(Overall: 33-23/Pac-10: 13-11, t-3rd)
THE SEASON: Arizona went 33-23 and returned to the postseason for the first
time in six seasons after tying for third in the realigned one-division
Pac-10 with a 13-11 mark. Right fielder Shelley Duncan broke the Pac-10
record for home runs by a freshman (20) and earned first-team freshman
All-American honors. Sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne was named All-Pac-10.
SEASON REVIEW: Picked to finish seventh in the Pac-10, Arizona used a solid
defense, consistent starting pitchers and a young, clutch-hitting offense
to surprise the league by tying for third. Overcoming a series of pitching
injuries that left the Cats with just nine healthy hurlers by the end of
the season, Arizona finished the year with its first above-.500 conference
mark and best league finish since 1993.
The Cats equaled their third-best start in school history by winning their
first 13 games, capped by taking the first two games of a series with No. 9
Texas A&M. Freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan homered twice in three of
Arizona's first 14 games. He would go on to post one of the best offensive
seasons by a freshman in Pac-10 history.
The Cats slumped toward the end of their pre-Pac-10 slate, but took three
of their first five league games. Arizona then dropped six consecutive
Pac-10 contests, including a sweep at the hands of eventual conference
champion Stanford in Tucson.
But the Cats bounced back with seven league wins in a row, including sweeps
of Oregon State and Washington State.
Arizona assured itself a postseason spot by taking two out three in the
season finale at Arizona State behind outstanding starts by Josh Pearce and
Michael Crawford.
The Cats, however, lost their first two games at the NCAA Regional in Waco,
Texas.
WILDCAT NOTES: This season marks Arizona's best conference finish, first
above-.500 league mark and first postseason appearance since 1993 ... The
Cats tied for the Pac-10 lead in saves and allowed fewer homers than any
other conference team ... Wildcat starting pitchers earned a decision in
UA's final 10 regular season games ... Arizona left a season-low two men on
base at Arizona State (5/16) ... The Cats ranked sixth in the nation in
fielding perentage (.969), tops in the Pac-10 and their best mark since
1978 ... Arizona went 16 consecutive games without committing more than one
error (4/10-5/28) ... In the first year of the single-division Pac-10,
Arizona went 7-2 against the three former members of the Northern Division
... Arizona's leadoff hitter scored in seven straight innings at GCU (4/13)
... Arizona tied a school record by having seven different pitchers record
saves this season ... The 2,518 fans at the Feb. 27 Arizona-ASU game marked
the largest regular-season home crowd for a Wildcat game since May 14,
1993, also against the Sun Devils ... The Cats' exhibition with the D-Backs
(3/3) was their first with a major league team since March 29, 1995 ...
Arizona is 132-5 (.964) dating back to 1993 in games it led after eight
innings and 226-9 (.962) going back to 1990 ... Twenty-eight of Arizona's
33 wins went to right-handed pitchers. In 1998, righties won just 10 games
... Arizona's 31 home games this year were its fewest since 1994 and its
second-fewest since 1973.
ALL-PAC-10 SHORTSTOP: Sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne was named to the
20-man All-Pac-10 squad, as selected by the league's coaches. DeRenne, who
earned honorable mention all-league accolades in 1998, led the Cats in
batting, at-bats, hits, walks and stolen bases.
Four Wildcats earned honorable mention all-conference honors this season:
freshman right-hander Ben Diggins; freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan;
junior center fielder Troy Gingrich; and senior second baseman Andy Juday.
Arizona State shortstop Willie Bloomquist was named the league's player of
the year, while Southern California junior southpaw Barry Zito took pitcher
of the year honors. Stanford skipper Mark Marquess earned his eighth coach
of the year award and his third in a row.
