ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV

But after another series loss Saturday that dropped his team to 16-26 overall, 7-14 in the Big 12, UA coach Chip Hale acknowledged that he’s thinking about the future.

Every player is being evaluated.

“I told them this last night: We have to find out who is worthy of being a Wildcat,� Hale said after Arizona’s 8-4 defeat against BYU at Hi Corbett Field.

“We can't do this again next year. It's good to develop kids, and we're gonna have a really good freshman class next year, too. But they're gonna have to be ready to play. And we're gonna have to do a better job of getting them ready to play against good teams.

“We have to find out who's going to be the next group.�

The current group has been inconsistent and unable to sustain any positive momentum.

Arizona entered a six-game homestand having won five of seven, including a series win at TCU and a midweek victory at ASU. UA hosted Kansas State and BYU without having to worry about a midweek game in between.

The Wildcats ended up losing both series, two games to one. Every aspect faltered at one point or another. It wasn’t supposed to be like this in late April.

“We've had time enough to get used to all the injuries we've had, and the guys have gotten a chance to play,� Hale said. “I would have thought we'd be better.

“We played so beautifully on Thursday night, and with our No. 1 and No. 2 going Friday and Saturday, you think, ‘That's pretty cool.’ And they outplayed us.�

Arizona flipped its rotation around for the BYU series, which started a day earlier than most weekend sets. Left-hander Luc Fladda threw only 53 pitches in the finale against KSU and was able to start Thursday. He struck out 11 batters over 6â…” shutout innings in a 6-0 UA victory.

Owen Kramkowski, pitching on standard rest, followed with a solid outing — three runs in 5⅓ innings. But Arizona managed only four hits and committed a season-high four errors in a 5-1 defeat.

On Saturday, Smith Bailey couldn’t match his career outing from the week before — 15 strikeouts over six one-hit, no-run innings — and performed more like his previous five Big 12 starts. Bailey allowed three runs in the first inning and five overall in 4⅓ frames. He has yielded at least four runs in every conference start aside from the K-State outing.

“He did not have the stuff he had the other night vs. Kansas State,� Hale said. “And when he did make a mistake, they definitely were ready for it.�

Arizona played an error-free defensive game Saturday. However, at the plate, the Wildcats went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. On Friday, they were 0 for 12 with runners on base, 0 for 4 with RISP.

“It's just like pulling on a chain,� Hale said. “If one of those links gets screwed up, it's tough.

“We've got a lot of guys that need to tighten up their game to be successful. We're down the road here aways. All we can do is try to get better.�

For Mom

Senior shortstop Mathis Meurant had a special guest at Saturday’s game — his mother, Geraldine.

The Meurants are from France. Geraldine flew in from Paris.

“It’s actually the first game she’s seen me in the U.S.,� Meurant said. “I was looking at her the entire game and just thinking about her every time.�

Meurant had one of his best games as a Wildcat, going 2 for 3 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs.

“I thought Mathis Meurant played beautifully today,� Hale said. “Had a lot of good at-bats. That's great to see.�

Meurant’s double preceded Caleb Danzeisen’s two-run homer in the fifth inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Meurant delivered a two-out, two-strike single to score another run. In the eighth, he drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Meurant came through in clutch situations that bedeviled most of his teammates.

“Just simplify the game,� Meurant said. “I feel like we put too much pressure on ourselves. We have an approach. Toby (DeMello, Arizona’s hitting instructor) got a good approach for us. We just got to apply it.�

After a midseason slump that saw his playing time reduced and his batting average drop to .095, Meurant has made himself a tougher out. He has raised his average to .187, hitting .281 (9 for 32) over his past nine games.

“It’s not my best season ever,� said Meurant, who’s in his second and likely final year as a Wildcat after playing two seasons at Cochise College. “I’ve been treating every game like it’s my last game that I play baseball. Just say ‘one more’ every time — one more groundball, one more AB — and see where I go.�

Meurant plans to continue playing baseball, whether that’s in the U.S. or overseas. His father, David, represented France in multiple international competitions and played in Japan.

“I want to play as long as I can,� Meurant said. “I love this game.�

Inside pitch

– One of the challenges international students face is obtaining a U.S. driver’s license. Meurant doesn’t have his yet. He gets rides to Hi Corbett Field from teammates such as Kramkowski and infielder Ethan Guerra.

– The winning pitcher Saturday was right-hander Nate Gray, who at one point was committed to Arizona. Gray is from Queen Creek and played at Pima Community College. He’s 7-5 with a 5.80 ERA.

– With a 1-2 count and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday, Beau Sylvester lined a single to right-center to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. The transfer from Oklahoma State has raised his batting average to .322 while handling most of the catching duties. He also told reporters that he obtained a redshirt for the 2024 season, in which he appeared in only five games, and will have one more year of eligibility.

– The game ended on the next at-bat when Maddox Mihalakis hit a hard groundball that struck Sylvester. Mihalakis was awarded a hit, his third of the game. He last had three hits on March 7 vs. Fresno State.

– Roman Meyers started at catcher Saturday and was involved in an unusual play. Meyers was at third base with one out in the bottom of the third when Danzeisen hit a one-hop line drive to BYU second baseman Luke Anderson. Despite playing back, Anderson threw home. Meyers was tagged out in a rundown.

“Roman is extremely slow,� Hale said. “That's, unfortunately, a fact of life. And this guy recognized it. He got a one-hop bullet. Roman can only go as fast as he runs. ... It was just a heads-up play.�

– Arizona likely will start freshman right-hander Jack Lafflam at Grand Canyon on Tuesday night. Lafflam hasn’t pitched since March 31 while recovering from an injury. Hale said Fladda could pitch an inning or two, as well, and that “everybody pretty much will be available.