Friday, February 23
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM
University of Arizona
at
Tony Gwynn Classic vs. San Diego State
Arizona Closes Play at Tony Gwynn Legacy Against San Diego
02/22/2018 | Baseball
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- After dropping a 1-0 decision to No. 4 Arkansas on Wednesday night in a nonconference affair, the Arizona Wildcats opened play at the Tony Gwynn Legacy on Friday against San Diego State, falling 3-2 in 10 innings.
Arizona responded Saturday afternoon with a 9-5 victory over Michigan. Alfonso Rivas went 3 for 5 with a career-high 6 RBI and launched his first home run of the season. Tylor Megill pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings in relief to earn his second save of the season.
The Wildcats close out play at the tournament Sunday with a contest at University of San Diego.
First pitch is set for 3 p.m., Tucson time, 2 p.m. PST.
Below is a full preview:
Date Time (MST) Matchup Location (Ballpark)
Fri., Feb. 23 7 p.m. San Diego State 3, Arizona 2 (10) San Diego, Calif. (Tony Gwynn Stadium)
Sat., Feb. 24 2 p.m. Arizona vs. Michigan San Diego, Calif. (Tony Gwynn Stadium)
Sun. Feb. 25 3 p.m. Arizona vs. San Diego San Diego, Calif. (Fowler Park)
TV: YurView and Cox Sports Television
Leading Off...
• After a midweek game against Arkansas at San Diego State, Arizona will stay in San Diego to open play in the Tony Gwynn Legacy. The Wildcats will play two NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in San Diego State and Michigan.
• Arizona last played San Diego State in 2016, Michigan in 2009 and San Diego in 2003.
• Coach Jay Johnson spent six seasons at the University of San Diego as an assistant for current coach Rich Hill.
• Arizona pitchers have allowed just three runs in four games, which is the lowest total through four games since 1974.
• Wildcat starting pitchers have combined to throw 25 innings, allowing just two runs.
• The Wildcats are in the midst of playing seven of eight games on the road. Next week, Arizona heads to Minneapolis for the Pac-12/Big10 Challenge at US Bank Stadium.
• Arizona has yet to commit an error this season, while turning four double plays.
Some Series Themes: There will be a bit of an NCAA Tournament feel this weekend in San Diego for the Tony Gwynn Legacy…The Wildcats will play three different opponents in three days, facing high quality competition…Arizona opens Friday night at San Diego State, before playing Michigan at SDSU on Saturday and finishing with another road game Sunday at San Diego….The Wildcats faced San Diego State in the Tony Gwynn Legacy in 2016, topping the Aztecs 7-3 on the final day of the tournament…Arizona's last matchup with Michigan came in 2009 when the Wildcats swept a three-game series from the Wolverines in Tucson…Arizona and Michigan also faced off in the 2008 NCAA Tournament when Arizona was the No. 1 seed in the Ann Arbor regional…Arizona topped 4-3 in that regional, before eventually defeating Kentucky for the regional championship…The Wildcats and Toreros last played in the 2003 NCAA Tournament in the Fullerton Regional…San Diego eliminated Arizona from the tournament with a 5-2 win…Although the season is very young, Arizona has relied on its pitching so far in 2018…The Wildcats have a staff ERA of 0.75 with opposing batters hitting just .198…After leading the Pac-12 in batting average, runs, hits, RBI and slugging percentage last season, the Arizona offense has been slow to start this season, batting just .214 through four games this season…Cal Stevenson has still managed to get off to a hot start, going 6 for 15 to open the season and reaching base safely at least once in each of the four games…The Wildcats have several connections to San Diego…Coach Jay Johnson, of course, served as an assistant at USD for six seasons under current coach Rich Hill…Pitcher/infielder Seve Romo began his career at the University of San Diego, before transferring to Arizona in 2017 after a year at junior college…The Cats have several players from San Diego on the roster, including Alfonso Rivas, Preston Price, Zach Sherman, Jacob Blas and Michael Benson...Arizona will start right-hander Cody Deason on Friday against San Diego State...Deason, an Ojai, California native, tossed seven shutout innings in his first start of the season against Bryant...Johnson has yet to announce his rotation for the rest of the weekend.
