For youthful Arizona baseball team, growing pains are expected — but not accepted

Some of it is by choice. Some of it is out of necessity.

Regardless of the reason, the Arizona baseball program is in the midst of an all-out youth movement. Chip Hale understands that the ride will be bumpy. He’s hopeful that the landing will be smooth.

“There's two views,” Hale said. “I understand that we're going to make mistakes and we're going to be better for it in the end. But ‘in the end’ means at the end of this year.

“They're getting their experience, and hopefully it'll pay off. We feel like they're the best players right now for us to win. We’ve got a lot of injuries. ... It's just been tough.”

Arizona started four freshmen in Tuesday’s loss to Grand Canyon — a common occurrence through the first 12 games.

Six freshman position players — three first-year players and three redshirts — have played so far. They’ve combined for 44 appearances and 38 starts.

Last year, when the Wildcats advanced to the College World Series, only one freshman position player contributed — outfielder Gunner Geile, who appeared in 27 games and made 16 starts as an injury replacement.

“We’re young,” said infielder Nate Novitske, a redshirt freshman who leads the team with a .417 batting average.

“I think we started four or five freshmen (vs. GCU). Those plays are gonna be made that we just didn’t execute.”

The loss to the Lopes — which snapped Arizona’s two-game winning streak and dropped its season record to 3-9 — illustrated what the freshman experience can be like. At times they were brilliant. At other times they made costly miscues.

Novitske continued his torrid hitting, going 2 for 5 with a pair of RBIs. It was the third straight game in which he drove in two, and the fourth game in a row in which he had multiple hits.

But in the bottom of the ninth, representing the tying run, Novitske struck out on three pitches.

“That was a bad at-bat,” Novitske said. “But that’s something I’m gonna learn from and hopefully be better this weekend.”

Arizona hosts Fresno State in a three-game series Friday-Sunday. The Wildcats visit Arizona State for a nonconference game on Tuesday, March 10, before opening Big 12 play at Utah on March 13.

“Unfortunately, the early part of this year, I've chased out of the zone,” said Novitske, who earned a lineup spot because of his ability to make contact. “I'll get that buttoned up moving forward. ...

“It's a learning thing. We're young, and we're only going to get older. I hope we’re going to get better.”

Novitske has been starting at second base while senior Tyler Bickers deals with a shoulder injury. Novitske’s double-play partner, true freshman Cash Brennan, has provided speed and athleticism at the bottom of the order.

Brennan also had two hits vs. GCU, including a bunt single. He has a team-high three sacrifice bunts. But he made a critical error in the top of the ninth, booting a grounder that might have hit the lip between the grass and dirt.

Had Brennan made the play, the inning would have ended with Arizona down by one run. Instead, the next batter, Cannon Peery, hit a two-run double to make it 7-4. The final score was 7-5.

“It's a young error,” Hale said. “We talk to infielders all the time at every level that when you go to your left, it's an easy play for you, especially when you can have a force at second. (An error can happen if) you just don't watch the ball into your glove.

“Did it take a funny hop? Probably. Late in the game, you have to know, it's hard. There's a lot of marks in the ground. It's gonna happen.”

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Earlier in the inning, GCU scored the go-ahead run on a safety squeeze. First baseman Tony Lira, a redshirt freshman, charged the ball and flipped it to the plate. The throw was slightly high, and catcher Roman Meyers missed it. Lira originally was charged with an error before an official scoring change put it on Meyers’ tab.

After going hitless over the weekend in Las Vegas, Lira went 3 for 5 vs. GCU with a double and an RBI. He was the last batter Tuesday, smashing a drive to deep left-center that was caught for the final out.

Freshman Caleb Danzeisen — who’s been playing right field because of injuries after coming to Arizona as a first baseman/catcher — reached base via a walk to set the table for Novitske and Lira. (Arizona’s fifth run came via a pinch-hit homer by redshirt freshman Jackson Forbes.) The three have batted atop the lineup the past three games.

Danzeisen drew two walks and scored a run against the Lopes. He leads the team with eight walks. He also struck out looking in the second inning with runners on second and third and one out.

“You’re gonna have some bad at-bats,” Hale said. “Stuff's gonna happen. ...

“He's got a really good eye. Usually with two strikes, he's really tough; he'll foul a bunch of balls off. He's been taking some call third strikes. That's not really who he is, I don't think. That's another improvement he'll make.”

Novitske readily acknowledges the Wildcats’ widespread inexperience. But he refuses to use it as an excuse.

“Everyone's good here,” Novitske said. “We have nine good guys in every lineup, and we have 40 good guys on our roster. So whoever's in the lineup, we're counting on them to win.”

Injury updates

Arizona was missing its entire projected starting outfield Tuesday.

Easton Breyfogle remained out because of a shoulder injury. Andrew Cain missed his second straight game because of a sore hand. And Carson McEntire woke up with vertigo.

Hale believes Cain and McEntire could be back for Friday’s game. Bickers also could be available, which would create some challenging lineup decisions for Hale.

“We have to find places to put them,” he said, “because some young guys are having some good at-bats.”

The Wildcats have lost a second pitcher to a season-ending elbow injury. Right-hander Nolan Straniero is undergoing Tommy John surgery this week. Straniero threw two-thirds of an inning in the season opener.

Inside pitch

– Left-hander Maclain Roberts threw 2⅔ scoreless innings vs. GCU. The Auckland, New Zealand, product, who played the past two seasons at Pima Community College, has yet to allow a run in seven innings. He has surrendered two hits and struck out 12 batters without issuing a walk.

“Maclain was a big-time guy at Pima,” Hale said. “He didn't have as good a year as he wanted to last year, but we saw a lot of potential. And I think Sean (Sean Kenny, Arizona’s first-year pitching coach) has been really, really influential in him getting more confidence and becoming what you're seeing right now. We just gotta keep it going.”

– Hale on the final batch of nonconference games: “We know where we're at now. We've already put ourselves in a really bad place in the totality of the season. So we gotta be at our best, our strongest going into Big 12 play.”

– Fresno State (7-4) brings a three-game winning streak to Tucson. That includes taking two of three from Stanford, which defeated Arizona in the season opener. The Bulldogs opened their season by losing two of three against Utah.