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Territorial Cup Showdown Awaits Baseball in Tucson

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Territorial Cup Showdown Awaits Baseball in TucsonTerritorial Cup Showdown Awaits Baseball in Tucson

TUCSON -- Sun Devil Baseball is back on the road for the just the second trip this season, scheduled for a three-game slate and Territorial Cup showdown against rival Arizona, beginning Friday, March 15 in Tucson. The opener will get underway at 7 p.m. AZT at Hi Corbett field, with Saturday's tilt scheduled for 6 p.m. and concluding Sunday at 4 p.m.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

  • All three tilts this weekend will be available through the Pac-12 Networks, with Friday and Saturday taking place on Pac-12 Arizona and the finale on the national Pac-12 Network broadcast. Daron Sutton and Ryan Spillborghs will be on the call.
  • All games will be broadcast live over local airwaves on  KDUS 1060 AM with Jeff Munn  and Max Rossiter providing the highlights. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
  • Fans are always encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media  for any program or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball.  There is weather expected in the Tucson area all day on Friday, so stay tuned for any schedule adjustments.

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. Ten different Sun Devil have recorded multiple doubles this season, a total that sits atop the Pac-12 rankings.

2. ASU knocked eight home runs in the Oregon series. Unfortunately, all were solo shots. 15 of ASU's 24 homers this year have been of the solo variety.

3. Ryan Schiefer's 1.42 ERA is the lowest for a relief pitcher with 10+ innings in ASU's first 16 games since RJ Dabovich and Boyd Vander Kooi in 2020.

4. Sean Fitzpatrick has retired the first batter he has faced in each of his last eight appearances after failing to do so in his first two.

5. Ben Jacobs has posted a 0.93 ERA out of the pen this season, striking out 15 and holding opponents to a .129 average in just 9.2 innings.

6. The Sun Devils rank in the Top-50 in homers (24) and doubles (35) this season. Four players have at least three doubles and three  homers.

7. The Sun Devils trailed at some point in 23 of the team's last 28 victories dating back to the 2023 campaign.

8. Ryan Campos has reached base safely in 96-of-105 (91.4%) games with the Sun Devils and has a 26-game reached base streak dating back to '23.

9. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 11 of 16 games. ASU didn't reach 10 such games until the 32nd game of the year last season

10. Wyatt Halvorson became the third true freshman to start a game for ASU on the mound on Tuesday. ASU didn't have a single freshman pitcher in 2022.

BY THE NUMBERS

96 - Ryan Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 96-of-105 (91.4%) career games with the Sun Devils overall, and all 16 games this season.. Campos is on a 26-game active reached base streak dating back to last season. Campos holds the 33rd-highest active career batting average at .354, a tally that is fourth among all FBS catchers. Despite an uncharacteristic .258 average early this season, he has still reached base at a .510 clip thanks to a his team-leading 15 walks - 3rd in the Pac-12. He is second in the Pac-12 with 6 homers, 4th with 19 RBIs and 2nd with 19 runs scored.

10 - The 2024 Sun Devils had excelled in a pair of categories this season - recording double digit hits and striking out double digit batters. The team has recorded 10 or more hits in 10 of 16 games this season and is Top-50 in the country and fourth in the Pac-12 with 163 total hits on the year.. The pitching staff has struck out double-digit batters in 11 of 16 games, posting  10.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season - a total good for 25th  in the country. That is notable as it didn't reach 11 such games until its 32nd game of the season last year.

8 - The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,059 baserunners over 129 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 123 in 16 games this season. . Sean Fitzpatrick has inherited a team-high eight batters and stranded six. He has also retired the first batter he has faced in eight straight games after failing to do so in his first two appearances. The Sun Devil bullpen has been largely improved in its last eight games, posting a 4.60 ERA with 46 strikeouts and allowing just a .223 average against over 43.0 innings of work.

0 - In the last eight games, Ryan Schiefer and Ben Jacobs have not allowed an earned run in seven combined appearances over 16.0 innings, allowing just four total hits with 20 strikeouts. After allowing two earned runs in his first two appearances, Ryan Schiefer has been lights out over his last four games, tossing 9.2 innings without allowing any earned runs with 12 strikeouts, dropping his ERA to 1.42 on the season - the lowest ERA for an ASU relief pitcher with at least 10 innings pitched through 16 games since RJ Dabovich (0.77) and Boyd Vander Kooi (0.90) in 2020.