No Runs for You: Through four games this season, Arizona has allowed just three total runs. Led by starter Cody Deason, Arizona tossed a shutout in the season-opener, before giving up just one run each in the next three games. The three runs allowed in the first four games of a season are the fewest since 1974. Only twice since 1950 has Arizona allowed fewer runs through three games than this year's club. Arizona pitchers have a 0.75 ERA in 36 innings this season, allowing 24 hits, and striking out 33. Opponents are batting just .198 against Wildcat pitching.
What a Start: Arizona starting pitchers have set the tone for the Wildcats this season with four dominating starts. Combined, Cody Deason, Michael Flynn, Avery Weems and Randy Labaut have pitched 25 innings as starters, allowing 15 hits, 2 runs, nine walks and 18 strikeouts. Weems, with a 1.59 ERA, has the highest earned run average of the four starters.
Singles Only: Arizona pitchers have combined to give up 24 hits in 36 innings through the first four games of the season. Of those 24 hits, just three went for extra bases. The Cats surrendered a home run in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Bryant and then a double in Sunday's series finale. The Wildcats surrendered four hits against Arkansas; three singles and one home run.
Minimizing Any Damage: As good as Arizona pitchers have been, they've been at their best with runners on base. Through four games, hitters are just 6 for 47 against Arizona pitching for a .128 average with runners on base. Even better, opposing hitters are just 2 for 25 (.080) with runners in scoring position. The three weekend starters, Cody Deason, Michael Flynn and Avery Weems didn't allow a single hit with two outs, combining to force Bryant batters to go 0 for 15. Add in Wednesday starter Randy Labaut and hitters are 1 for 22 with two outs against Arizona's four starters. Lefties have particularly struggled against Arizona pitchers, batting just .167 (10 for 60).
On the Flip Side: While Arizona's pitchers did an impressive job of limiting Bryant hitters with runners on base and in scoring position, Arizona's offense went to work in those situations with great success. Arizona batted .371 (13 for 35) with runners on base and was even better with runners in scoring position, going 10 for 24 for a .417 clip. Cameron Cannon and Cal Stevenson combined to go six for nine in those situations. The Wildcats also had six two-out RBI, as opposed to just one for Bryant. Cannon started 27 of 59 games for the Wildcats last season, receiving 84 at-bats. A bigger fixture of the lineup this year, Cannon is close to surpassing his RBI total of seven from a year ago already. Arizona was just 1 for 8 with runners on against Arkansas, but still have a .326 average this season with runners on base, going 14 for 43.
Randy's Dandy: Sophomore left-hander Randy Labaut had the best outing of his Arizona career Wednesday against Arkansas. Labaut established new career highs in innings pitched (seven) and strikeouts (seven). He allowed just three hits, one run and one walk. Labaut's previous career high in strikeouts was four, done twice, and his career best in innings was six against USC last season. Labaut made a pair of relief appearances against Bryant, and has tossed 8 1/3 innings, this season, allowing six hits, one run, no walks and eight strikeouts.
The Cambino: Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon has had a strong start to his season against. The Glendale Mountain Ridge High School product went 4 for 10 against Bryant with a team-high four RBI. He's also tied with Cal Stevenson for the team lead in runs with three. Cannon also drew a pair of walks and reached base at a .500 clip for the weekend. Cannon and Stevenson were the only two Wildcats to have at least one hit in each of the three games. Cannon went hitless against Arkansas, but drew a walk, and has a .467 on-base percentage through four games.
Dealing on Opening Day: Junior right-hander Cody Deason continued an impressive trend on Opening Day for the Wildcats last weekend in his first start of the season. Deason went seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and five walks, while striking out three. Since 2010, every Arizona Opening Day starter has gone at least 6 1/3 innings without giving up more than three runs. Five times in that span, the Arizona starter has gone at least seven innings, giving up either one run or zero runs. Kurt Heyer and JC Cloney were especially dominant on Opening Day, combining for five starts, and going 5-0, allowing just three runs in 34 innings.
First Up: Junior Alfonso Rivas manned left field as a freshman, before mainly handling the designated hitter role last year as a sophomore. This year, Rivas will move to first base to take over for JJ Matijevic. Rivas was named first-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and a second-team pick by D1Baseball and a third-team selection by Baseball America. Rivas hit .371 last season in 58 games last season. He led the Pac-12 in on-base percentage and totaled 63 RBI, the most by an Arizona underclassman since 2003 when Jeff Van Houten drove in 73. Rivas was ranked as the sixth-best hitter in the country by D1Baseball and the third best first baseman in the nation by D1Baseball. Rivas went 2 for 10 in the opening series of the season against Bryant, but drove in three, walked twice and scored twice. He added another hit against Arkansas.
