Arizona baseball team unfazed by relatively short break

LAFAYETTE, La. — After playing four games in about 32 hours Sunday and Monday, Arizona was hoping to have an extra day off before beginning Super Regional play.

The NCAA did not accommodate the UA, which will face Mississippi State on Friday in the first game of a best-of-three series.

No worries, say the Wildcats, who view their relatively short break as just another obstacle to overcome.

“That’s not going to bother our team at all,” junior shortstop Louis Boyd said Tuesday. “We’ve had a lot of things we’ve had to deal with this year. Weather, doubleheaders. That’s something this team is great at. We’re great at taking adversity, recognizing it, getting past it and putting our best effort forth.”

After losing its first game Sunday, Arizona had to win three consecutive elimination games — including two Monday against host and top seed Louisiana-Lafayette — to advance. The Wildcats’ reward is a matchup with the Bulldogs, the NCAA Tournament’s No. 6 seed. MSU won the SEC regular-season title and swept through its regional, winning by a cumulative score of 17-6.

As he did with Saturday’s rainout, which compacted the Lafayette Regional schedule, UA coach Jay Johnson is accentuating the positives of his team’s latest predicament. Starting Friday means one fewer day of inactivity on the road. The Wildcats left for Starkville from Lafayette on Tuesday. Physically and symbolically, they have moved on.

“We have done a good job of taking whatever’s given to us,” Johnson said. “We’re excited.”

Even if the Super Regional opener had been Saturday, Arizona would not have returned to Tucson. The UA has been on the road the past three weekends and all over the map — at Oregon, Hawaii and Louisiana-Lafayette.

“We don’t care where we are or who we play,” Boyd said. “All we know is, this group of guys, we’re going to be together for a couple more weeks. We’re excited to get (to) Mississippi State, and hopefully Omaha after that.”

ESPN’s Law takes a swipe

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ESPN baseball analyst Keith Law criticized how Johnson used his pitching staff Monday. Johnson started Nathan Bannister on two days’ rest in the first game. Kevin Ginkel, who closed that game, started the second.

“U of Arizona baseball having a field day of pitcher misuse,” Law said via Twitter. “Kevin Ginkel faces 4 batters to close game one, comes back to start game two. … Ginkel also faced 7 batters Sunday (24 pitches). Wring ’em out coach!”

Johnson said he was unaware of Law’s comments, or who Law is. Johnson also said he never would put one of his players in harm’s way.

“The people I’m accountable to are the 27 players on that bench,” Johnson said. “I can look them in the eye, and they know it, with their best interests at heart all the time. If somebody is not able to play in any capacity, they will not play.

“We take care of those guys. The trust, the communication between our players and our coaching staff, is as good as anybody in the country.”

Inside pitch

• The UA did not practice Tuesday. The Wildcats will work out in Starkville on Wednesday and Thursday. It’s about a 5
• ½
• -hour drive from Lafayette to Starkville.
• Arizona played in a tournament at MSU’s Dudy Noble Field last year. Senior right fielder

• Zach Gibbons

• hit the only home run of his career there, a solo shot against Samford on March 1. Gibbons has 273 other hits in his UA career and ranks fifth on the school’s all-time list.