Thursday, March 29
Tucson, AZ
6:00 PM
University of Arizona
vs
Nicholls
Arizona Aims for Sweep of Nicholls
03/28/2018 | Baseball
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Arizona Wildcats take a break from Pac-12 play this weekend to host Nicholls State for a three-game series opening Thursday at Hi Corbett Field. Thursday and Friday are set for 6 p.m., while Saturday's series finale is at 1 p.m.
Arizona won the opener of the series Thursday night, beating Nicholls 11-3. Robby Medel tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win and Cameron Cannon, Cesar Salazar and Jacob Blas all had three-hit nights in the win.
The Cats scored 11 runs again on Friday in an 11-5 win that saw the Cats hit three home runs.
The Cats will go for the series sweep Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Below is a full preview:
Leading Off...
• Arizona is set to close out a seven-game homestand this weekend with a four-game series against Nicholls. The Wildcats are 3-1 so far on the homestand. The Wildcats head to New Mexico next for a Monday night showdown.
• Arizona coach Jay Johnson recorded his 100th victory as the head coach of the Wildcats on Sunday against Washington State. He's 100-55 in his two-plus seasons as coach. He's the fastest to reach the 100-win milestone since Jerry Kindall in 1975.
• The Wildcats have allowed just 67 runs through 23 games, which is the program's lowest total since 1974. Arizona's pitching staff has a 2.48 ERA, which is the sixth-best mark in the nation and are allowing just 7.09 hits per nine innings, which ranks 13th in the country.
• Right-hander Cody Deason is second in the Pac-12 with 41 strikeouts after recording a career-high 10 last weekend against Washington State.
• Juan Aguilera tossed 11 shutout innings last week. The senior right-hander has allowed just one earned run in his last 24 innings, spanning back to last year and is 3-0 on the season for the Cats.
• Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon went 10 for 17 last week in four games at home and lifted his batting average to .356.
• Cesar Salazar has a 21-game on-base streak, and leads Arizona with a .373 average.
No Runs for You: Never in the Pac-12 era has an Arizona team given up fewer runs through 23 games than the 2018 Wildcats. Through 23 games, Arizona has surrendered just 67 total runs, which is the fewest since Arizona joined the Pac-10/12 in 1978. The 67 runs allowed are the fewest by an Arizona team since 1974 when the Jerry Kindall-led Wildcats allowed just 49 runs through 23 games. That year, Arizona went 58-6 and won the WAC Championship. This year, Arizona has given up more than five runs in a game just once, and has held opponents to three runs or fewer in 14 of 23 games. In the Pac-10/12 era, the fewest runs allowed through 23 games came in 2011 when the Cats gave up 81 total runs. Arizona has allowed seven hits or fewer in 15 of 23 games to start the year, keeping the scoring opportunities at an absolute minimum.
Fewest Runs Allowed Through 20 Games Since 1950
What a Start: Arizona pitching has set the tone for the season thus far. Arizona has a staff ERA of just 2.48 so far this season, which is the sixth-best mark in the country and third-best among Power 5 Conference teams. Arizona has allowed just 163 hits in 207 total innings. The pitching staff is averaging 7.09 hits per nine innings, which is the 13th best mark in the country. Wildcat pitchers have combined to strike out 174, while allowing 82 walks. Opposing batters are hitting just .221 against Arizona pitching with 39 extra-base hits in 23 games. It's been a collective effort for the Wildcats thus far with several different arms contributing to the early season success. Cody Deason, who has had the Friday night honors so far this season, has just a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings. Michael Flynn and Avery Weems have also logged 25 or more innings. Flynn is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA. Juan Aguilera and Tylor Megill have both logged more than 15 innings this year, with Aguilera sporting a 0.49 ERA and Megill at 1.72.