More on Rivas: The junior from San Diego will look to follow up his banner sophomore season with a strong junior year. Rivas had 20 multiple-hit games last year, while leading the team with 15 multiple-RBI games. Rivas will be a sure fire middle-of-the-order bat for the Wildcats this season after starting 24 times as the team's No. 2 hitter last year and 17 times as the third-place hitter.
Pac-12 Leaders in On-Base Percentage (2017):
1. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, .483
2. Dallas Carroll, Utah, .465
3. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State, .449
4. Cal Stevenson, Arizona. .448
Pac-12 Leaders in Batting Average (2017):
1. JJ Matijevic, Arizona, .383
2. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State, .380
3. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, .371
Hitters Hit: Arizona returns several key pieces from last year's team, which was one of the best offensive clubs in the nation. Arizona led the Pac-12 in batting average (.308), doubles (133), RBI (396), runs (453) and slugging percentage (.442). Arizona's .308 average was the team's best since the 2012 National Championship team hit .329. The 132 doubles were the most since the Cats had 133 in 2009. The 36 team home runs were also the most since hitting 46 in 2009. Among the offensive faces back this year include Alfonso Rivas, Cal Stevenson, Cesar Salazar, Nick Quintana and Mitchell Morimoto.
New Number, Better Cal?: Cal Stevenson returns to the Wildcats for his senior season, but has done so with a new number and a new position. Stevenson, who wore No. 3 last year, will wear No. 8 this year after his favorite player and namesake, Cal Ripken Jr. Stevenson will also move from right field to centerfield for his final year as a Wildcat. Stevenson batted .311 last season, playing in 58 of 59 games. He led the Pac-12 in runs (61) and walks (48). He had 19 multiple-hit games and was one of four players to hit above .300 in conference play for the Wildcats. Stevenson was named to Perfect Game's Preseason All-Pac-12 team with Alfonso Rivas. He got his senior year off on the right foot last weekend against Bryant, going 6 for 12 with a pair of triples, three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. He also handled all seven of his defensive chances in centerfield. Stevenson had at least one hit in each of the three games against the Bulldogs and was the only Wildcat to have two multiple-hit games in the series.
Pac-12 leaders in runs scored (2017):
1. Cal Stevenson, Arizona, 61
2. JJ Matijevic, Arizona, 57
3. Jared Oliva, Arizona, 56
4. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, 54
Pac-12 leaders in walks:
1. Cal Stevenson, Arizona, 48
2. Matt Winaker, Stanford, 42
3. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, 39
3. Trevor Larnach, Oregon State, 39
All Hail, Cesar: Cesar Salazar returns for his third consecutive season as Arizona's primary backstop. Salazar has started exactly 103 games the past two seasons, and has played in 120 games total. The junior from Hermosillo, Mexico, was named All-Pac-12 first-team last year, and was also a member of the Lubbock All-Regional team last year after a strong three-game performance in the postseason. Salazar's offensive production increased last season in several areas. Salazar improved his average, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks total, while striking out three fewer times. He's also posted back-to-back fielding percentages of .992 behind the plate. Salazar threw out 11 of 37 potential base stealers last season. This season, Salazar has thrown out the only potential base stealer he has seen. He also went 2 for 7 at the plate with a double and three RBI. He reached base in seven of 12 plate appearances against the Bulldogs. Salazar drew two more talks against Arkansas and has a .438 on-base percentage.
Arizona responded Saturday afternoon with a 9-5 victory over Michigan. Alfonso Rivas went 3 for 5 with a career-high 6 RBI and launched his first home run of the season. Tylor Megill pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings in relief to earn his second save of the season.
The Wildcats close out play at the tournament Sunday with a contest at University of San Diego.
First pitch is set for 3 p.m., Tucson time, 2 p.m. PST.
Below is a full preview:
Date Time (MST) Matchup Location (Ballpark)
Fri., Feb. 23 7 p.m. San Diego State 3, Arizona 2 (10) San Diego, Calif. (Tony Gwynn Stadium)
Sat., Feb. 24 2 p.m. Arizona vs. Michigan San Diego, Calif. (Tony Gwynn Stadium)
Sun. Feb. 25 3 p.m. Arizona vs. San Diego San Diego, Calif. (Fowler Park)
TV: YurView and Cox Sports Television
Leading Off...
