2025 Season Thread

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:05 am

Great win. I used the link on the D-1 baseball scoreboard to watch. Mississippi St today at noon

mofo · Post by **mofo** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 7:43 am

azcat49 wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:05 am Great win. I used the link on the D-1 baseball scoreboard to watch. Mississippi St today at noon

Yeah, the "watch" link on the official AZ baseball schedule website worked great, though there was a little background white noise for some reason. Looks like we should be able to use it today and tomorrow as well.

https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/base ... edule/2025

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:02 pm

Terrific job by Hintz. Now that he's presumably burned for the weekend, it'll be interesting to see how the pitching holds up for the remaining two games, which was my biggest question mark going into the series. (I don't think anybody doubts that we can beat anybody in a single game.)

Meanwhile, my sidebar rant: While it may not have seemed horrific or blatant, it sure seemed like the home plate ump was shading things a little in the home team's favor on the late inning ball/strike calls. Additionally, we got a couple of runners on, and a clearly checked-swing on a pitch way outside the strike zone ended the threat. And then we had the textbook throw-out of their runner at third, with Meurant just waiting for him to slide into his glove for the tag-out. They had to review that for ten freaking minutes before they couldn't figure out a way to overturn the third base umpire's clear view of an obvious call.

So, we overcame a lot to get a great win. Hopefully things will be a little more straight-up the rest of the way when we're not playing A&M in a virtual home game.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:41 pm

2:05 start today. I had read 12:05 but it’s now 2:05. Should be Kramkowski who got shelled in his first start. Really like tomorrow’s guy. I think he will be a very high draft choice and hopefully he stays with us for the three years

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 1:48 pm

No way Hinz pitches again this weekend. He was excellent last night.

AZCatGirl · Post by **AZCatGirl** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 5:28 pm

Cardiac Cats in the 9th, but glad we found a way to win!

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 6:13 pm

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Mar 02, 2025 9:14 am

#3 Tennessee at 9:05 AZ time this morning. Come home for 4 games vs Pepperdine and then we play ASSU before we start conference play vs Cincinnati

Post by **UAdevil** » Sun Mar 02, 2025 9:56 am

Damn, gave up back to back homers. Shit.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Mar 02, 2025 11:26 am

Ran ourselves out of an inning in the bottom of the 6th. Sent Caulfield him on a hit to left and he was meat by 20feet. They then took that momentum and scored two in the top of the 7th so it’s 4-1 Vols.

Still a successful road trip, winning 3 of 4 and gearing #1 and #18. Home vs Pepperdine Thursday thru Sunday this week

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Sun Mar 02, 2025 12:33 pm

Despite the loss today, much happier with the pitching and competitiveness. Really like playing lots of tough teams in these early tournaments in covered major league stadia. It tends to tell you what you've really got, and when you win a few, builds confidence. After beating (pre-season) #1 Texas A&M in a virtual home game for them in a major league facility, then Mississippi St, I'm not sure where you could go that would ever particularly intimidate you.

AzCatFan2 · Post by **AzCatFan2** » Sun Mar 02, 2025 2:23 pm

We took 2 out of 3 against ranked teams in a neutral setting, and beat a traditional power Rice in their house. Very successful trip. Winning today would've been icing, but just not in the cards.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Thu Mar 06, 2025 4:13 pm

4 game set with Pepperdine starts tonight. Waves are off to a tough start at 3-10. We are throwing a new arm tonight and going with a bull pen game style from there. Regular rotation starting tomorrow night

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Mar 09, 2025 9:31 am

Cats have won the first three of a 4 game stand with former power Pepperdine. We won Thursday 7-2 game in a bullpen game and then the two aces hooked up for a really good 3-1 cats win. Yesterday Pepperdine showed their fall from power in the NIL era getting shelled 21-2.

Today we run out Bailey Smith who I really, really like so I think we sweep the 4 game stand. Next up would be an non con game vs ASSU before we start league play at home vs Cincinnati

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 4:04 pm

Since it's the only time we'll see ASU at Hi Corbett this year, guess I'll do a quick overview. Other than a couple of one-off wins over Austin Peay and UNLV, in three-game series, they swept Ohio St, and most recently Gonzaga, went 2-1 vs Oral Roberts, 1-1 at UCLA in their only road games to date, and 1-2 against Minnesota. Their stats look pretty good so far against that competition. They open Big XII play Friday at TCU, so they may not throw either of their two aces (and if so, probably sparingly), but anybody else is likely available in their one trip to Tucson for a rivalry game.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 6:04 pm

Game starting right now

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:05 pm

I don't know if anyone has heard this but fuck ASU.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:00 pm

What azgreg said.

84Cat · Post by **84Cat** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:44 pm

Nice win

3-2 Cats

Fuck ASU!