Digging Deeper: Coach Dave Lawn's pitching staff has done several things very well early in the season. First, left-handed hitters are batting just .217 against Arizona pitching, combining to go 72 for 332 so far. Right-handed starters Cody Deason and Michael Flynn have been especially tough on lefties, allowing them to go just 23 for 122 for a .188 average. Another area where Arizona pitchers have excelled is with runners on base. Opposing hitters are just 72 for 328 with runners on for a .220 average. And once Arizona pitchers get to two outs, there's a good shot they're finishing off the inning clean. Opposing batters are just 44 for 224 (.196) with two outs against Arizona pitching. In fact, North Dakota State had just one hit with two outs in three games against the Wildcats. With runners in scoring position, it's not much better with the opposition hitting 43 for 194 (.222) in that situation.
Arizona Pitching By the Numbers
Dominant Deason: Through six starts, junior right-hander Cody Deason has looked a lot like a Friday night starter in the Pac-12 should look. Deason is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings. He's second in the Pac-12 in strikeouts with 41, fifth in ERA and third in innings pitched. He's given up just seven earned runs on the season and has opposing batters hitting just .183 against him. Deason got the Opening Day start against Bryant and threw seven shutout innings. He walked five, but gave up just three hits and paced the Cats in a 4-0 win. The next week, against San Diego State, Deason went just 5 1/3 innings, but battled, giving up two runs and striking out six, which matched a career high. Against Minnesota, Deason again went seven innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run, while again striking out six. In his fourth start of the season, Deason went seven innings, allowing one earned run and striking out a career-high nine. After giving up a double in the first inning, Deason faced the minimum from innings two to seven. Against Washington State, Deason punched out 10, establishing a new career high. The junior has lefties hitting 14 for 77 against him, and batters are just 6 for 40 against him with two outs, showing he knows how to shut down an inning. With runners on, Deason is limiting hitters to a .217 average, seeing hitters go 10 for 46. He's allowed just seven extra-base hits in 39 innings.
Pac-12 leaders in Strikeouts
1. Luke Heimlich, Oregon State: 44
2. Cody Deason, Arizona: 41
3. Matt Mercer, Oregon: 39
Flynn the Day: Junior right-hander Michael Flynn earned the win in Sunday's series finale against Washington State to improve to 3-1 on the season. He has a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings, striking out 22 and giving up just 18 hits. It was a more than impressive bounce back from surrendering the first loss of his three-year career a week earlier at Washington. Flynn improved to 9-1 in his career after the win against Washington State. He's allowing hitters to hit just .194 against him this season and has made six appearances. Against the Cougars, Flynn went 6 1/3 innings, establishing a new career best and struck out eight, which also stood as a career-high. With two outs against him, hitters are just 4 for 26 against Flynn for a .150 batting average.
He's Been Juanderful: Spanning back to last season, senior right-handed pitcher Juan Aguilera has given up just one earned run over his last 24 innings pitched. This season, Aguilera is 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. He made his first career start Tuesday against New Mexico State and tossed six shutout innings, needing just 64 pitches to churn through one of the top offenses in the country. He then came back against Washington State and threw five scoreless innings in relief of starter Avery Weems. Aguilera has struck out 18 and opposing batters are hitting just .188 against him. Over his final four appearances last year, Aguilera didn't give up a run over 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one hit, three walks and four strikeouts. He earned the win in Arizona's win over Delaware in the NCAA Tournament. He's been especially tough against right-handed hitters this year, forcing them to go just 6 for 43. Batters are also just 1 for 26 against him with runners on base and 1 for 19 with two outs. A product of nearby Sierra Vista, Aguilera has had a long journey to this point, spending the first two years of his college career at Cochise College.
All Hail, Cesar: Cesar Salazar returns for his third consecutive season as Arizona's primary backstop. 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 five of 11 potential base stealers. He's also leading the team in batting with a .373 batting average. He's 25 for 67 and has reached base in all 21 games he's played in this season. He's been hit by a pitch eight times total this year. Salazar already has seven multi-hit games on the year, including two three-hit games, including last week against Arizona State where he went 3 for 4 with a run scored. Salazar had a season-high three RBI on Tuesday against New Mexico State with a bases loaded double.
