 2014 the UA did not have a player taken in the first four rounds.

While the loss of existing UA players to the MLB Draft was minimal, the same can’t be said for future Wildcats. Two members of Arizona’s 2026 recruiting class as well as three transfers signed this summer were drafted Sunday.

Incoming freshman catcher Francisco Rivero, from Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley, went in the 15th round to the Washington Nationals while righty Garrett Ahern—a transfer from GCU—went in the 16th round to the New York Yankees. The 17th round then saw righties McCarty English (Southern Miss) and Collin Cobb (Williston State JC) and New Mexico prep righty Jack Byers all get picked.

Each has until July 27 to sign a pro contract or they’ll join the Wildcats this fall for the 2027 season.

The 6-foot-3 Kramkowski, who grew up in Sahuarita, is the fifth player recruited to the UA out of high school by Chip Hale and his staff to get drafted. He spent three seasons with the Wildcats and was part of the weekend rotation the last two years, starting the opening game of the College World Series. In 2025 he wen 9-6 with a 5.48 ERA, striking out 90 batters in 92 innings, but struggled as a junior with a 1-8 record and 6.13 ERA.

In 35 career appearances, Kramkowski walked only 38 batters in 165.1 innings against 165 strikeouts.

The 6-foot-5 McKinney spent the last two seasons at the UA after beginning his career at Baylor. He was the Wildcats’ Friday night starter for most of 2025 before getting moved to the bullpen, and this past spring spent time in the rotation and as a reliever. He struck out 109 in 91.2 innings with Arizona.

McKinney had entered the NCAA transfer portal last month and committed to Houston but is expected to sign.

Arizona’s lack of draft picks from its roster was indicative of a team that went 19-34, its worst record since 1994, and finished 9-21 in the Big 12 after winning the conference tournament title the previous year. The same can’t be said for ASU, which failed to advance beyond the NCAA regionals despite having 10 draft picks on the roster.

Paramount has made repeated entreaties to Bonta to strike a deal that would allow its merger with Warner Bros. to close.

The studio proposed a firm commitment, via a consent decree, to produce 30 films annually, with a 45-day theatrical release window and a 90-day streaming window, alongside promises to keep both Paramount and Warner Bros. lots open in California, the people said.

Privately, Ellison and other Paramount executives have expressed frustration at Bonta’s refusal to engage, and have pointed to the commitments around content spending — some $30 billion annually — and employment that would flow into California. Already, the region has faced a production exodus to other states — even to Canada — with thousands of entertainment jobs lost in recent years. Ellison and his executives have said that the combined Warner Bros.-Paramount would create jobs in California, helping to stymie that outflow.

But Paramount believes Bonta’s office has rebuffed its overtures, creating what one Ellison adviser said is an “inhospitable” environment for Paramount to operate in. If Bonta sues, the adviser said, the state’s hostility would push the company over the edge.

Bonta’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Last month, he told MSNOW that there were “red flags in the air everywhere,” and that he was “concerned about job loss and prices being increased.”

In a statement, Paramount said, “We continue to engage constructively with the remaining few regulators around the world still considering the merger, including State Attorneys General, and are prepared to address any legitimate antitrust issues.” It added: “We are confident this transaction raises no such concerns, as demonstrated by the dozens of antitrust authorities around the world that have carefully reviewed the transaction.”

A new wildfire sparked Sunday in northern Colorado’s mountains, forcing evacuations near Stagecoach State Park in Routt County, according to county officials.

The Green Ridge fire was discovered Sunday near the Stagecoach Reservoir, according to Routt County officials. That’s roughly 17 miles south of Steamboat Springs.