Baseball to host Oregon State for three-game Pac-12 series
The 23rd-ranked ASU Baseball team will face No. 17 Oregon State for a three-game Pac-12 conference series Thursday-Saturday at Packard Stadium. First pitch for both Thursday and Friday's games is set for 6:30 p.m. (PT), while Saturday's game will start at 12:30 p.m. (PT).
Can't Make It?:
You can listen to all three games on KDUS The Fan Am 1060 or get live, up-to-the-minute stats online with gametracker. Thursday's game will air on a tape delay on Fox Sports Arizona on Friday, and both Friday and Saturday's games at Packard Stadium will be webcast live on FoxSportsArizona.com. Tim Healey and Seth Dhaenens will have the call for all three games over the weekend. The radio broadcasts on Thursday and Friday will begin at 6:15 p.m. (PT), while Saturday's will start at 12:15 p.m. (PT).
Date/Time:
Thursday - April 5 - 6:35 p.m. (PT)
Friday - April 6 - 6:30 p.m. (PT)
Saturday - April 7 - 12:30 p.m. (PT)
Stadium:
Thursday - Saturday
Packard Stadium - Tempe, Ariz.
Getting To The Game:
Tickets to games at ASU's Packard Stadium start at $8 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 16 and under) and seniors. ASU students earn free admission with their SunCard. The Sun Devils' home stadium is located on the Northeast side of campus, along Packard Dr., just east of Sun Devil Stadium and south of Loop 202.
In The Polls:
NCBWA: #23
Baseball America: #24
Collegiate Baseball: -
Perfect Game: #26
Devils vs. Oregon State:
The Sun Devils are 41-25^ all-time against Oregon State after being swept by the Beavers last season in Corvallis, Ore. OSU won 3-5, 6-7 and 6-9, respectively, in the teams' three-game series. ASU took two-out-of-three against the Beavers last time they met at Packard Stadium in 2010 (10-4, 6-5, 8-9).
Some win in 2007 later vacated due to NCAA sanctions. Records do no reflect vacations.
Pitching Matchup:
Thursday:
ASU - RHP Brady Rodgers
Oregon State -
Friday:
ASU - RHP Trevor Williams
Oregon State -
Saturday:
ASU - RHP Darin Gillies Oregon State -
Cory Hahn 50/50 Raffle Night:
On Friday night, ASU's portion of the 50/50 raffle, which takes place at every Sun Devil baseball home game, is going to support Cory Hahn's fund. This started on April 23 against California and will continue through the end of the season. Both midweek games at Arizona, on April 17 and May 16, will be Cory Hahn Fund "Pass The Bucket" Nights, where a volunteer will be present at every section passing buckets for donations to Cory's fund.
A Heavy Load:
Starting with the CS Fullerton two-game series on Tuesday, March 27, and ending with the New Mexico series on Tuesday, April 10, the Sun Devils will have played 10 games in 15 days.
March 27-April 1 Recap:
The Sun Devils split their midweek series with Cal State Fullerton, winning Tuesday's game 1-0 as four pitchers combined for a shutout. The Sun Devils were swept in a three-game series at Oregon over the weekend, getting outscored by a combined four runs, 8-4. All three starting pitchers against the Ducks turned in quality outings, including a complete game by Brady Rodgers on Saturday.
Welcome To Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood:
Right-hander Brady Rodgers has four complete games this season and has gone the distance in back-to-back games after allowing one earned run in a win over Cal on March 23 and giving up one earned run in a loss to Oregon on March 31. He began the season with 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which is sixth best in the school history, and has allowed just eight earned runs and six walks in 56 innings this season.
Compared To The Rest Of The Nation:
On the mound, ASU is seventh in the NCAA in walks allowed per nine innings with 2.25, 10th in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.06 and 16th in ERA at 2.79. Individually, Brady Rodgers ranks fourth in the NCAA in complete games with three and is 15th in ERA at 1.29, while Trevor Williams is 37th in ERA at 1.51. The Sun Devils also rank in the top-35 in the NCAA in triples (18th with 12) and home runs (31st with 21).
Leading The Pac (Team):
As of April 3, the Sun Devils lead the Pac-12 in home runs (21) and total bases (415), and are second in hits (276), RBI (161) and triples (12). On the mound, they are tops in the Pac-12 in ERA (2.79) and walks allowed (63), and second in strikeouts (193).
Leading The Pac (Individual):
On the individual side, Abe Ruiz paces the Pac-12 in doubles (12) and home runs (7), and is second in slugging percentage (.670). Joey DeMichele is tops in triples (4) and third in RBI (30). DeMichele is second in total bases at 68 and Ruiz is third with 63. On the pitching side, right-hander Brady Rodgers and Trevor Williams own the top-two spots in ERA at 1.29 and 1.51, respectively. Rodgers leads the conference in innings pitched at 56 and Williams is first in runners picked off at four.
Unfamiliar Territory:
The Sun Devils have not lost four games in a row since May of 2005, when they dropped two to then-No. 7 Arizona and two to Washington in Seattle. ASU had not been swept in a Pac-12 series since Oregon State on April 8-10, 2011, and this past weekend marked only the second the Devils have been swept in a conference series since 2000.
A Deep Staff:
Arizona State has used 15 pitchers through 28 games of the season. The Devils only used 11 all season last year. Right-hander Mark Lambson, who appeared in 10 games and threw 23.2 innings in 2011, has not made an appearance yet this season. Eight pitchers have also made at least one start this season and 10 have registered either a win or a loss.
Up Next:
Arizona State travels to New Mexico for a midweek series in Albuquerque, N.M., on April 9 and 10 before hosting USC for a three-game Pac-12 conference series April 13-15 at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. Both games against New Mexico are set for a 6 p.m. start. The game on Friday, April 13, will be a blackout game with the Devils debuting their new cooper and black hats and jerseys. First pitch for that game, as well as the one on Saturday, April 14, is set for 6:30 p.m., while the game on Sunday, April 15, is slated for 12:30 p.m.