For No. 25 Arizona to break though down the stretch, TJ Nichols needs to break out of his sophomore slump. Such is the burden of undeniable talent.
No one on the Wildcats staff has better stuff than the wiry right-hander. His radar readings regularly reach the mid-90s. He has prototype measurables at 6-4, 188 pounds.
At times this season, Nichols has pitched like an ace. At other times, he has pitched like someone who’s still trying to figure things out.
UA coach Chip Hale described Nichols’ performance in 2022 as “up and down.” Nichols said he has been “below average — below where I want to be.”
Nichols entered the season with great expectations after a promising freshman campaign in which he struck out 66 batters and allowed only 50 hits in 60 1/3 innings. In his final eight appearances, spanning 23 1/3 innings, he posted a 1.54 ERA and 0.77 WHIP.
Through his first seven outings this season, Nichols seemed well on his way to establishing himself as a reliable No. 1 starter. He had a 4-1 record with a 2.34 ERA.
Since then, Nichols is 1-2 with an 8.16 ERA in six starts. He has struggled at times with both command and control, leading to big innings for the opposition.
“A sophomore pitching on Friday nights, it’s not easy,” said Hale, whose team opens its final regular-season series Thursday at Oregon. Nichols will get the start.
“We talk about experience,” Hale continued. “It’s a difficult spot to put a guy in. At times, I think the moment has gotten him. And at times, he’s battled through and pitched really well for us.
“We’re looking for that coming down the stretch here, especially on Thursday, to give us that quality start. We’ll have a good chance to win the game.”
Nichols has faced two significant challenges since coming to Arizona as a two-way standout from Roseville, California: Harnessing his stuff and his emotions. Nichols spoke admiringly of senior left-hander Garrett Irvin, who follows him in the rotation. Irvin rarely touches 90 mph. But he can throw multiple pitches for strikes.
“He can throw any pitch he wants at any count,” Nichols said. “That’s impressive. If I could implement that into my game ... I could be much better off.”
Nichols features four-and two-seam fastballs, a slider and a changeup. They’re all plus pitches. But they lose their effectiveness when they aren’t thrown in or near the strike zone. Nichols is averaging 4.12 walks per nine innings. He has hit eight batters and thrown 11 wild pitches.
“Most evenings when I get hurt, I can’t find the zone,” Nichols said. “I walk guys.”
That leads to frustration, which, like his pitches, Nichols has been working to control. He sometimes will walk off the mound to gather himself. Or he’ll scream into his glove as he’s heading toward the dugout. That moment of release is his way of trying to move on.
“It’s a hard game,” Nichols said. “It’s not like high school baseball. You can’t go out and dominate every outing. You’ve just got to keep your head up, especially when you’re doing bad.
“Sometimes the game speeds up on you and it’s hard to settle back down, especially when things aren’t going your way.”
Nichols’ overall numbers aren’t that far off from last season. He’s 5-3 with a 4.84 ERA. Last year he was 6-3 with a 4.77 ERA.
But his role has changed. His responsibilities have grown. It’s a lot for a sophomore to handle.
Hale and his staff continue to hand him the ball because they know what he’s capable of.
“It’s OK to not to be as good as we thought he could be (this season). He’s still really good,” Hale said. “It’s just a matter of letting him learn, and hopefully he gets better and better.”
Caulfield, continuity
Arizona has not committed an error in eight consecutive games. It’s the longest streak for the program since at least 1998, the first year in which game-by-game errors were tracked.
Defensive improvement has been a priority since Hale became coach. But it didn’t crystallize until third baseman Tony Bullard recovered from a shoulder injury. That enabled Garen Caulfield to play second base full time. It’s where he was supposed to be all along.
Caulfield emerged as the front-runner for the job after a strong fall during which he was the Wildcats’ most productive hitter. Caulfield needed to make a strong first impression because he might have been the biggest unknown on the roster.
Caulfield spent the previous two seasons at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California. He redshirted during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Mustangs didn’t play in ’21 either because of COVID issues.
Caulfield’s only game action came with a team called the Lizards in the Arizona Collegiate Wood Bat League, which operates out of Scottsdale and Mesa.
Caulfield praised Delta coach Reed Peters for devising a training program, including regular intrasquad scrimmages, that aided his development.
“I give him full credit,” Caulfield said. “He really had a good plan for us.
“We’d get after it. We had a bunch of good guys. So it was really competitive.”
Caulfield wasn’t initially part of Arizona’s 2021 signing class. Former pitching coach Nate Yeskie reached out to Delta last spring to see if the junior college had any viable middle infielders. Peters recommended Caulfield.
He has started 48 of 53 games, compiling a .282 batting average with 11 doubles, three triples, 30 runs and 31 RBIs. Caulfield has handled 36 chances cleanly in his past eight games — all at second base.
“When everyone’s in their more natural position, there’s just a little bit more confidence out there,” he said. “We were really working hard to piece the infield together ... and it was tough at times. Getting Tony back really helped us — getting guys in their more natural positions so we could start making plays.”
Inside pitch
Coming off a series win over then-No. 1 Oregon State, Arizona (35-18, 16-11 Pac-12) has inched up to No. 37 in RPI per WarrenNolan.com. The system rewards road wins, so the Wildcats have a prime opportunity to move up further against the Ducks (32-21, 15-12; No. 24 in RPI).
Baseball America moved Arizona from a No. 3 seed to a No. 2 seed in its latest projections for the NCAA Tournament. BA has Arizona in the Louisville Regional along with Ole Miss and Wright State. D1Baseball.com has the UA as a No. 3 seed in Lubbock with host Texas Tech, Campbell and ... LSU, which is led by former Arizona coach Jay Johnson.
Oregon leads the Pac-12 in runs (396) and batting average (.307). The Ducks rank second in on-base percentage (.391) and slugging percentage (.478). Oregon moved in the outfield fences at PK Park in the offseason. Does that change anything as a pitcher? “Not really,” Nichols said. “It’s the same game plan no matter where you play — keep the ball down, mix speeds. The fences don’t have anything to do with that.”
