Erik Spoelstra is confident in the Miami Heat's depth playing a b… — and more

Erik Spoelstra is confident in the Miami Heat's depth playing a big part in a rocky season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Miami Heat have been a puzzling team this season with some high highs and some low lows. They have a decent 30-27 record, which is good for the eighth seed at the moment. With head coach Erik Spoelstra in charge, he always gets the most out of his players.

This season, they have struggled with all types of injuries to their players. Tyler Herro is a major one, as he has faced constant issues that have taken him out. Considering he was just an All-Star last season, the Heat have struggled without him.

Spoelstra still has faith in the Heat's depth

Miami has a decent roster with Herro, Bam Adebayo, and newly minted All-Star Norman Powell. The trio is enough to be competitive in the East, but they have not strung games together consistently.

Aside from the stars, the Heat also have a good group of role players. This includes names like Jaime Jaquez Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, and more. They have a good group, but they are not consistently getting the results they want. 

MORE: Miami Heat receive key Tyler Herro injury update ahead of matchup vs. Hawks

The Eastern Conference has been quite competitive, which has led to the Heat struggling a bit. Despite these struggles, Spoelstra has full faith in his team, especially with their depth. They have been doing it the entire season, which should lead to some good results.

"I have a lot of positive feelings about our team and our depth, we've used it all season long. We've used it when guys have been out, and last night was an example of when we had our full roster, you could feel the depth. You could feel the level of talent, you know, that we have on the roster," Spoelstra said to Clutchpoints' Zachary Weinberger ahead of the Heat's game against the Grizzlies.

Spoelstra wants good consistency from the Heat, and they could build that with better health. They have a talented roster, and they will only get better when they have a full rotation. Moving forward, it will be challenging, but they have to believe in the rotation to get the best results.

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The DeMarini Invitational was supposed to include five games between teams in the top 15 and matchups against Boise State and Santa Clara against those teams, all played at Stanford’s new softball field. The five top 15 matchups were or will be played at Stanford, but the No. 15 Arizona Wildcats started the tournament against Boise State at West Valley College. On Saturday, they faced No. 12 Stanford on its home field then drove to Santa Clara to play the second group of Broncos.

No. 15 Arizona Wildcats def. No. 12 Stanford Cardinal 4-1

It was a homecoming and reunion with friends and family for multiple Arizona Wildcats. It was also a 4-1 win against the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal for the visitors, giving them their second top 15* win of the season.

Arizona assistant coach Lauren Lappin returned to her alma mater. Sydney Stewart, Tayler Biehl, and Grace Jenkins are all from the Bay Area or the Sacramento metro. Starting pitcher Rylie Holder faced off against former travel teammate and former Arizona commit, Addyson Sheppard. Right-handed pitcher Jenae Berry saw her sister Jade in the opposing lineup.

The home team jumped out to an early lead in one of those reunion moments. Sheppard’s one-out home run off her former teammate put the Cardinal up 1-0 in the bottom of the second.

Holder had a strong outing, allowing just that run in 6.0 innings pitched. She came out to complete the game in the seventh but was relieved by senior Jalen Adams with two in scoring position and no outs.

Holder surrendered six hits and one walk while striking out one. She improved to 3-0 with the win. Adams picked up her first save as a Wildcat, sitting down all three batters she faced with one strikeout.

Arizona batters had difficulty solving Stanford starter Zoe Prystajko for most of the game. Prystajko threw a complete one-hit game but that hit was a big one. She walked three. She also had two wild pitches and an error behind her that helped Arizona tack on runs.

The Wildcats’ first run came immediately after the Cardinal scored. Kiki Escobar came in to pinch hit for third baseman Jenna Sniffen and drew the leadoff walk. She advanced to second on a wild pitch with Addison Duke at the plate. Escobar then advanced on another wild pitch. A groundout from Regan Shockey tied the game.

Holder bounced back from the homer in the second by dismissing Stanford in order in the bottom of the third. She ended the inning with her only strikeout of the game.

Arizona finally got the big swing it needed in the top of the sixth. Duke reached on an error to lead off the inning. Biehl’s two-out walk put two on in front of Jenkins. Jenkins deposited the 1-2 pitch over the right-field wall to give Arizona a three-run lead.

The ‘Cats needed six outs to pick up their second ranked win and first true road win of the season. Holder gave up a one-out single to former teammate Sheppard but that was it for the sixth.

The seventh was more complicated. An error by Biehl let the leadoff reach. Then, a double put two in scoring position with no outs. That’s when Adams came in and closed the door.

*This site uses the NFCA poll as the official poll. Stanford is ranked No. 10 in the USA Softball poll and Arizona is ranked No. 16, giving the Wildcats their second top 10 win according to that poll.

No. 15 Arizona Wildcats def. Santa Clara Broncos 11-1

Arizona’s second game had been moved to nearby Santa Clara University where the Wildcats would play their second true road game of the season. This one also went the full seven innings, but a huge seventh by the visitors gave them the 11-1 win.

Adams started the game after getting the save in the early contest at Stanford. She picked up her seventh win of the season with 4.0 innings of three-hit ball. She allowed one earned run and struck out two. She struggled with walks and hit batters in start against No. 3 Texas on Friday, but she got that under control and hit just one batter on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore pitcher Sarah Wright got the save on 3.0 innings on two-hit ball. She walked one and struck out three. It was her second save of the season.

Sophomore infielders Trice and Sniffen came up big with runners on base. Sniffen led the team with four RBI. Trice was just behind her with three. As a group, the Wildcats scored their 11 runs on 10 RBI

The sophomores were also responsible for all three of Arizona’s multi-hit games. Trice (3), Sniffen (2), and Emma Kavanagh (2) all put the bat on the ball multiple times. Trice went 4 for 3 and drew a walk to get on base four times.

Sniffen and Kavanagh were responsible for two of Arizona’s three extra-base hits. The duo both hit doubles. They were joined by pinch hitter Tele Jennings.

The Wildcats loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first. Stewart was the second walk of the inning, and she forced a run in. A groundout by Kez Lucas drove in Trice for the second run of the inning.

Adams started well with a groundout, a flyout, and a strikeout in the first. Things got more complicated with each inning. A hit batter gave the Broncos a baserunner to lead off the bottom of the second, but Adams got out of it without any damage.

The third started with a bunt single for the first SCU hit of the game. This time, Adams couldn’t keep the run from scoring. A two-out double to right field drove in the Broncos’ run, and a passed ball allowed the runner to move up to third. Adams slammed the door there.

Arizona responded by tacking on three runs in the top of the fourth. Lucas led off with a walk, then Kavanagh put two in scoring position with her double. Sniffen’s single pushed both of those runs across.

Pinch runner Molli Daley used her speed and some Bronco mishaps to advance to third on a groundout and a wild pitch. Trice’s single scored Daley from third for the third run of the inning.

Arizona’s 5-1 lead held as both sets of pitchers threw up zeroes until the top of the seventh.

Biehl got the Wildcats’ final offensive half-inning going with a triple and scored on another wild pitch.

Sniffen stepped into the box with two on and two out. She kept the numerical run going with a two-bagger to score two more runs. Duke drove Sniffen in for another two-out run, then Trice came through with another two-RBI hit.

The Broncos tried to get some of the runs back in the bottom of the seventh. They got two on with one out, but Wright closed things down to secure a 2-0 day in the Bay Area for Arizona.

The Wildcats will play Texas again at 11 a.m. MST. While the game will not be streamed, Texas will have a radio broadcast that is available at https://texas.leanplayer.com/

Erik Spoelstra is a big believer in his team's depth, even though the Heat have struggled this season.