• After a midweek game against Arkansas at San Diego State, Arizona will stay in San Diego to open play in the Tony Gwynn Legacy. The Wildcats will play two NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago in San Diego State and Michigan.
• Arizona last played San Diego State in 2016, Michigan in 2009 and San Diego in 2003.
• Coach Jay Johnson spent six seasons at the University of San Diego as an assistant for current coach Rich Hill.
• Arizona pitchers have allowed just three runs in four games, which is the lowest total through four games since 1974.
• Wildcat starting pitchers have combined to throw 25 innings, allowing just two runs.
• The Wildcats are in the midst of playing seven of eight games on the road. Next week, Arizona heads to Minneapolis for the Pac-12/Big10 Challenge at US Bank Stadium.
• Arizona has yet to commit an error this season, while turning four double plays.
Some Series Themes: There will be a bit of an NCAA Tournament feel this weekend in San Diego for the Tony Gwynn Legacy…The Wildcats will play three different opponents in three days, facing high quality competition…Arizona opens Friday night at San Diego State, before playing Michigan at SDSU on Saturday and finishing with another road game Sunday at San Diego….The Wildcats faced San Diego State in the Tony Gwynn Legacy in 2016, topping the Aztecs 7-3 on the final day of the tournament…Arizona's last matchup with Michigan came in 2009 when the Wildcats swept a three-game series from the Wolverines in Tucson…Arizona and Michigan also faced off in the 2008 NCAA Tournament when Arizona was the No. 1 seed in the Ann Arbor regional…Arizona topped 4-3 in that regional, before eventually defeating Kentucky for the regional championship…The Wildcats and Toreros last played in the 2003 NCAA Tournament in the Fullerton Regional…San Diego eliminated Arizona from the tournament with a 5-2 win…Although the season is very young, Arizona has relied on its pitching so far in 2018…The Wildcats have a staff ERA of 0.75 with opposing batters hitting just .198…After leading the Pac-12 in batting average, runs, hits, RBI and slugging percentage last season, the Arizona offense has been slow to start this season, batting just .214 through four games this season…Cal Stevenson has still managed to get off to a hot start, going 6 for 15 to open the season and reaching base safely at least once in each of the four games…The Wildcats have several connections to San Diego…Coach Jay Johnson, of course, served as an assistant at USD for six seasons under current coach Rich Hill…Pitcher/infielder Seve Romo began his career at the University of San Diego, before transferring to Arizona in 2017 after a year at junior college…The Cats have several players from San Diego on the roster, including Alfonso Rivas, Preston Price, Zach Sherman, Jacob Blas and Michael Benson...Arizona will start right-hander Cody Deason on Friday against San Diego State...Deason, an Ojai, California native, tossed seven shutout innings in his first start of the season against Bryant...Johnson has yet to announce his rotation for the rest of the weekend.
No Runs for You: Through four games this season, Arizona has allowed just three total runs. Led by starter Cody Deason, Arizona tossed a shutout in the season-opener, before giving up just one run each in the next three games. The three runs allowed in the first four games of a season are the fewest since 1974. Only twice since 1950 has Arizona allowed fewer runs through three games than this year's club. Arizona pitchers have a 0.75 ERA in 36 innings this season, allowing 24 hits, and striking out 33. Opponents are batting just .198 against Wildcat pitching.
Fewest Runs Allowed in First Four Games of Season Since 1950
| Year | Runs Allowed (Opponents) |
| 1974 | 2 (Texas Tech and Azusa Pacific) |
| 1968 | 2 (Pacific and UTEP) |
| 2018 | 3 (Bryant and Arkansas) |
| 2007 | 6 (Gonzaga and Utah Valley) |
What a Start: Arizona starting pitchers have set the tone for the Wildcats this season with four dominating starts. Combined, Cody Deason, Michael Flynn, Avery Weems and Randy Labaut have pitched 25 innings as starters, allowing 15 hits, 2 runs, nine walks and 18 strikeouts. Weems, with a 1.59 ERA, has the highest earned run average of the four starters.
| Starter (Opponent) | Final Line |
| Cody Deason (Bryant) | 7 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 5 BBs, 3 Ks, W |
| Michael Flynn (Bryant) | 5.1 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB, 5 Ks, W |
| Avery Weems (Bryant) | 5.2 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 2 BBs, 3 Ks, W |
| Randy Labaut (Arkansas) | 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 BBs, 7 Ks, L |
Singles Only: Arizona pitchers have combined to give up 24 hits in 36 innings through the first four games of the season. Of those 24 hits, just three went for extra bases. The Cats surrendered a home run in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Bryant and then a double in Sunday's series finale. The Wildcats surrendered four hits against Arkansas; three singles and one home run.
