His future uncertain last spring, Preston Price got a job. Two, actually.
Instead of completing his senior season at Arizona, the Wildcats right-hander worked at a Sprouts Farmers Market and for his father’s construction company in Southern California. With the coronavirus pandemic halting NCAA sports, Price put baseball on hold while stocking groceries and digging holes.
“I didn’t know if I was gonna play again, whether my career was done,” Price said Tuesday.
He had three basic options: move on from baseball; sign with an MLB club as an undrafted free agent for a maximum of $20,000; or return to Arizona for an additional season.
The latter was never something Price had considered, but the NCAA made it possible for him and others like him by not counting last season toward athletes’ eligibility clocks. UA coach Jay Johnson made the case for coming back. Price wasn’t ready to leave.
“It just felt like we had unfinished business,” Price said. “I know this team is very special. ... It was just something that you couldn’t get away from. It was just inspiring to be a part of it. It still is, and I just can’t wait for Friday.”
Price is one of four veterans Johnson never expected to be part of the 2021 Wildcats, who are scheduled to open their season against Ball State on Friday. Price and fellow right-handed reliever Vince Vannelle were seniors in ’20 who are taking advantage of the eligibility ruling. Shortstop Jacob Blas and center fielder Donta’ Williams likely would have been drafted last year had the season proceeded as normal and the draft not been reduced from 40 rounds to five.
UA infielder Jacob Blas returns this season as a fourth-year sophomore. The Wildcats’ experience could provide an edge.
“As a coach, something I value is experience,” Johnson said. “I really enjoy having an older team. We have a number of players that are in their third and fourth year at Arizona, and that doesn’t really happen all the time.”
Price, Vannelle, Blas and Williams aren’t just older players; they’re key pieces on a consensus top-25 club.
Price and Vannelle are expected to anchor the bullpen after combining for a 2-0 record, a 1.85 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 24 1/3 innings. Price paced the team with eight appearances. Vannelle led the squad with two saves.
Williams and Blas offer speed, on-base ability and extra-base pop at the top of the lineup. They combined for a .333 batting average, nine doubles, two triples, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 105 at-bats.
“When all this went down, there were a lot of things that we didn’t know,” Johnson said. “Is there going to be another year of eligibility? How long is the draft?
“When we finally got some clarity on that, I went pretty hard at guys like Donta’, Jacob, Vince and Preston. We were on the phone a couple times a week laying out what the situation could look like for them.
“I just personally gave them my commitment that we were going to do everything that we could to put them in a position to be successful, to achieve the things they want to after here. It goes without saying those guys are very meaningful to our team, from a performance standpoint, a leadership standpoint, all those intangible things.
“I like looking at our team with those guys on it a lot more than if they weren’t here.”
Johnson believes Price has a future in pro baseball, especially if he can build on his 2020 performance. Price was on track for a breakout season after struggling in 2019 (8.31 ERA) and playing a minimal role in ’18 (9 2/3 innings).
“I feel like my first couple of years here, I didn’t really get what I wanted,” Price said. “I didn’t really imagine myself being a fifth-year (senior), ever. But you gotta sacrifice sometimes.”
Blas will be a fourth-year sophomore after being granted a redshirt for the 2019 season, when he missed all but 17 games because of a personal issue and a knee injury. He believes he and his veteran teammates’ experiences — “both good and bad” — can help a team dotted with youth navigate the ups and downs of a season.
“In college baseball, things don’t go perfect,” Blas said. “You’re gonna have a bad game; you’re gonna have a bad at-bat. It’s about how fast you can move forward. I feel like that’s our job this year, to keep our team moving forward.”
Weather woes
COVID-19 protocols forced the cancellation of Oregon’s opening series against Omaha, and winter weather could jeopardize Arizona’s against Ball State — even though the forecast calls for 73 degrees and sunny skies Friday.
The Cardinals have to get out of Muncie, Indiana, which — like much of the rest of the country — has been hammered by snowstorms in recent days. Hundreds of flights across the nation have been delayed or canceled.
Johnson said he has bookmarked the Indianapolis International Airport on his phone’s weather app. A BSU spokesman said the team is scheduled to leave Thursday morning and that “no problems (are) expected.”
“I know Coach (Rich) Maloney is excited about his team, and they’re excited to get out here in the warm weather and compete against us,” Johnson said. “I’m optimistic that we’re going to be on schedule. But if you gotta change, you gotta change. And judging by this chain of e-mails that’s going on amongst Division I coaches right now, you can already see the disruptions happening.”
Other series already have been canceled because of weather. Johnson said his program is “ready to pivot quickly” if it has to find another opponent because of weather or COVID-19. Multiple coaches reached out to Johnson on Tuesday expressing interest.
“The team that handles disruption the best will put themselves in a good position to be successful,” Johnson said. “We want to be really good at handling disruptions in whatever form that they come.”
Inside pitch
- Johnson revealed three-quarters of his rotation for the four-game Ball State series. The first three scheduled starters are right-hander Chase Silseth, righty Chandler Murphy and lefty Garrett Irvin. The starter for Monday’s series finale is TBA.
- Pitching is expected to be Ball State’s biggest strength. Three Cardinals made D1Baseball.com’s list of the top 20 Mid-American Conference draft prospects for 2021, and all three are pitchers. They include senior right-hander John Baker, who has a 17-8 career record. D1Baseball.com projects right-hander Ty Johnson as the MAC’s Freshman of the Year.
- Maloney is the all-time winningest coach at Ball State, posting a 498-319-1 record in 15 seasons (1996-2002; 2013-present). He also served as Michigan’s coach from 2003-12, compiling a 341-244 mark.
