On June 5, 2021, Garrett Irvin pitched the game of his life. The Arizona Wildcats left-hander threw a three-hit shoutout against UC Santa Barbara in the NCAA Tournament’s Tucson Regional. He struck a career-high 10 batters.
Exactly one week later, in his very next start, Irvin had the worst outing of his college career. He lasted only 1 1/3 innings against Ole Miss in the Super Regional round, allowing seven runs on seven hits.
Those paradoxical performances are relevant for two reasons: (1) Irvin is scheduled to face Ole Miss again in the Coral Gables Regional of this year’s NCAA Tournament; and (2) they illustrate how thin the line is between success and failure for a pitcher, like Irvin, who relies on precision.
“It’s a learning experience,” Irvin said this week before he and the Wildcats headed to South Florida for a game scheduled for Friday, weather permitting.
“I’ve watched both those games. It’s not like I’m a totally different pitcher. That’s what bugs me. I want to see something significantly different so I can take that and run with it.”
Irvin has theorized that he might have been “a little bit too cocky” after the UCSB outing. He also cited the vagaries of baseball, where a bloop here or an infield hit there can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Most likely, it’s a matter of location. Irvin doesn’t have the stuff to blow hitters away. When he’s on, he mixes speeds, hits spots and can throw all of his pitches for strikes.
Irvin can’t afford to leave the ball up and in the strike zone. If he does, he runs the risk of what happened in last week’s Pac-12 Tournament. Irvin allowed four home runs against Stanford in 4 1/3 innings — one more than he had surrendered in his first 85 innings this season.
UA catcher Daniel Susac said the key to Irvin’s success this season — he’s 5-4 with a 3.22 ERA — is that he has “lived very down.” Irvin has thrown his changeup in the lower part of the strike zone or even below it with greater frequency. That, in turn, has made his upper-80s fastball more effective, especially when he throws it just above the top of the zone.
“It’s kept hitters off-balance,” Irvin said.
He wasn’t able to do that last time against Ole Miss. The first batter Irvin faced, shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, hit a home run. In the second inning, Irvin surrendered a walk, three singles, a double and another home run, by Peyton Chatagnier.
“I remember they were very aggressive,” Irvin said. “I was leaving a lot of pitches up. I’ve watched that game multiple times. I have to re-watch it again. I’m gonna go through each at-bat.
“They wouldn’t chase a lot. They would just put the bat on the ball. So I need to see what I can throw, whether it’s throwing it more in the dirt so I can get strikeouts or maybe it’s just lowering it so I can get groundouts.”
Keeping the ball on the ground will be critical against the Rebels, who rank 25th nationally with 91 home runs. Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field is also cozier than what the Wildcats are used to; it’s 330 feet down each line and 365 feet to the alleys.
Irvin proved earlier this season that he can adjust after an opponent got the best of him. He struggled against Stanford in the College World Series last year. When he faced the Cardinal in March, he limited the eventual Pac-12 champions to two earned runs in six innings.
“He is really good at beating a team that’s beat him before,” Susac said. “I’m confident he’s gonna go back out there and compete for us. I think he’s gonna do a great job of setting the tone.”
‘He’s getting better’
Both earned runs that Irvin allowed in his first start against Stanford were scored in the first inning. He then posted five straight zeroes.
On multiple occasions this season, Irvin has been able to turn a rocky beginning into a quality start. It’s a skill that he developed over time — and one that teammate TJ Nichols, who will start Arizona’s second NCAA Tournament game, is still learning.
“That’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in college baseball,” said Irvin, a fifth-year senior. “When I was pitching in high school, if it was a bad first inning, it’s going to be bad for me the rest of the game.”
Irvin has learned to “flush it” and move on. It’s much easier said than done — especially for an intense competitor like Nichols, who’s more outwardly emotional than Irvin.
“I think I’m the same way,” Irvin said. “I don’t burst out like I used to. He’s a very competitive guy. Like me, it’s hard to tell him, ‘Oh, don’t do this, don’t do that,’ when he’s in that competitive stage.
“He’s getting better. I love to see him as competitive as he is just because I’d rather have him out there than someone who doesn’t care or you think they don’t care. You know he cares.”
Nichols, a flame-throwing sophomore right-hander, showed signs of growth in his start vs. Arizona State last week. The first three Sun Devils reached base, and two of them scored. Nichols then settled down and didn’t give up another run until the fifth inning. Arizona was able to rally for an 8-6 victory.
“I liked everything about it,” UA coach Chip Hale said of Nichols’ outing. “Obviously, against a rival, a lot of emotion. For me, a must-win game.
“Early on, they came out firing on him. He settled it down for us and did a great job. He threw more strikes, the walks were down – one walk, one hit batsman. Those are huge for him.”
Weather worries
The Coral Gables Regional could encounter significant weather delays.
The first game is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday between host Miami and No. 4 seed Canisius. Arizona and Ole Miss are slated for 4 p.m.
But a tropical storm could be headed for South Florida. As of Wednesday afternoon, the forecast called for a 100% chance of rain Friday and 98% Saturday. The forecast for Friday on Weather.com said 2-3 inches of rain are “expected.”
The NCAA has 14 scenarios if games are postponed or suspended. If all games were wiped out Friday and Saturday, the regional would run Sunday-Tuesday.
Arizona skipper Chip Hale wore a “Miami Vice”-themed getup for Wednesday’s flight to Florida.
Inside pitch
The Wildcats left for Miami on Wednesday. They wore “Miami Vice”-themed outfits. Hale sported white pants, a white blazer and a pink V-neck T-shirt.
Ole Miss’ scheduled starter is right-hander Dylan DeLucia. The transfer from Northwest Florida State College is 5-2 with a 4.57 ERA in his first season with the Rebels.
Arizona was a host and favorite to win its regional last year. Now the Wildcats are underdogs, seeded second behind No. 6 overall seed Miami. “We expect to win, but people don’t expect you to win,” Irvin said. “So that’s what fuels you.”
