Jacob Berry’s father urged him to become a switch-hitter. He’s been one as long as he can remember.
Perry Berry was a standout infielder at Louisiana-Lafayette. The Houston Astros selected him in the fourth round of the 1990 MLB draft, but the right-handed hitter never made it past high-A ball, batting just .229 in four seasons.
“My dad said he could never hit a breaking ball very well,” said Jacob Berry, a standout infielder for the 21st-ranked Arizona Wildcats. “So at least a breaking ball would come in to me.”
Dad’s advice proved to be prudent. Berry has emerged as one of the top freshmen in the nation. And, at least so far, he has been effective from both sides of the plate — albeit in different ways.
Berry, a third baseman/designated hitter from Queen Creek High School, has six home runs, 26 RBIs and a .400 batting average in 19 games. All three stats pace the Wildcats — who have one of the top offenses in the country — and rank in the top three in the Pac-12.
As a left-handed hitter, Berry has gone 20 for 48 with one home run and a .417/.508/.708 slash line. As a right-handed hitter, he’s 6 of 17 with five homers and a .353/.522/1.235 slash line.
Berry insists the disproportionate power splits are a product of happenstance. His minimalist stance and swing are virtually the same from either side of the plate, the differences undetectable to the naked eye. They are literal mirror images of each other.
“I’m just looking to barrel the ball both ways,” Berry said. “I’m not too picky on home runs or anything. I’m just trying to help move the offense and barrel the ball whenever I come to the plate, not trying to do more one way or the other. I’m just trying to have good at-bats.”
Berry had plenty of those last weekend. He had eight hits in 16 at-bats against UCLA and Loyola Marymount, including three home runs. He went 5 for 11 against the Bruins’ elite pitching staff, prompting UCLA coach John Savage to remark that “Berry is one of the best freshman hitters I’ve seen in a long time.”
Switch-hitting requires extra practice time and maintenance. In theory, Berry should need twice as many swings as his non-switch-hitting teammates. But the simplicity of his mechanics enables him to get all the work in that he needs.
“It’s probably on the lower end (for) a switch-hitter,” said Johnson, whose teams faces Oregon Friday-Sunday at Hi Corbett Field. “His swings are almost identical left-handed and right-handed. It starts with a good base, good balance, and he has what I would call a low-maintenance swing. He gets in a good position to hit, he sees the ball really well and controls the strike zone really well, which allows him to be consistent.”
Jacob Berry, hitting in Arizona’s season-opening series against Ball State, has four home runs, 20 RBIs and a .395 batting average so far this season. He and fellow freshman Daniel Susac play confidently, their coach says.
Johnson said of Berry after the UCLA series that “you can make an argument that he’s the best hitter on our team.” The stats so far reflect that, but it’s still a strong statement given that Berry’s teammates include Branden Boissiere (four homers, 20 RBIs, .395 average) and Ryan Holgate (four homers, 22 RBIs, .318), among others.
Johnson said Berry and fellow freshman Daniel Susac, UA’s starting catcher, came to Tucson with an innate sense of confidence.
“That’s a big-time separator with young players,” Johnson said. “Some want to do it before they really believe they can do it. These guys showed up believing that they could do it.
“So then it just became about getting experience and settling into the season, and both of them have done a really nice job with that.”
Berry didn’t register a hit in his first six collegiate at-bats. Since then, he has batted .441.
“The first weekend was for sure nerve-racking ... not just for me but for every player,” Berry said. “But the more games I play, the more comfortable I become in the batter’s box and in the field – just realizing it’s the same game that I’ve been playing for a long time.
“It’s not that hard. You just make things simple and just try to do things a step at a time.”
‘O’ excelling on ‘D’
Oregon has been one of the biggest surprises in the Pac-12 this season.
Picked seventh in the conference’s preseason poll, the Ducks are 11-4 and ranked 13th nationally by Baseball America.
Defense has been critical to their early-season success. Oregon leads the nation with a .995 fielding mark.
“I’ve never seen that in my life,” Johnson said.
The Ducks have committed only three errors in 15 games. They have yet to allow an unearned run. Put another way: Their team ERA of 3.00, which ranks second in the Pac-12, is equal to their average runs allowed per game.
Arizona, meanwhile, ranks 10th in the Pac-12 with a .964 fielding percentage, has committed a league-high 28 errors and has yielded 22 unearned runs.
The Wildcats’ errors have tended to come in bunches. They have had multiple errors in seven games (although only once in the past six). They also have had no errors in seven games.
Arizona’s record in games with multiple errors: 4-3. With zero errors: 6-1.
Inside pitch
- The NCAA has released its first set of RPI rankings for 2021. Arizona is No. 25. Oregon is No. 9.
- UA outfielder Blake Paugh hasn’t played since March 6 because of a back injury. Johnson said Paugh’s health has improved over the past week, but it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return. Johnson added that it’s not considered a “longer-scope injury.” Paugh is hitting .350 with a home run and nine RBIs in 40 at-bats.
- Oregon’s Aaron Zavala leads the Pac-12 in batting (.440) and on-base percentage (.582). Teammate Kenyon Yovan is batting .436 with six home runs in 39 at-bats. Yovan was considered a high-end pro pitching prospect before a 2019 arm injury prompted a move to full-time hitting.
- UA reliever Jonathan Guardado‘s return to the mound Monday followed a year-plus of arm issues. “He’s just a guy you root for,” Johnson said. “In the midst of adversity (he) has been the ultimate teammate.”
- Former UA assistant Mark Wasikowski faces Arizona for the first time as Oregon’s head coach. Wasikowski took over the Ducks program in June 2019. He was an assistant here from 2002-11.
- Oregon’s scheduled starters this weekend are LHP Robert Ahlstrom (1-1, 2.12 ERA), RHP Cullen Kafka (0-0, 0.43) and RHP Brett Walker (2-1, 3.48). Arizona’s are RHP Chase Silseth (3-0, 5.04), LHP Garrett Irvin (0-1, 2.55) and RHP TJ Nichols (3-0, 4.56). Kafka’s ERA ranks second in the Pac-12 among qualifiers.