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 has moved 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. He's already backing it up this season. Rivas is batting .315 this season with two home runs and 22 RBI. Rivas went 3 for 5 with four RBI against San Diego State and hit his second home run of the season. In four games last week against San Diego State and North Dakota State, the left-handed hitting first baseman went 9 for 18 with 10 RBI, seven runs scored and a home run. He drove in at least two runs in each of his four games and scored at least one run. He had back-to-back three-hit games to open the week against San Diego State and Game 1 versus North Dakota State. Rivas is 13 for 29 on the year with runners in scoring positon and he's 16 for 40 against left-handed pitching.
Pac-12 RBI Leaders
1. Andrew Vaughn, Cal: 33
2. Jonah Davis, Cal: 31
3. Trevor Larnach, Oregon State: 30
4. Spencer Torkelson, ASU: 24
4. Adley Rutschman, Oregon State: 24
6. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona: 22
The Cambino: Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon has had a strong start to his season. Cannon is hitting .356 through 23 games, having started every game at second this season. Cannon is second on the teams in runs scored with 22 and second in RBI with 21. He has an on-base percentage of .436. Cannon went 10 for 17 last week in four games against New Mexico State and Washington State. Cannon is tied for second with five doubles this season and also tied for second with two triples. He has 79 assists at second base, which leads the Pac-12 by 13. He's hitting .378 against right-handed hitters this year and .440 with runners on base. He's also 17 for 36 (.472) with runners in scoring position and has nine two-out RBI, which is second on the team to Alfonso Rivas.
The Snow Man: Thanks to his new No. 8, Cal Stevenson has adopted a new nickname this season, courtesy of his teammates: The Snow Man. The name seems to be agreeing with him. Stevenson is batting .329 on the young season, and leads the team in walks with 13 after leading the entire conference last year. Stevenson went 7 for 17 last week during Arizona's four-game homestand with six runs scored, three RBI and three triples. He's second in the Pac-12 with five triples on the season and tied for third in the nation with that mark.
Arizona won the opener of the series Thursday night, beating Nicholls 11-3. Robby Medel tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win and Cameron Cannon, Cesar Salazar and Jacob Blas all had three-hit nights in the win.
The Cats scored 11 runs again on Friday in an 11-5 win that saw the Cats hit three home runs.
The Cats will go for the series sweep Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Below is a full preview:
Leading Off...
• Arizona is set to close out a seven-game homestand this weekend with a four-game series against Nicholls. The Wildcats are 3-1 so far on the homestand. The Wildcats head to New Mexico next for a Monday night showdown.
• Arizona coach Jay Johnson recorded his 100th victory as the head coach of the Wildcats on Sunday against Washington State. He's 100-55 in his two-plus seasons as coach. He's the fastest to reach the 100-win milestone since Jerry Kindall in 1975.
• The Wildcats have allowed just 67 runs through 23 games, which is the program's lowest total since 1974. Arizona's pitching staff has a 2.48 ERA, which is the sixth-best mark in the nation and are allowing just 7.09 hits per nine innings, which ranks 13th in the country.
• Right-hander Cody Deason is second in the Pac-12 with 41 strikeouts after recording a career-high 10 last weekend against Washington State.
• Juan Aguilera tossed 11 shutout innings last week. The senior right-hander has allowed just one earned run in his last 24 innings, spanning back to last year and is 3-0 on the season for the Cats.
• Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon went 10 for 17 last week in four games at home and lifted his batting average to .356.
• Cesar Salazar has a 21-game on-base streak, and leads Arizona with a .373 average.
No Runs for You: Never in the Pac-12 era has an Arizona team given up fewer runs through 23 games than the 2018 Wildcats. Through 23 games, Arizona has surrendered just 67 total runs, which is the fewest since Arizona joined the Pac-10/12 in 1978. The 67 runs allowed are the fewest by an Arizona team since 1974 when the Jerry Kindall-led Wildcats allowed just 49 runs through 23 games. That year, Arizona went 58-6 and won the WAC Championship. This year, Arizona has given up more than five runs in a game just once, and has held opponents to three runs or fewer in 14 of 23 games. In the Pac-10/12 era, the fewest runs allowed through 23 games came in 2011 when the Cats gave up 81 total runs. Arizona has allowed seven hits or fewer in 15 of 23 games to start the year, keeping the scoring opportunities at an absolute minimum.
