My two cents: Wildcats' drop-off not helping Lopez
It has been difficult to watch Arizona’s baseball struggles, and it hit bottom Friday when two UCLA pitchers combined to pitch a no-hitter, the first against Arizona in 44 years.
Since winning the national championship in 2012, Arizona has gone (through Friday) 36-52 in the Pac-12, never finishing higher than sixth, never cracking .500.
You can find fault in a lot of things, but as with most declining teams in college sports, it can be traced to ineffective recruiting. Arizona just doesn’t have enough quality pitching to be a contender or a playoff team.
If you are a fan of UA coach Andy Lopez, 61, the trend doesn’t look good. The three pillars of UA baseball history all reached an end when they reached their 60s.
Pop McKale coached his last UA game at 62. He only won 12 games that year. Frank Sancet coached his last UA game at 64. He lost 20 games for the first time in school history that season. Jerry Kindall coached his last Wildcats game at 61. His final three Arizona teams went 7-23, 6-24 and 7-23 in the Pac-10.
Lopez has earned the benefit of the doubt over a mostly-terrific UA career. But for the first time, you wonder if he can beat the trend and make another run at the College World Series.
