Sean Kenny entered into a tricky situation when he became Arizonas pitching coach in late December.
He was basically, as a reporter suggested this week, a substitute teacher. Kenny was the new guy in a room full of skeptics.
He initially didnt want to change much. The Wildcats had a deep and talented pitching staff, and those pitchers had been trained well by Kennys predecessors, Kevin Vance and John DeRouin.
But at some point, Kenny realized, he needed to assert himself. The hard part was figuring out exactly when.
Theres no playbook for this situation, Kenny said. You have to build trust. You just do. That doesn't happen overnight. I feel like we're in a good place with that stuff now.
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New pitching coach Sean Kenny, right, works with Owen Kramkowski in the Hi Corbett Field bullpen as Arizona players start their afternoon workout, Feb. 3, 2026, in 做厙勛圖.
When I feel strongly about something, I tell them. But I also want them to give me feedback, because they're a good group that way.
Kenny said he waited probably longer than I should have to be more vocal. He also wishes that the learning curve regarding pitchers roles had been shorter which it undoubtedly would have been had Kenny not arrived so late.
Owen Kramkowski, who will start the middle game of Arizonas Thursday-Saturday home series against BYU, doesnt place any blame on Kenny. Hes done the best he could under the circumstances.
I think it just took time, Kramkowski said. Obviously, with it happening (at) such an awkward time, everyone was just in a weird headspace about it.
But once he got here ... it's literally just taking time to understand his pitch-calling and him getting to know us, as well, because that's not an easy thing to do. You can't just understand 19 guys mechanics the day you step in here. So there's definitely a learning curve on both sides.
Arizona pitcher Owen Kramkowski deals to Fresno State in the bottom of the first inning, March 6, 2026, at Hi Corbett Field.
The results have been better of late with one notable exception.
The bullpen allowed 11 runs in the seventh and eighth innings against Kansas State this past Saturday, spoiling Smith Baileys one-hit, 15-strikeout start.
Those same three relievers Patrick Morris, Corey Kling and Benton Hickman combined to allow just one run in 6 innings earlier in the week in a win at Arizona State.
How do you explain that disparity?
That baseball is the best and the worst sport ever, Kenny said. I was frustrated, just like they were, because I've never seen anything like that before.
What we landed on is, we're not going to make a big deal about this. ... We're going to chalk it up to a bad outing.
We gotta make sure that it wasn't a preparation issue. If you can look yourself in the mirror and say that it wasn't, then we're going to go right back to work and not worry about it.
Kramkowski has experienced the best and the worst. In his first outing of 2025, he couldnt get out of the first inning. He eventually developed into a front-of-the-rotation starter.
Kramkowski started slowly this year, registering an 8.49 ERA through three appearances. He since has lowered it by nearly four runs.
Baseball is going to be pain some days, and some days you're going to love it, Kramkowski said. So just understanding that you can't really ride the roller coaster. Just stay level-headed.
Arizona's TJ Adams gets doused with water in the Wildcats' dugout after hitting a home run against Kansas State on April 19, 2026, at Hi Corbett Field.
Even if you do,Kramkowski conceded, youll get baseballed sometimes. Thats just the nature of the sport.
Adams perseveres
Veteran outfielder TJ Adams hit his second career home run during Arizonas 11-7 victory over Kansas State on Sunday. He remembered where and when he hit the first one at ASU in 2024 and what happened the next game.
While chasing a flyball at Utah, Adams smacked into the wall. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury and hasnt been the same hitter since.
Adams was batting .357 with six extra-base hits in 42 at-bats at the time of the injury. Since then, hes hit .151 with seven extra-base hits in 86 at-bats.
I try not to use that as an excuse, Adams said. It'll get me nowhere just saying that I broke my shoulder and that caused me to do this and that.
But it definitely took a toll on me, physically and mentally. I had to make some adjustments with how my body works now in the box. ... It was pretty taxing.
Adams has found ways to contribute as the Wildcats fourth outfielder, whether thats hyping up the team, serving as a defensive replacement late in games or making spot starts. In addition to homering vs. KSU, Adams successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt.
Whatever Im asked to do, Adams said. As long as Im helping the team win.
Inside pitch
Freshman right-hander Jack Lafflam, whos been battling an arm issue, was expected to throw a simulated game Wednesday. If that goes well, hes penciled in to start next Tuesdays game at Grand Canyon. Lafflam is trending in the right direction, Kenny said. And we need to get him in games because he adds a stuff element to our staff.
Arizona starter Smith Bailey throws against Kansas State in the second inning, April 18, 2026, at Hi Corbett Field. Bailey struck out 15 in six innings, including three innings where he struck out the side. He left with a 1-0 lead, but UA ended up losing 11-1.
Kenny relinquished pitch-calling duties to Bailey and catcher Roman Meyers during Baileys stellar outing last weekend. Really the idea was to just take one more variable off of his plate and just get him into compete mode a little bit, because that's where he's unbelievable, Kenny said. He is a crazy competitor. It's what makes him great. I think him worrying less about what he should do and just executing really freed him up. I'm glad it worked.
Kenny worked with closer Garrett Hicks in Arizonas pitching lab after a rough outing on March 22 vs. Texas Tech. Since then, Hicks has allowed one run in 14 innings while registering five saves. He was just getting stuck, Kenny said. He wasn't moving efficiently. It was early in his delivery, so now he's in catch-up mode, and it just kind of screwed his timing up. ... He just took a couple nuggets from the lab and applied it. His strength is being a supreme competitor. There were some movement deficiencies, he (addressed) them quickly and boy, he's been good.
Kenny believes Arizona has enough pitching depth to win multiple games in a row in the Big 12 Tournament. We just gotta get there, he said. Because I do feel like we are built to make a run. I really, really, truly do.
Arizona (15-24, 6-12) is tied for 12th place in the Big 12. Twelve of the 14 teams that play baseball make the conference tournament, which is slated for May 19-23 at Surprise Stadium. BYU (20-19, 9-9) is tied with three teams for sixth place.
BYU had a six-game winning streak after beating ASU 19-9 last Thursday. The Cougars have lost three in a row since, allowing 34 runs. They rank 12th in the Big 12 with a 6.52 ERA. BYU pitchers have issued a league-high 209 walks.
Arizona ranks last in the Big 12 in batting average (.256), on-base percentage (.346), slugging percentage (.395) and runs scored (206).
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @michaeljlev. On Bluesky: @michaeljlev.bsky.social
Michael Lev
Sports Reporter/Columnist
Despite win, Arizona baseballs path to the postseason remains rocky | Michael Lev
