If you can’t beat him ... hire him?
Head-to-head results were not the impetus for Jay Johnson to bring Nate Yeskie aboard as the Arizona Wildcats’ pitching coach. It was much more substantive than that.
But as ninth-ranked Arizona prepares to face Yeskie’s former team, Oregon State, in a critical Pac-12 series Friday-Sunday, it’s worth noting that the Wildcats are 0-6 under Johnson in Corvallis. Yeskie was the Beavers’ pitching coach for all of those games. The UA averaged four runs per game in those contests, well below its standard.
So when he was looking for a way to upgrade Arizona’s pitching performance after a disappointing 2019 campaign, Johnson was fully aware of Yeskie’s ability to get the best out of a staff.
“In 2019, we had the best offense in college baseball,” Johnson said. “Frankly, we just weren’t good enough on the mound. I felt like we needed a little bit of a reboot. There was nobody better, in my opinion, to help do that than Nate. I just wanted the competitive culture of our pitching staff to be elite.
“We both want to accomplish the same things, and I believed he could help our pitchers do that.”
This weekend marks the first time Arizona (36-13, 19-8 Pac-12) has faced Oregon State (32-18, 14-10) since Yeskie joined the UA staff in July 2019. He spent 11 seasons in Corvallis, helping the Beavers win the College World Series in 2018. They led the Pac-12 in ERA three times under Yeskie and paced the country in that category in 2017, when D1Baseball.com named him Assistant Coach of the Year.
Arizona had an opening on its staff when infield coach Sergio Brown left the school in June of ’19. Oregon State was in the midst of a coaching transition around that time. Yeskie interviewed for the head coaching job, according to The Oregonian. OSU hired Mitch Canham.
The UA declined to make Yeskie available for media interviews this week. The results he has helped the pitching staff produce speak for themselves.
Over the past two seasons — a total of 64 games — Arizona has posted a 4.32 ERA. That’s nearly two runs lower than its 6.23 mark from 2019.
The Wildcats have struck out more batters (9.70 K/9 vs. 7.53), walked fewer (4.19 BB/9 vs. 5.33) and allowed fewer baserunners (1.41 WHIP vs. 1.75).
“It’s coming together the way I wanted it to come together,” Johnson said.
Members of the pitching staff have mentioned multiple means by which Yeskie has enabled them to maximize their potential. They range from mechanics to mentality.
The one that comes up the most, though, is routine. What does that mean exactly? Right-hander Chase Silseth, Arizona’s Friday starter, put it this way:
“You’ve got to be an elite person off the field to be an elite person on the field. So taking care of your stuff — recovery, sleep, homework, getting things that need to be done (taken care of) earlier — translates to good preparation on the field.”
Said Johnson: “He’s done a good job in helping those guys develop a blueprint in terms of routines, discipline and those kinds of things. You guys see Friday, Saturday, Sunday. There’s a lot more that goes into this thing ... to put our guys in position to be successful.”
Reliever Randy Abshier has turned his career around under Yeskie’s tutelage. The third-year sophomore entered 2021 with a 5.91 career ERA and more walks (25) than strikeouts (16). So far this season, the left-hander has a 3.12 ERA with more than twice as many strikeouts (21) as walks (nine).
For Abshier, the routine starts in the bullpen and carries over onto the playing field.
“Coach Yeskie’s really preaching just breathing and executing pitches — visualizing the pitches throughout the bullpen and just taking it into the game,” Abshier said. “You practice, and then the game is where you get to show off. So it’s just a lot of preparation.”
Yeskie last spoke to the media in January, when the Wildcats were on the verge of starting preseason practice. Much of the discussion centered on enduring the pandemic. Never was developing and adhering to a routine more critical.
“We tried to narrow the focus for our guys — what can they control, how well can they prepare each day,” Yeskie said. “Jay and I did our best to try to keep guys focused, keep them engaged in the things that they needed to be putting their time and their efforts into with regards to their education. with regards to getting their body stronger, making sure their arm stays in shape. ... As a result, I think we’ve seen some guys make some really good strides.”
Nichols finds niche
Right-hander TJ Nichols might have been pitching for Oregon State this weekend if Yeskie were still there. Nichols grew up playing with UA catcher Daniel Susac, who was committed to OSU — where his older brother, Andrew, had played.
Daniel Susac decommitted from Oregon State in the summer of 2019. Now he and Nichols are batterymates at Arizona.
Johnson has gushed about Nichols’ talent. He has had an inconsistent freshman season. It began with Nichols in the starting rotation. After struggling in a start against Cal on April 11, Nichols suffered an illness that sidelined him for about a week and caused him to lose seven pounds.
He has returned as a reliever, and the role has suited him well. In his past three appearances, Nichols has allowed only three hits and two runs in eight innings. It began with a one-hit effort over 4 1/3 innings against Grand Canyon on May 4.
“Confidence is huge, especially for me,” Nichols said. “After struggling for a little bit, you need it back. I gained that back during the GCU game. ... When everybody has confidence, we all bond together better and it’s a great atmosphere to be a part of.”
Inside pitch
Reliever Preston Price hasn’t pitched in a game since April 9 because of an arm injury, but he could be back as soon as this weekend. Price threw a bullpen Tuesday, and Johnson said Price is “really close” to returning. The fifth-year senior has a 2.55 ERA, three saves and 32 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.
Baseball America has Arizona as the No. 4 national seed in its latest projection of the NCAA Tournament field. D1Baseball.com has the UA as the No. 5 seed. Both have Arizona facing GCU in its opening game.
MLB.com released its ranking of the top 200 prospects for this year’s draft, and three current Wildcats made the list: outfielder Ryan Holgate (97), Silseth (146) and first baseman Branden Boissiere (151). UA signee Tyler Whitaker, an outfielder from Las Vegas, is ranked 49th.
Oregon State has continued to pitch well post-Yeskie. The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in ERA (3.32), WHIP (1.18) and K/9 rate (10.05).
Silseth (7-1, 5.01 ERA) will face veteran right-hander Kevin Abel (3-3, 3.41) in Friday’s opener. Left-hander Garrett Irvin (5-1, 3.51) will square off against fellow lefty Cooper Hjerpe (2-5, 3.92) on Saturday. Arizona’s Sunday starter is TBA. OSU will throw righty Jake Pfennigs (4-0, 3.35). All three games will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