LAST TIME OUT: OREGON/NEW MEXICO

  • The Sun Devils had a tough four-game stretch at Muni this week, dropping a hard-fought series to Oregon on the weekend before suffering a midweek setback against the surging New Mexico Lobos on Tuesday.
  • Friday was the highlight of the week as the Sun Devils rallied to walk-off Oregon 5-4 to take the opener of the series. The Ducks repaid the favor on Saturday, taking a ninth-inning lead after the Sun Devils had led for the majority of the game to even the series. Some tough luck and ASU's inability to capitalize with runners in scoring position was the team's undoing in the finale. That trend carried over into Tuesday when ASU was just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position against the Lobos.
  • Ryan Campos and Harris Williams each bat .333 over the four-game stretch to pace the team, with Campos adding three homers to his team-leading tally.
  • A highlight was the efforts of Ryan Schiefer and Ben Jacobs out of the bullpen, combining for four appearances for 10.2 innings without allowing a single earned run. The duo struck out 15 batters and held opponents to just three total hits, for a .059 and .125 average against, respectively.
  • All told, the bullpen over the four games posted a paltry .205 average against with 44 strikeouts over 36.0 innings. Unfortunately much of the damage was done on the heels of crooked number innings

ON DECK: ARIZONA

  • In the modern era of Sun Devil Baseball (since it became an NCAA sport in 1959), ASU owns a dominant 210-141 record against the Wildcats. ASU went 23-116 against the Wildcats prior to that dating back to 1907, skewing the overall series record all-time.
  • The Sun Devils swept Arizona at home in the Pac-12 series last season, to claim the Territorial Cup point for the year. ASU would drop a midweek tilt to the Wildcats in Tucson and the first game of the Pac-12 tournament against their rival later in the year for a 3-2 overall record in 2023.
  • Sophomore infielder Mason White currently leads the Pac-12 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. His .705 slugging percentage is tied for sixth in the conference.

GOING CAMP-ING

  • Ryan Campos entered the season as D1Baseball's 10th-ranked catcher in the country and No. 95 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. He was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, as voted on by the league's coaches.
  • Campos has the 33rd-best active career batting average (.354) - fourth among the nation's catchers.
  • Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 96-of-105 (91.4%) career games with the Sun Devils overall and all 16 this season. He has an active 26-base reached base streak dating back to last season.
  • The junior had his first multi-homer game against Santa Clara in the finale, also posting a career-best five RBIs. He added another multi-homer game against Oregon. His six home runs this season are second in the Pac-12.
  • His 19 RBIs this season are tied for the team lead and fourth in the Pac-12. His eight two-out RBI are tops on the squad and three more than any other player.
  • Despite an uncharacteristic .258 average early this season, he has still reached base at a .410 clip thanks to a his team-leading 15 walks (third in the Pac-12) and a hit-by-pitch.  He has also paced the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out nine times.
  • His 19 runs scored also pace the team and are good for second in the Pac-12.
  • Campos reached base in all but two games last season. The two games he did not reach base was once during opening weekend and the first game after he returned from an 11-game injury absence.
  • Had a team-best 31-game reached base streak at one point in last season and showed off plenty of extra pop in the bat, recording eight homers, seven doubles and a triple
  • Campos was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and also tabbed as the Pac-12 Player of the Week after the Washington State series during his sophomore campaign.
  • In 44 games, Campos smacked .388 with 16 extra-base hits including eight home runs...He walked 35 times and struck out on a mere 17 occurrences
  • Campos' 35 earned free passes were 15th in the league, yet because of his midseason injury, he had the fewest games played of anyone in the top 50 in the category.
  • His .388 average was third in the Conference of Champions and his .503 OBP was tops in the league
  • ASU's most reliable presence over the last two seasons, Campos earned his first recognition to the All-Pac-12 First Team last season as a sophomore after picking up an honorable mention honor as a freshman, also earning Freshman All-America honors that season as well.
  • Campos was named the Jim Brock Mr. Sun Devil at the squad's end-of-season awards banquet at the end of the regular season last year....Named for the legendary and late Dr. Jim Brock, the award is presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the attitude and character expected of a Sun Devil Baseball Player
  • For his elite efforts behind the plate, Campos was named as a Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Semifinalist.

