Arizona baseball coach Jay Johnson said he thinks about how last season ended “every day of my life.” The Wildcats were one hit away from improbably winning the College World Series.
But as Johnson well knows – and has reminded his players — it’s imperative to move on. Although many faces are the same, this team isn’t that team. Every season brings new challenges.
The biggest one for Johnson in Year 2: Trying to replicate — or even top — the success of the 2016 national runners-up.
That work already has begun. Arizona started scrimmaging over the weekend and will continue to do so through late November.
Armed with a renegotiated contract and his trademark enthusiasm, Johnson met with the media Monday afternoon to talk about fall ball and what lies ahead for the Wildcats:
Can you compare where you are right now to where you were a year ago?
A: “It’s hard not to. It’s been a whirlwind over the last 15-18 months. The relationship development with the players is a lot more advanced than we had. We’ve had 12 months with them, coaching them, recruiting them. I think that’s a positive. When you talk about things in the first meeting of the year or the first training session, there’s a lot more familiarity with guys. So you can kind of settle in and focus on the task instead of wondering what’s going on.”
What effect does last season’s run have on this season’s team?
A: “We won’t not acknowledge it. How you categorize it is really important. Those guys, the 2016 team, will always be a significant part of this program. There’s a lot of positives that you can take with it.
“But this is a new challenge and group. So when we refer to 2016, we always refer to it as that team. They met the challenges along the way and really improved at a meteoric level, which is something we want to emulate.”
How is the program more visible now to recruits?
A: “From a name standpoint or a brand standpoint, this is the most high-profile program I’ve been associated with. From Day 1 when I showed up here, it’s been all positive. I think what it probably has done … the borders of where we can go and get players has expanded tremendously. Good players that can accelerate your program, they can come from anywhere. It’s certainly helped in that regard.”
What is the biggest challenge that you face this fall?
A: “Every day we put something on the table or on our plate (that) we have to go after and get. We don’t have to be ready to play or win a game today. That’s a good thing. I’m sure all 300 Division I coaches would tell you that’s a good thing.
“What we do with the fall is, we don’t try to put the whole picture together. I don’t want to get too fast, bum-rush them with information, and then kind of be good at everything. What we want to do is take a task, master it and go on to the next level of training, learning – build from that in a logical progression. … The fall is about setting a foundation and moving us in that direction.”
How do you go about replacing the senior leadership you lost?
A: “First off, what Nathan Bannister and Zach Gibbons and Cody Ramer and Ryan Aguilar … mean to me personally, I couldn’t put that into words. And it’s as much for their character as their production. One thing that I caution the players on and our staff on, it’s not fair to compare what that group looked like on the field, off the field, in the locker room last June to where this group is in September. We looked like and acted like a completely different group of human beings as the season moved on.
“You have to go through some experiences together, both positive and negative, for leadership to evolve, for team bonds to be formed. … I think it’s off to a good start.”
Inside pitch
- Johnson said junior J.J. Matijevic likely will play on the right side of the infield this season. Matijevic, a Cape Cod Baseball All-League selection this summer, shuffled between second base, first base and DH last season. He hit .287 with four home runs and 37 RBIs.
- Sophomore Alfonso Rivas has shifted from left field to first base, Johnson said. Rivas split time between left field and pitcher last season. Redshirt freshman Randy Labaut — who, like Rivas, doubles as a left-handed pitcher — also will be in the mix at first base.
- Arizona’s 2017 schedule is close to being finalized. The Wildcats will open the season at home against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 17. They will participate in a tournament in Frisco, Texas, against Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Nebraska from March 3-5.
