Sun Devil Baseball held its annual team banquet on Sunday night, hosting a crowd of generous donors, support staff and administrators at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in recognition of the accomplishments of ASU's Baseball student-athletes.
The event was sponsored by the Biddulph family.
A silent auction was held from 6:00-8:15 p.m. and is the primary fundraiser for Sun Devil Baseball. Items included, but were not limited to, a signed ASU jersey from Dustin Pedroira, Bob Horner signed baseball, Barry Bonds retirement package, Diamondbacks experience package, Wilson 20th anniversary glove, team signed ASU helmet, and team signed game jerseys. .
Additionally, 27 Sun Devils earned their first letter with Arizona State, joining a band of brothers that is now 963 strong to represent ASU as varsity baseball players.
Those Sun Devils are Jaden Alba, Bradyn Barnes, Adam Behrens, Alec Belardes, Brody Briggs, Thomas Burns, Josh Butler, Cole Carlon, Matt Cornelius, Josiah Cromwick, Mario Demera, Brok Eddy, Sean Fitzpatrick, Bennett Fryman, Wyatt Halvorson, Ben Jacobs, Kevin Karstetter, Ryan Kroepel, Eamonn Lance, Rohan Lettow, Connor Markl, Ethan Mendoza, Hunter Omlid, Steven Ondina, Jax Ryan, Ryan Schiefer, and Harris Williams.
Following a team introduction where every Sun Devil was recognized and dinner was served, Arizona State handed out its prestigious 12 awards.
Casey Myers Academic Award
For the second year in a row, Tyler Meyer was honored with the Casey Myers Academic Award. The right hander appeared in eight games this season and held a 4.0 in his courses.
The award is named after the 2000 & 2001 Johnny Bench National Catcher of the Year Finalist, and 2000 & 2001 Verizon Academic All-American of the Year. It is presented to a student-athlete that represents outstanding performances on the field and in the classroom.
Phill Lowery Comeback Player Award
After a Tommy John surgery that kept him off the field last year, Brandon Compton came back to split the Phill Lowery Comeback Player of the Year award with Nick McLain, who has had to overcome injuries to each hand and miss the start of the last two seasons. The redshirt freshman Compton started 43 games this year and appeared in 50, batting a third-best .363 with 14 home runs and three grand slams. Outfielder McLain picked it up late in the season and is riding an 18-game hitting streak after picking up two Pac-12 Player of the Week awards in a row.
A highly decorated left-handed pitcher on the 1998 College World Series National Runner-Up Sun Devil Baseball team, Lowery battled a series of arm injuries early in his career to return to an elite level before being drafted by the Miami Marlins.
Alvin Davis Leadership Award
In his first year, Brody Briggs earned the Alvin Davis Leadership Award. The catcher exemplified leadership throughout the season as he was always stepping up to catch in the bullpen for pitchers. Keaschall was awarded the leadership award for his tireless efforts working on his craft. As a freshman, he quickly earned the respect of the whole team and has become one of the young pillars of Sun Devil Baseball.
Named for Mr. Mariner, Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Famer and member of the 1981 National Champions, the honor is given to a Sun Devil Baseball student-athlete that exemplifies leadership of the highest level.
Jim Henderson Courage Award
Coming from Gurabo, Puerto Rico, Steven Ondina earned the Jim Henderson Courage Award in his first year with Sun Devil Baseball. He spent three seasons with FIU and started 22 games last year before his season was cut short by injury, and came to Arizona State along with his baby son. The shortstop fielded at a rate of .939 with 65 putouts and 105 assists, and was the scoring run in ASU's ninth inning comeback against UNLV in their last regular season game.
The first-ever tribute award given by Sun Devil Baseball, the recognition was introduced in 1994 and named after Jim Henderson. A letterwinner for Arizona State, he recovered from a life-threatening auto accident in his first year of Minor League Baseball and continued to a very successful business career.
Newcomer of the Year
Connor Markl spent the last three years across town at GCU before transferring to ASU for his senior season. The left hander turned into ASU's Saturday starter and collected the second most wins on the team, with six. The most important may have come on March 16 against Arizona, when Markl went six innings and only allowed one hit while striking out eight as ASU claimed their series victory over the team from Tucson. He ended the regular season with a 4.21 ERA over a team-high 62.0 innings pitched.
The honor is given to a Sun Devil that made the most powerful contributions in his first year with the program. It can be given to a true-freshman or a transfer student-athlete.
Mr. Fireman
Arizona State looked to their bullpen often to get them to the end of games and maintain a lead, and this pitcher always provided relief. Ryan Schiefer pitched a team-low 3.89 ERA over his 41.2 innings of relief and got out of several jams for the Sun Devils. Opponents hit a mere .211 when Schiefer took the mound this season.
Given in the same tone as the award at the Major League level, Mr. Fireman is awarded to the most dominant arm out of the Sun Devil Baseball bullpen during the 2023 season.
