ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Lumon is the fictional mega-corporation in the The idea behind the severance program is that your work and home lives are mutually exclusive; a computer chip wipes your memory when you exit the elevator each day.

Baseball players have to have short memories. They can’t take a bad at-bat onto the field or an error up to the plate.

White has excelled at doing that during his junior season at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. He’s had some rough stretches as a hitter. He also has made several superb plays at shortstop.

“They’re two different games for me,� White said. “One’s playing offense, one’s playing defense. ... If I had a homer or I strike out, I go out there and it’s a different game. I don’t even remember the at-bat.�

The best example came during ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s victory over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State on March 11. White struggled at the plate, going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. But he was involved in the defensive play of the night, turning a 4-6-3 double play to seal the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory.

“It’s my job to play really good defense,� said White, a product of Salpointe Catholic High School. “Chip (Hale) puts me out there because he trusts me. He knows that I can make plays.

“I can’t let one dictate the other. That’s just playing the game. If we want to win, I gotta play as good as I can at all times, no matter the results of seconds or hours ago.�

White also ended the March 7 game against Pepperdine with a double play, this one of the 6-3 variety as he slid behind second base to stab a grounder, stepped on the bag and fired to first.

White’s hitting remains a work in progress as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ prepares to face West Virginia in a three-game series Friday through Sunday in Morgantown. He’s batting a career-high .329. But he also has a career-worst strikeout rate of 31.1%.

White possesses prodigious power. He had a team-high 19 home runs last season, leads the team with three this year and is tied for ninth in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s all-time annals with 32. He has a high leg kick and an uppercut swing that produces hard contact — but also a lot of whiffs.

White is working on dialing it back in certain situations and utilizing the middle part of the field more. He has at least one hit in seven of his past eight games (the ASU game being the exception). He’s batting .467 (14 of 30) over that stretch.

Aside from the ASU game, White struck out only six times in 29 at-bats during ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s nine-game homestand. He’s been working extensively in the batting cage on pitch recognition.

“His biggest curse is his power,� said Hale, whose team takes a nine-game winning streak into Morgantown. “He hits these home runs, and then all of a sudden he might get in that mode a little bit and he doesn’t swing at the right pitch.

“This is a guy with a high-end career, and we don’t want it to get shortchanged because we’re swinging at the wrong pitches.�

White is expected to be a high pick in the 2025 MLB Draft with a chance of slipping into the first round. ranked him as the No. 25 college prospect on the eve of the season.

White also appeared on multiple preseason All-American and All-Big 12 teams. He treats those the same as hitting when he’s in the field and fielding when he’s at bat — out of sight, out of mind.

“The real goals will be down the line in June, end of June, the conference season,� White said during preseason camp. “That’s what we’re focused on. This is all good stuff. We’re super proud of it. But we’re just getting started.�

(Country) road trip

The West Virginia series brings a new set of challenges for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ (16-4, 3-0 Big 12).

The Wildcats have played only one true road game this season, on Feb. 26 at Rice. (ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has played six neutral-site games in Arlington, Texas, and Houston.) They will be playing at an unfamiliar ballpark. And they’ll be playing in weather they aren’t used to either.

The projected high temperature in Morgantown for the weekend is 60 degrees. The low is 29.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has multiple players from the Midwest, including outfielder Brendan Summerhill, third baseman Maddox Mihalakis and relief pitchers Casey Hintz, Tony Pluta and Eric Orloff. Catcher Adonys Guzman is from New York.

Summerhill, who’s from Chicago, recalled playing in “32 and snow� one time as a senior at Whitney Young High School.

“I had to beg my coach to play,� Summerhill said. “We were playing the team (Evanston) that knocked us out of the state tournament the year before, and we were playing them at home. ‘Please don’t cancel the game. Please don’t cancel the game.’ And we won. So it was a good time.�

The March 31, 2022, contest was called after five innings. Whitney Young won 3-0. Summerhill went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles.

The junior currently leads the nation with six triples. He leads the Big 12 in hits (35), is tied for fourth in total bases (57) and ranks fifth in batting average (.427).

“He’s seeing it well,� Hale said. “He’s hustling around the field. This is the Summerhill we know and love, and it should continue for him.�

Inside pitch

– Although they’ve never played in Morgantown, the Wildcats are familiar with the Mountaineers. Led by future first-round pick JJ Wetherholt, WVU took two of three from ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ at Hi Corbett Field in 2023. The Mountaineers won the NCAA ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Regional last year, although they didn’t face the Wildcats.

– West Virginia has a first-year head coach in Steve Sabins, who succeeded Randy Mazey following his retirement last spring. Sabins had been Mazey’s top assistant. Sabins is off to a strong start; the Mountaineers are 18-1. Two of their games last weekend at Oklahoma State were postponed because of wildfires in the Stillwater area.

– ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ allowed three runs or fewer in every game in going 9-0 on its just-completed homestand. The UA staff posted a 1.25 ERA over that span. The Wildcats led the nation in fewest walks per nine innings last year and are No. 1 again this year (2.72). On Tuesday, they shut out a Kansas offense that had been averaging 10.4 runs per game.

– ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s scheduled starters for the weekend are right-handers Collin McKinney (0-1, 1.29 ERA), Owen Kramkowski (3-1, 4.84) and Smith Bailey (1-1, 1.80). West Virginia’s listed starters are lefty Griffin Kirn (3-0, 3.42) and righties Gavin Van Kempen (2-0, 3.78) and Carson Estridge (2-0, 0.96).

– UA left fielder Easton Breyfogle was not expected to make the trip as he recovers from a quadriceps injury. TJ Adams will start in his place. Adams is 4 for 20 but has drawn six walks, giving him a .385 on-base percentage.