OMAHA, Neb. — In predicaments such as Arizona finds itself after losing the opening game of the College World Series here on Friday to Coastal Carolina, any glimmer of hope, or reason to believe a championship can still be won, fuels the flickering fire.
Here’s a couple of reasons for Chip Hale’s Wildcats: His mentor, the coach he endeared the most, Jerry Kindall, lost his first games of the 1976 and 1980 College World Series before making title runs each year.
“We’re going to have to win a bunch of games. To do that, we’ll have to fight and battle and scratch,” Hale said after Arizona’s 7-4 loss to Coastal Carolina.
The Wildcats (44-20) must now win four straight elimination games to reach the College World Series finals series that starts June 21.
Their first step in that process is against Louisville, which lost 4-3 to Oregon State on Friday night. The Cardinals (40-23) beat Arizona 13-1 in eight innings at Arlington, Texas, this season on Feb. 16.
Arizona won seven straight games after that loss.
Time for the Wildcats to again show their “foxhole mentality,” as Hale called it, after the loss to Coastal Carolina.
Kindall’s teams showed that in 1976 and 1980, especially, in the College World Series.
In 1986, when the Wildcats and Hale were champions, the Wildcats lost in Omaha to Miami but that was after they already clinched a spot in the championship game after a 3-0 start.
Here is a look at how Arizona fought, battled and scratched back in 1976 and 1980 for championships after an opening loss at Omaha and also a glance at their titles in 1986 and 2012:
1976
Arizona lost its first seven games against Arizona State in 1976, including a sweep at the hands of the Sun Devils at Wildcat Field to end the regular season and a 7-6 loss to Jim Brock’s team in the first game of the College World Series.
Arizona led 5-2 going into the ninth inning and lost 7-6 to the Sun Devils in front of what was then a College World Series-record crowd of 14,566. The Sun Devils had future major-leaguers Ken Landreaux, Bob Horner, Floyd Bannister, Chris Bando and Ken Phelps on their roster.
“We came here the hard way and we intend to stay here that way,” Kindall said.
Arizona, which featured the likes of Ron Hassey, Steve Powers and Dave Stegman, went through a 3-7 stretch in March that season. The Wildcats had an eight-game winning streak before being swept at Arizona State. They won 12 consecutive games before the Sun Devils spoiled the end of the regular season with the sweep in Tucson.
The Wildcats (56-17 that season) won their last five games in Omaha, including a 5-1 victory over Arizona State before beating Eastern Michigan and Bob Welch 7-1 in the championship game.
“We got the last laugh,” Hassey said about eliminating Arizona State. “That’s what counts. They are going home. We’re still playing.”
1980
Arizona lost 6-1 in the first round of the College World Series to St. John’s and its ace Frank Viola, who went on to pitch in the majors for 15 years and earned the 1988 American League Cy Young Award.
Arizona (45-21-1 in 1980) lost seven of nine games in the middle of that season and dropped two games at home against Arizona State before ending the regular season with a 22-4 win over the Sun Devils.
“Our whole season depends on every game,” infielder Clark Crist said after the loss to St. John’s. “Maybe this (loss) will help. That’s the way we’ve played all year. We’ve never done anything the easy way.”
“Maybe it’s an omen we lost,” designated hitter Scott Stanley said. “We’re used to doing it the hard way.”
The Wildcats, with standouts Terry Francona, Wes Clements, Craig Lefferts, Ed Vosberg and Casey Candaele among others, won nine of their last 10 games of that season, with the loss to St. John’s the only setback.
They ended the season winning their last five games in the College World Series, including a 5-3 victory over Hawaii in the championship game.
1986
The College World Series format was different in 1986 with Arizona able to clinch a spot in the championship after a 3-0 start. The Wildcats lost 4-2 against Miami in what amounted to the Hurricanes, who previously lost a game, staying alive to face Florida State in an elimination game.
Florida State beat Miami, setting up the Seminoles against the Wildcats and Hale in the championship game and Arizona won 10-2.
The Wildcats (49-19) showed their resolve in the Austin Regional that season, going 4-0, including a 9-3 win over Texas All-American pitcher Greg Swindell in the second game. Swindell outdueled Joe Magrane the year before in the College World Series.
Gary Alexander pitched a complete game for Arizona, tallying 168 pitches in temperatures in the 90s with high humidity.
“We brought the karma with us from Texas,” said outfielder Mike Senne, Arizona’s College World Series MVP in 1986. “Here we are, national champions.”
Arizona finished that season on a 12-1 run after going through a 6-6 stretch, losing two of three games at Arizona State, UCLA and Stanford in that stretch.
2012
Arizona won all 10 of its postseason games, and last 11 overall in 2012, including five straight in the College World Series, under Andy Lopez.
The Wildcats’ 48-17 season was solid other than two three-game losing streaks.
Arizona rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth to beat defending national champion South Carolina 4-1 in the title game.
“Our best players are our best human beings in the program,” Lopez said, “and that’s a real deadly combination when you suit up as a team.”
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