Drafted by the Mariners, St. Viator graduate Hintz is making the change to professional baseball

Adjustments. They can make all the difference.

Casey Hintz found his change to his liking.

And so ultimately did the Seattle Mariners. They made the University of Arizona and former St. Viator pitching star their 16th selection (482nd overall) in the Major League Baseball draft on July 14.

Hintz, the Daily Herald Cook All-Area cocaptain in 2021, was one of 22 Illinois players selected in the Major League Baseball draft.

“They have a great pitching development and I’m happy that I'm going there.” said Hintz, a Wildcats junior. “The Mariners were at the top of my list. Ty (Bowman), who is the Four Corners area scout down there, I met with him in the fall. All season he kept in contact with me, and the Mariners were one of the only teams that was doing that with me.”

It was after his freshman season at Arizona that Hintz made a change in his approach on the mound and to the game. Hintz made 24 appearances on the mound as an Arizona freshman. He also played infield but batted just seven times.

After the season Hintz decided he would go all in and focus on pitching. That move coincided with Arizona hiring Kevin Vance as its new pitching coach.

Vance got Hintz, whose pitching style was to throw completely over the top, to throw more from the side. The hope was Hintz would add speed to his 83-85 mph fastball.

“In my sophomore year, we got a new pitching coach,” Hintz said. “He drove me down, like sidearm, but it was really like a natural arm slot for me, because that's how I always threw across the infield.”

It took time for Hintz to adjust to the new pitching style. His velocity dropped at first to the upper 70s. But as Hintz began to get more comfortable, his velocity jumped to his current 89-91.

“My velo went down, like, 7 miles an hour when I first started doing it,” Hintz said. “I was so against it at first. We just kept working through it, like making adjustments in every bullpen. I ended up figuring out, like, how to set up and how I needed to move down the mound to make sure it was fluid. Once I figured that out, it kind of just took off and got way better.”

So much better that Hintz earned all-Pac-12 honorable mention his sophomore year. Hintz was ranked as one of the top 50 pitchers heading into the 2025 season.

This season Hintz tied for the team lead in wins with 7. He also became the key setup man for the Wildcats and pitched a perfect eighth inning in Arizona’s super regional final.

Former St. Viator head coach Mike Manno, who speaks biweekly with Hintz, was not surprised that Hintz was selected.

“I think preseason, there was a lot of talk to him getting drafted,” Manno said. “I think Arizona put Casey in a lot of tough situations all year, and I thought he did a great job. They were going to make him the Friday starter, and then they decided not to. He was basically the first dude every Friday right out of the pen, regardless of the situation. It could have been the third inning; it could have been the seventh inning. But if you look at most of his games in the early or middle of the year, he was throwing three to five innings. So no, I'm not surprised he was drafted.”

Hintz, who lives in Lakewood, returned home after Arizona was eliminated in the College World Series in June. He was with his mother, Carrie, and some family friends when he received the call from the Mariners.

“They were reaching out to me consistently,” Hintz said. “So when I knew that they liked me, I knew I was going to be valued if I got into the organization. Deep down, that's where I wanted to go.”

Hintz signed almost immediately with the Mariners. He reported to the Mariners’ training facility in Peoria, Arizona, last week and at last word was waiting for his assignment within the organization.

Hintz played all three seasons for the Wildcats. He appeared in 74 games and pitched 114 innings. He struck out 106 while posting a 10-8 record.

Hintz, a two-time academic all-district player majoring in business and minoring in real estate, will complete his education at Arizona and graduate next season. In the meantime, he will continue to work on his delivery.

And with it, the hopes of pitching in the big leagues one day.