Arizona coach Andy Lopez had to make too many trips to the mound Tuesday night.
Photo by Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

They say it’s better to give than to receive but that’s certainly not the case when you’re on the pitcher’s mound.

Arizona State took advantage of gracious Arizona hurlers to beat the Wildcats by a score of 7-5 Tuesday night in a four-hour-plus baseball game at Hi Corbett Field.

The UA had leads of 3-0 after one inning and 5-4 after the fifth but it wasn’t enough on a Tucson night when the home team allowed eight bases on balls and hit five other batters.

The Sun Devils produced 10 hits, including Jake Peevyhouse’s solo home run in the third inning, but just three of ASU’s seven runs were driven in with a hit. The winning runs were scored via a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk against UA closer Mathew Troupe in the eighth.

Troupe threw just nine pitches and one strike before being pulled for Augey Bill. It was the second time in five appearances that the sophomore had to be removed from a game after losing contact with the strike zone. Tyger Talley closed out the Apr. 13 win at Washington State.

Arizona State bounced back from its come-from-ahead defeat two weeks ago to even the season series at a game apiece. This year’s bragging rights will be settled May 17-19 in a three-game Pac-12 series in Tempe.

Wildcat Universe hopes the UA pitchers won’t be so nice the next time around.

* * *

Here’s your weekly look at the Pac-12 in the polls:

BA = Baseball America
CB = Collegiate Baseball
NC = National Collegiate Baseball Writers
PG = Perfect Game
US = USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll

Oregon reclaimed its spot as the second-highest ranked Pac team after sweeping Stanford. Not surprisingly, the Cardinal took the biggest tumble, dropping out of two polls and barely hanging on in another.

This week’s series:

Washington (14-28 / 6-12) at #24.6 ARIZONA (28-15 / 9-9)

#25.0 Stanford (23-15 / 9-9) at #11.8 ASU (29-12 / 11-7)
TV: Friday, 7 p.m. Arizona/Pacific Time on ESPNU

Cal (20-23 / 9-12) at #5.6 OSU (34-8 / 14-4)
TV: Saturday, 2 p.m. on Pac-12 Network

#8.4 Oregon (33-10 / 16-5) at WSU (20-20 / 7-11)

Utah (16-23 / 5-16) at #10.8 UCLA (27-13 / 11-7)

TCU (20-23) at USC (16-26 / 8-13)

* * *

The midweek loss to ASU kept the Wildcats one day short of a perfect April at home. The UA’s last loss at Hi Corbett had been Mar. 17, the final game of the Oregon State series.

Now there are just two home series left, wrapped around two road trips. And those away games won’t be easy. Both UCLA and ASU are in the top 10 in a couple polls and looking to lock up regional hosting slots.

The Cats remain on the tournament bubble and need to post a big win total in these final six home games. Washington comes to town this weekend fresh off a series loss against Cal.

The Huskies’ season highlight can be boiled down to a single day. On Apr. 20 UW shockingly swept a double-header from Oregon State. Washington had lost five of six conference games before that and has lost three of four since.

With the final midweek game in the rearview mirror the UA pitchers can get settled into their weekend roles. Starters Konner Wade, James Farris and Tyler Crawford go as deep as they can and relievers Talley, Bill and Troupe close it out. Tyler Hale and Cody Moffett will be available to provide extra righty/lefty options if needed.

When the calendar turns to May the temperatures hit triple digits in Arizona. It gets even hotter in college baseball with tournament bids at stake.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is ready for the stretch fun. Follow along on Twitter and Facebook.

Brandon Dixon and (beardless) Mathew Troupe had reason to celebrate against ASU.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Sport

You’ve got to be able to score runs in midweek games and the Arizona Wildcats couldn’t get anything going in an ugly display against Arizona State.

That’s what I would have written if Tuesday’s contest ended after five innings.

Things turned around in a big way for the home team and the UA rallied to score eight runs in its final three at-bats to beat ASU by a score of 10-9. The late-night drama produced the Cats’ best 2013 win to date.

The Sun Devils got off to a fast start against UA starting pitcher Nick Cunningham, who was seeing his first action since Mar. 29. After five innings the Wildcats had only three hits off ASU starter Zak Miller and the Devils had a 7-2 lead. Arizona State tacked on another run in the top of the 6th to make the margin six, the Cats’ largest deficit of the night.

