OCR Text |
Show HARD WORK: THE ONLY WAY BY IAN SMITH / STAFF WRITER i.smith@chronicle.utah.edu PHOTO BY ERIN BURNS T he tide is starting to turn for Utah and the players can feel it. With Arizona coming to town on Friday afternoon, the Utes feel as if they are getting stronger with every game played. "I think this was the first weekend [against Cal] that we kind of put it together:' says freshman outfielder Max Schuman. "We had nine or 10 hits on Sunday. Everything is starting to click. I think in the past two weeks the strike-outs have been dramatically cut down. I think this week is really the week we break out." If Utah does in fact break out this week, that's bad news for the Wildcats, who sit just in front of the Utes in the Pac-12 standings. After a weekend on the road, Utah will be able to play at home in the confines of Smith's Ballpark. Despite having the home-field advantage, the team knows that wins are hardly guaranteed at home, made evident by its 1-4 mark in Salt Lake City thus far in the season. "It's nice to be home, but the main focus that we're trying to keep is working hard:' says senior infielder Cory Hunt. "The only way to get through the slump, we believe, is hard work. Hard work will pay off at the end, so that is the main goal we are trying to reach:' One thing that Utah is hoping the hard work will fix is its offensive struggles. Missed opportunities and bad at-bats have plagued the Utes' season thus far, but the players continue to work hard during practice to change the outcome of those close games. Though the results haven't shown yet, the players are confident that the hard work being put in is shaping their identity. While not vital, Hunt does believe that this series against Arizona can provide the spark to the season that Utah is missing. "It'll come when it comes': he says. "We're playing hard and as long as we continue to do that, it'll come. Things will start to go our way:' Hunt continued to say that the team might be overthinking on offense, in that guys are trying to do too much at the plate because of the recent slump. He claims it is important for the team to stay loose and relaxed during practice and games, not worrying so much about the results. Right now, the Utes may dwell in the cellar of the Pac-12, but head coach Bill Kinneberg is beaming with pride for the way the team has handled themselves throughout the campaign. "They've done a tremendous job all year of being resilient:' he says. "We work very hard on the mental game as far as working towards the next pitch. That goes into our training for the next game. I'm really proud of them for that.There is no quit[ing] and there is no pouting:' The first game is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. MDT on Friday. m 11 |