FRESHMAN SUCCESS: Shelley Duncan and Ben Diggins were honored for their
success in their first season as Wildcats. Both players were named
first-team freshman All-Americans by Baseball America, Duncan as an
outfielder, Diggins as the utility player on the club. Duncan also earned a
spot on Collegiate Baseball's first-team freshman squad. The second
publication also named Diggins an honorable mention freshman All-American.
TEAM USA '99: Three Arizona players earned spots on the 1999 USA Baseball
National Team. Only UCLA could match that total.
Sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne, freshman right-hander Ben Diggins and
freshman outfielder Shelley Duncan made the final cut to 22 players from
the 41 collegiate athletes originally invited to the tryouts for the
national team. DeRenne was the team's starting second baseman in 1998.
Former Arizona head coach Jerry Kindall and current associate head coach
Bill Kinneberg served as assistant coaches on the 1999 USA club.
1999 MLB DRAFT: Three Arizona juniors were chosen in Major League
Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, including right-hander Josh Pearce, who
was the 82nd overall selection:
Player Team Round Pick
Josh Pearce Cardinals 2nd* 82
Mike Meyer Giants 14th 438
Dennis Anderson Marlins 25th 746
In addition, five Wildcat signees were chosen:
Chris Duncan Cardinals 1st* 46 (signed)
Jerrod Fuell Tigers 10th 297 (signed)
Matt Abram Diamondbacks 10th 298
Kenny Riley Marlins 31st 926
Klent Corley Marlins 48th 1420
CRAWFORD RECOGNIZED: Junior right-hander Michael Crawford was honored for
his first career complete game by being named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the
Week on May 17.
Crawford set career highs in innings pitched and strike outs (9) in
shutting down the Arizona State attack in the Cats' season finale in Tempe
(5/16). With a potential postseason berth in the balance, Crawford held the
nation's highest-scoring offense to just two runs and only two extra base
hits while walking no one. He is the 21st Arizona pitcher to earn the award
since its inception in 1986.
PAC-10 SUCCESS: By winning 10 of its last 13 conference games, Arizona tied
for third in the Pac-10 in the first year of single-division play. This was
the Cats' best league finish since placing third in the Pac-10 South in
1993. Arizona's 13-11 mark was its first above-.500 league record in six
years as well. UA went 16-14 in '93.
BASEBALL AMERICA HONORS: Baseball America named its annual mid-season
All-America teams by class, and three Wildcats earned recognition.
Shortstop Keoni DeRenne was named to the first-team sophomore club, while
Shelley Duncan earned a spot on the first-team freshman group. Ben Diggins
was named to the second-team freshman squad as a pitcher.
BA also projected the NCAA Tournament field and had Arizona as the No. 3
seed in a regional at Lubbock, Texas, along with host Texas Tech, Minnesota
and Virginia Tech. The Cats did in fact end up playing the Golden Gophers
as the No. 3 seed, however at the Waco Regional.
COMEBACK CATS: Arizona's come-from-behind victory in the second game of a
doubleheader at Washington State (4/17) marked the largest deficit a
Wildcat team had ever overcome in a Pac-10 road game. Here are the biggest
league comebacks in Arizona history:
Deficit Opponent Date Score Inn. Final
10 vs. Stanford 4/18/91 0-10 2nd 21-11
8 vs. UCLA 4/6/91 6-14 9th 15-14
8 at WSU 4/17/99 2-10 5th 16-11
6 vs. ASU 3/22/91 2-8 6th 9-8
6 vs. ASU 3/13/94 0-6 4th 8-7
ROAD SUCCESS: Arizona's three wins at Washington State (4/17-18) marked
just the sixth time in 21 years of Pac-10 play (and the second time in the
'90s) that the Wildcats have swept a three-game conference road series:
Year Opponent Gm. 1 Gm. 2 Gm. 3
1979 Arizona State 12-1 9-6 6-4
1985 USC 5-2 7-3 11-1
1989 UCLA 11-1 6-3 10-4
1989 Arizona State 10-6 9-4 10-0
1997 California 8-7* 2-1 5-3
1999 Wash. State 6-3 16-11 13-9
*---15 innings.