JACOB'S LADDER

  • Jacob Tobias earned Preseason Pac-12 All-Pac-12 recognition after he took his game to the next level last season, finishing with a .317 average and starting 54 games - the majority coming at first base.
  • Tobias is batting .284 on the seaso with 12 RBIs and tied for second on the team with four homers this year.
  • Tobias was named by D1Baseball as the No. 44 first baseman in the country entering this season.
  • Last season, he slugged .546 with 10 homers, nine doubles and leading the team with four triples en route to a 59 RBI season - good for ninth in the Pac-12 though the eight players in front of him benefited from postseason action
  • Tobias was deadly the second time through the order with 22 of those RBIs coming in the fourth or fifth innings when he saw a starter for the second or third time - batting 23-of-50 (.460) with 22 RBIs, three homers and over a .500 OBP in those two innings.
  • As a sophomore, he recorded an RBI in 12 of the last 18 games of the season and 33 games overall. He has an RBI in three of four games thus far this season.
  • Tobias was 7-of-9 on the season when the bases were loaded and brought a runner home from third with less than two outs 75 percent of the time (15-of-20).
  • Tobias earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades last season as he took his game to the next level, finishing with a .317 average and starting 54 games - the majority coming at first base.
  • Tobias was named a Freshman All-American in 2022. His 12 bases (two homers, two doubles) against Utah in the series finale are tied for the most by a Pac-12 player in a game. His seven homers this year were tied for eighth in ASU freshman history.

ACTION JACKSON

  • After a solid freshman showing Isaiah Jackson is batting .283 this season with 6 RBIs and four homers.
  • His 16 RBIs this season are good for 12th in the Pac-12.
  • Jackson homered in the first two games of the season, as did teammate Jacob Tobias, joining a small list of Sun Devils to do so since 1998, including Spencer Torkelson (2020), Riccio Torrez (2011) and Jason Kipnis (2008).
  • His three-hit game in the opener gave him more hits in five at-bats than he had through his first seven games last season.
  • Jackson had 16 RBIs through 12 games which was especially notable as he didn't notch his 16th RBI until after 30 games into tis freshman campaign.

THE BURN(S) UNIT

  • Thomas Burns became the first true freshman to start on the mound for the Sun Devils on Opening Night since Ike Davis in 2006.
  • The youngster was electric in his debut, allowing just a single hit in his 5.0 innings and one run en route to earning his first career win.
  • Burns struck out seven and walked just one batter in the effort. He was equally solid in his second outing, going 4.1 innings with just two runs allowed.
  • Eight of the 10 runs scored against him this season have come by way home runs, coming off five solo homers and a three-run shot that came after he issued two walks to lead off the game against Texas A&M.
  • In fact, he has only given up 11 hits on the year, of which six have  left the ballpark.
  • Right-handed hitters are 3-for-27 (.324) against Burns this season while he has allowed just a .169 average against overall through four games with 29 strikeouts in just 18.2 innings.
  • Burns is 56th in the country and second in the Pac-12 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.30), 33rd in the country and second in the Pac-12 in strikeouts per nine innings (13.98) and 45th in the country and second in the league with 29 total strikeouts.

