The Arizona Wildcats didn’t pursue Nik McClaughry for his prowess or power at the plate.
McClaughry batted .260 across two seasons at Sacramento City College. He never hit a home run in junior college or high school.
McClaughry reminded Jay Johnson of players he had coached in the past — Kyle Lewis and Louis Boyd at Arizona, Kyle Hunt at Nevada. All were players whose contributions couldn’t easily be measured by their statistics. They possessed what Johnson called a “help-the-team-win rating.”
“I thought he was a great baseball player, and in my time as a head coach in Division I baseball, the best teams that I’ve had have had a player like Nik on them,” said Johnson, whose team hosts Washington in a three-game series Friday-Sunday. “Nik’s baseball acumen, his makeup, his character were things that I was immediately drawn to when I met him, and I knew he would be an important part of our team.”
No. 10 Arizona (32-13, 16-8 Pac-12) has posted an 18-7 record since McClaughry became a starter March 26, first at third base and recently at shortstop. He has provided the stellar defense Johnson expected, committing only four errors in 76 chances and participating in nine double plays.
McClaughry’s contributions at the plate have been a pleasant surprise. He’s doing more than just turn the lineup over from the No. 9 spot in the order.
McClaughry is batting .337 with a .427 on-base percentage. He has 23 RBIs in 92 at-bats. He even has a home run.
McClaughry sent a ball over the left-field wall in the fourth inning of Arizona’s 20-2 victory at Stanford last Saturday. It was part of a 3-for-5 afternoon during which he also hit his first triple.
“It was fun,” McClaughry said. “The dugout was the best part. As soon as I hit second base, I looked up and I saw everyone going crazy.”
Johnson was worried one of his exuberant players would tackle McClaughry, who’s 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.
“This guy’s a pretty important part of our team; let’s not hurt him,” Johnson said. “He’s earned the respect of his teammates by how he plays, by how he works, by how invested in the team success he is. When you have a person like that, people want to celebrate their success.”
McClaughry attributes his offensive success to adjustments he has made since he started working with Johnson and hitting coach Marc Wanaka. They have emphasized “getting into the ground” more, which has enabled McClaughry to keep his head still and see the ball better.
Arizona third baseman Nik McClaughry goes to his left to field a ground ball during last month's series against Utah.
McClaughry didn’t have any Division I offers coming out of Rocklin High School in Northern California. He had been an all-league performer but weighed about 140 pounds.
Attending Sacramento City College turned out to be a fortuitous move. UA pitching coach Nate Yeskie is friends with SCC pitching coach Deskaheh Bomberry. McClaughry visited the Arizona campus and loved it.
Now, a .260 hitter in junior college who hadn’t hit a home run since Little League is a key member of one of the best lineups in the nation.
“I think I’m a good asset to the team just being a baseball player,” McClaughry said. “I feel like I’m an all-around player that can help the team in a lot of ways. Maybe it doesn’t show up in the box score, but getting a bunt down, helping move a runner over, making a play on defense, that kind of stuff.”
‘Not a distraction’
The NCAA is expected to reveal 20 postseason host candidates Friday. That number will be trimmed to 16 for the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona submitted a bid and is considered a shoo-in to make the initial cut. It won’t change anything about the way the Wildcats approach this weekend or the rest of the season.
“There’s no question we’ll be on the list, in my opinion,” Johnson said. “With that being said, there’s so much baseball to play. We still have to go out and earn that. And that’s really where my head is at.
“We’ve earned it to this point in time, but the season is not over. Managing distractions is something this team has done really well. And the further you go, the more important it is to do that.
“It’s not a distraction unless you let it become one. I don’t have any sense that our players think about it or talk about any of that. They know how they need to pattern their preparation to be the best player they can be, to be the best team they can be.
“I’m proud of them for putting us in this position. For me, three weeks is an eternity, so you don’t look at ... the end goal.
“I want postseason baseball in Tucson. But the focus always has to be, ‘OK, what do we need to do to do that?’”
The news should be out by the time Arizona and Washington (17-24, 3-15) open their series at 6 p.m. Friday. The players will be aware of it. As Johnson noted, “if they’re not on the field or they’re not doing schoolwork, they’re on their phones.” He added that his players have faced bigger distractions in the past — including being selected in the MLB draft during postseason games.
“That to me is always the ultimate distraction,” Johnson said. “I have great faith in the maturity of our team.”
Inside pitch
Baseball America has Arizona as the No. 7 overall seed in its latest projection of the NCAA Tournament field. D1Baseball.com slots the Wildcats at No. 8.
BA moved Arizona third baseman/DH Jacob Berry to the top of its list for national Freshman of the Year. Berry leads the Pac-12 in hits (67) and total bases (123), ranks second in batting average (.401) and is tied for second in RBIs (53). Teammate Daniel Susac is No. 10 on BA’s list. The catcher has 12 homers — third most in the league and one more than Berry — and is tied with Berry in RBIs.
Johnson said right-hander Preston Price, who’s been out since April 9 because of an arm injury, responded well to a bullpen session earlier this week. “We’re on the cusp, I believe,” Johnson said. But the team will continue to take a conservative approach with its top reliever. “We’re excited to get him back,” Johnson said. “But it also has to be at the right time for him to be who he is. If you bring him back too early and it’s not right ... he’s done. So we can’t do it that way.”
Right-hander Chase Silseth, Arizona’s Friday starter, came in at No. 80 on The Athletic’s list of the top 100 prospects for the 2021 MLB draft. The Athletic’s draft analyst, Keith Law, ranks UA signee Tyler Whitaker, an outfielder from Las Vegas, at No. 51.
Ten current UA players and two former Wildcats received their degrees Thursday. The current players were Jacob Blas, Ian Churchill, Quinn Flanagan, Garrett Irvin, Kobe Kato, Gil Luna, Blake Paugh, Price, Austin Smith and Donta’ Williams. The ex-players were Randy Labaut and Tylor Megill.