Outstanding Offensive Player
After not cracking the lineup for the first portion of the season, Kien Vu stayed ready to seize his opportunity when it came. He did that in a big way, knocking a team-high .427 and leading the Pac-12 in batting average for conference games as well. He quickly launched 14 home runs, recording ASU's 100th and 101st of the season on Saturday night to keep the Sun Devils within striking distance of UNLV. That's when the co-recipient of this award, Jacob Tobias, stepped in to knock his 19th RBI in the last four games of the season. The junior batted in the team's game-winning run against UNLV to keep a six-game winning streak going into the postseason. Tobias led the team with 18 home runs, three in the last weekend, and became the third Sun Devil to win Pac-12 Player of the Week, keeping it in Tempe for the fourth week in a row to end the season. His 18 jacks are tied for eighth for an ASU player since 1998.
The Outstanding Offensive player not only will have produced the gaudiest statistics in the batter's box, but he will have changed the approach of the opposition's pitching, allowing his teammates better chances at success.
TOBY. SAYS. GOODNIGHT. #ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/GIGiq0B5kj
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 19, 2024
Outstanding Defensive Player
Isaiah Jackson has been a highlight reel – literally – all season as he patrolled center field for the Sun Devils, earning the top spot on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 after he robbed UCLA of a home run with an over-the-wall snag that's now been made into a t-shirt. The sophomore recorded 100 putouts and two outfield assists for a fielding rate of .971.
Flashing the leather is indispensable to elite results, and the Sun Devil that takes home this award will have impacted the outcome of many games with his glove.
PUT IT ON @D1BASEBALL
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) April 21, 2024
PUT IT ON @ESPN
PUT. IT. IN. THE. LOUVRE.
This is as good of a catch as you will EVER see by @Jackson_Isaiah6. pic.twitter.com/U03LkPDVdq
Pitcher of the Year
Starting out in the bullpen and earning his way into the Sun Devils' Friday night starter, Ben Jacobs has earned a team-high seven wins, second-most in the Pac-12, and held opponents to a measly .239 batting average. He earned a career-high 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings against USC, allowing only one run. With 60.2 innings pitched and nine starts under his belt, the sophomore earned a 4.75 ERA throughout the 2024 season to earn the Pitcher of the Year award.
The Conference of Champions requires big-time pitchers with an elite arsenal and a stomach capable of handling the most uncomfortable situations. The Pitcher of the Year for Sun Devil Baseball will be presented to the program's most trusted arm.
Jim Brock – Mr. Sun Devil Award - Presented by Patsey Brock
Pride in yourself and your teammates is at the center of this award for Sun Devil Baseball and no one has exemplified that more than Kien Vu. Vu has been a true example of a Sun Devil and has always been heralded by teammates as one of their favorites. He kept his mentality up while waiting his turn this season, and took off once he got his shot. Not truly getting the start until early April, Vu took off to earn 61 hits and 52 runs in 143 at bats this season, hitting a ridiculous .427 and earning his 13th and 14th home runs of the season in the team's final regular season game, tied for second most on the team.
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.
Bobby Winkles Award - Presented by Armando and Debra Flores
A redshirt senior hailing from Denver, Colorado, Harris Williams transferred to ASU from San Francisco this year and was the team's leadoff hitter to start the season. He displayed his leadership and character this season as he eventually had to wait his turn to pinch hit, but always came through in big moments for the Sun Devils. He recorded a walkoff double against GCU and earned two more RBIs with a double in the bottom of the ninth in this weekend's thriller comeback against UNLV. The outfielder batted .302 this season and earned 27 RBIs on his 51 hits, starting 40 games for ASU.
Named for the architect of Sun Devil Baseball and member of the inaugural College Baseball Hall of Fame class (2006), the award is presented to a member of the baseball program who excels both on the field and in the classroom while simultaneously demonstrating exceptional leadership and character.
On Deck Circle MVP
The only player to start all 56 games for the Sun Devils this season and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, presented to college baseball's player of the year, was Ryan Campos. He earns the On Deck Circle MVP and joins an illustrious list of Sun Devil Baseball greats. The catcher has reached base in a ridiculous 135-of-145 career games (93.1 percent) with the Sun Devils and all but one this season. He led the team with 25 multi-hit games and added a Pac-12-leading 25 doubles this season. The first Sun Devil to take home Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season – and he did it twice – the junior hit an absurd .857 (12-of-14) in ASU's final weekend at home, hitting three doubles and a home run en route to scoring nine runs and slugging 1.357 over the three games.
The top award presented by Sun Devil Baseball, the inaugural On Deck Circle MVP Award was presented to Barry Bonds in 1985; other notable award recipients include MLB players Mike Benjamin, Mike Kelly, Paul Lo Duca, Jacob Cruz, Willie Bloomquist, Dustin Pedroia, Tuffy Gosewisch, Brett Wallace, Ike Davis, Mike Leake, Brady Rodgers, Ryan Burr, and Spencer Torkelson.