When the Big 12 Conference released a preseason poll for baseball in January, Arizona earned four of 14 first-place votes and landed in second overall. That prediction has so far held up, as the Wildcats are a game back of first after four weeks of league play.
The projected Big 12 champ, Oklahoma State, has not lived up to expectations.
The Cowboys (15-15, 4-6) come to Hi Corbett Field this weekend closer to the bottom of the standings than the top. And that’s after sweeping previously first-place Kansas State at home last weekend only to lose a midweek game to Oral Roberts.
Arizona (23-9, 8-4) is coming off a road series win at ASU, followed by a back-and-forth win over New Mexico State on Tuesday, and are 15-2 at home this season.
Here’s what to look for when the UA and OSU meet this weekend:
Another Kram session?
The series at ASU was clinched last weekend thanks to a career-best performance from sophomore righty Owen Kramkowski, who went 8.2 innings in Saturday’s 5-3 win. He had 15 ground ball outs but also allowed nine hits, including three straight with two out in the ninth that brought in two runs and caused him to come out for Tony Pluta.
“That’s the worst thing about that outing,” Kramkowski said. “That part eats at me, not getting out of that. Until I get my next complete game, that’s gonna kill me not getting that last, that 27th out there.”
Kramkowski has been Arizona’s most consistent starting pitcher, despite having the highest ERA (5.72) of the weekend trio. He’s struck out 40 against just six walks in 39.1 innings, the key being staying in the margins assigned by pitching coach Kevin Vance.
“It’s just where your pitches are going to work the best, try and place them in this spot,” Kramkowski explained. “It’s almost, it’s almost not putting too much emphasis on place it perfectly here and just put it in this region and play by the numbers. So just trusting that I don’t have to play super perfectly lets me kind of give me that leeway where I can trust my stuff more.”
Kramkowski’s performance might tempt some teams to move him to the Friday slot, where righty Colin McKinney has a 2.67 ERA and an opposing batting average of .220 but 21 walks and high pitch counts have kept him from getting through five innings in any of his last four starts.
Arizona has no plans to do that, though, UA coach Chip Hale said, though getting more lengthy from the Friday starter wouldn’t hurt.
“We haven’t had an issue with it because (with) Casey (Hintz), basically it’s a piggyback situation,” Hale said. “Those two, plus maybe one other guy, has taken care of Fridays, which has helped us a lot on Saturday and Sunday. But yeah, if we can get him to six, seven innings, and Casey maybe throws a inning or two and is available for Sunday, like West Virginia, that that could help us a lot.
Cain’s new corners
In making 27 starts as a freshman, Andrew Cain was either used as a DH or he played first base. This season saw him start in the same role, with an occasional stint at third base as a defensive replacement or after a pinch hitter, but he wasn’t the first option in any of those roles.
Injuries to outfielders Easton Breyfogle and Brendan Summerhill created some new opportunities for Cain, ones he volunteered for in order to get more involved. The result was him starting the final two games at ASU in left field, then playing right at home against New Mexico State.
“He basically told us he played center fielder in high school, which we obviously saw him in high school, so we knew he played everywhere,” Hale said. “And he really wanted to get the lineup, and we need to get his bat in there somewhere. I think probably he came to us first.”
Cain had some miscues at ASU, including losing a ball in the twilight on Sunday, but he’s made up for it with four hits including two home runs over the past three games.
With Breyfogle on tap to return to left—he DH’d on Tuesday but tested his leg injuries plenty with a triple and a score on a sacrifice fly—Cain could start in right this weekend and possibly hold that spot until Summerhill returns from a fractured right hand. In the meantime, the projected MLB 1st round pick has been serving as a mentor.
“He just helps talk to me and keep me comfortable out there, tell me what to do, what not to do, and things like that,” Cain said. “He’s been a big help.”
Beware the bunt
Oklahoma State is hitting .263 as a team, .226 in Big 12 play, and strikes out the most in the conference. But the Cowboys are near the top of the league in sacrifice bunts, with 19, and based on recent results laying one down against Arizona can be a recipe for success.
The UA’s bunt defense has struggled all season and it’s been particularly bad of late. New Mexico State twice put down sac bunts on Tuesday and reached both times, ASU got a couple on via the bunt last weekend and Grand Canyon bunted four times on April 1 and reached safely twice.
“When the team wants to give you an out, maybe they’re going to advance a runner so be it,” Hale said. “Let’s just take the out. I think a lot of times, especially young players, want to make the great play instead of just let’s get the easy out, and they score a run so be it, we’re gonna score more.”
Several instance of having communication issues lead to mistakes, with too many fielders are trying to get the bunt and no one covering a bag.
“There’s two or three guys always involved,” Hale said. “They’re always going to be aggressive to get to the ball.”
Mason White’s multi-chart climb
With two homers Tuesday, Mason White is tied for 4th in school history with 36 long ones. He is three behind former teammate Chase Davis (39) for third and should contend for 2nd (43, Brad Glenn) before the season is over. Catching all-time leader Shelley Duncan (55) would require returning for his senior year, which isn’t likely since White is expected to be drafted in July.
White is one extra-base hit shy of the school top 10 and should be able to crack the top five by season’s end. He’s also close to becoming the UA’s career leader in another category, albeit not a good one.
With 184 strikeouts, the junior is nine behind Bobby Dalbec’s total of 193 from 2014-16. He’s struck out 43 times in 150 plate appearances this season, a 28.7 percent rate.
“I just think he is better than that,” Hale said. “Obviously the power is impressive, but I do think he’s better and can cut down on strikeouts. I think that’s something that he’s gonna bear down on the rest of the year and battle and be better at. If he swings at strikes he’ll usually be successful.”