From there the Hi Corbett Heroes picked up six hits, five walks and cashed in on three ASU errors to score three in the 6th, three in the 7th and a pair in the 8th take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five season series.

This particular meeting was a non-conference game that doesn’t count in the Pac-12 standings but don’t tell that to the 5,396 fans in attendance, including a “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”-singing Dick Tomey.

It looked like a Little League game at times with guys running all over the basepaths as throws went into the bullpen or toward the dugout. In the 6th inning Arizona scored two runs on ASU second baseman James McDonald‘s two-out throwing error. In the 7th Scott Kingery came around from first on a single when Joe Maggi got caught in a rundown between first and second, signaling for Kingery to make a dash for home. In the 8th it was Brandon Dixon taking extra bases, stealing third and scoring when R.J. Ybarra’s throw went into left field.

Any win over your rival is sweet and snatching away one they thought they had won is delectable.

From a big-picture standpoint the most important thing is this was Arizona’s first win over a ranked team this year. Beating good teams is imperative as the Wildcats continue to try and enhance their bubblish tournament resume.

UA pitcher Mathew Troupe returned to the mound for the first time since being pulled last Saturday at Washington State without recording an out. The clean-cut closer, having just shaved off his trademark beard, had a clean appearance for the first time in a month to the day, Mar. 16 against Oregon State.

Razor’s edge = Rivalry edge? Just like Tuesday’s comeback, it might not make much sense, but it sure looked good.

* * *

The Cats are off to a great start this week in getting into more of these polls:

BA = Baseball America
CB = Collegiate Baseball
NC = National Collegiate Baseball Writers
PG = Perfect Game
US = USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll

Arizona inched up in one poll and reentered two others. Winning eight of nine (now nine of ten) will do that to you.

Now for this week’s conference series (plus one):

#24.6 ARIZONA 24-12 / 8-7) at #23.8 Stanford (20-11 / 7-5)
The games on both Friday and Sunday are slated to be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Game times are 7 p.m., 2 p.m. and 2 p.m.

#11.8 UCLA (23-10 / 7-5) at #8.2 Oregon (28-8 / 12-3)

USC (14-22 / 6-9) at Utah (15-17 / 4-11)

#5.2 OSU (28-6 / 10-2) at Washington (9-25 / 3-9)

WSU (18-16 / 5-7) at Cal (16-20 / 5-10)

Valparaiso (13-21) at #15.2 ASU (22-11 / 8-7)

* * *

Arizona ace Konner Wade showed signs of regaining his May 2012 form when he came within one out of a complete game against Cal but he took a step backwards against Washington State last week, allowing seven runs (five earned) in seven innings.

Now he squares off against a guy who’s on the shortest of short lists of best players in the college game. Stanford pitcher Mark Appel is the Andrew Luck of baseball in that he was a top-10 draft pick last year but he returned to school to dominate another season.

One more road trip before the UA can come home for a couple weeks. If the Wildcats can take care of business at Stanford they could put up a really big win number before leaving Tucson again. It will be a postseason-like atmosphere in Palo Alto as both teams are fighting to ensure a ticket to the tournament.

Nine wins in 10 games is exactly what Arizona needed. Now, after a big rally against ASU, the Cats look to keep their season rally going.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell says comebacks are bad for the heart but good for the soul. Philosophize on Twitter and Facebook.

Mathew Troupe has remained dogpile-worthy in 2013.
Photo by Rob Schumacher/The Republic

There are just three games left in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the Pac-12 won’t be playing in any of them.

Batter up.

This Week in the Pac-12 (TWit-Pac) now shifts full-time to baseball. Read on for a summary of the polls and the weekend’s schedule, including the Arizona Wildcats on TV.

Here are the Pac-12 teams in the five college baseball polls with each squad’s average ranking:

BA = Baseball America
CB = Collegiate Baseball
NC = National Collegiate Baseball Writers
PG = Perfect Game
US = USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll

Stanford lost its hold on the last two polls, leaving the Pac-12 with just four ranked teams for the first time this year.

Here are this week’s three-game series:

Cal (16-13 / 5-4) at ARIZONA (18-11 / 3-6)
Game times at Hi Corbett: 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday, with the finale broadcast live on ESPNU.

