They don’t mind taking a walk.
It isn’t necessarily the goal when the Arizona Wildcats step to the plate. But it’s often the result when they follow the plan prescribed by head coach Jay Johnson and hitting coach Marc Wanaka.
Entering Wednesday, Arizona led the nation with 91 walks drawn. The Wildcats ranked sixth in walks per game at 7.58 — a number that has risen every season under Johnson.
The 16th-ranked Wildcats, who begin a three-game home series against Wichita State on Thursday, also have more walks than strikeouts (88). The Wildcats haven’t done that over a full season since 1988.
Not coincidentally, Arizona ranks second nationally in total runs and 13th in runs per game (9.67). The Wildcats are fifth in on-base percentage (.464), although each of the four teams ahead of them had played three or fewer games entering Wednesday. Arizona, which has won nine games in a row, has played 12.
Johnson and Wanaka have a philosophy that they reinforce daily. Second baseman Kobe Kato, who has a team-high 13 walks, summed it up as follows:
“They preach all the time that your at-bats are made by the pitches you don’t swing at. If you can’t hit the ball hard, there’s no point in swinging. It could be close to being a strike, a little out of the zone, but you wouldn’t be able to hit it hard. So there’s no point in wasting that swing on a ball that’s going to get you out. You live to see another pitch, and who knows, you might hit a mistake.”
Arizona has hit mistakes with frequency and authority. The Wildcats rank ninth nationally with a .336 batting average. Besides walks, they lead the Pac-12 in average, runs, hits, doubles, triples, OBP and slugging percentage.
Johnson credited his players’ plate discipline to “high-level” buy-in and work ethic.
“The strong offenses that we’ve had have all been (built) around seeing the baseball well and controlling the zone, hitting mistakes, being warriors with two strikes and moving the offense,” Johnson said. “We’re doing all those things at a really high level right now.”
Arizona’s Kobe Kato (1) can’t quite beat the throw to first after laying down a bunt to sacrifice a runner to third in the second inning of their game at Hi Corbett Field against Southeastern Louisiana, Tucson, Ariz., February 26, 2021.
Arizona scored 55 runs in sweeping four games at last week’s Frisco College Baseball Classic. Every opposing staff used at least five pitchers and threw at least 182 pitches. The starter who lasted the deepest into a game, Oklahoma’s Wyatt Olds, needed 93 pitches to get through four innings.
“We have several offensive game goals that, if we feel like we accomplish them, it’s gonna lead us to the desired result, which is to win,” Johnson said. “One of them is to get the starting pitcher out of the game before the end of the sixth inning. What you’re doing there is you’re leaving 10-plus outs for the bullpen to try to get through our lineup.”
Among the nine position players who have started the most games, only two have fewer walks than strikeouts. One of them, Blake Paugh, is slashing .350/.422/.675. The other, Daniel Susac, has a .396 OBP.
Third-year sophomore Ryan Holgate embodies the buy-in Johnson referenced. Holgate struck out 55 times while walking 35 times as a freshman in 2019. So far this year he has 10 of each. He has lowered his strikeout rate from 26.3% to 16.1%.
“It’s obviously very challenging, but our team has been working at it for a long time and it’s something that we definitely emphasize. It’s just being patient in the box so you can get your pitch,” said Holgate, who’s slashing .412/.500/.588. “The more walks, the more runs, usually. Just trying to stick with swinging at good pitches and staying away from the pitches they want to see us swing at.”
Welcome back
Arizona played its season-opening series against Ball State without anyone in the stands besides players and scouts, and Johnson said it was “very strange.” The following weekend, against Southeastern Louisiana, players and coaches were allowed to have guests.
Starting Thursday against Wichita State, fans will be able to attend games at Hi Corbett Field for the first time since the last game of last season (March 8). As many as 1,600, including guests of players and coaches, will be scattered about the ballpark, which seats 9,500.
“We’ll take it,” Johnson said. “One of the things that makes Arizona and Arizona baseball unique is the support we have. Since I’ve been here, I’ve really viewed Tucson as a baseball town. We’re lucky to be the main baseball attraction in Tucson, and they’re very important to our success.
“We’ve won almost 80% of our home games (75.4%) over the five-plus years since I’ve been here, and I don’t take their contribution lightly.”
Fans were able to attend the Frisco Classic in Frisco, Texas, in limited numbers. The difference now, Johnson said, is that “the majority of the people filtering into the ballpark this weekend will be for us.” As of Wednesday afternoon, a “decent number” of tickets were available for all remaining home games, an athletic department spokesperson said.
“We’ve been waiting to have fans for a long time now,” Holgate said. “It’s gonna feel like the atmosphere that we had in the past, so we’re super excited.
“It’s just great to see a bunch of smiles on people’s faces, to be able to come watch some baseball. It’s awesome.”
Inside pitch
- Arizona originally was supposed to face Wichita State Thursday through Sunday, but Johnson tweaked the schedule after getting a call from Air Force, which was looking for an opponent after San Jose State had to suspend team activities. Air Force will play Wichita State on Saturday afternoon, followed by Game 3 of the UA-WSU series. The Falcons will face the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.
- Wichita State is 6-3 and has won five straight. The Shockers went 13-2 last season. Air Force is 4-5 but has a win at LSU and swept rival Army in a three-game series last weekend.
- Right-hander Chase Silseth (2-0, 7.56 ERA), who struggled in his last outing, is scheduled to start for Arizona on Thursday. He will face righty Liam Eddy (1-1, 3.63).
- Johnson said reliever Vince Vannelle’s status is “TBA” for this week. Vannelle had to leave Saturday’s game against Dallas Baptist because of an injury. He threw Tuesday, and Johnson planned to check in with Vannelle on Wednesday. Johnson reiterated that he has no long-term concerns about Vannelle’s health. The fifth-year senior is 2-0 with two saves and a 2.08 ERA.
- Wanaka agreed to dive into the lazy river beyond the right-field wall at Dr. Pepper Ballpark if Arizona swept the Frisco Classic. He kept his promise, and the video posted by UA baseball on Twitter has garnered over 300 likes. How did Kato rate Wanaka’s dive? “I’d give it a 12,” Kato said. “Belly-flopping gives him extra points.”