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:54 pm

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:56 pm

Fuck 'em to death. God almighty, do they ever have any class? And they have the nerve to make crap up to accuse us so maybe somebody believes it and they won't look so bad? It's way too late for that, guys...you have a massive body of work that's public knowledge. So Matt King gets thrown out dropping an F-bomb at the ump (great coaching) over a strikeout when he thought he might have checked his swing. Close play, but shit happens. And it was a close and reasonable call. So he gets tossed. And so does Bloomquist. Then when White makes a beautiful DP to end the game, the interim coach challenges it, just to be an a-hole and make the crowd wait. Crappy school with a crappy culture. Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be scum devils.

AZCatGirl · Post by **AZCatGirl** » Tue Mar 11, 2025 9:20 pm

It's not just a game against ASU in any sport unless someone gets thrown out. So glad we beat those fuckers.

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Wed Mar 12, 2025 12:20 pm

Players get tied-up in an at-bat all the time. Sometimes it's with two outs and two strikes and ends an inning. But that's not the time to either lean on an ump on a 50/50 call, or say the failed AB was all his fault if it goes against you. It's the time to protect the plate and foul off the pitch, which is certainly easier said than done. But if you don't (or can't), and the pitcher gets the better of you because you couldn't decide whether to commit a swing on an unexpected pitch or hold off and gamble on the ump's call, that's on the batter. If the first base ump says you went around too far, then you made the mistake of going around pretty damn far at such a crucial time. You can't walk the tightrope and demand every call. King must have been a riot to watch in Little League. And the replay showed it was a fabulous (and clean) game ending double play from White to Splaine. There was no "in the neighborhood" call at second. Both fielders' feet touched each bag before the baserunners reached. Considering we had a reasonably comfortable 2 to 3 run lead with just a few scattered hits through most of a 7-pitcher bullpen game, it's a little irritating that Hicks and Alberini gave up the 2 late runs to even make it competitive. Ah, well...once again screw them, and on to Big XII conference play.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Wed Mar 12, 2025 4:03 pm

I thought the last request for that replay was just bush league. Typical ASSU BS. Asking for a replay on both Second and First knowing full well they were good was just reaching for straws and giving a big FU to the AZ fans

Cincinnati is pretty good and they have been road warriors. Need to settle in and get two of three and continue to own the Juice Box.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Mar 15, 2025 5:53 am

Cats got their first Big XII conference win last night beating Cincinnati 8-3. Scored 8 in the 6th inning and got great pitching out of the pen. Caulfield hit a grand slam.

https://www.azdesertswarm.com/arizona-b ... field-2025

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Mar 15, 2025 5:34 pm

Days not over for wildcat sports. First pitch in game two in less than 30 minutes. ESPN + or just go to our 25 schedule and hit the watch link

mofo · Post by **mofo** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 1:26 pm

With today's sweep of Cincinnati, Cats now have an 8 game win streak and won 15 of their last 16, with their only loss in that against the #1 or #2 team in the country depending on the poll. They've outscored their competition 72-16 over their current 8 game win streak with 3 being the most runs given up in any of those games. Great job at the plate and on the mound!

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 2:11 pm

Run ruled them today. Next up is @West Virginia who beat us last year in our regional They are 15-1 but had their first two conference games postponed against Okie St.

I would think the contenders in the conference besides for us will be WVU, TCU, ASSU, Texas Tech and Okie State so it’s an important series.

I wasn’t sure we could replace our starting rotation from last year but I really like our three guys

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Sun Mar 16, 2025 5:22 pm

Thank you! Hard to keep up with the team now that I’ve disavowed Twitter.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Tue Mar 18, 2025 12:01 pm

We put our 12-0 home record on the line tonight when we face Kansas in a non conference game.

Kansas comes in at 17-3 and looks to be very good offensively. They put up 29 in a game vs Minnesota and averaged 10 runs a game vs Baylor in winning two of three.

I assume it will be a bull pen game and since we head to West Virginia who is ranked and 17-1, this looks like a tough week to keep things rolling

Siempre Verde · Post by **Siempre Verde** » Tue Mar 18, 2025 10:04 pm

Nice win! 9-0 home stand. Can’t wait to see them in person next week.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Wed Mar 19, 2025 7:51 am

5-0 win. Pitching has been outstanding since that first weekend and Summerhill is a definite first round draft choice.

The Chippers hire of these pitching guys has been a home run. We have to keep them long term

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Wed Mar 19, 2025 12:13 pm

azcat49 wrote: Wed Mar 19, 2025 7:51 am 5-0 win. Pitching has been outstanding since that first weekend and Summerhill is a definite first round draft choice.

The Chippers hire of these pitching guys has been a home run. We have to keep them long term

Chip Hale has also recruited well. He is getting guys who might not be the top players in the country, but he is developing them into better players. Hale knows how to teach these guys and they all buy into it. Look at Walton, his numbers were good at Samford, but as of today, his numbers as a Wildcat are better.