Minimizing Any Damage: As good as Arizona pitchers have been, they've been at their best with runners on base. Through four games, hitters are just 6 for 47 against Arizona pitching for a .128 average with runners on base. Even better, opposing hitters are just 2 for 25 (.080) with runners in scoring position. The three weekend starters, Cody Deason, Michael Flynn and Avery Weems didn't allow a single hit with two outs, combining to force Bryant batters to go 0 for 15. Add in Wednesday starter Randy Labaut and hitters are 1 for 22 with two outs against Arizona's four starters. Lefties have particularly struggled against Arizona pitchers, batting just .167 (10 for 60).
On the Flip Side: While Arizona's pitchers did an impressive job of limiting Bryant hitters with runners on base and in scoring position, Arizona's offense went to work in those situations with great success. Arizona batted .371 (13 for 35) with runners on base and was even better with runners in scoring position, going 10 for 24 for a .417 clip. Cameron Cannon and Cal Stevenson combined to go six for nine in those situations. The Wildcats also had six two-out RBI, as opposed to just one for Bryant. Cannon started 27 of 59 games for the Wildcats last season, receiving 84 at-bats. A bigger fixture of the lineup this year, Cannon is close to surpassing his RBI total of seven from a year ago already. Arizona was just 1 for 8 with runners on against Arkansas, but still have a .326 average this season with runners on base, going 14 for 43.
Randy's Dandy: Sophomore left-hander Randy Labaut had the best outing of his Arizona career Wednesday against Arkansas. Labaut established new career highs in innings pitched (seven) and strikeouts (seven). He allowed just three hits, one run and one walk. Labaut's previous career high in strikeouts was four, done twice, and his career best in innings was six against USC last season. Labaut made a pair of relief appearances against Bryant, and has tossed 8 1/3 innings, this season, allowing six hits, one run, no walks and eight strikeouts.
The Cambino: Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon has had a strong start to his season against. The Glendale Mountain Ridge High School product went 4 for 10 against Bryant with a team-high four RBI. He's also tied with Cal Stevenson for the team lead in runs with three. Cannon also drew a pair of walks and reached base at a .500 clip for the weekend. Cannon and Stevenson were the only two Wildcats to have at least one hit in each of the three games. Cannon went hitless against Arkansas, but drew a walk, and has a .467 on-base percentage through four games.
Dealing on Opening Day: Junior right-hander Cody Deason continued an impressive trend on Opening Day for the Wildcats last weekend in his first start of the season. Deason went seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and five walks, while striking out three. Since 2010, every Arizona Opening Day starter has gone at least 6 1/3 innings without giving up more than three runs. Five times in that span, the Arizona starter has gone at least seven innings, giving up either one run or zero runs. Kurt Heyer and JC Cloney were especially dominant on Opening Day, combining for five starts, and going 5-0, allowing just three runs in 34 innings.
| Year | Opponent | Starting Pitcher | Final Line |
| 2018 | Bryant | Cody Deason | 7 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 3 Ks, W |
| 2017 | Eastern Kentucky | JC Cloney | 7 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 6 Ks, W |
| 2016 | At Rice | JC Cloney | 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 9 Ks, W |
| 2015 | Eastern Michigan | Austin Schnabel | 6.2 IP, 3 runs, 8 Ks, W |
| 2014 | Kent State | James Farris | 7.2 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 9 Ks, W |
| 2013 | Coppin State | Konner Wade | 6.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 8 Ks, W |
| 2012 | North Dakota State | Kurt Heyer | 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 7 Ks, W |
| 2011 | North Dakota State | Kurt Heyer | 7 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 8 Ks, W |
| 2010 | Utah Valley | Kurt Heyer | 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 13 Ks, W |
First Up: Junior Alfonso Rivas manned left field as a freshman, before mainly handling the designated hitter role last year as a sophomore. This year, Rivas will move to first base to take over for JJ Matijevic. Rivas was named first-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and a second-team pick by D1Baseball and a third-team selection by Baseball America. Rivas hit .371 last season in 58 games last season. He led the Pac-12 in on-base percentage and totaled 63 RBI, the most by an Arizona underclassman since 2003 when Jeff Van Houten drove in 73. Rivas was ranked as the sixth-best hitter in the country by D1Baseball and the third best first baseman in the nation by D1Baseball. Rivas went 2 for 10 in the opening series of the season against Bryant, but drove in three, walked twice and scored twice. He added another hit against Arkansas.
