Arizona closer Chris Barraza, a graduate of Sahuarita High School, has experienced highs, lows and everything in between as the Wildcats enter the NCAA Tournament.
Michael Lev FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — If this Arizona baseball season has been a rollercoaster, Chris Barraza is the guy sitting in the front with his arms thrust into the air and his mouth agape.That’s because Barraza is a late-inning, high-leverage reliever for the Wildcats. The job comes with a ton of pressure. Every mistake is magnified. And Barraza has made plenty this season.
“I've had my ups and downs,” said Barraza, a graduate of Sahuarita High School who began his college career at New Mexico State. “I was glad I was able to bounce back and not make the same mistakes in the tournament that I did in the season.” New role, responsibilitiesFor most of this season, Arizona mixed and matched in the late innings. Barraza offered a mid-90s fastball that was effective up in the zone; Trevor Long had a sinker/slider mix.
Physically, Barraza was where he wanted to be. But being a late-inning reliever required a mental adjustment that perhaps only game experience could cultivate. Then the first blowup happened. Barraza failed to record an out in the seventh inning against Oregon on April 1. He was charged with three runs. The Ducks, who trailed 10-0 through two innings, rallied for a 13-11 victory.
Barraza usually isn’t all that talkative after a game, especially if it’s a loss. But on this particular Sunday, he called his dad shortly after returning to the team hotel. They spoke for 30-45 minutes. “I told him that day: ‘You’re gonna fail. It’s baseball. You’re gonna fail more than you succeed. If you get down on yourself and start doubting yourself, you’re never going to accomplish anything.’ ”The Stanford game, two weeks later, was like a rollercoaster ride where the cars fly off the track. Arizona had an 18-11 lead through 7½ innings. Barraza needed one more strike to end it in the ninth. Instead, he allowed a tying three-run homer to Alberto Rios, the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
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