It’s only the second weekend of the season, but Arizona has the potential to make this weekend disappear before the game even begins.
The Wildcats were defeated 4-0 by UConn on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field. The loss dropped their record to 0-6 and extended their losing streak to eight games since a trip to the College World Series last June that feels like a century ago. This is the longest slide since 2014.
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“I think it’s getting to the point now where it’s anxiety-provoking, whether it’s a freshman or someone who’s played a lot here, just trying to do too much,” UA coach Chip Hale explain. “They put a lot of pressure on themselves. You can almost tell when guys get a hit, right? When they’re so excited, it’s like we’re back in Omaha or something. It’s just a hit in the third, fourth or fifth game. So I can tell they just get so much anxiety out of their bodies. So we have to find a way to let them loose.”
Arizona State ends with three hits, single Andrew Kane and Mathis Merante and a double Nate Nowitzk. Only 2 of 8 baserunners reached third and the team struck out 10 more to bring their season total to 80 in 6 games.
“When we took the pitch, we didn’t look like we were ready to hit,” Hale said. “We’re stuck. It comes from anxiety. No matter what you do in life, it’s hard to do your best when your body is stuck.”
That frustration spilled onto the court, where Arizona was charged with three errors and committed several other defensive lapses.
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“I don’t know how that game ended 4-0, we made a lot of mistakes defensively and that’s not the hallmark of this group,” Hale said. “Hitting the ball is hard, it’s the hardest thing in sports. We can control what we do defensively.”
Defensive issues and continued hitting difficulties overshadowed another solid pitching performance from most of the staff. Owen Kramkoski He struck out six and allowed two earned runs in four innings, and five relievers combined for 11 strikeouts. That included eight slugging hits from three relievers making their debuts at UA.
left handed McClain Roberts In the eighth inning, they came on with the bases loaded and one out and struck out two UConn batters, the first on a nasty slider and the second on a fastball. Roberts then struck out in the eighth inning.
“When you look at his preseason numbers, everybody’s pitching or pitching,” Hale said of Roberts. Roberts is a New Zealand native who pitched at Pima College the past two years. “He didn’t throw the ball. You throw the ball like that and you put yourself in another game.”
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While the anxiety and frustration is palpable, Hale said the effort continues. Ensuring this holds until victory comes will be difficult.
“It’s hard on the kids,” he said. “I know they want to win for the program, they want to win for the fans. They want to win for themselves. Coach Jerry Kendall once told us very succinctly: ‘It’s OK to be disappointed, we just can’t let them get discouraged.'” They were so close. There is a big difference between these two words. It’s hard to get them back when you’re discouraged, but it’s okay to be disappointed. “
