Baseball hosts final home games of 2012 season
The 16th-ranked Arizona State baseball team hosts Washington for its final three home games of the season Friday-Sunday at Packard Stadium. They face the Huskies at 6:.30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night, and at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Can't Make It?:
Watch Saturday's game live on Fox Sports Arizona with Mark McClune and Joe Borowski on the call, while Friday and Sunday's games will be streaming live online at FoxSportsArizona.com. You can listen to Tim Healey and Seth Dhaenens of the Sun Devil Sports Network as all three games will be broadcast live on the Fan AM 1060. Live, up-to-the-minute stats will also be available online through gametracker, which can be accessed on the baseball weekly release on thesundevils.com or under the online baseball schedule.
50 Seasons Of Success:
The baseball program secured its 50th straight 30-win season over the weekend, which is the longest current streak in Div. 1 baseball. Florida State is close with 48 consecutive. The streak started with the 1963 season when ASU went 34-13. The team went 28-18 its first year in 1959, 32-13 in 1960, 36-13 in 1961 and 27-18 in 1962. The Sun Devils have never had a losing season in their 54 years, and three coaches (Jim Brock, Pat Murphy and Tim Esmay) have never won less than 30 games.
Senior Day:
Senior Day will be held prior to the final home game of the season on Sunday, May 20. Seniors Abe Ruiz and Joseph Lopez, as well as graduate student Adrian Gomez will be honored on the field.
DATE/TIME:
Friday - May 11 - 6 p.m.
Saturday - May 12 - 6 p.m.
Sunday - May 13 - 1 p.m.
STADIUM:
Winkles Field at Brock Ballpark at Packard Stadium - Tempe, Ariz.
PITCHING MATCHUP:
Friday-
ASU - RHP Brady Rodgers
UW - RHP Tyler Davis
Saturday-
ASU - RHP Trevor Williams
UW - TBA
Sunday-
ASU - RHP Alex Blackford
UW - RHP Aaron West
Pac-12 Baseball Standings as of May 17, 2012
No. 1 Oregon, 19-8
No. 8 Arizona, 16-8 (1.5 GB)
No. 11 UCLA, 15-9 (2.5 GB)
No. 16 Arizona State, 14-10 (3.5 GB)
No. 15 Stanford, 14-10 (3.5 GB)
IN THE POLLS:
NCBWA: #23
Baseball America: #18
Collegiate Baseball: #16
Perfect Game: #18
Devils vs. Washington
The Sun Devils are 28-14^ all-time against Washington, with ASU taking two-of-three from the Huskies in last year's meeting in Seattle (W 6-0, W 12-0, L 0-3). ASU also won two-of-three in the previous three-game series at Packard Stadium in 2010 (W 10-2, L 4-9, W 10-4). The last the Devils swept the series was in Seattle in 2009 (W 3-1, W 12-1, W 6-2).
^Some wins in 2007 later vacated due to NCAA sanctions. Records do not reflect vacations.
Making A Habit Of Sweeping:
Following their three-game sweep over Utah this past weekend, the Sun Devils have now swept three straight Pac-12 home series' and improved to 12-1 at home this season against conference foes. ASU has recorded at least three series sweeps over conference opponents in each of the past six seasons.
Cory Hahn Nights:
Every Friday night, ASU's portion of the 50/50 raffle, which takes place at all Sun Devil baseball home games, is going to support Cory Hahn's fund. This started on April 23 against California and will continue through the end of the season. The first "Pass The Bucket Night" took place on April 17 against Arizona and fans raised more than $4,000 for Cory and his family, while the second "Pass The Bucket Night" on May 16, also against Arizona, netted just under $3,500.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils end the 2012 season with a three-game Pac-12 series against Arizona in Tucson May 25-27. The games on May 25 and 26 are set for 6 p.m., while the one on May 27 will start at 12 p.m.
Making Them Earn It:
The Sun Devil pitching staff is first in the Pac-12 in walks allowed with 113 (Washington is second at 125) and right-hander Trevor Williams is first in the conference in walks allowed with 10. ASU is third in Div. I in walks allowed per nine innings at 2.16, their strikeout-to-walk ratio is tops in the Pac-12 and eighth-best in Div. I at 3.06, and their WHIP is second in the nation at 1.13. Williams and Brady Rodgers have conceded a combined 24 walks and 155 hits in 193.1 innings this season, putting them at 14th (0.9) and 24th (0.95), respectively, in Div. I in WHIP. They are the only pair of teammates ranked in the top-30 in Div. 1 in WHIP.
A Formidable One-Two Punch:
As of May 17, Abe Ruiz and Joey DeMichele ranked in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in slugging percentage, RBI and total bases. With a combined 119 hits, 83 RBI, 18 home runs and 215 total bases, the duo accounts for just under a third of the team's RBI and just under half of the team's home runs, and more than a fourth of the team's total bases and just under a fourth of the team's hits.
Separating From The Pac (On The Mound):
Williams and Rodgers rank second and fourth, respectively, in the conference in ERA, with Williams at 1.83 and Rodgers at 2.17. Rodgers is also second in innings pitched at 99.2, while Williams is sixth at 93.2 and is the only 10-game winner in the conference. Right-hander Jake Barrett is second in games finished at 27 and third in saves with 10.
He Doesn't See Three Strikes Often:
Andrew Aplin is ninth in Div. 1 in toughest to strikeout with a strikeout every 20.5 at-bats and is the only Pac-12 player ranked in the top 50. He has struck out just 11 times in 206 at-bats and has not struck out in 101 consecutive plate appearances in conference play, dating back to March 16 at UCLA. Aplin has struck out just 37 times in his three-year career at ASU.
Welcome To Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood:
Rodgers has three complete games this season and went 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 24 earned runs and just 14 walks in 99.2 innings this season. He also went nine innings in an extra-innings contest against UCLA. He has a career ERA of 2.36 in 270.2 total innings and is currently second on the school's career "Best Earned Run Average" list, behind Floyd Bannister (74-76), who had a 1.88 ERA in 396.2 innings pitched.
A Deep Staff:
Arizona State has used 15 pitchers through 50 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 11 have registered either a win or a loss.
Joining The Century Club:
Head coach Tim Esmay recorded his 100th win as head coach at ASU with the Devils' 11-2 win over UC Riverside on Feb. 26. Coach Esmay collected 52 wins in his first season at the helm of the Devils en route to a 2010 Pac-10 Championship, a berth in the College World Series and Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors. He followed that up with 43 victories in 2011 and led the Devils to a spot in an NCAA Super Regional. He has five wins through six games this season, giving him a .775 winning percentage through 2-plus years in Tempe.
Gonzaga/Arizona Recap:
The team swept Gonzaga in a three-game non-conference road series over the weekend and secured its 50th straight 30-win season with a 4-2 win on Friday night. Right-hander Trevor Williams became the first 10-game winner in the Pac-12 as the Sun Devils hit three home runs in a 10-1 win on Saturday night. Michael Benjamin added a career-high five RBI in the victory. Freshman Nathaniel Causey went 3-for-3 with a go-ahead two-run double to give ASU a 3-1 win in the series finale.
Sun Devil fans raised $3,447 for the Cory Hahn Foundation in the second "Pass The Bucket Night, but ASU lost 10-2, tying the five-game baseball State Farm Territorial Cup Series at one game apiece. A solo home to right field by Abe Ruiz and three consecutive base hits, including an RBI single by Beau Maggi, in the ninth inning gave the Sun Devils their only two runs of the game. The Wildcats took a three-run lead in the first inning off starting right-hander Darin Gillies and never relinquished the advantage.