Arizona senior Colt Sedbrook committed seven errors early in the season, but he has not had a miscue since March 29.

Greg Bryan / Arizona Daily Star 2007

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Something has gotten into Colt Sedbrook.

Since returning to the lineup two weeks ago, the Arizona Wildcats' starting second baseman has gone 18 for 33 with 11 RBIs, put together a nine-game hitting streak and boosted his batting average from .263 to .327. Sedbrook is playing sharp defense and running the bases aggressively.

What's different?

"Whatever it is," UA coach Andy Lopez said, "I hope it stays in him, gets malignant and spreads to the whole club."

Sedbrook was a mess for the first half of his senior season; Mike Weldon eventually took over at second base, relegating the Wildcats' one-time sparkplug to a bench role.

Not anymore. Sedbrook is expected to start at second base and hit second in the order on Saturday, when the Wildcats (34-15, 8-10 Pac-10) open a pivotal home series against Stanford (30-18-2, 11-7).

Sedbrook cannot pinpoint the exact reasons for his streak, but we have three ideas:

1. He's swinging at fastballs — and making contact. Arizona coaches have been preaching an aggressive approach all season, especially on first-pitch fastballs.

Most pitchers throw fastballs early in the count to get ahead; by anticipating the fastball, Sedbrook eliminates most of the guesswork involved with hitting.

As a result, Sedbrook is putting the bat on the ball more often. His .428 on-base percentage is third on the team, behind C.J. Ziegler and Mike Weldon.

"I'm being more aggressive with the fastball, but it's not necessarily that I go up there saying I'm only going to hit a fastball, or a slider or change-up," Sedbrook said. "I'm taking better approaches to the plate and not worrying so much about the results."

2. He is trusting himself defensively. Sedbrook was a stalwart at second base in 2006 and 2007 after transferring from Dixie State, a junior college in Utah. But his defense took a hit early in 2008: Sedbrook committed seven early-season errors, mistakes that ruined his confidence and affected all aspects of his game.

Sedbrook has since taken a quieter approach in the field, and it has caught on. Arizona has committed just four errors in its last 11 games.

"I'm not getting so antsy … with the balls I used to get to," he said. "I'm trusting my footwork, being more communicative with my teammates, and I'm taking more pride in doing it."

3. He is relaxing. Sedbrook began to improve only when he embraced his role as a part-time player. He will keep the same approach now that he is back in the starting lineup.

"You just don't worry about the things you can't control," he said. "You need to find out, 'What's your role as a teammate?' If your role is to pinch hit, then that's your role for the day. If your role is to start the game on the mound, then that's your role. You need to accept it.

"That's the thing: I shouldn't be acting like a sophomore or freshman. I'm a senior."