LUBBOCK, Texas – From thrill ride to “car crash.”
That’s what it felt like to Arizona Wildcats coach Jay Johnson. A year ago, his team made it all the way to Omaha — and came within a hit of winning the College World Series. This time, it all ended so suddenly.
The Wildcats played on the very last day of June last year. They couldn’t make it past the first weekend this year.
The Cats ran into an opponent that out-Arizona’d them. Sam Houston State, whom the UA ousted from last year’s playoffs, came up with all the two-out hits, the rally-killing pitches and the perfect defensive positioning.
The Bearkats eliminated the Wildcats by a score of 9-3 Sunday in the Lubbock Regional at Rip Griffin Park. Arizona — at one point ranked in the top 10 in the country — lost 2 of 3 here and 4 of 5 to end the season.
Despite returning several key players from the 2016 national runners-up, the Wildcats couldn’t rediscover the formula that helped them exceed all expectations last spring.
“This is tough here at the end,” Johnson said. “It feels like a car crash almost. You’re going a million miles an hour. Everybody’s waking up in the morning and doing what we do to prepare. And then it’s over.”
Although the sting of defeat was still fresh, Johnson and senior second baseman Kyle Lewis were able to put the past two seasons in perspective. Arizona was the only Pac-12 team to make the NCAA Tournament two years in a row. UA finished above .500 in conference play in back-to-back seasons for only the second time in 26 years.
“There was no transition here,” said Johnson, who became Arizona’s coach in June 2015. “Those guys dove in, bought in and have been rewarded with two really good seasons.”
“It’s been a pretty special run,” Lewis said. “A lot of magic’s happened with this program, and it’s going to continue to happen.”
The Wildcats, who finished the season 38-21, didn’t have that magic touch Sunday. It was evident almost immediately.
Trailing 1-0 through an inning and a half, Arizona surrendered eight runs in the bottom of the second — all with two outs. The Bearkats chased sophomore starter Cody Deason, who had neither the control nor the defensive help to give the Wildcats the long outing they needed.
“I felt we had a good pitching plan for how we were going to do today, knowing we (potentially) had 18 innings,” Johnson said. “The key to it was Cody getting off to a good start, and he just didn’t.”
Deason struck out the first batter he faced, Riley McKnight, but Deason’s sharp-breaking curveball skipped past catcher Cesar Salazar, enabling McKnight to reach. He eventually scored to make it 1-0.
Deason allowed the first two batters to reach in the second — the first on a double that usually reliable right fielder Cal Stevenson misjudged, the second on a walk. After a visit from Johnson, Deason retired the next two hitters. He wouldn’t get another out.
A walk to No. 9 hitter Taylor Beene loaded the bases. Then came another walk and five consecutive hits, the last three off reliever Landon Faulkner. Less than an hour into the game, Sam Houston State led 9-0.
“We were just fortunate to hit it where they ain’t,” Bearkats coach Matt Deggs said. “They had a chance to get off the field, (but) we were able to coax a couple walks. And then the floodgates opened up with some flares and whatnot.”
Arizona actually came back from a 9-0 deficit earlier this season, rallying to defeat Eastern Kentucky 16-13 on Feb. 18. And the Wildcats had a legitimate chance Sunday to at least make Sam Houston State sweat.
With two runs already on the board in the top of the fourth, the Wildcats had the bases loaded with no outs. Louis Boyd then lined out to first, and Lewis, who had reached on an infield single, got doubled off. Stevenson grounded out to end the inning.
If Boyd’s hit had gotten past first baseman Hunter Hearn, it likely would have been a bases-clearing triple. The score would have been 9-5 with Boyd on third and the top of the order coming up.
Arizona never seriously threatened thereafter, despite putting at least one runner on base in every inning but one. The top of the sixth was the only 1-2-3 inning for the Bearkats pitching staff in two games against the Wildcats. Arizona left 21 runners on base between Friday and Sunday. The Bearkats left eight.
First baseman JJ Matijevic was the last Wildcat to leave the field. The junior is expected to be a high pick in this month’s MLB draft, so Sunday likely marked his final college game.
After hugging the last of his teammates, Matijevic trudged toward the third-base dugout. He wiped tears from his cheeks. He didn’t want it to end. Not this soon.