BIG MAC

  • Nick McLain missed the start of the 2024 campaign for the seconds-straight season due to having his other hamate bone removed but made quite the splash in his debut during the team's trip to Texas
  • McLain bat .313 on that week (5-of-16) and a .421 OBP with five RBIs in four games - including essentially carrying the team on his back with his four RBI effort against UT Arlington that included a two-RBI single to tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth and then a go-ahead two-RBI double in the seventh to put ASU on top for good in the victory.
  • McLain's bat cooled over the last four games, but he is still reaching base at a .436 clip over his .214 average thanks to having already drawn 10 walks and an HBP in only eight games.
  • McLain missed the first half of the season last year after a sustaining a hamate injury the week prior to the season and wasted no time catching up on the lost time.
  • McLain earned Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention despite appearing in just 23 games, posting a .298 average and reached base at a .391 clip while slugging .649 behind eight homers, two triples and five doubles, recording over an RBI per game with 24 on the season, recording eight multi-RBI games.
  • He enters this season as D1Baseball No. 53 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
  • He 3-for-6 with four RBIs  - including a two-run insurance missile in the ninth - in his collegiate debut, a road win over Grand Canyon
  • McLain tarted his collegiate career with an 11-game hit streak - the longest streak to start a career for an ASU freshman since at least the 1998, as far back as easily found records can be accessed - and had hits in 14 of his first 15 games as a Sun Devil
  • He also recorded five outfield assists on the year in his limited action.
  • McLain showed the clutch gene through out the season, batting .400 in the 8th inning or later of games, posting four homers and eight RBIs in the process.

NOT THEIR FIRST RODEO

  • While the names and faces of Harris Williams, Kevin Karstetter and Steven Ondina are new to Sun Devil fans, the trio bring no shortage of career experience and that has been in full display this season
  • The three players had combined to play in 461 career games before setting foot on ASU's campus.
  • Williams, a USF transfer who ranks in the Top-40 among all Division I players in games played (181), is batting .354  on the season - second on the team - and has reached base in all but one game.
  • Williams is tied for the team lead with seven  multi-hit games. He has a .475 OBP that is 8th in the Pac-12.
  • The super-duper senior has advanced baserunners at  team-best .688 clip, doing so on 22-of-32 chances - four more than any of his teammates. He has gotten the job done as the leadoff batter as well, reaching on 12-of-34 chances while leading off an inning(.353).
  • Williams has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs a team-best 6-of-6 times and also leads the team with runners in scoring position, batting .600 (9-of-15).
  • Karstetter is fourth on the team with his .306 batting average and has reached base at a .424 clip. He has been ASU's best option at keeping innings alive, posting a .381 average on 8-of-21 hitting with two outs.
  • Ondina has quietly put up a .354 average that is second on the team and struck out just seven times in 48 ABs - the 19th lowest strikeout total in the Pac-12.  His biggest impact doesn't necessarily show up in the box score as the senior is a vacuum at shortstop that has made several highlight reel plays this season.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

  • Redshirt freshman Brandon Compton was recruited to ASU as a pitcher out of high school, but Tommy John surgery sidelined him his true frosh year, instead allowing him to focus on his bat - and focus he did.
  • The youngster leads the team with his .389 average this season, good for 7th in the Pac-12. His .531 average on balls in play is third in the Pac-12 and Top-50 among all players in college baseball
  • His 19 RBIs are tied for most on the team and fourth in the Pac-12 and his four homers are second on the team.
  • He has reached base at a .450 clip, 14th in the Pac-12.  His six doubles are sixth in the Pac-12 and tops on the team.
  • He was responsible for the go-ahead grand slam in the series finale against Ohio State that proved to be the difference in the 10-8 ballgame. He also had a huge game-tying RBI single in the eighth inning of ASU's eventual walk-off win over Oregon.
  • Compton had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies this past summer, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs

NO DOZE-ING OFF

  • Ethan Mendoza has quietly put together quite the start to his collegiate career, posting a .271 average and earning the team's walk-off fielder's choice against Oregon on Friday.
  • Mendoza was the only Sun Devil to record hits in all four games in Texas.
  • Mendoza was the only Sun Devil to record a hit against No. 7 Texas A&M in the first game of the Globe Life Series, in fact recording the only two hits in the shutout loss.
  • Mendoza has been especially efficient in the field and has yet to post an error at second base this season, recording a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 14 putouts and 26 assists. He has the 13th most errorless chances in the field of all Pac-12 players.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS

  • The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,059 baserunners over 129 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per games. ASU has stranded 123 in 16 games this season.
  • ASU relief pitchers have inherited 50 baserunners this season, of which only 21 have scored (42.0).  Ryan Schiefer, Matt Cornelius and Matt Tieding all inherited the bases loaded against #24 Kansas State when they entered the game and all got inning-inning strikeouts.
  • The Sun Devil bullpen has been largely improved in its last eight games, posting a 4.60 ERA with 46 strikeouts and allowing just a .223 average against over 43.0 innings of work. In the team's first eighth games, the bullpen had a 10.85 ERA with 44 strikeouts and a .329 average over 37.1 innings.
  • Ben Jacobs has posted a 0.93 ERA out of the pen this season, striking out 15 and holding opponents to a .129 average in just 9.2 innings.
  • Ryan Schiefer has allowed opponents to bat just .079 against him, giving up only three hits over 12.2 innings with 16 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA. That is the lowest ERA for an ASU relief pitcher with at least 10 innings pitched through 16 games since RJ Dabovich (0.77) and Boyd Vander Kooi (0.90) in 2020.
  • ASU used midweek games as bullpen days last year and the crew was absolutely electric, going 7-1 in single-game midweeks this season and 8-4 overall after going 5-7 in them in 2022. ASU is 2-1 in midweeks this season.
  • ASU's 17 strikeouts against Ohio State were the most by a Pac-12 team this season.
  • Last season, the bullpen posted a 5.62 ERA with 22-7 record in decisions and 11 saves. The squad had 234 strikeouts to 130 walks (over 274.0 innings) and held opponents to .270 batting. While not entirely electric, it was a marked improvement from previous season where the 2022 Sun Devil bullpen had a 6.71 ERA for the season with a 13-19 record in decisions with 231 strikeouts to 170 walks (over 271.0 innings) and a .299 average against.
  • Jonah Giblin was one of ASU's best options out of the pen and one of the only pitchers returning from last year's roster. Giblin posted a 3.43 ERA in 21.0 innings over 11 appearances out of then pen - the best ERA on the team - and holding opponents to a .237 average.
  • ASU's other returning option out of the pen, Matt Tieding, posted a 4-1 record in relief last season and held opponents to a .250 average on the year.

HEADED TO THE GAP

  • The Sun Devils are second in the Pac-12 with 35 doubles this year in 16 games.
  • 10 different Sun Devils have multiple doubles this season - the most of any school in the Pac-12.
  • Brandon Compton's six doubles are sixth in the Pac-12.
  • ASU got a slow start in the doubles category last season but came alive in the second half of the year. After having just 13 in the first 11 of the season, ASU finished with 108 to find itself in the Top-100 prior to the NCAA Tourney after being ranked as low as 232 through the first month of the season.
  • The team recorded a double in 45 of 55 games overall with multiple doubles in 26 of those.
  • Luke Keaschall finished seventh second in the entire country with 25 doubles .
  • The Sun Devils recorded 134 doubles in 2022, good for 19th in the nation and third in the Pac-12.  The 127 doubles during the regular season were the most for a Sun Devil team in the REGULAR SEASON in the BBCOR era (since 2011) and tied for the fifth-most in a regular season since 1998.
  • ASU had at least one double in all but six games in 2022 and multiple doubles in 36 of 58 games.

CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL

  • ASU is currently fourth in the Pac-12 and Top-50 in college baseball this season with 24 home runs, despite not hitting a single one in its four games in Texas.
  • The Sun Devils had eight homers in the Oregon series. Unfortunately, all came of the solo variety. The Sun Devils continue ooking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU now has 15 solo homers on its 24 this season. Of the teams 15 solo homers, however, seven were of the leadoff variety and didn't give anyone a chance to be on base while two others came as part of back-to-back homers and thus, the same principle.
  • Already, five different Sun Devils have multiple homers and eight players have homered overall.
  • The Sun Devils hit 19 more homers during the 2023 season than it did the prior year. 12 different players logged a home run last season for ASU and 10 had multiple home runs
  • ASU had eight different players with at least six homers - more than any other team in the Pac-12.
  • The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers last year - two more than any other team at ASU has had since at least the 1998 season. ASU had five players with at least seven homers in 2022, tied for the second-most at ASU since 1998.
  • ASU's 83 homers were 56th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament.
  • The better news was ASU finally started the get pumps with runners on base. 37 of the team's last 66 Sun Devil home runs last year came with runners on base after 14 of the first 17 this season were solo shots. Of the 26 solo shots, 17 were leadoff homers and thus not given the opportunity to happen with runners on base.
  • The timing of the home runs  improved immensely over the second half of the 2022 season as well. On 24 of the final 37 homers on the year, ASU had at least one runner on base. That was notable as ASU had runners on base just eight times on the teams first 27 homers.
  • Of the nine position players with at least 30 starts in 2022, all nine had multiple home runs. ASU had ten total players with multiple homers.

