For George Arias Jr. and Austin Wells, Arizona Wildcats baseball is a family affair

George Arias Jr. threw the first pitch for the Arizona Wildcats at the Mexican Baseball Fiesta in October. Austin Wells served as his batterymate.

George Arias Sr. and Greg Wells watched proudly from the stands at Kino Stadium. The dads sat right next to each other, in fact. It was a UA reunion 25 years in the making.

The elder Arias and Wells played together for the 1993 Wildcats — Arias at third base, Wells in the outfield. They didn’t plan for their sons to play together at Arizona. But then it happened. A new partnership was formed between the next generation of ballplayers from two sports-centric families.

“It was pretty surreal,” Greg Wells said. “We shared a couple videos with our Wildcat crew. It brought back a lot of good memories for sure.”

Arias Sr. — who had an All-America campaign in ’93 and played professionally for 14 years, including four with the Angels and Padres — described the first inning of that exhibition game as a “special” moment.

“That’s what baseball does,” Arias Sr. said. “You create a fraternity that will always be there.

“The memories they’re going to build together, the brotherhood, the friendship, that’s going to last a lifetime.”

Arias Jr. and Austin Wells are part of a freshman class that already has made a significant impact for Arizona, which is 5-0 heading into a three-game series at Houston this weekend.

Arias Jr. made his UA debut against UMass Lowell on Sunday — with Wells as his catcher — and pitched a scoreless sixth inning. Arias then helped bail Arizona out of a jam at Rice on Wednesday.

Wells — considered one of the best incoming freshman in the nation — has split time between catcher and first base. He’s hitting .409 with a home run and 10 RBIs. He has struck out only once in 22 at-bats.

The Arias and Wells clans reconnected when George Jr. and Austin were underclassmen in high school. Wells attended Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High, which participated in the Chris Moon Memorial Tournament in Tucson his freshman and sophomore years. Arias Jr. played for Tucson High. Eventually, both boys would commit to Arizona.

“Wow,” Austin Wells remembered thinking. “This is pretty crazy that this is happening.”

“It’s kind of unique,” Arias Jr. said. “We’re keeping that tradition going.”

It turns out that they share more than a UA legacy.

‘Wired differently’

Arizona coach Jay Johnson threw Arias Jr. into the most challenging predicament for a reliever at Rice: bases loaded, nobody out.

The Wildcats were leading the Owls 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth. If there was a chance for Rice to get back in the game, this was it.

Arias Jr. struck out the first batter he faced. The next hit a chopper toward third base that snuck under Nick Quintana’s glove for a single. Arias Jr. retired the next two hitters. Rice scored only one run in the inning. Arizona would go on to win 16-5.

Johnson knew he could trust Arias Jr. in that situation, despite his youth. Johnson and his top assistants had seen the right-hander pitch early in his sophomore year.

“He was mature beyond his years,” Johnson said. “You could tell he was wired differently.”

At that point in the Rice game, Johnson said, Arizona needed “strikes and poise. George gives you both of those things.”

Arias Jr. said before the season that his mentality is to “always be ready.” He learned all about the psychology of sports from his father, who owns the Centerfield Baseball & Softball Academy and founded the Tucson Champs Academy, where he coaches youth baseball players.

“Having my father play in the big leagues gives me so much inside information that most people don’t have,” Arias Jr. said. “We were heavily focused on the mental side of the game, something that’s not really worked on as much. It’s really helpful.”

Father and son butted heads at times when George Jr. was younger. George Sr. had to learn when to push his son and when to give him space.

“The hardest thing to do as a parent is coach your own kid,” Arias Sr. said.

Arias Jr. considered going away for college. USC was high on his list. In Los Angeles, or elsewhere, he could escape the shadow cast by his dad, a UA great, a major-leaguer and the most well-known youth baseball coach in Tucson.

Arias Jr. ultimately decided he wanted to play at home so his family and friends could watch him whenever they wanted. He also has come to realize that he’s his own person.

“I’m trying to forge my own legacy,” Arias Jr. said. “There’s not as much pressure as one would think.”

Johnson was confident Arias Jr. could handle it, just as the coach was sure the freshman could handle starting in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta — in front of thousands of fans — or escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam.

“He’s used the experience of his dad being a major-league player as a positive,” Johnson said. “Sometimes you feel undue pressure to live up to expectations. The second you do that, you get off track.

“He should be commended for that. I’ve coached other players whose dads played in the major leagues. I’ve seen it go the other way.”

Healthy, happy

Arias Jr. doesn’t seem like a freshman when you talk to him. Neither does Austin Wells.

“They have a lot of maturity,” Johnson said. “They’ve been raised right.”

Both of Wells’ parents were UA athletes. His mother, Michelle, was on the gymnastics team.

Greg and Michelle had a positive experience at Arizona. But they didn’t push the oldest of their three sons to come here.

“All we tried to do was arm him with enough information until he could find the fit that worked for him,” said Greg Wells, the president of investments and real estate for the Marnell Companies in Las Vegas.

“We couldn’t be happier with the decision. But it was 100 percent on his own terms.”

Greg conceded that he’s “partial to the college experience,” which led to many enduring relationships. His co-worker, Anthony Marnell III, the son of the company’s founder, also played baseball for the Wildcats.

It’s fair to wonder if Austin would have gone pro had he been 100 percent healthy last spring.

The younger Wells hurt his right elbow during the Under Armour All-America Game in the summer of 2017. The injury lingered and prevented him from playing catcher for Bishop Gorman last year. He spent his senior season as a first baseman and DH.

“I have no problem saying we were fortunate,” Johnson said. “But it’s a great family. They value the college experience and the Arizona experience.

“Our chances went up dramatically because of that injury. But I’m happy to say he’s fully healthy.”

Wells was able to resume catching by last June. Baseball America pegged him as the 206th-ranked prospect in the 2018 MLB draft, putting him in the seventh-round range. The Yankees took him in the 35th round, knowing his commitment to Arizona was solid.

Wells is pleased with how it all worked out.

“Whatever was meant to be was meant to be,” he said. “Me being here is definitely a sign that this was the right decision.”

Wells began his UA career with a literal bang. In his first plate appearance, the left-handed hitter clobbered a three-run homer off the batter’s eye at Hi Corbett Field. Wells became the first Arizona player to homer in his first at-bat since Jon Gaston in 2006.

So excited to have cleared the wall, Wells said he “blacked out” rounding the bases.

“I got to second base and was like, ‘All right, that just happened,’ ” Wells said. “For the first 30 minutes after that, I was on cloud nine. I couldn’t really feel anything.”

Once he calmed down, Wells said his UA debut felt “like any other day.” Johnson said Wells’ ability to “slow the game down” — which typically only comes with experience, if ever — is what makes him effective. He hasn’t stopped hitting since the home run.

Sunday wasn’t any other day. Wells caught George Arias Jr. for the first time in an official game for Arizona. It won’t be the last.

Inside pitch

Arizona is averaging 17 runs per game and leads the nation with 58 walks. Jacob Blas, Matthew Dyer and Ryan Holgate are tied for the team lead with six apiece.
Infielder Cameron Cannon‘s 4-for-5 performance at Rice lifted his season average to a team-best .632. The junior also leads the club with 14 runs. He has yet to strike out in 19 at-bats.
Left-hander Randy Labaut (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will start Friday’s opener at Houston, followed by lefty Andrew Nardi (1-0, 3.60) on Saturday and righty Bryce Collins (0-0, 4.50) on Sunday.