Most RBI by an Arizona Underclassman Since 2000
| Player (Class) | Year | RBI |
| Jeff Van Houten (Sophomore) | 2003 | 72 |
| Alfonso Rivas (Sophomore) | 2017 | 63 |
| Brad Glenn (Sophomore) | 2007 | 62 |
| Jordan Brown (Sophomore) | 2004 | 57 |
| Robert Refsnyder (Sophomore) | 2011 | 55 |
| Bobby Dalbec (Sophomore) | 2015 | 53 |
| Steve Selsky (Sophomore) | 2010 | 52 |
More on Rivas: The junior from San Diego will look to follow up his banner sophomore season with a strong junior year. Rivas had 20 multiple-hit games last year, while leading the team with 15 multiple-RBI games. Rivas will be a sure fire middle-of-the-order bat for the Wildcats this season after starting 24 times as the team's No. 2 hitter last year and 17 times as the third-place hitter.
Pac-12 Leaders in On-Base Percentage (2017):
1. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, .483
2. Dallas Carroll, Utah, .465
3. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State, .449
4. Cal Stevenson, Arizona. .448
Pac-12 Leaders in Batting Average (2017):
1. JJ Matijevic, Arizona, .383
2. Nick Madrigal, Oregon State, .380
3. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, .371
Hitters Hit: Arizona returns several key pieces from last year's team, which was one of the best offensive clubs in the nation. Arizona led the Pac-12 in batting average (.308), doubles (133), RBI (396), runs (453) and slugging percentage (.442). Arizona's .308 average was the team's best since the 2012 National Championship team hit .329. The 132 doubles were the most since the Cats had 133 in 2009. The 36 team home runs were also the most since hitting 46 in 2009. Among the offensive faces back this year include Alfonso Rivas, Cal Stevenson, Cesar Salazar, Nick Quintana and Mitchell Morimoto.
New Number, Better Cal?: Cal Stevenson returns to the Wildcats for his senior season, but has done so with a new number and a new position. Stevenson, who wore No. 3 last year, will wear No. 8 this year after his favorite player and namesake, Cal Ripken Jr. Stevenson will also move from right field to centerfield for his final year as a Wildcat. Stevenson batted .311 last season, playing in 58 of 59 games. He led the Pac-12 in runs (61) and walks (48). He had 19 multiple-hit games and was one of four players to hit above .300 in conference play for the Wildcats. Stevenson was named to Perfect Game's Preseason All-Pac-12 team with Alfonso Rivas. He got his senior year off on the right foot last weekend against Bryant, going 6 for 12 with a pair of triples, three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. He also handled all seven of his defensive chances in centerfield. Stevenson had at least one hit in each of the three games against the Bulldogs and was the only Wildcat to have two multiple-hit games in the series.
Pac-12 leaders in runs scored (2017):
1. Cal Stevenson, Arizona, 61
2. JJ Matijevic, Arizona, 57
3. Jared Oliva, Arizona, 56
4. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, 54
Pac-12 leaders in walks:
1. Cal Stevenson, Arizona, 48
2. Matt Winaker, Stanford, 42
3. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona, 39
3. Trevor Larnach, Oregon State, 39
All Hail, Cesar: Cesar Salazar returns for his third consecutive season as Arizona's primary backstop. Salazar has started exactly 103 games the past two seasons, and has played in 120 games total. The junior from Hermosillo, Mexico, was named All-Pac-12 first-team last year, and was also a member of the Lubbock All-Regional team last year after a strong three-game performance in the postseason. Salazar's offensive production increased last season in several areas. Salazar improved his average, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks total, while striking out three fewer times. He's also posted back-to-back fielding percentages of .992 behind the plate. Salazar threw out 11 of 37 potential base stealers last season. This season, Salazar has thrown out the only potential base stealer he has seen. He also went 2 for 7 at the plate with a double and three RBI. He reached base in seven of 12 plate appearances against the Bulldogs. Salazar drew two more talks against Arkansas and has a .438 on-base percentage.
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