PAC-10 STREAK: Arizona's seven-game Pac-10 winning streak from April 3-18
was its longest in 10 years and its third-best ever. In 1989, the Cats went
from 10-5 to 20-5 en route to the league title. Here are their best-ever
league win streaks:
Year Wins Opponents (Games)
1989 10 UCLA (3), Cal (3),
USC (3), at Stanford (1)
1985 8 at USC (3), Cal (3), UCLA (2)
1999 7 UW (1), OSU (3), at WSU (3)
1987 6 USC (3), UCLA (3)
SETTING THE TABLE: For the Cats' April 3 game vs. Washington, head coach
Jerry Stitt moved senior second baseman Andy Juday up to the second spot in
the lineup and dropped sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne to third. Arizona
reeled off nine straight wins following the changes, thanks largely to
those top three hitters.
In the nine games following the lineup shift, the trio of leadoff hitter
Troy Gingrich, Juday and DeRenne went 50-for-111 (.450) and scored 55 runs.
They also drew 20 walks and one hit by pitch, giving them an on-base
percentage of .538. The players batting behind the table setters benefitted
as well. Cleanup hitter Shelley Duncan drove in 19 runs over those nine
games, while No. 5 hitter Ernie Durazo collected 17 RBI.
The Cats averaged 11.7 runs per game during that stretch after having
scored 7.4 runs in its first 36 contests.
GLOVE WORK: Arizona led the Pac-10 and finished sixth in the nation in
fielding percentage with a .969 mark. Arizona committed just 10 errors over
a 16-game stretch late in the year during which they were not charged with
more than one error in any contest. Sophomore first baseman Ernie Durazo
went his last 32 consecutive games and 259 straight chances without
committing an error. His fielding percentage of .993 is the best for a
Wildcat first baseman since 1983.
DUNCAN VS. McGWIRE & SOSA: Freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan has
homered once every 10.55 at-bats this year, breaking George Arias'
school-record ratio of 11.09 set in 1993. By comparison, Chicago Cubs right
fielder Sammy Sosa went deep once every 9.74 at-bats last season when he
hit 66 home runs. St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire, who hit a
record 70 four-baggers in '98, set another MLB mark by homering every 7.27
at-bats. Here are the top single-season home run ratios in Arizona history:
Player Ratio
1. Shelley Duncan ('99) 10.55
2. George Arias ('93) 11.09
3. Gary Alexander ('87) 11.67
4. Dennis Haines ('74) 11.86
5. Wes Clements ('79) 12.43
NO FREE PASSES: Junior right-hander Michael Crawford broke Arizona's
single-season record for walks per nine innings ratio, with a 1.54 mark. He
faced 84 consecutive batters without issuing a bases on balls at one point,
a streak that came to an end vs. Oregon State (4/11). Crawford walked more
than two batters just once in his 13 starts, and nine times he walked no
more than one opponent. Here are the best single-season walks per nine
innings ratios in Arizona history:
Player Ratio
1. Michael Crawford ('99) 1.54
2. Gil Heredia ('86) 1.63
3. Gil Heredia ('87) 1.92
4. Mike Gray ('72) 1.96
5. Mike Gray ('71) 2.15
DUNCAN DOUBLES FROSH MARK: Right fielder Shelley Duncan didn't just break
Dave Shermet's school record for home runs by a freshman, he doubled it.