#6.8 OSU (22-4 / 5-1) at #10.6 UCLA (18-6 / 6-3)
The series of the week in the Pac-12. The Beavers slipped a bit in the polls after dropping a non-conference series last week but this showdown between top-10(ish) teams will factor heavily in the league race.

#8.4 Oregon (22-6 / 8-1) at #23.2 ASU (15-8 / 4-5)
Arizona State surprisingly lost its first two Pac-12 series but bounced back to take two of three from UCLA last week.

Stanford (14-9 / 3-3) at USC (11-16 / 4-5)
The Cardinal started the season 10-2 but hasn’t recovered from UNLV sweeping a series in Palo Alto. Stanford is just 4-7 over the last three weeks.

WSU (16-10 / 3-3) at Utah (12-13 / 2-7)
Washington State is off to a better-than-expected start including winning a series in Tempe. The Cougars lead the conference with a .323 team batting average.

Washington (6-19 / 2-7) at Pepperdine (15-11)
The Huskies have played weekend series against three ranked teams, LSU, UCLA and Oregon. All nine games were on the road and Washington didn’t win any of them.

* * *

Sweeping Utah was a positive step for Arizona but there is no time to let up. This will be the BatCats’ third home series over the first four weeks of the conference season and the UA needs a sweep to avoid a losing record in that stretch. After Cal the Cats play four of their next five Pac-12 series on the road.

The Bears swept Utah to open league play but lost two of three to both UCLA and USC the last couple weeks. Cal also dropped a non-conference game against Stanford on Monday leaving the Bears 3-6 since departing Salt Lake City.

Cal’s pitching rotation has been unsettled with only senior Justin Jones making more than four starts on the year. Freshman right-handed Ryan Mason became the Bears’ Friday night starter three weeks ago and he has a 4-0 record with a 2.37 ERA.

The UA’s strategy last week was take the lead into the 8th inning and hand the ball to closer Mathew Troupe. The sophomore is 6-for-6 in save opportunities and batters are hitting just .130 against him in 20 innings.

I’d say it’s a good strategy.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is all baseball, all the time. Except for spring football and basketball recruiting. And referee bounty scandals. Keep track on Twitter and Facebook.

Johnny Field and the Wildcats started a new journey over the weekend.
Photo by Matt Ryerson-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012 Arizona Wildcats baseball team will be forever linked with greatness. Pac-12 champions. National champions. The team that brought baseball back to life in Tucson.

The fans will still wear the t-shirts and hats but the ’12 BatCats don’t live here anymore.

The new season got underway this past weekend with the latest edition of Arizona Baseball looking to establish its own identity.

Last year’s team wasn’t deep but the few guys that played were really, really good. The 2012 squad had an attacking lineup, exceptional defense and strong starting pitching. It was a formula that added up to the program’s first championship in a quarter century.

The current mix of veterans and rookies is starting over and we’re going to have to wait and see where they end up.

“That’s probably the most challenging, the most exciting and the scariest part from a coaching standpoint,” UA coach Andy Lopez said Friday night. “I believe there’s some good talent out here. There are some guys that know how to play the game. (But) I just talked about it in the clubhouse. ‘What’s going to be our identity?’”

A three-game sweep of Coppin State by a combined score of 43-10 is a great start but the level of competition left a lot to be desired.

If this team is going to have success, pitching is going to have to lead the way. The staff is not young. Starters Konner Wade and James Farris combined to win 18 games last year. Closer Mathew Troupe had six wins, six saves and was at the bottom of the dogpile after the final game of the College World Series. That’s a trio of hurlers who aren’t going to be intimidated by anything.

The mass exodus was in the UA batting order. Even with Pac-12 batting champ Johnny Field returning Arizona lost 78% of last year’s home runs and 65% of 2012’s extra base hits. “No Doubles” won’t completely go away as long as the Wildcats play at spacious Hi Corbett Field but it’s not reasonable to expect a repeat of last year’s output at the plate.

The defense is also a mystery as only two guys are back playing the same position as last year, catcher Riley Moore and second baseman Trent Gilbert. Freshman shortstop Kevin Newman’s glove work is highly regarded but Alex Mejia was good for at least one Wow! play every game. Seth Mejias-Brean was an absolute rock at third base and he is being replaced by Brandon Dixon who played first base last year.

