The Arizona Wildcats completed the pre-Pac-12 portion of their schedule Sunday, defeating Air Force 14-5 at Hi Corbett Field to split their impromptu two-game series.
With the conference opener against No. 8 UCLA slated for Friday, it’s the ideal time to take stock of the UA through 16 games.
The Cats’ record is 12-4, which is about what was expected. How they got there is a different story.
All four of No. 16 Arizona’s losses have come at home, where its record is 8-4. The Wildcats had an .822 winning percentage against non-conference opponents under Jay Johnson entering 2021.
Arizona split its opening series against Ball State, swept four games from Southeastern Louisiana (which hasn’t lost to anyone else) and split two-game sets against Wichita State and Air Force.
The only time the Wildcats went on the road, they dominated. Arizona swept four games at the Frisco College Baseball Classic, which included then-No. 25 Oklahoma and perennial NCAA Tournament participant Dallas Baptist. The UA outscored its opponents 55-26 in Frisco.
Arizona has the most wins in the Pac-12, but six other teams have a winning percentage of .667 or greater. UCLA, which entered the season as the consensus No. 2 team in the nation, is 10-5 after dropping two of three against Cal Poly.
“I wish we were 16-0; that’s just my competitive nature,” Johnson said. “I think it’s way more positive than negative. There were certainly some things that were exposed that we need to continue to improve on.
“I like how hard these guys play, and we’ve played a good schedule. So I think we’re battle tested, which is positive. A lot of people have played us knowing that we have a good team – have really played hard against us. I think that’s gonna benefit us as we move forward.”
The Wildcats showed on Sunday that they could respond well to adversity, a trait they displayed frequently in Frisco. Not only did the Cats rebound after losing two in a row, they also stood firm after seeing a 4-0 lead evaporate in the fourth inning against Air Force.
“Baseball is one of those sports where you have to bounce back as soon as possible,” said UA shortstop Jacob Blas, who went 3 for 5 with four runs and two RBIs. “It’s not always gonna go perfect. I feel like our team has done a really good job this year of responding, and we need to make sure we can do that on a consistent basis.”
Arizona freshman right-hander TJ Nichols cruised through the first three innings, retiring all nine batters he faced. Nichols then labored through a 31-pitch fourth, yielding six hits (all singles) and four runs.
The inning began with an infield single, and the fourth run came home on another – a chopper off the plate. In between, center fielder Donta’ Williams just missed making a diving catch that would have been the second out of the inning.
The Wildcats reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning when Williams scored on a wild pitch. He had reached base after being struck by one.
Nichols was lifted with runners on first and second and one out in the fifth. As has happened so often this season, Preston Price came in and quelled the rally. Price struck out the next two Falcons to end the inning. He has stranded 13 of 16 inherited runners this season.
With four days between games, Johnson and pitching coach Nate Yeskie gave Price an extended run. He pitched a season-high 3 1/3 innings, yielding one hit and one run while striking out four batters. Price earned the win, his first of the year.
A case could be made for Price as Arizona’s most valuable player during the pre-conference segment of the season – or at least its most valuable pitcher. Price has posted a 1.46 ERA across 12 1/3 innings, many of them in high-leverage situations. He has struck out 22 batters (second most on the team) and has two saves (tied for the most).
“I don’t want to take away anything from anybody else, but there’s no question,” Johnson said of Price’s MVP case. “I don’t know what the win-loss is when he’s in the game. I just know the leverage of the situations and his reliability to execute and come through has put us on the right side of things.”
Arizona pulled away from Air Force with a five-run fifth. Blas drove in two runs with a single. Mac Bingham plated two more with a double.
Williams closed the scoring with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left in the eighth. The opposite-field blow traveled 374 feet. Williams reached base four times and matched Blas with four runs.
“I thought we got back to being ourselves,” said Johnson, whose team ended a two-game skid. “It was a team day, which I thought was great. It gives me great confidence. You might get us a time or two through the order. You might get us in a game. But these guys are going to be able to respond in a fashion that is going to give us a chance to be successful.”
Inside pitch
- After matching their season low with two runs in a 5-2 loss to Air Force on Saturday night, the Wildcats scored in double figures for the seventh time this season. They have scored seven or more runs in 12 of 16 games.
- The announced attendance was a season-high 966. The average for the four games against Wichita State and Air Force — the first that fans were able to attend this season — was 732. The maximum allowed for the time being is 1,600. Arizona’s next home game is March 26 vs. Oregon.
- During a pregame ceremony, Air Force recognized four freshmen for being accepted into the Cadet Wing of the Academy. The four were Doyle Gehring, Sam Kulasingam, Paul Skenes and Jay Thomason. The rest of the team formed a tunnel and saluted the freshmen as they walked through it.
