Seniors set for Six-Pac home finale

Leigh-Anne Brown Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior left fielder Jason Hendrix (12) gets ready to take a swing at a game earlier this season. The Wildcats will take on Stanford at home in this weekend's series.

"It (the series) means a great deal," UA senior left fielder Jason Hendricks said. "It's been a quick four years. It seems like just yesterday I stepped onto the field for the first time as a freshman."

Hendricks, along with first baseman Kenny Corley, right fielder Colin Porter, second baseman Erik Mattern, back-up catcher Jacob Mohler, infielder Teddy Gonzalez, starting pitcher Tyler Haddix and relief pitchers Daniel Tyrrell and Ryan Stoneberg will be heading off to play elsewhere at season's end.

The teams begin the series tonight at 7, followed by a Saturday night contest at the same time and Sunday's 1 p.m. finale.

UA head coach Jerry Stitt said the seniors will receive a special introduction before Sunday's game.

The seniors actually have one more home game, against Grand Canyon April 28, but this will be the last time they face an opponent from the Pacific 10 Conference's Southern Division at home.

Stanford (31-6-1 overall, 14-4 Six-Pac) is the top-ranked team in the country, coming into the game with eight of its nine starters hitting .300 or better.

"It would be easier to define their weaknesses," Stitt said. "They don't have any."

Both teams enter the game with one of the 12 semi-finalists for the Rotary Smith National Player of the Year Award.

For Stanford, it's tonight's starting pitcher, Jeff Austin (9-1, 1.80 ERA), who will be opposed by UA southpaw James Johnson (5-3, 4.81 ERA).

The Wildcats' nominee is Hendricks, who's hitting .386 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI.

"I'm pretty excited about it," Hendricks said of the nomination. "But right now I'm more concerned about how we finish."

Arizona is currently 28-18 overall and 8-13 in the Six-Pac, which puts the team in fifth place. Only two more series, road trips to Arizona State and California, remain after this weekend's games.

Stitt said the importance of this weekend's series is even greater than the fact it is the seniors' finale.

"It's important because we're running out of series. Every series in Six-Pac play counts," he said.

Saturday's game will pit UA left-hander Tony Milo (7-3, 5.98) against Stanford right-hander Chad Hutchinson (7-2, 4.85). Stitt said Haddix will likely start Sunday's game against Brent Hoard (2-2, 6.53).