Lots of wins, lots of fun for Arizona on extended road trip

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Arizona has traveled more than 14,000 miles and played 16 games in six stadiums since May 19.

The Wildcats say they’re anything but road weary. The way they started the College World Series, they looked energized.

“I think over the last month our team’s really grown closer together,” pitcher Nathan Bannister said after the Wildcats defeated Miami 5-1 Saturday. “We started in Eugene, Oregon, then went to Hawaii and Lafayette and so forth. That really just gave us a chance to lose any attachments to home or road and really just focus on the game of baseball and what we need to do day in, day out to perform.”

Arizona began its odyssey with losses in its first two games at Oregon. Since then the Wildcats have won 13 of 14 and are 22-14 in games play away from Tucson. They meet Oklahoma State in a Bracket 1 winners’ game against Oklahoma State on Monday night.

“It’s just getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. That’s common sense,” center fielder Jared Oliva said. “On the road four, five weeks in a row, it’s not easy at all. But we feel we’ve developed a good routine, and Coach has done a great job making sure we stick with it. By that time, it’s just a matter of focusing on baseball. Everything is done, all the drama set aside, and we’re just focused on the road playing the game and sticking to our thing.”

First-year coach Jay Johnson said it helped greatly that the trip to Oregon came after final exams.

“These guys take academics seriously, and they care about it, so that’s one stressor that’s been off their brain,” Johnson said. “They like to sleep like all 18- to 22-year-olds, and we stay in pretty nice hotels. They cook breakfast for you every morning. So in some ways I think that those two things have helped and have been an advantage.”

Miami coach Jim Morris said a team can rally around being on the road.

“Whoever gets hot. These guys are hot,” Morris said. “They’ve been on the road 20 days to get to this thing. They played in some tough situations, and to be able to get to where they’re at. And they’re really believing in themselves. They’re well coached, and they’re good players and they hit line drives. Boy, that’s what it takes.”

CWS A WINFIELD HIGHLIGHT

Dave Winfield played 22 years in the major leagues, won a world championship and is in the Hall of Fame. Yet he always harkens to his days with the Minnesota Gophers this time of year.

Winfield, who was in town as the ambassador for this year’s Capital One Cup all-sports award, said his feats in the CWS 43 years ago rank near the top of his career memories.

“Very few people get to show what they’re made of when the lights are bright and the competition highest,” he said. “That’s what I did here in Omaha, so it’ll always be part of my life.”

Winfield was MVP of the 1973 CWS for his pitching prowess. He struck out 14 in a 1-0 win over Oklahoma in Minnesota’s opener. In eight innings against Southern California, Winfield held the Trojans to one hit and struck out 15 before he tired and moved to left field. USC rallied from a 7-0 deficit to win 8-7 and eliminate the Gophers.

Winfield pointed out that there was no video of his performances in Omaha.

“If someone finds footage of me doing my thing,” he said, laughing, “it will go from legend and lore to the real thing.”

BEATING THE ODDS

TCU’s 5-3 victory over Texas Tech on Sunday marked only the second time in 85 CWS games that a team won when trailing after eight innings.

Vanderbilt was the first, overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat Cal State Fullerton 4-3 last year. TCU scored three runs in top of ninth to beat Texas Tech on Sunday.