Fewest Runs Allowed Through 20 Games Since 1950
| Year | Runs Allowed |
| 1974 | 49 |
| 1969 | 53 |
| 1973 | 54 |
| 2018 | 67 |
| 1961 | 74 |
What a Start: Arizona pitching has set the tone for the season thus far. Arizona has a staff ERA of just 2.48 so far this season, which is the sixth-best mark in the country and third-best among Power 5 Conference teams. Arizona has allowed just 163 hits in 207 total innings. The pitching staff is averaging 7.09 hits per nine innings, which is the 13th best mark in the country. Wildcat pitchers have combined to strike out 174, while allowing 82 walks. Opposing batters are hitting just .221 against Arizona pitching with 39 extra-base hits in 23 games. It's been a collective effort for the Wildcats thus far with several different arms contributing to the early season success. Cody Deason, who has had the Friday night honors so far this season, has just a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings. Michael Flynn and Avery Weems have also logged 25 or more innings. Flynn is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA. Juan Aguilera and Tylor Megill have both logged more than 15 innings this year, with Aguilera sporting a 0.49 ERA and Megill at 1.72.
National Team Leaders in ERA
| School | Staff ERA |
| Stanford | 1.96 |
| Louisiana Tech | 2.07 |
| Stetson | 2.13 |
| St. John's | 2.20 |
| UCLA | 2.41 |
| Arizona | 2.48 |
Digging Deeper: Coach Dave Lawn's pitching staff has done several things very well early in the season. First, left-handed hitters are batting just .217 against Arizona pitching, combining to go 72 for 332 so far. Right-handed starters Cody Deason and Michael Flynn have been especially tough on lefties, allowing them to go just 23 for 122 for a .188 average. Another area where Arizona pitchers have excelled is with runners on base. Opposing hitters are just 72 for 328 with runners on for a .220 average. And once Arizona pitchers get to two outs, there's a good shot they're finishing off the inning clean. Opposing batters are just 44 for 224 (.196) with two outs against Arizona pitching. In fact, North Dakota State had just one hit with two outs in three games against the Wildcats. With runners in scoring position, it's not much better with the opposition hitting 43 for 194 (.222) in that situation.
Arizona Pitching By the Numbers
- 2.48 – Staff ERA, 6th best in country
- .221 -- Batting Average Against
- 5 – Home Runs Allowed, tied fewest in Pac-12
- 67 – Total Runs Allowed, fewest by an Arizona team since 1974
- .196 – Batting Average Against with 2 outs
- .217 – Batting Average Against by left-handed hitting
- .222 – Batting Average Against with runners in scoring position
- 7.09 hits allowed per nine innings, 13th best in the country
Dominant Deason: Through six starts, junior right-hander Cody Deason has looked a lot like a Friday night starter in the Pac-12 should look. Deason is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings. He's second in the Pac-12 in strikeouts with 41, fifth in ERA and third in innings pitched. He's given up just seven earned runs on the season and has opposing batters hitting just .183 against him. Deason got the Opening Day start against Bryant and threw seven shutout innings. He walked five, but gave up just three hits and paced the Cats in a 4-0 win. The next week, against San Diego State, Deason went just 5 1/3 innings, but battled, giving up two runs and striking out six, which matched a career high. Against Minnesota, Deason again went seven innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run, while again striking out six. In his fourth start of the season, Deason went seven innings, allowing one earned run and striking out a career-high nine. After giving up a double in the first inning, Deason faced the minimum from innings two to seven. Against Washington State, Deason punched out 10, establishing a new career high. The junior has lefties hitting 14 for 77 against him, and batters are just 6 for 40 against him with two outs, showing he knows how to shut down an inning. With runners on, Deason is limiting hitters to a .217 average, seeing hitters go 10 for 46. He's allowed just seven extra-base hits in 39 innings.