His two-run homer to right center at Southern California (3/21) broke
Shermet's 1985 mark, but Duncan went on to hit another 10 four-baggers. He
became the first UA freshman ever to homer twice in a game when he did so
in his collegiate debut vs. St. Mary's (1/22). Duncan is also the first
Wildcat freshman ever to lead the team in homers. He also set a conference
record for freshmen homers. In just one season, Duncan is more than halfway
to the Cats' career record for home runs of 36, set by Kenny Corley
(1995-98). Here's a look at the top Wildcat rookie home run hitters:
Player Home Runs
1. Shelley Duncan ('99) 20
2. Dave Shermet ('85) 10
3. Dave Lantrip ('88) 7
Damon Mashore ('89) 7
5. Keoni DeRenne ('98) 5
Ben Diggins ('99) 5
DUNCAN'S FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN: In addition to setting the Arizona freshman
record for home runs, right fielder Shelley Ducan also set Arizona freshman
records for RBI, extra-base hits, total bases and slugging percentage. He
broke the Pac-10 record for home runs by a freshman and came up just two
RBI shy of Xavier Nady's league mark of 70 for a first-year player. He is
also the first freshman to ever lead the Wildcats in either home runs or
runs batted in. Here's where Duncan finished on Arizona's top 10 lists for
freshmen:
Stat Leader Year Total Duncan
AB Mashore 1989 250 211 (8th)
Runs DeRenne 1998 68 47 (5th)
Hits DeRenne 1998 81 62 (t-9th)
2B Mashore 1989 15
DeRenne 1998 15 13 (t-4th)
HR Duncan 1999 20 20 (1st)
RBI Duncan 1999 68 68 (1st)
BB Snow 1987 46 32 (4th)
EBH Duncan 1999 33 33 (1st)
TB Duncan 1999 135 135 (1st)
SLG Duncan 1999 .640 .640 (1st)
DON'T FORGET HUFF: Left fielder Kenny Huff's oustanding freshman year has
been overshadowed by Shelley Duncan's offensive and Ben Diggins' pitching
success. But Huff put together one of Arizona's best freshman campaigns at
the plate as well. Huff's 14 doubles left him just one shy of Damon
Mashore's 1989 UA freshman record. He finished third among all Wildcat
freshmen in doubles and ranks among the school's first-year leaders in
extra-base hits (t-5th), home runs (t-8th), RBI (t-8th), at-bats (9th),
total bases (9th) and triples (t-10th) as well.
SCORING STREAK ENDS: California junior right-hander Jon Shirley brought to
an end Arizona's 176-game scoring streak when he three-hit the Cats in
Berkeley (4/30). Arizona had not been shut out since April 6, 1996, when
Scott Henderson and Jack Krawczyk of Southern California combined on a
four-hitter in Tucson.
The streak was the second-longest in Wildcat history. Here's a look at the
longest streaks of consecutive games without being shut out by Wildcat teams:
Games Beginning Ending
1. 231 1950 1955
2. 176 April 9, 1996 April 25, 1999
3. 157 May 8, 1983 March 12, 1986
4. 135 March 15, 1986 March 17, 1988
135 Feb. 7, 1991 March 16, 1993
Coastal Carolina holds the NCAA Division I record for consecutive games
without being shutout at 349, having gone from April 16, 1983-April 10, 1989.
DeRENNE HONORED BY PAC-10: Sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne was named the
Pac-10's Player of the Week for April 12 after batting .667 (10-for-15) in
leading the Cats to a 4-0 mark.
DeRenne scored seven runs and drove in seven as Arizona defeated Grand
Canyon and swept three from Oregon State at home. DeRenne also walked four
times and was hit by a pitch for a .750 on-base percentage on the week. He
became the 31st Wildcat, and the second this year, to earn the league's
player of the week honor. Freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan earned the
award on Feb. 16.
JONES HITS IN 16 STRAIGHT: Junior center fielder Rafell Jones hit in a
career-best and Arizona season-high 16 consecutive games from Feb. 10
through March 13.
