From major league call-ups to championship runs, Santa Clara Baseball alumni left their mark on the 2025 professional baseball season — continuing the program's tradition of producing high-level talent and impactful players at the next level.
Tommy Nance is pitching right now in the 2025 MLB postseason, helping the Toronto Blue Jays pursue a World Series title after capturing the AL East crown. Nance joined the Blue Jays midseason and posted a 1.99 ERA across 30 relief outings, striking out 32 batters in 31 2/3 innings while holding opponents to a .214 average and a 1.01 WHIP. He pitched at Santa Clara in 2012 and 2013 and is currently on Toronto's roster for the ALDS.
Steven Wilson pitched the entire 2025 season with the Chicago White Sox, appearing in 59 games and posting a 3.42 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 55 1/3 innings. The right-hander earned 10 holds and two saves. Wilson was a three-time WCC All-Academic honoree and received All-WCC Honorable Mention in 2018 before being selected in the eighth round of the MLB Draft.
Robert Hipwell capped his first professional season with a championship run, helping the San Jose Giants sweep Inland Empire to win the California League title. The third baseman finished the year with 59 runs scored, 66 RBIs, and a .241 batting average. He also spent time this season ranked among the San Francisco Giants' top organizational prospects. A native of Los Gatos, Hipwell played three years on the Mission Campus from 2022–24.
Michael O'Hara helped lead the Oakland Ballers to a Pioneer League Championship in their inaugural season, hitting .336 across 37 games. The outfielder previously played for the Boise Pioneers in 2024, where he batted .277 with 14 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs over 50 games.
Skylar Hales rose quickly through the minors, earning a midseason promotion from Double-A to Triple-A and later being traded from the Texas Rangers to the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline. The right-hander appeared in 50 games, striking out 58 batters over 53 innings while recording five saves. As a Bronco, Hales earned Second Team All-WCC honors and was named to the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2023.
Nick Sando climbed the ranks in the Cincinnati Reds system, advancing from Low-A to Double-A by season's end. The right-hander went 7–4 across three levels, posting a 3.33 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a minuscule .186 batting average. Sando racked up 92 innings across 30 appearances, with 10.47 strikeouts per nine innings.
Penn Murfee opened the year on the Chicago White Sox's Opening Day roster and struck out 13 batters in 12 2/3 innings over the first month of the season. He also spent time with Triple-A Charlotte, going 2–1 with 16 strikeouts and four holds. Murfee pitched at Santa Clara in 2018, leading the team in wins (6) and innings pitched (66 2/3).
Mitchell White made 24 starts for the SSG Landers in Korea's KBO League, finishing 11–4 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. The right-hander struck out 137 over 134 2/3 innings with one complete game. A two-time All-WCC honoree at Santa Clara, White led the conference in strikeouts in 2016 with 118 — a total that still ranks in the program's all-time top 10 for a single season.
Blake Hammond appeared in 28 games with the Oakland Athletics' Single-A affiliate in Stockton, logging 63 strikeouts over 47 innings and earning his first professional win against San Jose. At Santa Clara, Hammond was a three-year standout who earned 2024 First Team All-WCC honors, appeared on the NCBWA "Stopper of the Year" Watch List, and finished his career with 180 strikeouts in 149 2/3 innings.
Caden Wooster signed a free-agent contract with the New York Mets after the 2025 MLB Draft and began his professional career in the rookie-level Florida Complex League before earning a promotion to Single-A St. Lucie on Sept. 6.
August Souza made 10 appearances with the Florence Y'alls of the independent Frontier League in 2025, finishing the season with 15 strikeouts across 15 2/3 innings. A five-year member of the Broncos, Souza earned all-conference honorable mention honors in 2023, made the NCBWA "Stopper of the Year" Watch List in 2024, and totaled 43 appearances across his SCU career.
Cole Kitchen brought his talents to the popular Savannah Bananas entertainment tour, joining the Texas Tailgaters squad for the team's coast-to-coast series of exhibitions.
