Arizona Wildcats center fielder Cal Stevenson is playing his final year of college baseball. Shortstop Jacob Blas is just getting started.
But the senior almost immediately bonded with the freshman. They’re both hardcore baseball guys.
“Blas is probably the most mature freshman I’ve ever played with in my life,” Stevenson said. “He’s really poised with everything he does, and he just handles himself really well.”
Those traits came in handy Friday night. Arizona fell behind Nicholls State 4-0 in the third inning and desperately needed a spark.
With one out and one on in the bottom of the third, Blas blasted his first career home run off the left-field scoreboard.
The two-run bomb jump-started the Wildcats, who rallied for an 11-5 victory over the Colonels at Hi Corbett Field.
Sophomore Nick Quintana’s second home run in three games, also a two-run shot, in the bottom of the fifth gave Arizona a 7-5 lead. Fellow sophomore Cameron Cannon’s first career homer, a grand slam in the sixth, made it 11-5.
Blas entered Friday night on a roll. A six-game hitting streak had lifted the Carlsbad, California, product’s batting average from .154 to .314. He notched career highs with three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs in Thursday’s 11-3 win over Nicholls.
None of this comes as a surprise to Stevenson or UA coach Jay Johnson, who envisioned Blas making an immediate impact. Transfer Travis Moniot began the season as the starting shortstop but struggled at the plate, opening the door for Blas. Although he has endured the ups and downs of the freshman experience, Blas generally has provided what Johnson was looking for: steady defense and the ability to get on base at the bottom of the lineup.
After Blas faltered in the field the previous Friday against Washington State – throwing a bit high to second on a would-be double play ball in the eighth and committing an error in the ninth – Johnson chose to accentuate the positive.
“For him to be on base three times in the nine hole and turn over the lineup, that’s a big deal for us,” Johnson said. “That’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Blas singled, walked twice and scored a run in the Wildcats’ 5-4 victory over the Cougars. He played error-free defense in the following three games.
Asked before the season about the maturity his teammates and coaches were raving about, Blas said he’s been focused on a singular goal – making it to the majors – since he was a kid.
“Every single day,” Blas said, “I think, ‘What can I do to help improve my game, to reach that end goal?’ ”
Blas and his family moved from Seattle to the San Diego area when he was 4 years old. His favorite player as a youth was Ichiro Suzuki.
“I don’t remember it, but that’s where my parents say I started loving the game,” Blas said. “I would just sit there (in front of the TV) with my Ichiro jersey and my yellow Wiffle Ball bat.”
Moving to Southern California enabled Blas to play year-round. He realized he could play at an elite level when he made the 2014 15U U.S. national team, which finished second in that year’s WBSC U15 World Cup.
“That ultimately was a big confidence thing,” Blas said. “Ever since then, I’ve known I belong on the field.”
Still, succeeding as a freshman is difficult.
Talented left-handers Gil Luna and Josh Haley labored through four innings of relief Friday after senior starter Juan Aguilera couldn’t get out of the first. Aguilera, who entered Friday 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA, allowed four hits and two runs in one-third of an inning.
Another freshman, righty Jonathan Guardado, steadied the ship as the offense exploded. Guardado did not allow a hit in 2º innings to earn his first win.
Inside pitch
- Cannon’s grand slam was Arizona’s first since Stevenson hit one April 4, 2017, against Arizona State. That was also the last time the Wildcats had three home runs at Hi Corbett.
- Arizona’s last three-homer game came at Washington State three days later. The Wildcats had four home runs entering Friday.
- Junior right-hander Michael Flynn is expected to start for Arizona in the series finale at 1 p.m. Saturday. Johnson gave ace Cody Deason the weekend off in advance of next weekend’s showdown against No. 1 Oregon State.