COMING IN HOT

  • The Sun Devils thrived in the big innings, 12 times last season recording five or more runs in an inning. The team recorded 51 innings with three or more runs scored.
  • This season, ASU has now posted 16 3+ run innings and nine 4+ run innings this season.
  • ASU is fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring (7.3 per game) and fourth in total runs this season (117). The team has scored double digits in five of eight games thus far.
  • ASU has recorded 10 or more hits in nine of 12 games this season.
  • The team is batting .312 as a squad overall this year, good for the Top-50 nationally and fourth in the Pac-12. The squad's .505 team slugging percentage is just outside the Top-50  in the country and fourth in the Pac-12.
  • The Sun Devils owned opponent bullpens last season, as other teams had a miserable 7.36 ERA against the ASU offense and a 8-13 record in decisions. ASU bat .302 off opponent 'pens with 40 homers, 54 doubles and 9 triples over 239.2 innings. ASU worked a 118 walks to 206 strikeouts against opponent bullpens.
  • This has continued  this year with ASU logging a 6.58 ERA against opponent bullpens while batting .276.  ASU scored two runs of Kansas State All-American closer Tyson Neighbors in 1.1 innings  after he did not give up more than a run in any sub 2.0-inning effort last season and just one single time previously in his career.
  • Santa Clara All-WCC closer August Souza posted a 1.69 ERA in 32.0 innings pitched in 2023, leading the Broncos with five saves. Arizona State plated three earned runs off of him in 4.1 innings. He did not allow more than two earned runs in 12 appearances a season ago.
  • The team posted 52 runs in the eighth inning of games last season, just under a run per game. The team bat .326 in the eighth inning of games with a .526 slugging percentage. The squad had 25 home runs total in innings 7-9 - easily surpassing its total of 17 from the previous season.
  • ASU has scored 38 runs in the 7-9th innings this season, and has scored 22 runs in the seventh inning of games alone.

HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS

  • ASU did its part to shake off some of that bad mojo from the 2022  in close games last year, winning seven one-run games (after going just 1-7 in such games in 2022) and 18-9 in games decided by three runs or less - a category ASU was 14-16 in in 2022.
  • This season, ASU is 5-5 in games decided by three runs or less this season and 2-2 in one-run games.
  • ASU trailed at one point in 22 of its last 27 victories dating abck to last season. It has trailed in five of the six wins this year.
  • Last season, ASU was incredibly efficient at closing games out, going 24-4 when leading after six, 27-1 when leading after seven and 29-0 when leading after eight. ASU is 5-2 when leading after six, 6-2 after seven and 5-1 after eight this season. The loss of a ninth-inning lead in thes second game against Oregon marked the first time ASU had lost a game when leading after eight innings since Feb. 25, 2022 against BYU (led 4-2, lost 6-5). The Sun Devils had won 56 consecutive games when leading after eight innings prior to that.
  • In two-plus seasons under Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils have shown that no opponent lead is safe, showing off plenty of grit in erasing multi-run deficits. ASU had nine wins last season when trailing by at least three runs at some point in the game and four of those by at least five.
  • ASU already has one win this season when trailing by three or more and erased several four-run deficits against Santa Clara before finally succumbing in the finale.
  • In 2022, the seven-run deficit overcome by the Sun Devils to defeat and take the series from Cal was the most since March 3, 2000 against Arizona.
  • ASU doubled down at that last season with the victories over North Dakota State and GCU, overcoming a 7-0 deficit in both (and 9-2 in entering the eighth against GCU) for victories in both.
  • Three times in 2022, ASU rallied from a deficit of five or more runs to tie or win the game - the first time that had happened since 2010 (also 3). ASU surpassed that and won four games last season in which it trailed by five runs.
  • The Sun Devils added their eighth game under Bloomquist to that tally coming back from 5-0 to take a late lead against No. 5 TCU in the eventual loss, falling to 6-2 in games featured a five-run comebacl at some point.