Jones hit .433 (26-for-60) during the streak. His streak was tied for the
sixth-longest hitting streak by an Arizona batter this decade:
Player Games
1. Willie Morales ('92) 23
2. Diego Rico ('97) 21
3. Robbie Moen ('93) 19
4. Robbie Moen ('92) 17
Todd Landry ('93) 17
6. Billy Owens ('92) 16
Willie Morales ('93) 16
Greg Clark ('98) 16
Rafell Jones ('99) 16
HOT START: By winning their first 13 games this season, the Wildcats
equaled their third-best start in school history. Here's a list of the
Cats' top starts since 1950:
Year Start
1. 1956 25-0
2. 1998 16-0
3. 1974 13-0
1999 13-0
5. 1955 12-0
1957 12-0
7. 1958 10-0
8. 1987 9-0
9. 1969 8-0
QUICKEST TO 100: Sophomore shortstop Keoni DeRenne became the fastest
Arizona player ever to reach the 100-hit mark for his career with a fifth
inning single vs. New Mexico (2/5). DeRenne needed just 64 games and 269
at-bats to attain 100 hits. Chip Hale reached the 100 mark in 313 at-bats
in 1984-85. He posted his 100th safety in his 83rd career contest.
DUNCAN HOMERS TWICE, AGAIN: Freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan has made
a habit of homering twice in a game, doing so three times in his first 14
collegiate contests. Only two Arizona players, George Arias and Dennis
Haines, with four, have more multi-homer games in their careers than
Duncan. Arias, who posted four multi-homer games in 1993, is the only
player to have done so more often in a single season.
Duncan homered twice in his collegiate debut vs. St. Mary's (1/22). He
repeated the feat in home games against UNLV (2/10) and Texas A&M (2/14).
DUNCAN HONORED: Freshman right fielder Shelley Duncan was honored as the
Pac-10's first player of the week this season on Feb. 16. He also earned
national player of the week honors from Collegiate Baseball.
Duncan homered five times in five games as Arizona posted a 4-1 mark
against UNLV and No. 9 Texas A&M. For the week, Duncan batted .429
(9-for-21) while posting a 1.286 slugging percentage and a .478 on-base mark.
Eight of his nine hits went for extra bases, including three doubles and
five homers. He scored eight runs and drove in 11.
Duncan was the 30th Wildcat to be named the Pac-10's player of the week. He
was the first to earn the honor since Colin Porter did so on April 27 of
last season.
KNST-RADIO: KNST, AM-790, carried 31 Arizona regular season baseball games
as well as the Cats' postseason action. The station has served as the
Wildcats' flagship station for 19 years. Sports director Brian Jeffries,
Ryan Radke and Eric "El Gringo Loco" Thomae handled the play-by-play duties.
SHABANSKY OUT: Senior left-handed pitcher Rob Shabansky, Arizona's
opening-day starter, underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his left medial
collateral ligament from an injury suffered in the Cats' season-opener Jan.
22 against St. Mary's. The surgery took place Feb. 18. He red-shirted the
season and will be out a minimum of 10 months.
PITCHING INJURIES: A total of five Wildcat pitchers missed most of the year
with season-ending injuries. In addition to senior Rob Shabansky (left
elbow), juniors Scott Wood (left elbow) and Dave Abbott (right elbow) and
sophomores Kevin Huff (right shoulder) and Peter Fredericks (right
shoulder) were all out for the majority of the season. Huff and Fredericks
did not pitch this year, Shabansky appeared in one game and Abbott and Wood
threw in seven games each. Shabansky and Fredericks will red-shirt and
return as a senior and a junior, respectively, next year. Huff will come
back as a senior in 2000, while Abbott will likely try to do the same in
2001. Wood graduated this spring and will not return. The injuries left the
Cats with just nine healthy arms for most of the league's schedule.
