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<\/p>\nMichael Lev
\n\u00a0|\u00a0 Arizona Daily Star<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here’s what you need to know about the University of Arizona<\/p>\n
UA was established in 1885, and its main campus is in Tucson. The Wildcats once had a live bobcat named Rufus as a mascot.<\/p>\n
The Republic<\/p>\n
The Arizona baseball team needed a spark.<\/p>\n
The Wildcats had lost five of six games. They\u2019d gone from being potential NCAA Tournament hosts to encroaching on the tourney bubble.<\/p>\n
Third-year outfielder TJ Adams was talking about the team\u2019s plight with his father, Mike. Mike Adams was TJ\u2019s coach on a travel-ball team called the Arizona Rebels.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember what we used to do with the Hot Wheels?\u201d Mike asked his son.<\/p>\n
Before every game, Mike would reveal a toy car that would go to the player of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could have been the stupidest little car you\u2019ve ever seen, or it could be this really cool Hot Wheel,\u201d TJ Adams said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t matter what he pulled out. It was just a way for us to rally around something … and inject the fun back into things.\u201d<\/p>\n
TJ initially poo-poohed his father\u2019s suggestion. But before the middle game of a three-game series at Houston, fate intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting my electrolytes at this CVS, getting some water for the game,\u201d Adams said. \u201cI\u2019m about to check out, and there\u2019s these Hot Wheels. I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, man. This is a sign.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I grab a little Lamborghini. I\u2019m like, \u2018All right, if this works, we\u2019re going to Omaha.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
During the pregame huddle, with the players gathered in a circle around him, Adams unveiled the Lamborghini. His UA teammates reacted just like his travel-ball buddies back in the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey absolutely lost their mind,\u201d Adams said. \u201cAnd, knock on wood, we haven\u2019t lost since.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second game of the Houston series on May 16 began an eight-game winning streak. Arizona is set to face North Carolina in a best-of-three NCAA Tournament Super Regional starting Friday in Chapel Hill after sweeping through the\u00a0Big 12 Tournament<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Eugene Regional<\/a>.<\/p>\n Revealing a toy car, truck or boat has become a pregame ritual for Adams. Is it the main reason the Wildcats have turned their season around? Probably not. But the effect it\u2019s had on the team is undeniable.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a little bit of a slump there,\u201d said senior reliever Julian Tonghini, one of the judges who determines who gets the prize. \u201cWhen we brought the cars into it, it was a reminder: \u2018Hey, we\u2019re having fun. We\u2019re just kids playing this game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a switch,\u201d said junior shortstop Mason White, Adams\u2019 roommate on the road. \u201cIt turns the team into game mode. … It\u2019s almost like your brain creating a new moment in time, because the day before, it was something different.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever it is, it ignites a fire. Everyone\u2019s like, \u2018OK, that\u2019s the new goal.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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