That brings us back to the pitching and if you can only find superiority in one area, on the mound is where you want it.

The blueprint for success starts with K-Wade (6.1 innings, one hit on Friday) becoming the Omaha Wade all season and taking his game to a (Kurt) Heyer level. Farris (8 innings, one run on Saturday) needs to be better as the Saturday guy than Wade was last year. Troupe (four strikeouts and the save on Sunday) needs to develop into a dominant closer.

As for the Sunday starter and middle relief, Lopez has some experienced arms to choose from. Neither junior Stephen Manthei nor senior Tyler Hale had a strong debut in the series finale against Coppin State but seniors Nick Cunningham and Augey Bill performed well out of the bullpen over the weekend. Lopez said he hopes that group can have a season like Bobby Brown last year where they put it all together at the end of their college careers.

But the pitching stars need to be Wade, Farris and Troupe. If Arizona can have a 1-2 punch of elite starters and hand the ball to a lights-out closer, the Cats can make up for deficiencies in other areas.

As usual the Wildcats will be getting their midweek games out of the way early so there is a ton of baseball to be played in the first month of the season. Arizona next hits the road to face Long Beach State on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It seems odd to place any sort of significance on the first midweek series of the season but when you look at the schedule these are a couple of key games. LBSU is by far the best program on the non-conference slate and these are the only two road games the UA will play until the second week of Pac-12 action. We’ll see if we can get an early glimpse at the direction this team is headed.

The Cats should put up a big win total against this light out-of-conference schedule. The interesting part will be looking beneath the final scores and seeing how this bunch of guys comes together. What will they do well? Where will they struggle? What will be their ceiling when Pac-12 play rolls around?

“Three weeks from now,” Lopez said, “we’re going to sit around and say, ‘That’s their identity.’ Hopefully it’s a good one.”

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is happy to be back at the ballpark. Settle in for the season on Twitter and Facebook.

James Farris is already looking forward to climbing next year’s mountain.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

The balloons and streamers have been put away. The national championship merchandise has flown off the shelves. The 2012 Arizona Wildcats baseball season is officially over.

Now what?

Bring on next year.

Of the 15 players who carried the bulk of the load this year only senior Bobby Brown is certain to be gone but the five drafted juniors will most likely sign pro contracts. They should sign. Unless they get an absolutely lowball bonus offer (or if they simply love the college experience) they should capitalize on their collective stock never being higher and chase their big-league dreams.

For the five pillars of the 2009 recruiting class, it is the end of a job well done.

For the other guys? If we put on our cap of reasonable assumptions we see Johnny Field playing center field and batting third. Joe Maggi will be a corner outfielder, Riley Moore will remain the catcher and both will be in the upper half of the order. Brandon Dixon will start as the everyday first baseman and Trent Gilbert will man second (I don’t see him having the glove skills to move over to short and he turns a really nice double play at 2B).

The rest of the lineup will have to be incoming freshmen or someone tucked away on the bench a la Brown. Either way you have to be curious about the run production and especially concerned about the defense on the left side of the infield.

Looking at the returning pitching staff, however, is when you raise your eyebrows, make a Robert De Niro face and slowly nod your head in admiration.

There wouldn’t have been nearly this much optimism at the end of the regular season because neither of Konner Wade’s first two seasons matched what Kurt Heyer did his first two years. But, as the entire baseball world witnessed, the light came on in June.

So K-Wade is your ace and James Farris moves up to the #2 starter role. This is another guy who could have seen his confidence waiver but, with a championship on the line, his teammates wanted him to have the ball.

“It was huge,” Farris said of support from players like Alex Mejia and Robert Refsnyder. “It gave me a lot of confidence going into that last game.”

The sophomore knows even more will be expected of him next year.

“I gotta get better,” he said. “I’m never going to plateau in this program. This program’s built to always go up the mountain and get better and better and better.”

Who will be the Sunday starter? The early leader might be Tyler Crawford who started two games in 2012 and turned in extended outings in middle relief.

It could also be Mathew Troupe, the winner of the series-clincher out of the bullpen. It’s easy to point to the freshman’s strong showing as a starter against Arizona State on May 16 as the game that turned things around for him.

Troupe says he’s ready for anything next year.