Chip gets ripped a lot, but he is a very good coach. Some don't like that he recruits players from Illinois and Arizona, but several of the best players on the team, including Summerhill and White, are from those states.

I know Chip needs to get to a Super Regional to get more people onboard, but I am happy right now where this program is at. It could be a lot worse. Look at asu, they thought Willie Bloomquist was a great hire, but they have yet to make the postseason under him. Many on their message board are now fed up with Willie and want him gone.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Wed Mar 19, 2025 3:26 pm

I agree Irish. I think the coaches evils have been A+. Yes he needs to get to a super but he is keeping us ultra competitive in conference and getting us to the playoffs.

That starting rotation is young and while a lot of the position players will be gone, I have confidence in his positional recruiting. I do worry about SS and catcher though

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Fri Mar 21, 2025 4:31 pm

Cats jump out to a 3-0 lead and have the bases loaded with 2 outs and our best hitter, Summerhill at the plate. Pitching change for WVU

Edit: Summerhill singled bring in 1 run. Bases still loaded for Walton

Edit Edit: Walton grounds out. 4-0 cats going to the B3

84Cat · Post by **84Cat** » Fri Mar 21, 2025 6:54 pm

84Cat · Post by **84Cat** » Fri Mar 21, 2025 8:14 pm

AZCatGirl · Post by **AZCatGirl** » Fri Mar 21, 2025 8:49 pm

This is the game that wouldn't end...

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Fri Mar 21, 2025 9:15 pm

84Cat · Post by **84Cat** » Fri Mar 21, 2025 9:16 pm

Cats win 6-4 in the 16th inning

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Mar 22, 2025 6:11 am

Huge win. Disappointed Pluto blew the save in the 9th but that’s his first run given up all year.

Win this series and we really would be showing out. Baseball America has recognized those series as the best of this weekend and they are reporting on it.

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Sun Mar 23, 2025 12:23 pm

And the Cats sweep! Gotta say, after all the crying about losing the P12 Network, I'd have to say we're better off with ESPN+. Yeah, you have to put up with the local homer announcers, but most of them aren't too bad. I've been able to see every football and men's and women's basketball game I wanted to, but the real advantage is with the spring sports. With Pac-12 Arizona, we'd miss a bunch of baseball games. A lot of the time, they'd either show ASU baseball, or an Arizona or ASU softball game instead. Or, they just wouldn't televise. If it was home, you could usually get the streamed version, but that was usually pretty limited coverage, and I wasn't going to mess around with my laptop to get it on a big screen. I had the full Monty with all of the regional P12 nets, but there were still plenty of road games that weren't available.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Sun Mar 23, 2025 12:27 pm

TheCatInTheHat wrote: Sun Mar 23, 2025 12:23 pm And the Cats sweep! Gotta say, after all the crying about losing the P12 Network, I'd have to say we're better off with ESPN+. Yeah, you have to put up with the local homer announcers, but most of them aren't too bad. I've been able to see every football and men's and women's basketball game I wanted to, but the real advantage is with the spring sports. With Pac-12 Arizona, we'd miss a bunch of baseball games. A lot of the time, they'd either show ASU baseball, or an Arizona or ASU softball game instead. Or, they just wouldn't televise. If it was home, you could usually get the streamed version, but that was usually pretty limited coverage, and I wasn't going to mess around with my laptop to get it on a big screen. I had the full Monty with all of the regional P12 nets, but there were still plenty of road games that weren't available.

West Virginia won Saturday 11 - 3

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sun Mar 23, 2025 12:40 pm

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Mar 23, 2025 1:01 pm

Got 6 in the 8th when we were down 4-3. Take away maybe 4 innings this year and this team has been as good as any team not named Tennessee

TheCatInTheHat · Post by **TheCatInTheHat** » Sun Mar 23, 2025 2:10 pm

UAEebs86 wrote: Sun Mar 23, 2025 12:27 pm West Virginia won Saturday 11 - 3

Yeah, I put in the score in T9 and typed in the stuff about ESPN+ and they had a very quick B9. Meant to say Cats Win, but I was rushing out the door. Wishful thinking.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 7:10 pm

Terrible news.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Mon Mar 24, 2025 7:47 pm

Summerhill out for 3-4 weeks. I assume he must have to a pitch to his hands but not sure

AZCatGirl · Post by **AZCatGirl** » Sun Mar 30, 2025 3:33 pm

Hope we finally found a good lineup with Summerhill out.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sun Mar 30, 2025 5:40 pm

Got beat 2 of 3 so not a great weekend. Hale got on them and said they have been in a funk that seems to coincide with Summerhill’s injury.

Rough week for our staff. Gave up at least 6 runs in 4 games through the week. GCU and ASSU up next. We better get good fast

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