Arizona has dominated Arizona State since Jay Johnson became the Wildcats’ coach.
The UA has a 9-5 record against ASU over the past three seasons. The Wildcats have won two of three Pac-12 series. They’ve won six of the past seven meetings.
But this Arizona team might not be on the same level as Johnson’s first three. And the Sun Devils most definitely are on a different plane.
While the UA has ridden the roller coaster to a 13-11 start, ASU is the biggest surprise in college baseball. After consecutive sub-.500 seasons for one of the West Coast’s premier programs, the 14th-ranked Sun Devils are 22-1. They need only one more win to match their total from each of the previous two years. Their next crack at it comes Friday night, when they host the Wildcats in the opener of a three-game series at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
ASU athletic director Ray Anderson could see what Tracy Smith was building in recruiting and stuck with the embattled coach through those difficult times. Johnson could see it coming too.
“If you look at their team, I believe this class of juniors was ranked No. 1 in the country,” Johnson said Thursday. “The sophomores were in the top four or five. They’ve played those guys, they’ve stuck with those guys and they’ve really come into their own.
“The at-bats that they take are different; they’re mature at-bats. They’ve really made a leap forward on the mound and have pitched a lot better. It’s a lot of the same guys who’ve really improved.”
Every member of ASU’s regular lineup is a junior or sophomore. The only freshmen who play significant roles are a trio of relief pitchers.
Arizona, meanwhile, has been relying heavily on six freshmen — seven if you include redshirt-freshman right-hander Quinn Flanagan. The Wildcats also lost one of their best juniors, center fielder Matt Fraizer, to a possible season-ending injury.
The last time they met, in May of last year, Arizona took two of three from ASU at Hi Corbett Field. Winning the series required multiple rallies and an 11th-inning walk-off.
“We were playing for a lot, and they were giving us everything (we) could handle,” Johnson said. “You’re looking out on the field knowing all those players are going to be returning.
“I’m not really surprised at their success. I’ve known Tracy for a long time. He got to the College World Series in a less-advantageous situation at Indiana. I have a lot of respect for that. I think he’s done a good job. It doesn’t always go how you plan or how you want it to all of the time.”
Arizona State sophomore Spencer Torkelson (20) is sporting a .389 average at the plate this season for the 14th-ranked Sun Devils. Ever player in ASU’s regular lineup is a junior or sophomore.
Johnson and his team are experiencing that this season. Picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 — two spots ahead of ASU — Arizona has struggled to find any semblance of consistency.
After starting 5-0, the Wildcats lost five of eight. After winning five of seven to end a 12-game homestand, they lost four in a row at UCLA and San Diego State.
While defense was an issue earlier in the season, and the offense hasn’t always come through when needed, pitching has been Arizona’s most persistent problem. The Wildcats’ ERA has risen to 5.44. (The Sun Devils’ is a tidy 2.68.)
Arizona was leading or tied in the eighth inning in each of its past three games. Relievers surrendered the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth all three times, resulting in a trio of two-run defeats.
“That’s a tough situation to deal with,” said Flanagan, who’s likely to start Game 2 against ASU on Saturday. “But you’ve just gotta regroup.
“With college baseball, you don’t have a lot of time to think about what happened in the past. We’ve just gotta learn from what happened and bounce back.”
Johnson doesn’t believe that past results have much influence on future performance. Still, recent rivalry history is on Arizona’s side. The Wildcats have won four in a row at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, including a series sweep in 2017.
“I take pride in the fact that we’ve played well against them since we’ve been here,” Johnson said. “But it’s a new year; it’s a new team. Things are day to day often with players of this age. I don’t think it has much impact.
“I would expect our players will be excited to play up there against a really good team that should be charged up. The past couple years, it’s brought out the best in our players and our program. My hope is that that will be what happens this weekend.”
Missing Matt
Fraizer had surgery Thursday to remove a broken hamate bone. Fraizer, who leads Arizona with a .412 batting average and 28 RBIs, suffered the injury March 17. Johnson said it’s more likely than not that Fraizer will miss the remainder of the season.
“We’re obviously hoping and praying for the best for Matt,” Johnson said. “I’ve heard short term with that; I’ve heard longer term with that. You never know. We’ll see.”
The Wildcats have good depth among their position players, but none of the subs has as much experience as Fraizer. He started all of last season and has 310 career at-bats.
“We have some good young players,” Johnson said. “But they haven’t been through this deal yet. They might be able to put up a couple hits, but the reliability of four good at-bats against Pac-12 pitching, that’s what we were getting out of Matt.”
Fraizer is expected to join the team in Phoenix after getting out of surgery.
Bishop blossoms
Just as Fraizer blossomed as a junior, so has ASU counterpart Hunter Bishop.
The junior center fielder from Palo Alto, California, led the nation with 14 home runs and a 1.034 slugging percentage entering Thursday. He ranked second in the Pac-12 in average (.427) and stolen bases (eight).
Bishop flashed his potential in last year’s series against Arizona. In the final two games, he went 5 for 9 with a home run and eight RBIs.
“He killed us,” Johnson said. “He’s a very talented player that is coming into his own mentally and physically. We’re going to have to execute pitches to be successful against him.”
Inside pitch
- Arizona leads the Pac-12 with 231 runs. ASU is second with 226. The next-highest total is 139 (Washington).
- The Wildcats and Sun Devils also rank first or second in the league in hits, doubles, walks, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
- ASU is scheduled to throw three right-handers at Arizona: Alec Marsh, Boyd Vander Kooi and RJ Dabovich. The three are a combined 13-0. Marsh, a junior, is 6-0 with a 0.65 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings.
- Johnson did not announce his starters for the ASU series, although it’s expected that Flanagan and left-hander Andrew Nardi will start Saturday and Sunday. Nardi, a junior-college transfer, is coming his best performance as a Wildcat. He allowed one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings against No. 1 UCLA this past Sunday.
- UA freshman catcher/first baseman Austin Wells has reached base safely in 18 straight games. Sophomore outfielder Donta Williams has done it in 16 straight. Wells is batting .368, Williams .317.
- Arizona officially announced a makeup game after a rainout earlier this month. The Wildcats will host Sam Houston State on Monday, May 13. It’ll be the final game at Hi Corbett this season. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m.