FAST START FOR HURLERS: Arizona pitchers posted the sixth-longest
consecutive scoreless innings streak in school history from Jan. 23-29,
throwing 26.0 straight frames without allowing a run, including
back-to-back shutouts against St. Mary's and Hawaii-Hilo. Here's a list of
the longest shutout streaks in Wildcat history:
Innings Year
1. 31.1 1951
31.1 1962
3. 30.1 1958
4. 29.1 1973
29.1 1997
6. 26.0 1999
7. 25.0 1956
MARATHON CONTEST: Arizona's 16 inning, 6-4 win over Hawaii-Hilo (1/31) was
the second-longest game in Wildcat history. On March 29, 1973, the Cats
defeated Chapman, 3-2, in 19 innings in Anaheim, Calif., as John Roslund
threw 10.0 innings of two-hit shutout relief to earn the win, and Jim
Fillipelli set an Arizona record with nine at-bats.
UA's 4:37 win over the Vulcans was also the third-longest Wildcat contest
in terms of game time. The longest was a 4:54, 15-inning contest at
California (2/28/97).
NEW-LOOK CATS: Arizona returned just two starters from last season's 33-23
team, the fewest for a Wildcat club since the 1994 group brought back no
starters from the '93 club. Arizona's opening day starting nine combined
for just 255 games of Division I experience. Last year's opening day lineup
had a total of 763 games under its belt heading into 1998.
In addition to losing seven starters, the Cats also lost two of their
starting pitchers and their closer to the draft. In all, 10 members of the
1998 club were drafted, tied for the second-most in the country. Only
national champion USC (11) had more players chosen in the draft. Rob
Shabansky was the only one of the 10 Wildcats not to sign.
TEAM USA '98: Arizona shortstop Keoni DeRenne was the USA Baseball National
Team's starting second baseman last summer as it competed at the
International Baseball Association's XXXVIII World Championship in Italy.
Team USA finished ninth in the competition.
DeRenne hit .286-1-17 in 39 games and anchored a solid defensive unit by
committing just four errors.
DeRenne became the first UA freshman to lead the Cats in at-bats and/or
runs scored. He also set Wildcat freshman records for runs, hits, doubles
and RBI.
FRESHMEN RANKED 4TH: Collegiate Baseball named Arizona's 1998-99 recruiting
class the fourth-best in the nation. The Cats trailed only Georgia Tech,
Miami and Florida in the magazine's ratings. The class included several
freshmen who made an immediate impact for Arizona, including
pitcher/designated hitter Ben Diggins and outfielders Shelley Duncan and
Kenny Huff.
TOUGH SCHEDULE: Seven of Arizona's 1999 opponents were ranked in Baseball
America's preseason Top 25. In addition to Pac-10 opponents USC (No. 1),
Stanford (7), Arizona State (12), Washington (20) and California (23), the
Cats also took on Texas A&M (11) and Oklahoma State (21). An eighth
opponent, UCLA, was ranked 22nd in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN preseason Top
25. Additionally, a ninth team on the Cats' schedule, Tulane, was 25th in
Collegiate Baseball's preseason rankings. Twenty-nine of Arizona's 54 games
were against those nine teams. However, the young Cats team did have time
to gain some experience before they faced the toughest part of their
schedule: their first 11 opponents were unranked.
DIAMONDBACKS EXHIBITION: Arizona played its first exhibition game with a
major league team in four years when it fell to the Diamondbacks, 10-2, at
Tucson Electric Park (3/3). The Cats faced Randy Johnson for two innings
and kept the contest close for most of the way. The game was tied 1-1
heading into the bottom of the seventh before the Diamondbacks exploded for
five in the seventh and four in the eighth. Freshman left fielder Kenny
Huff homered off of Vladimir Nunez for one of the Cats' runs. Junior
right-hander Michael Crawford and sophomore righty Wesley Zlotoff
(pictured) each worked two scoreless innings for Arizona.
NEW ERA IN PAC-10: This season marked the beginning of a new era in the
Pac-10. The league has combined into one nine-team division after Portland
State, a member of the Northern Division, dropped its baseball program.
Oregon does not field a team.