“I love the closer role,” he said. “I did a little bit of everything this year: long relief, closing and starting. Whatever the team needs next year, I’ll do it.”

The bullpen and midweek starts shouldn’t cause nearly as much anxiety next year with plenty of experience available. Tyler Hale and Stephen Manthei combined to win eight games this year and will be seniors next spring. Freshman Lucas Long will be back with three starts and a couple wins under his belt along with the new arms that come in ready to be the next Troupe or Crawford.

Moore expects the men on the mound to help the Arizona hitters.

“Our pitching’s going to keep us in every game which gives a relaxing feel to our offense,” he said. “If we just relax and be ourselves I think we’ll be just fine.”

The most stable aspect of 2013 is Andy Lopez will be back to run the program for his 12th year at Arizona – his 31st overall – and the coach will be approaching the new season like all the others.

Even after two full decades Lopez never stopped believing he’d win another championship.

“I don’t think coaches think that way,” he said. “I think we’re going to get a chance to win it every year.”

“I never thought we wouldn’t do it but I knew we had to get there and we had to get there with the right group,” Lopez continued. “And obviously this was the right group.”

What goals will the two-time College World Series champion set for the 2013 Wildcats?

“When we start practice next year I’ll talk about winning the national championship.”

* * *

Bonus quotes from Tuesday’s celebration at McKale Center:

James Farris

On preparing to start game two of the championship series:
“I’m turning everything off. No electronics. Except for Workaholics. I watched Workaholics that whole morning.”

Mathew Troupe

On the self-induced bases-loaded drama Monday night:
“In the ninth inning the nerves kind of kicked in (and I) gave everyone a little bit of a heart attack I’m sure. But Mejia and Riley Moore settled me down, Coach came out to talk to me and I had a little bit more poise on the last couple batters.”

On his goggles flying off after a pitch:
“That was actually the first time that happened. I was praying Riley didn’t throw me the ball. If he threw me the ball there was no chance I would’ve caught it. It would’ve gone into the outfield and the runners would’ve scored.”

Riley Moore

On catching 64 of 65 games:
“The legs get tired, the arm gets tired, the body gets tired but you fight through it. It got tiring up until postseason. The postseason’s like a rebirth. You’ve got that extra fire in you. You’re ready to go.”

On the freshmen’s role in the championship:
“I would hardly consider us freshmen right now. What we’ve been through with Lopes, the whole program, spending a year in that, it’s hard to be considered a freshman.

“Troupe and Gilbert showed a lot of poise, doing what they’re expected to do. It was real good to see that out of them. They’ve got a bright future coming.”

- – - – -

Scott Terrell has begun the countdown to next year. Join in the waiting on Twitter and Facebook.

The Ducks and Bruins hope to race back to the top of the standings.
Photo by Thomas Patterson/Statesman Journal

The three-way tie at the top of the Pac-12 baseball standings has been broken, at least for the time being.

The UCLA Bruins and Oregon Ducks look to close the gap on Arizona while holding off challenges from Stanford and Oregon State. The 1st-place Wildcats step out of conference and hope to find answers for their bullpen woes.

With another college baseball weekend upon us here is the updated RPI for all the teams Arizona plays this year and the UA’s record against them:

Oregon hurt itself the most among Pac-12 teams last week with the home series loss to a Washington State team outside the top 70. Don’t undervalue Arizona’s win at Washington as the Cats took two of three from a team that sits solidly in the RPI top 50.

On to the polls:

BAS = Baseball America
COL = Collegiate Baseball
NAT = National Collegiate Baseball Writers
PER = Perfect Game
USA = USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll

Stanford vaulted from fourth in the average rankings to first after sweeping Arizona State. How tough is this conference? Four different teams are ranked as the best Pac-12 team in at least one of the five polls. I like how Baseball America just grouped the foursome in succession. But if you’re going to do that, wouldn’t it make sense to order them, you know, according to the Pac-12 standings?

This Week in the Pac-12? TWIT-Pac is glad you asked:

#10.8 Stanford (26-10 / 8-7) at #11.0 UCLA (27-10 / 11-7)
If – and it’s a very large if – Stanford could somehow sweep UCLA the Cardinal would be just a game behind Arizona and back in this race. The ideal scenario for UA fans is Stanford wins exactly two out of three.