Pac-12 leaders in Strikeouts
1. Luke Heimlich, Oregon State: 44
2. Cody Deason, Arizona: 41
3. Matt Mercer, Oregon: 39
Flynn the Day: Junior right-hander Michael Flynn earned the win in Sunday's series finale against Washington State to improve to 3-1 on the season. He has a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings, striking out 22 and giving up just 18 hits. It was a more than impressive bounce back from surrendering the first loss of his three-year career a week earlier at Washington. Flynn improved to 9-1 in his career after the win against Washington State. He's allowing hitters to hit just .194 against him this season and has made six appearances. Against the Cougars, Flynn went 6 1/3 innings, establishing a new career best and struck out eight, which also stood as a career-high. With two outs against him, hitters are just 4 for 26 against Flynn for a .150 batting average.
He's Been Juanderful: Spanning back to last season, senior right-handed pitcher Juan Aguilera has given up just one earned run over his last 24 innings pitched. This season, Aguilera is 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. He made his first career start Tuesday against New Mexico State and tossed six shutout innings, needing just 64 pitches to churn through one of the top offenses in the country. He then came back against Washington State and threw five scoreless innings in relief of starter Avery Weems. Aguilera has struck out 18 and opposing batters are hitting just .188 against him. Over his final four appearances last year, Aguilera didn't give up a run over 5 2/3 innings, giving up just one hit, three walks and four strikeouts. He earned the win in Arizona's win over Delaware in the NCAA Tournament. He's been especially tough against right-handed hitters this year, forcing them to go just 6 for 43. Batters are also just 1 for 26 against him with runners on base and 1 for 19 with two outs. A product of nearby Sierra Vista, Aguilera has had a long journey to this point, spending the first two years of his college career at Cochise College.
All Hail, Cesar: Cesar Salazar returns for his third consecutive season as Arizona's primary backstop. 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 five of 11 potential base stealers. He's also leading the team in batting with a .373 batting average. He's 25 for 67 and has reached base in all 21 games he's played in this season. He's been hit by a pitch eight times total this year. Salazar already has seven multi-hit games on the year, including two three-hit games, including last week against Arizona State where he went 3 for 4 with a run scored. Salazar had a season-high three RBI on Tuesday against New Mexico State with a bases loaded double.
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 has moved 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. He's already backing it up this season. Rivas is batting .315 this season with two home runs and 22 RBI. Rivas went 3 for 5 with four RBI against San Diego State and hit his second home run of the season. In four games last week against San Diego State and North Dakota State, the left-handed hitting first baseman went 9 for 18 with 10 RBI, seven runs scored and a home run. He drove in at least two runs in each of his four games and scored at least one run. He had back-to-back three-hit games to open the week against San Diego State and Game 1 versus North Dakota State. Rivas is 13 for 29 on the year with runners in scoring positon and he's 16 for 40 against left-handed pitching.
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 |
Pac-12 RBI Leaders
1. Andrew Vaughn, Cal: 33
2. Jonah Davis, Cal: 31
3. Trevor Larnach, Oregon State: 30
4. Spencer Torkelson, ASU: 24
4. Adley Rutschman, Oregon State: 24
6. Alfonso Rivas, Arizona: 22
The Cambino: Sophomore second baseman Cameron Cannon has had a strong start to his season. Cannon is hitting .356 through 23 games, having started every game at second this season. Cannon is second on the teams in runs scored with 22 and second in RBI with 21. He has an on-base percentage of .436. Cannon went 10 for 17 last week in four games against New Mexico State and Washington State. Cannon is tied for second with five doubles this season and also tied for second with two triples. He has 79 assists at second base, which leads the Pac-12 by 13. He's hitting .378 against right-handed hitters this year and .440 with runners on base. He's also 17 for 36 (.472) with runners in scoring position and has nine two-out RBI, which is second on the team to Alfonso Rivas.
The Snow Man: Thanks to his new No. 8, Cal Stevenson has adopted a new nickname this season, courtesy of his teammates: The Snow Man. The name seems to be agreeing with him. Stevenson is batting .329 on the young season, and leads the team in walks with 13 after leading the entire conference last year. Stevenson went 7 for 17 last week during Arizona's four-game homestand with six runs scored, three RBI and three triples. He's second in the Pac-12 with five triples on the season and tied for third in the nation with that mark.
Players Mentioned
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