Arizona’s Maddox Mihalakis continues 2024 ascent with home run in Mexican Baseball Fiesta

A year ago at the Mexican Baseball Fiesta, Arizona third baseman Maddox Mihalakis misplayed two groundballs. When the 2024 season began, he didn’t have a regular role.

So much has changed for Mihalakis since then.

As the ’24 season progressed, the then-sophomore became a lineup fixture. Then the true breakout came: Mihalakis led the Northwoods League with a .429 batting average this summer. He drove in 61 runs in 45 games while earning All-Star honors for the Rockford Rivets.

So it wasn’t surprising to see Mihalakis drill a solo home run in the sixth inning of Arizona’s exhibition game in this year’s Mexican Baseball Fiesta. The drive to right field gave the Wildcats the lead in an eventual 7-1 victory over Naranjeros de Hermosilla on Thursday night at Kino Veteran Memorial Stadium. The Fiesta continues through the weekend.

Mihalakis went 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored. He also played flawless defense, including initiating a 5-4-3 double play to end a scoring threat in the third inning.

“He’s really worked on his defense,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “As we saw last year, towards the end of the year, he picked us up big time at third base when Richie (Morales) got hurt. That’s been good.

“He’s hit some home runs this fall. He’s always such a great worker. And when he does get out of whack, he has the ability to look at film with Toby (DeMello, Arizona’s hitting coach) and analytically look at some things ... and get himself back.

“He was struggling last weekend. Looked at some stuff this week and has been swinging the bat much better.”

Mihalakis made it a goal during summer ball to work on his mental game. He sought to navigate the ups and downs of the daily grind that is unique to baseball.

“Just showing up every day and being consistent,” Mihalakis said. “I said it all summer. Just trying not to hit the high peaks and low valleys and keeping things consistent with my swing and how I was playing.

“I feel like I was able to keep things going. Just show up every day and try to get one or two hits a day instead of trying to do too much.”

Mihalakis hit three home runs in 166 at-bats for the Wildcats last season. He hit eight for Rockford in 170 at-bats.

The Northwoods League is a wood-bat league. The players also use wood bats in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta.

“It was nice,” Mihalakis said of his homer, which came on a 2-1 pitch. “It was good to come out here and get some good swings off.

“This is a really good opportunity for us, our team, to get out here in front of fans — in front of our fans as well.

“You see really good pitchers over there. It’s a good start to the fall. It was a good start for us to put up seven runs.”

The score was 2-1 entering the ninth inning. With mostly backups in the lineup, the Wildcats plated five runs in the top half of the frame.

Familiar faces

Arizona’s lineup might have been a sneak preview of what’s to come on opening day in February.

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The starting nine featured eight returnees and one newcomer. Brendan Summerhill (right field) led off, followed by Garen Caulfield (second base), Mason White (shortstop), Mihalakis, Tommy Splaine (first base), Easton Breyfogle (left field), Andrew Cain (designated hitter), Adonys Guzman (catcher) and Aaron Walton (center field).

Walton, a transfer from Samford, was the only starter who hadn’t previously played for the Wildcats. He doubled down the left-field line in his first at-bat and went 1 for 2.

Thursday’s lineup featured two seniors, five juniors and two sophomores.

“The really good thing about it is it builds culture,” Mihalakis said. “We have a lot of guys back who were here for that really good team last year — as well as a lot of new guys who have a lot of good talent. It’s gonna be really fun to see how we develop over the fall and into the spring.”

Pitchers ‘looking good’

As was the case last year, Arizona used nine pitchers. Five of them were newcomers, including Baylor transfer Collin McKinney, who got the start, and touted freshman Mason Russell, who pitched the fourth inning.

The group combined to allow one unearned run on four hits (all singles) with three walks and five strikeouts.

“They’ve been looking good,” Hale said. “We’ve got some power arms, some guys who have some really good stuff.

“One-inning looks is great; they let it go. But a lot of those guys are going to have to pitch more than one inning.”

The Wildcats lost all three of their 2024 weekend starters to pro ball. Their current roster features 24 pitchers. Nine are returnees, nine are transfers and six are true freshmen.

Inside pitch

• Before sophomore Owen Kramkowski (Walden Grove High School) issued back-to-back walks in the bottom of the seventh, Arizona had gone 15 straight innings without issuing a free pass under pitching coach Kevin Vance in the Mexican Baseball Fiesta. Last year’s walk-free performance set the tone for the 2024 season, when Arizona had the lowest walks-per-nine rate in the nation.

• Bradon Zastrow, who pitched for Arizona last season, coached first base. Zastrow is one of three members of the 2024 team, along with Dawson Netz and Blake McDonald, who are serving as undergraduate assistants or graduate managers this season.

• Hale on Terry Francona being named manager of the Cincinnati Reds: “I think it’s fantastic for him to do it again, to have another (Wildcat) up there managing in the big leagues. I’m proud of him. I know he’s been feeling great. That was part of the deal. He wanted to start feeling good and getting his health up. So we’re excited for him.”

• UA men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Lloyd and former UA softball coach Mike Candrea, who works for the athletic department, spent several innings hanging out with Hale in the Wildcats’ dugout.

• Arizona placed 23rd in Baseball America’s updated ranking of the Top 25 recruiting classes for 2024. Two UA freshmen made BA’s Top 500 for the ’24 MLB Draft: Russell and fellow pitcher Smith Bailey.

• Arizona has two more exhibition games this fall: Saturday, Oct. 12, vs. Pima Community College (11 a.m.) and Friday, Oct. 18, vs. Central Arizona College (1 p.m.). Both games are at Hi Corbett Field.

• The Mexican Baseball Fiesta concludes Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 2:30 p.m. The first game pits Aguilas de Mexicali against Algodoneros de Guasave. Game 2 features Hermosillo against Mayos do Navojoa.