Cal 23-15 / 7-8) at #12.8 Oregon (27-13 / 11-7)
The Bears have won seven of eight, all at home, but now face six straight on the road. Is it too much to ask to have the Ducks lose a second straight home series to a team with a losing Pac-12 record? Wildcat Universe is asking anyway.

#24.4 ASU (24-16 / 9-9) at WSU (21-16 / 7-7)
Not only did the UA’s Sunday loss to Washington cost the Cats a game in the standings, it prevented the second Wildcats sweep, Sun Devils get swept weekend of the year. ASU is now 1-8 in Pac-12 road games.

OSU (27-12 / 8-7) at USC (20-16 / 5-9)
After an upset series win against UCLA the Beavers are in the same position as Stanford but with a smoother runway. If Oregon State can sweep struggling USC, OSU will be one game behind Arizona.

Washington (21-17 / 6-9) at Utah (11-28 / 5-13)
The Huskies have a chance to get to .500 in conference play which would be big for a team on the NCAA tournament bubble.

(By the way, everybody is projecting New Mexico State to be the 2-seed in Arizona’s regional, which makes sense geographically. If the Cats have been wanting another crack at the Aggies with their frontline pitching, things are lining up for them to get it.)

East Tennessee State (19-21) at #12.4 ARIZONA (26-13 / 12-6)
The Buccaneers are 9th in the 10-team Atlantic Sun Conference but they feature Matthew Scruggs, the nation’s co-leader with 16 home runs. That’s six more than the entire Arizona team.

* * *

If the Ducks or Bruins sweep this weekend they would move ahead of Arizona in the games-back column but the Wildcats are assured of having the fewest conference losses heading into next week. Every loss by UCLA, Oregon, Stanford, OSU and even WSU gives the UA a little more breathing room.

Based on RPI, anything less than a sweep this weekend will be a hit to the Wildcats’ resume. The real question is how Andy Lopez handles his bullpen. Will he ride his three starters as long as possible like a conference series or will he run other guys out there in hopes they relocate the strike zone and find some success?

Me? I tell Matt Troupe he’s pitching the 9th inning tonight. Then, no matter the situation, I put him on the mound and tell him to zero in on the hitter and get three outs. This series is the last chance to do any tinkering with the pitching roles. After this it’s 13 games in four weeks, all against Pac-12 teams.

Speaking of tinkering with roles, we learned something new during the Washington series. With fourth outfielder Bobby Brown DH-ing and fifth outfielder Joe Maggi playing first base, it turns out the UA’s sixth outfielder is left-handed pitcher Vincent Littleman. The junior has only made two appearances on the mound this month but with Joey Rickard’s injury in Seattle last week Littleman got into two games in left field.

Pitchers playing other positions isn’t rare in college baseball but Littleman hasn’t had a single at-bat in his three-year career. Just another example of how this really good team is an oddly constructed really good team.

The game times for ETSU are 6 p.m. today, 4 p.m. tomorrow and noon Sunday. Note the random 4 o’clock Saturday start so you don’t show up in the 6th inning and wonder where all the beer vendors went.

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Scott Terrell brings you Pac-12 baseball score updates on Twitter and all-around good times on Facebook .

Arizona is 99-57 when Joey Rickard plays and 0-1 when he doesn’t.
Photo by Andy Morales

The Arizona Wildcats baseball team traveled to Washington and won another Pac-12 series. The UA got some help from around the league and ended the weekend with sole possession of 1st place in the conference standings.

What could possibly be wrong with that?

A lingering weakness flared up on Sunday and left the weekend feeling incomplete.

First, the good news. With Arizona winning twice and both Oregon and UCLA losing twice the bottom line has improved from last week. Tied for 1st place has been replaced with Alone in 1st place. At the end of the day, that’s the only news that matters.

Pitchers Kurt Heyer and Konner Wade were tremendous in their respective starts on Friday and Saturday. If you wanted a return to the Stanford series this was it. Two complete games, two total earned runs, 12 strikeouts and just three walks.

Let’s not gloss over Heyer’s current run. In his last four starts (all Arizona wins) the junior has pitched 35 innings (three complete games), allowing just seven earned runs and five walks with 22 strikeouts. His season ERA is now below two and with ASU’s Brady Rodgers getting detonated by Stanford Heyer took a step forward in his bid for Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year.

