Postgame pizza is hard to resist.
But Ryan Holgate was determined to improve his body 鈥 and, correspondingly, his game 鈥 so he spurned those slices of sausage and pieces of pepperoni. His host family with the La Crosse Loggers of the Northwoods League graciously provided him with healthier alternatives, such as chicken and rice.
Combined with a workout regimen that included lifting in the morning and extra running before and after games, Holgate transformed his physique last summer. The 6-foot-2 蜜柚直播 Wildcats right fielder weighed 232 pounds as a freshman last season. He recently checked in at 203.
鈥淚 was kind of blown away, honestly, when he walked in the office after summer baseball,鈥 said UA coach Jay Johnson, whose team opens the 2020 season against Albany on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field. 鈥淭hat Northwoods League is a tough grind. They鈥檙e playing every day, and they鈥檙e on buses. Sometimes the nutritional component can be hard there. But he obviously has done a great job with that.鈥
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Holgate said he feels fitter, fresher, stronger and more mobile than a year ago 鈥 and that鈥檚 a scary thought for 蜜柚直播 opponents.
Holgate, a prized recruit from Davis, California, had a good freshman season, at least by normal standards. He hit seven home runs, drew 35 walks and had a .378 on-base percentage.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 2019 freshman class was anything but normal, however. Austin Wells was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Dayton Dooney hit 10 homers. Branden Boissiere hit .403 in Pac-12 play.
It was easy to overlook the fact that Holgate had more homers than Wells (five) and as many walks as top-of-the-order sparkplug Cameron Cannon, who was picked in the second round of the 鈥19 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox.
No Wildcat is more apt to blast a baseball onto the roof of the Terry Francona Hitting Center than the left-handed-hitting Holgate, who introduced himself to 蜜柚直播 by slugging three home runs in his first four games. But as Johnson noted, Holgate 鈥渞eally wants to be a complete baseball player.鈥 His .240 batting average and .891 fielding percentage were the lowest among UA regulars last season.
So Holgate went to work last summer. He lifted with 蜜柚直播 teammates Tony Bullard and Kyson Donahue every morning. Holgate stretched and sprinted before games. And he skipped the pizza after them.
鈥淚t was definitely a gradual process,鈥 Holgate said. 鈥淎t first it was kind of moving slow. Then I started to notice a little change. And then I was kind of like, 鈥極h, I think I could really do this.鈥
Ryan Holgate went from 232 pounds down to 203 after changing his diet for the better. UA opens its season Friday against Albany.
鈥淚 was starting to feel a little faster, a little more mobile. And it wasn鈥檛 like my strength was going down. Everything was going up. So I knew I was on the right track.鈥
Holgate led the Northwoods League with 13 home runs. He slashed .297/.392/.554 and drove in 53 runs in 222 at-bats.
Holgate continued to eat better upon returning to school. After living in the dorms as a freshman, he moved into a house with teammates Bullard, Donahue and Tyler Casagrande. It鈥檚 easier to control your diet when you have your own kitchen.
Holgate knows he can鈥檛 control the way pitchers approach him. They tend to be a little more careful, Johnson said, because any mistake can be launched over the fence. That led to Holgate鈥檚 walk total, which tied for third most on the team. It also led to moments of impatience and a team-high 55 strikeouts.
After that sizzling start, Holgate鈥檚 average steadily declined. He was hitting just .203 through April 26.
Holgate batted .327 (16 for 49) the rest of the way. He tried to approach every in-season challenge with a positive attitude, which is more difficult than it sounds.
鈥淓very baseball player will battle that. There鈥檚 always negative thoughts in your head,鈥 Holgate said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e just got to erase it and think of it in a way of, 鈥楬ow can I make this better? How can I make myself improve from here on out?鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of the beauty of the game. Failing is what鈥檚 going to make you better if you take it in the right way.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all a learning experience. That was probably one of the best years of baseball I鈥檝e had in my life, even though it wasn鈥檛 a super big success. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever learned so much or figured myself out more.鈥
Tactful transition
When Johnson told longtime assistant Dave Lawn that 蜜柚直播 had a chance to add highly regarded Nate Yeskie to the staff, Lawn was all for it 鈥 even though Yeskie would be displacing Lawn as pitching coach.
鈥淢y first question was, 鈥榃ell, can we get him?鈥 And he says, 鈥榊eah, I think we can,鈥 鈥 Lawn said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what my exact response was. I know I was thinking, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e a fool if you don鈥檛.鈥 鈥
Johnson hired Yeskie, who had been at Oregon State the previous 11 seasons. Johnson retained Lawn, installing him as 蜜柚直播鈥檚 defensive coordinator. He works daily with the Wildcats鈥 catchers and first basemen.
The arrangement could have been awkward, with Yeskie being hailed as a potential savior after 蜜柚直播鈥檚 pitching staff posted a 6.21 ERA last season. That hasn鈥檛 been the case. Yeskie and Lawn鈥檚 offices are next to each other at Hi Corbett. They share the same goal: Helping the Wildcats return to the College World Series.
鈥淔irst of all, it was handled professionally,鈥 Lawn said. 鈥淎nd it was completely transparent. It wasn鈥檛 like I got hit over the head with a hammer. I was as aware of what was going on as Jay was.
鈥淚鈥檇 known Nate for a long, long time. He was playing in high school when I was coaching college. He鈥檚 been totally respectful and professional about the way he鈥檚 dealt with me.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a part of me that wanted to be a part of fixing it directly. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is that the best staff鈥檚 put together, because all I really care about is winning.鈥
Lawn has worked with Johnson for the past six seasons 鈥 two at Nevada and four at 蜜柚直播. They guided the Wildcats to a CWS berth in 2016. Lawn previously advanced to Omaha as an assistant with Cal and USC.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 him, we might have made a complete change,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e won a lot of games together over six years 鈥 a lot. He鈥檚 had a big responsibility and a big stake in that. And that鈥檚 not lost on me.
鈥淣ot very many assistant coaches can say they鈥檝e been to Omaha three times with three different programs. So there鈥檚 tremendous value in that. There鈥檚 a trust factor between us that I value, and I know he can bring a lot to the table.鈥