DO I KNOW YOU?

  • The Sun Devils welcome an incredible 27 new faces to the roster in 2023. The class features D1Baseball's No. 23 freshman group in the country and the No. 25 transfer class, a year removed from posting the No. 2 transfer class in the nation.
  • The roster will feature 11 freshman arms, an incredible tally considering the 2022 team didn't have a single freshman arm on the roster.
  • Thomas Burns is slated to become the first true freshman pitcher to start on opening night since the 2006 season when Ike Davis did it.
  • The team will feature two new middle infielders for the second consecutive season after having at least one returner up the middle from 2018-22.
  • Harris Williams, an All-WCC player at San Francisco last season, was the only transfer player named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team aa voted upon by the league's coaches.
  • The Sun Devils added another pair of All-WCC players in USF's Mario Demera and Santa Clara's Eamonn Lance.
  • In addition to the guys playing on the field, the team also welcomed a slew of new faces on the coaching and support staff, highlighted by former Central Arizona College head coach Anthony Gilich as the team's third paid assistant, taking advantage of new NCAA legislation allowing for there to be a third coach. Sun Devil legend Brett Wallace also joined the staff as the Director of Quality Control and Offensive Strategy.

WHO'S THE NU'U GUY

  • Nu'u Contrades entersedthe season as a Preseason All-Pac-12 selection and as D1Baseball's No. 46 third baseman in the country.
  • The sophomore is reaching base at a .346 clip - striking out just twice in his first 21 ABs appearances, an area he struggled in last season, though he has missed action lately with a lingering back injury.
  • The ASU third baseman bat .309 with 20 extra base hits (eight homers, two triples, 10 doubles), recording 40 RBIs
  • The .309 average was in the Top-5 for freshmen in the Pac-12 last season and Top-50 among all freshmen in the country...The rally at the dish came despite the youngster still sitting below the Mendoza line as of March 7
  • He obliterated the University of Arizona in the three-game series in Tempe, where he was 7-14 (.500) with eight RBI, three runs scored...He plated the winning run in Saturday's series-securing victory and scored it in the series finale Sunday and was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week in the process. He led the team with 10 RBIs (of 31 total for the week for ASU) with a .947 slugging percentage while batting .474 on 9-of-19 hitting in four total games that week
  • Honored as the team's Bobby Winkles Award winner as a true freshman, Nu'u Contrades found himself at home in the valley as he earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors as an infielder.
  • Had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs

PRESEASON ACCOLADES

  • The Sun Devils had five position players honored by the Pac-12 Coaches in being selected to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team last week in Ryan Campos, Jacob Tobias, Nu'u Contrades, Nick McLain and Harris Williams
  • The five selections were two more position players than any other team in the league.
  • Williams was the only transfer recogized on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team by the coaches.
  • Nick McLain was tabbed by D1Baseball at the No. 53 collegiate prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft with Ryan Campos checking in at No. 95. Isaiah Jackson was dubbed the No. 17 collegiate prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft by the outlet and Nu'u Contrades as the No. 52 prospect.
  • The Sun Devils brought in the No. 25 transfer class in the nation, according to D1Baseball, highlighted by San Francisco All-WCC competitors Harris Williams and Mario Demera, Santa Clara's All-WCC Eamonn Lance and highly touted junior college transfer Kevin Karstetter out of the State College of Florida.
  • Campos was ranked as the No. 10 catcher in the country for 2024 by D1Baseball, with Jacob Tobias as the No. 44 first baseman, Nu'u Contrades as the No. 46 third baseman and Harris Williams as the No. 88 outfielder in the country.
  • McLain was tabbed as the No. 6 Pac-12 prospect in the 2024 Draft class with Campos checking in at No. 10, according to D1Baseball. Isaiah Jackson is the No. 3 prospect in the 2025 Draft Class in the league with Nu;u Contrades tabbed at No. 7.
  • ASU also brought in the No. 23 freshman class in the country, according to D1Baseball, highlighted by middle infielders Ethan Mendoza and Jax Ryan, local two-way prospect Cole Carlon and Opening Night starter Thomas Burns out of Wisconsin.