Arizona had its 11-game win streak come to an end on Tuesday in a 1-run loss at Grand Canyon, but when it returns to action this weekend there are a couple streaks that can still be extended.
The 21st-ranked Wildcats (21-14, 10-5) have won seven consecutive Pac-12 games, helping it rise toward the top of the conference standings at the midway point. A win over Washington State on Friday night would tie for their longest league win streak since joining the Pac-10 in 1978.
The UA has also won seven in a row at Hi Corbett Field, where it is 12-4 this season and outscoring opponents 124-65.
Arizona enters the weekend a half-game behind No. 5 Oregon State (30-6, 10-4) and tied with No. 16 Oregon (26-10, 10-5) for second place. OSU visits Stanford and Oregon is at Cal, and a loss by each plus a UA sweep would put it in alone in first.
That all starters with redshirt sophomore left-hander Jackson Kent, Arizona’s Friday night starter, who has been stellar all season. Kent is 3-1 with a 2.60 ERA in nine starts, with the Wildcats going 5-4 in weekend openers.
A year ago they were 6-8 during the regular season in openers, including 3-7 in Pac-12 play.
Kent has gone at least five innings in every start, going seven or more three of the last five outings. He’s walked 18 in 55.1 innings, and opponents are hitting .212 against him.
“It’s just getting ahead of guys in counts,” he said. “I think it’s getting 0-2, 1-2 the whole time and then getting the groundouts early and just not getting behind in the counts the whole time. We have margins and we’re throwing where we succeed. For me it’s up in the zone and then getting the guys to chase the change-up away.”
Kent’s change-up has been what has enabled him to take off this season. He considers it “my best pitch in my arsenal” because of the ability to make it look just like his fastball.
“I love throwing it because I can throw it to anyone, any hitter, any count,” he said. “I just have 100 percent conviction with that changeup. It’s just getting good whiffs and good movement on it so the guys can swing and miss at it. I knew it was gonna be good for college. Everyone told me that you should master one of these down, it’s going to be a really good pitch for college hitters because they can’t hit it.”
The entire weekend rotation has been spot on. Righty Clark Candiotti had gone at least five in every start until lasting just 3.2 innings last week against Louisiana Tech, throwing a complete game March 29 against UCLA, and righty Cam Walty hasn’t allowed an earned run in 14 innings over his last two starts while striking out 16 and walking none.
As a result, Arizona’s bullpen has been able to stay fresh, so much so that most of its best arms were used Tuesday at Grand Canyon after none pitched more than once the previous weekend.
“It was almost like they had to pitch,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “That’s a good problem to have.”
Solving lefties
Washington State (18-17, 7-11) plans to start righties Friday and Saturday, which is good news for Arizona. The Wildcats are hitting just .247 against lefties, with some of their worst team performances this season coming against southpaw starters.
That includes Tuesday’s 5-4 loss at Grand Canyon, where lefty Ben Smith held them to a run on three hits over 4.2 innings and reliever Bryan Webb struck out two of three in the seventh. Arizona’s other eight hits came against righties, against whom it’s hitting .293.
“The lefties, the numbers that they bring to us when we face them are not out of this world,” Hale said. “Some of the guys we’re facing, even the relievers, we need to do a better job (against). We need to give them a better game plan.”
Ironically, two of Arizona’s three best hitters against lefties are left-handed batters. Brendan Summerhill, who leads the team with a .350 average, is hitting .341 against lefties but he says his approach against them is no different than against righties.
“I don’t think I’ve fully figured that out yet,” he said. “It’s the same approach. I just want to hit something hard, get my pitch, instead of swinging at their pitches. If I get the fastball, can’t miss it, and try to lay off the slider.”
WSU has used a lefty, Spencer Jones, as a starter, but he’s worked out of late. The Cougars have three other lefty relievers.
Latest NCAA projections
Arizona’s 11-game win streak allowed it to leap off the bubble and firmly into the projected NCAA tourney fields of both Baseball America and D1Baseball, and if it continues to win the possibility of hosting is there. As of Thursday the Wildcats are 31st in the RPI, 14 spots better than when they snuck into the field last season.
Baseball America as the UA heading to Chapel Hill, NC for a regional hosted by No. 7 overall seed North Carolina, with Kansas State and Army the other teams. D1Baseball has the Wildcats going to Lexington, Kent., for a regional hosted by No. 4 Kentucky with Illinois-Chicago and Bowling Green also in the field.