The Wildcats as a team took a step backwards on Sunday. The difference between this series and the one against the Cardinal is the bullpen only had to get three outs against Stanford. The UA relievers were entrusted with five outs against the Huskies and it proved to be too many.

The Washington rally spoiled a fine outing from James Farris. The statistical data is very clear: Every time Farris retires 14 in a row the Wildcats sweep. When he only retires 13 in a row, they don’t.

Sunday also marked the first game Joey Rickard missed in his 157-game career. The junior outfield suffered leg injuries stealing second base in Saturday’s game and will be reevaluated in Tucson.

It was one of those series where the taste left in your mouth depended on when the loss occurred. If the Cats had lost a heartbreaker on Friday and then came back to take the series (a la the Washington State and Oregon State series) then you’re pumped up about the 2-1 weekend record. But with Heyer and Wade absolutely dominating, and with the bullpen being handed a two-run lead with one out in the 8th, the two wins on the weekend don’t feel like enough.

The news around the rest of the Pac-12 couldn’t have gone any better, however. The tri-leaders went their separate ways and only Arizona survived with a series win. If you would’ve been offered a chance before the weekend to have the Cats alone atop the standings by Sunday night you jump all over it.

Bruin and Duck fans can’t even say it was “only Washington.” This same Husky team took two from Oregon, and Arizona already has series victories against the two teams that just beat UCLA and Oregon.

But…man. How great would it have been to host Oregon in two weeks with at least a two game lead in the loss column?

Now you have a freshman closer who has faced five batters in his last two games and failed to retire any of them. Mathew Troupe has lost his command and maybe his confidence.

In that regard next week is the perfect time to go out of conference and host East Tennessee State. Yes, you have to get the wins because if you factor in the midweek games – and the rankings certainly do – the Wildcats have had three straight non-winning weeks (5-6 overall record since the Stanford series). Arizona is still competing with teams nationally for hosting slots so collecting victories is essential.

On top of that you want to get Rickard healthy, you want to keep the three starting pitchers sharp and – somehow, someway – you have to get some positive innings from Troupe and the bullpen.

No question it was a disappointing way to end the road trip. I doubt there were many happy guys on the flight back to Tucson. But there were a bunch of other plausible scenarios involving that three-way tie for the Pac-12 lead that would’ve been much worse for the Wildcats.

When weighing pros and cons it’s best to start and finish with the bottom line.

The Wildcats missed a golden opportunity to make it an exceptional weekend but the series in Seattle was certainly successful. After a trip to the shore of Lake Washington the BatCats have the ship back pointed in the right direction.

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Scott Terrell is adrift in a sea of college baseball information. Sail through the Pac-12 race on Twitter and Facebook.

Alex Mejia and the Wildcats welcome the Pac-12 to the Hi C.
Photo by Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic

The Arizona Wildcats’ basketball season ended just in time for the baseball conference season to begin. It’s not the timing any of us wanted but here we are.

I have good news for you if you haven’t been following college baseball up to this point. Pac-12 hardball is the opposite of Pac-12 hoops this year. The league is really good and the UA is contributing to that goodness.

Let’s get up to speed, shall we?

TWIT-Pac (This Week In The Pac-12) is going to simplify things this year and cut off all the polls at 25. If you’re not in the top 25 of a poll you get credit for a ranking of 26 for the sake of the average. If you’re not in any poll’s top 25 you’re not on this list.

BAS = Baseball America
COL = Collegiate Baseball
NAT = National Collegiate Baseball Writers
PER = Perfect Game
USA = USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll

(The coaches’ poll is giving ASU the USC football treatment this year because the Sun Devils are banned from the postseason.)

Look at all those Pac-12 teams. I told you this wasn’t basketball.

It’s not football either. The Pac is 12-3 against the SEC this year.

Here are this weekend’s series for the opening of conference play. All games are Friday through Sunday.

WSU (9-6) at #9.0 ARIZONA (14-3)
The Wildcats picked up a solid two-game split at top-10 Rice this week. Freshman closer Mathew Toupe has given up at least a run in each of his last three appearances but he has two wins and a save in that span. The UA is 7-0 when the hard-throwing righty takes the mound.

The Cougars have a pedestrian record thus far but recorded an impressive victory in a single game at top-15 Cal State Fullerton this week.

