After seven Arizona pitchers allowed 18 earned runs in a single game Sunday, it was natural to wonder about their collective psyche — especially since five are technically freshmen. The performance didn’t exactly send of jolt of confidence through the UA staff.
But rather than wrestle with that nebulous concept, Jay Johnson instructed his pitchers to get to work in the days leading up to Thursday’s Territorial Cup series opener at Arizona State.
“Confidence is a feeling, and something that we’ve been talking about is focusing on action,” Johnson said. “Some of them need to take some action towards improvement. That’s the message going into this week.
“We had a brief meeting (Monday), and it covered Sunday’s game. It showed them how just a few pitches maybe swung at-bats in the opponent’s favor, where if we executed a little bit better then it maybe would have turned in our pitcher’ and in our team’s favor.”
Johnson said he had those hurlers meet with pitching coach Nate Yeskie to develop an “action plan ... to put them in a better position the next time that they go out. That’s really where we put our focus.”
“Every pitcher on our staff should believe in themselves,” Johnson added. “We have terrific arms in terms of velocity, breaking balls. The difference in the guys that have ascended to the top versus maybe the guys that are struggling a little bit is probably ... confidence and conviction in how they throw their pitches.”
The difference in performance, consistency and composure is clear when comparing the young pitchers to veterans such as starters Chase Silseth and Garrett Irvin and relievers Preston Price and Vince Vannelle.
Vannelle, a fifth-year senior, understands what the young pitchers are going through. He has experienced the highs and lows of college baseball, even as a senior — and sometimes within the same inning.
Vannelle entered last Friday’s game against Oregon with Arizona holding a 5-1 lead and runners on first and third with no outs in the ninth inning. Vannelle missed his location with a first-pitch fastball, and the Ducks’ Anthony Hall slugged a three-run homer to right field. Just like that, the lead was down to one.
Vannelle kept his poise, remembering the countless lessons Johnson has imparted about the next pitch being the most important one. Vannelle threw a first-pitch strike to Tanner Smith, then retired him on a groundout to first. The next batter fouled out. The last out came via strikeout. The Wildcats had a win, and Vannelle had his fourth save.
“Everyone gets knocked out from time to time,” Vannelle said. “You get punched in the face, you can either lay on the mat or you can get right back up and throw another haymaker.
“That’s how I view pitching. You’re not going to win every single pitch, but you’re gonna try your absolute best.”
Vannelle said it can be particularly difficult for freshmen because they’re accustomed to dominating. When he speaks to the young pitchers during the week, Vannelle focuses mainly on mindset.
“There’s a lot of adversity they’re not used to,” Vannelle said. “Most of these guys were the top dogs in their state and player of the year.
“I’m just trying to remind them, ‘Listen, if you make a mistake you’ve just got to move on, because there’s no reason for you to keep all that negativity built up in you.”
Last time, long time
Vannelle happened to be the last pitcher on the mound the last time Arizona visited ASU on March 31, 2019. It didn’t end well for the Wildcats.
The Cats frittered away multiple leads against a top-10 Sun Devils squad that had only one loss. The game ended on a walk-off error — one of eight committed in the game (four by each side). The contest lasted 5 hours, 10 minutes, and the final score was 17-16.
It was Arizona’s seventh loss in a row, and Johnson addressed the team for about an hour in shallow left field at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“He was very disappointed with us, and I completely understand why,” Vannelle said. “We didn’t get the job done. That’s just the bottom line.”
Arizona went on a tear to end the ’19 season, winning 13 of its final 14 games. Its only loss in that stretch came against ASU on May 7, giving the Sun Devils a season sweep and a four-game winning streak against the Wildcats. The teams did not face each other last season because of a rainout and the coronavirus pandemic.
ASU adapts
ASU is 15-5, 4-2 in the Pac-12 despite losing three projected starting pitchers to season-ending elbow injuries earlier this season. Cooper Benson, Erik Tolman and Boyd Vander Kooi all required Tommy John surgeries, forcing the Sun Devils to significantly alter their pitching plan.
Despite those losses, ASU ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 2.98 team ERA. Left-hander Justin Fall has moved from the bullpen to the rotation and has a 3-1 record with a 2.16 ERA. Righty Tyler Thornton has a team-high 37 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings.
“It’s a blow, and I commend their other pitchers for stepping into those roles and throwing strikes and being competitive,” Johnson said. “That’s what it’s about. A lot of times it just takes an opportunity for somebody, and some of those guys have taken advantage of that opportunity.”
Inside pitch
- Arizona (16-7, 3-3) is ranked 16th by Baseball America and 22nd by D1Baseball.com. The Wildcats are ninth in RPI. The Sun Devils are 33rd. Arizona’s strength of schedule is ranked 11th, per WarrenNolan.com, while ASU’s is 61st.
- Johnson on whether he’s concerned about depth with outfielder Blake Paugh and third baseman Tony Bullard nursing back injuries: “I don’t like to use that word. Being concerned is a feeling. Arizona State, Cal, Washington State, whoever we have coming up, they’re not going to be too worried about how we feel about things. We’re going to prepare our team really well.”
- Johnson preaches the concept of the nameless, faceless opponent but acknowledged a different energy level when Arizona and ASU meet. Said Vannelle: “There’s definitely more people that will come watch that game because it’s the state of Arizona – it’s kind of a big deal. I understand where they’re coming from, and I want to win, trust me.” Capacity is limited to just over 1,800 for each of this week’s games.
- UA freshman Jacob Berry leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.449) and RBIs (31). He ranks second in on-base percentage (.550) and is tied for fourth in home runs (six).
- The teams hadn’t announced probable starters as of Wednesday, but it would be stunning if anyone other than Silseth opened for Arizona on Thursday. The third-year sophomore has a 4-0 record, three consecutive quality starts, a 1.14 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 37 innings.