When Arizona and Arizona State joined the Pac-10 for the 1979 season, the
league's Southern Division grew to six teams, commonly known as the
Six-Pac. In 20 years, the group accounted for 62 NCAA Regional appearances,
26 College World Series berths, 11 championship game appearances and six
national titles, including the Cats' 1980 and '86 titles. Arizona posted a
268-327 (.450) all-time mark in Six-Pac play. The Cats won the 1989 and '92
conference championships and tied California for the 1980 title.
The new conference setup has a round-robin schedule format, meaning each
school will play a total of 24 league games.
DRAFTED CATS: Eleven 1999 Arizona players had been chosen a total of 14
times in the Major League Baseball Draft prior to the '99 campaign. Dennis
Anderson, Josh Pearce and Rob Shabansky had been taken twice. Here's a
complete list of players drafted:
Player Year Club Round
Rob Shabansky 1995 Royals 68th
Tony Milo 1996 Mets 7th
Dennis Anderson 1996 Mets 26th
Josh Pearce 1996 Mets 40th
Mike Meyer 1996 Dodgers 69th
Kevin Huff 1996 Dodgers 71st
Peter Fredericks 1997 Astros 10th
Dennis Anderson 1997 Giants 36th
Josh France 1997 Padres 38th
Josh Pearce 1997 Angels 41st
Ben Diggins 1998 Cardinals 1st*
Rob Shabansky 1998 Red Sox 39th
Ernie Durazo 1998 Mariners 46th
Kenny Huff 1998 Blue Jays 47th
*---Sandwich Pick
SANCET FIELD: Frank Sancet Field is in its 33rd season as the home park of
Arizona baseball. The Cats have an 840-354-3 (.703) all-time mark at Sancet
Field. UA has had just three losing records at Sancet. Arizona was 20-11 at
home this year.
The spacious park is 360 feet down the foul lines, 380 to the power alleys
and 400 to center field. A 12-foot fence comes in to left and right center
before giving way to a six-foot fence across the center field area. New
chair-back seats have been installed this season behind home plate.
HEAD COACH JERRY STITT: Jerry Stitt finished his third season as head coach
of the Wildcats having put the program on track for a return to the
national elite.
After three straight last-place finishes in the Pac-10 South, Stitt has led
the Cats to three winning seasons and a return to postseason play thanks to
improved pitching and defense and, under his direct tutelage, the continued
success of Wildcat hitters.
Stitt has posted an 98-72 (.576) mark in his three seasons at the helm of
the Cats.
He follows J.F. "Pop" McKale, Frank Sancet and Jerry Kindall as the only
head coaches since 1922 and is only the 14th coach in the 93-year history
of Arizona baseball.
Stitt was an All-American at UA in 1968 as a senior and was drafted in the
32nd round by the Cleveland Indians. He played three years in the Tribe
organization before moving to coaching.He joined the Cats' coaching staff
in 1978 and had been its associate head coach since 1992.
EARLY SIGNEES: Top prospect Kenny Riley, first-team All-Arizona high school
infielder Matt Abram and All-Southern Arizona first baseman Chris Duncan
highlight a group of six athletes who signed letters of intent last fall to
play baseball at Arizona beginning in the 1999-2000 academic year.
"This is a small but really good recruiting class," Arizona head coach
Jerry Stitt said. "The quality is similar to the group two years ago that
included Keoni DeRenne and Erik Torres."
Three of the six are ranked in Baseball America's preseason list of the top
100 high school prospects. Riley is No. 32, Abram is No. 82 and Duncan is
No. 86.
"Matt's the best player in Phoenix, and Chris is the best player in
Tucson," Stitt said, "so basically we got the two best high school kids in
the state. Plus, Trevor Mote's the top junior college player in Arizona.
"Chris fills a role we've needed for a while as a good-fielding,
hard-hitting first baseman. We're looking at Matt as a third-base,
second-base type of player, while Trevor's a great athlete who can fit in
anywhere."
Abram, an infielder for Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, was named to
the USA Today and Arizona Republic All-Arizon
