Jerry Kindall poses with his 1989 team at Sancet Stadium. Tucson Citizen photo

(NOTE: I talked to former Arizona Wildcats baseball coach Jerry Kindall on Saturday about a variety of subjects; more to come in other stories.)

The Arizona baseball team’s results this season speak for itself, and former coach Jerry Kindall — who was opposed but supportive of the team moving off campus to play its home games — isn’t reluctant to give credit.

When the athletic department was studying the move from Jerry Kindall Field At Frank Sancet Stadium to Hi Corbett Field, Kindall made it clear to athletic director Greg Byrne he thought it would be wiser to spend money to upgrade the on-campus facility.

“For those of us that wanted to stay, they heard us out,” Kindall said. “But they were determined to move — with good reason, by the way, and I recognize that.

“I began to see that it was going to happen, and I got on board and supported it, with some reservation. But it was the right move. I recognize that now. The fans turned out and it’s been a terrific experience. I don’t say that with any rancor.

“It has been a huge factor in our success.”

Arizona, buoyed by home attendance that rose from 1,103 per game last season to 2,628 this season, was able to play host to NCAA regional and super regional play in the postseason. The Cats hadn’t been home for the postseason in 20 years, and a nicer facility played a role in having a smoother path through the playoffs.

The Wildcats haven’t yet lost in the postseason, including a 3-0 mark at the College World Series in Omaha that landed them in the best-of-three championship series that begins Sunday at 5 p.m. Arizona will be taking on two-time defending national champion South Carolina.

Coach Andy Lopez has talked many times about the emotional lift of hearing “U of A” chants in the crowd, crediting a few key wins to the more vibrant atmosphere at Hi Corbett.

Some of those voices the team was hearing came from Kindall, 77, and his former longtime pitching coach at Arizona, Jim Wing.

“The fans got all fired up,” Kindall said of this season at Hi Corbett.

“They’re singing ‘Bear Down,’ and chanting ‘U of A.’ Jim Wing and I were right in the middle of it. It all worked out.”

Kindall said he has seen “quite a few games” this season, praising Lopez for the structure of his lineup and allowing “his horses” in the pitching rotation to lead the way.

“And I really like their defense,” Kindall said.

“Obviously, they can hit. But pitching and defense — that’s the foundation of a winning baseball team, and the foundation for a College World Series champion.”

Kindall led Arizona to national titles in 1976, 1980 and 1986 — which is the last of the Cats’ three championships. Kindall also won in 1956 as a player at Minnesota, which defeated Arizona in the title game.

When the Wildcats debuted this season at Hi Corbett Field, Kindall and Hank Rowe, the grandson of former coach Frank Sancet, threw out the first pitches.

Kindall delivered his to Wing, who was part of all three national titles.

“The longer I am away from coaching at Arizona, the more I appreciate him,” Kindall said of Wing. “He was the heart of soul of our team for 25 years. He was the cornerstone.”

Trevor Hoffman celebrates after his 600th save Tuesday night/Photo by Jeff Hanisch, US PRESSWIRE

As a minor-leaguer who couldn’t hit, former Arizona Wildcat shortstop Trevor Hoffman had nothing to lose when he started over as a pitcher. His first time on the mound in this experiment was the Arizona’s 1991 All-Pro Alumni Game.

He hit his first batter.

Things managed to get a lot, lot better in the next two decades.

Hoffman, a future Hall of Famer and one of the most accomplished athletes to ever pass through UA, extended his major league record with a milestone save Tuesday night. He worked a scoreless ninth inning in Milwaukee’s 4-2 victory over St. Louis for save No. 600.

And baseball cheered.

The on-line blog headline at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called it a “Classy ending for a classy guy.” Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com called Hoffman “one of the most respected men in the game.”

In a 2006 story for the Tucson Citizen, sports columnist Corky Simpson talked to former UA pitching coach Jim Wing about Hoffman and wrote:

So, how come a Hall of Fame big-league arm wasn’t used in college?

Easy. Hoffman was the best shortstop in the country — with, understandably, the best arm. His range at short was outstanding and his strength, at 6 feet, 200 pounds, was extraordinary. He was also an outstanding college hitter. His average in 1988 was .371.

The following year, the Wildcats had a right-handed pitcher by the name of Scott Erickson, who led the nation in victories with 18. But it was that cannon attached to the right side of Hoffman’s body that left mouths agape everywhere the Wildcats played.

J.T. Snow, the Wildcat first baseman at the time … respected Hoffman’s arm as much as anybody.

“J.T. used to come into the dugout and say, ‘Holy cow, he’s tearing my glove apart,’” Wing said. “You knew that somewhere down the line, with his arm, Trevor was going to be given a chance by somebody to pitch.”

That somebody was the Cincinnati Reds, who drafted Hoffman in the summer of 1989 and was nearly out of baseball two years later before the switch to pitcher.

The Reds, however, weren’t savvy enough to hold on to Hoffman. The Florida Marlins grabbed him the 1992 expansion draft before sending him to San Diego during the 1993 season.

Now, he’s 42 and it’s been a while since he had the 96-mph fastball he did when he converted to pitching. He is, perhaps, in the final month of his big-league career. It has been a tough season, but Hoffman, with his trademark change-up, battled back after losing his closer’s job early in the season.

Said Hoffman after Tuesday’s game: “If you love the game, it’s going to love you back.”