Toby DeMello was hired by Head Coach Chip Hale and joined the Wildcats coaching staff as a Volunteer Assistant Coach on July 22, 2021; he was promoted to Assistant Coach after two years in Tucson on July 6, 2023. He enters his fourth season at Arizona in 2025.
With the Wildcats
Much of the Wildcats success over the last three years can be attributed to the work of coach DeMello, who has established himself as one of the premier young offensive and catcher minds in the game. Arizona has proudly claimed a trio of NCAA Tournament berths, two first round MLB Draft selections, three position player All-Americans, and more under DeMello.
Faced with the departure of an overwhelming majority of their production from the year before, DeMello and the Wildcats set out to redefine their offense for the 2024 season. His third roster in Tucson would play less towards power and home runs and more in favor of speed, opportunistic base running, productive outs, and timely hitting. The resulting product featured yet another group leading the Pac-12 in triples — for the third time in three years — the most stolen bases by an Arizona team in eight years, and a remarkable eight walk-off victories.
The trio of infielders Garen Caulfield and Mason White, along with outfielder Brendan Summerhill, combined to fuel DeMello's offensive attack and earned a trio of Pac-12 All-Conference selections. Summerhill led the team and ranked 14th in the conference with a .324 batting average, Caulfield raised his batting average nearly 100 points and paced the team with 19 doubles, and White crushed a team-leading 19 home runs while piling up 65 RBI. White's prolific slugging season earned him a spot on the ABCA's West All-Region First Team.
Under DeMello's leadership, the Wildcats collected a pair of Pac-12 Championships (regular season & tournament) and earned their first NCAA Regional host bid since 2021.
DeMello and the Wildcats built off their tremendous offensive success in 2022 to create one of the most dynamic, explosive offenses in the entire nation in 2023, rewriting large portions of the Arizona record books in the process. The Wildcats offense finished the year first in the Pac-12 in batting average, slugging percentage, doubles, triples, and extra-base hits. The Arizona lineup also ranked among the most dangerous in the entire country, finishing the year ranked among the Top 20 teams nationally in batting average, doubles, doubles per game, hits, runs, scoring, slugging percentage, triples, and triples per game.
As a unit, the 2023 Arizona offense hit the second most home runs in program history (98), picked up the fifth most doubles all-time (151), and ranked fourth in the Wildcat record books in both slugging percentage (.549) and total bases (1,186).
Players the likes of Chase Davis, Tony Bullard, Mac Bingham, Kiko Romero, Emilio Corona, and more all posted career years with DeMello's guidance in 2023. Davis and Romero both went on to earn All-America selections, while Mason White picked up Freshman All-America recognition.
Romero put together one of the most prolific slugging seasons in program history and with DeMello's help broke the Arizona single-season RBI record at 89. Romero and Davis both blasted 21 home runs in 2023, tied for third most in program history and the Pac-12 lead.
In his first season with the Wildcats in 2022, DeMello helped shape one of the most dynamic and dangerous offenses on the West Coast. With his help, Arizona finished among the top four teams in the Pac-12 in runs, hits, triples, home runs, RBI, walks, total bases, and extra-base hits. The Wildcats averaged over 6.5 runs per game and paced the conference with 26 triples, marking the sixth time since moving to Hi Corbett Field in 2012 that Arizona led the Pac-12 in baseball's most exciting play.
DeMello also oversaw the development of the Wildcats catchers, led by unanimous All-American and first round MLB Draft selection Daniel Susac. In his sophomore campaign Susac posted just the 10th 100-hit season in Arizona Baseball history while notching a .987 fielding percentage on a team-high 452 chances and throwing out nine attempted base stealers. Freshman Tommy Splaine and Cameron LaLiberte also saw time behind the dish and contributed to the team's success.
Before Arizona
DeMello joined the Wildcats after spending three seasons at Sacramento State from 2019-21. He began his tenure with the Hornets serving as the program's Director of Operation and Analytics in 2019 before moving into the volunteer assistant role for the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
"Coach DeMello is tremendous addition to our staff who will greatly advance the development of our student-athletes," Hale said at the time of his hiring. "His experience as both a Division I and professional athlete helps him connect with his players and build their skill sets for long-term success. Coach DeMello has won everywhere he has gone, and I expect that trend to continue as we look to make our push back to Omaha."
While at Sacramento State, DeMello's primary duties included serving as the team's catching coach, assisting with the hitters, aligning the defense, and coaching first base. Under his direction, the Hornets posted a record of 84-54 (.609) and improved their team batting average from .235 in 2019 to an impressive .283 in 2021. In his first season at Sacramento State the team qualified for their third Division I NCAA Regional, during which they collected a win over No. 18 UC Santa Barbara. Under DeMello's guidance, six Hornets earned All-WAC First and Second Team recognition.
DeMello's coaching journey has also seen him make stops at Southern Illinois (2018), Occidental College (2017), and Sierra College (2016-17).
As a player, DeMello logged four seasons as a catcher at Saint Mary's College in California. He logged time in 156 games during his collegiate career, was selected as a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award in 2012, and earned All-West Coast Conference recognition in 2011.
Following his collegiate career he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 29th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. DeMello enjoyed a five-year professional baseball career that included time working with MLB pitchers Edwin Diaz, Dan Altavilla, and Kyle Barraclough.
DeMello is a 2012 graduate of Saint Mary's College with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
Toby DeMello Coaching History
- 2022-current: Arizona, Assistant Coach
- 2019-21: Sacramento State, Volunteer Assistant Coach
- 2018: Southern Illinois, Bullpen/Catching Coach
- 2017: Occidental College, Hitting Coach
- 2016-17: Sierra College
*Last updated: 6/28/2024