#15.6 ASU (11-5) at #13.8 UCLA (13-3)
UCLA, the defending conference champ, has adjusted nicely to the loss of two of the top three picks in last year’s Major League Baseball draft.

This will be the Devils’ first test against a ranked opponent.

#16.0 Oregon (12-3) at Washington (10-6)
The Ducks are one of the surprises in the Pac-12 as they finished 8th last year and were picked to finish 7th in the league this year.

Washington is the most adventurous of the Pac-12 teams, having already played 10 true road games.

#24.0 OSU (11-5) at #23.2 Cal (11-4)
Cal is going to have trouble topping last season’s drama of getting its program canceled, then saving its program, then storming all the way to the College World Series.

The Beavers will be hard pressed to top last year’s negative drama of losing their last five regular season games to lose the Pac-12 by one game.

Utah (4-11) at #25.0 USC (12-4)
For Utah it is the basketball season all over again. The Utes are rebuilding after finishing 2nd in the Mountain West last year.

USC is the other surprising team so far in 2012. The Trojans had a losing record last year and the coaches slotted them 8th in the Pac-12 preseason poll.

#2.2 Stanford (13-2) – idle
After taking care of the likes of Vanderbilt, Texas and Rice in the early going, the Cardinal is content taking a bye week.

Colorado – permanently idle
The Buffaloes do not have a baseball team. Booo.

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¡Paco-Once! The good news about an 11-team conference is you play an even number of series so you get five at home and five on the road. The bad news is somebody has to play a non-league series (or no games at all) every week.

I’m very pleased to see that the old Pac-10 teams all finish the season playing their chief rival. That wasn’t the case as recently as last year and it’s an excellent change. Utah has a message for Colorado: Booo.

Stanford is hands-down the team to beat this year but it won’t be an easy path with the depth of this conference. Whoever comes out on top of this stacked deck will have earned it.

The game times for the Arizona/WSU series are 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon on Sunday. New Mexico State then comes to Tucson for games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Play Ball!

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Scott Terrell will see you at Hi Corbett Field. Follow the BatCats all season long on Twitter and Facebook.

Mathew Troupe

The Arizona Wildcats baseball team (13-2) played five games over the past week and won them all. Three would qualify as easy victories but two were struggles.

It is in the struggles that the team may be finding the piece to fill its biggest hole.

The UA’s starting pitching remains strong even with Konner Wade turning in his first rough outing of the season on Saturday. The Wildcat bats are more than awake with a .343 team average. The top four hitters in the lineup are all producing an OPS above .900 and the bottom half of the order is starting to catch up.

“The bottom of the lineup is picking it up a little bit,” shortshop Alex Mejia said. “Guys are just feeling more comfortable as the games go on.”

Freshman second baseman Trent Gilbert said, “It was just a matter of time before we started putting it together. [The lineup has] good balance now and we want to keep it that way.”

The bullpen was the big question mark at the beginning of the season and, while the UA relievers aren’t dominating, new faces and young arms are getting experience that should pay dividends as the games get bigger.

Freshman Mathew Troupe gave up the go-ahead run on both Wednesday and Sunday but kept his composure and recorded big strikeouts to allow Arizona to rally. Getting innings in a blowout can’t compare to making pressure-packed pitches with the game on the line, and the ability to bounce back from adversity is something every reliever needs.

That said, the warm-up games are over. Nick Cunningham was ineffective in his first two appearances of the season and hasn’t pitched since. The first time Troupe faces a save situation in Pac-12 play he’ll have to deliver or the Cats’ hunt for a reliable closer will continue.

Next up is a week of firsts. Tuesday and Wednesday are the team’s first road games as well as the first matchup with a ranked opponent in top-10 Rice.

“It’s really exciting to play against a top ranked team any time,” Mejia said, “so we’re all looking forward to that.”

Two days after the Rice series Washington State comes to town to start the conference season and the competition this year will be fierce.

“I like the fact that we’re going into some really good competition,” UA coach Andy Lopez said. “The Pac-12 is good. Everybody’s good. And you know what? We’re not bad either.”

Starting Tuesday, the Cats will have plenty of opportunities to prove it.

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Scott Terrell is ready for some Pac-12 baseball. He will prove it on Twitter and Facebook.