No. 13 Baseball Faces Rival Wildcats This Weekend In Crucial Series.

Did You Know:
ASU has won nine straight games and 14 of its last 16 heading into this weekend... the Devils have also won eight of their last 10 road games and have won both Pac-10 road series this year... Travis Buck is in the midst of a career-high 13-game hitting streak (.407, 22-for-54)... ASU has won five straight against Arizona and 14 of the last 17 dating back to 2000... Dustin Pedroia is hitting .411 with 22 doubles and 11 home runs... head coach Pat Murphy needs three more wins for 400 in his ASU career (10th year).

What's On Tap:
The No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils (37-13, 10-8 Pac-10) continue its tour of the Southwest this weekend with a crucial three-game Pac-10 series at rival Arizona (May 21-23) at Kindall Field in Tucson. ASU enters the series riding a nine-game win streak and has won 14 of the last 16 overall. Arizona (27-21-1, 9-9 Pac-10) has won four of their last five games and is coming off a series win over No. 1 Stanford. The Devils are coming off a pair of impressive wins at New Mexico (22-4) and New Mexico State (12-5) to start the regular season ending eight-game road trip. Following the series in Tucson, ASU will travel to the Bay Area to face the Cardinal.

Devils Riding Nine-Game Win Streak:
With a pair of impressive offensive performances against New Mexico and New Mexico State, the Sun Devils extended their winning streak to nine games. ASU scored 34 runs and tabbed 40 hits between the two games and have now won 14 of its last 16 games. The Devils are hitting .363 (119-for-328) with 37 extra base hits and are averaging 10.3 runs per game during the season-high tying win streak. The pitching staff has combined for a 3.33 ERA during the streak with 86 strikeouts in 81.0 IP. The streak includes a pair of road wins at No. 7 Wichita State and a series sweep of Pac-10 foe Oregon State.

Quick Hits:

- Of ASU's 50 games this season, 27 have been played against teams that have been ranked or are currently ranked.
- Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia has hit safely in 43 of 50 games and leads the Pac-10 hitting .411 with 22 2B.
- The Devils have used 43 different starting batting lineups and 32 different positional lineups this season.
- Josh Asanovich is third on the team hitting .366 and is 17-for-35 (.486) in his last 11 games.
- Jason Urquidez is tied for the league lead with 10 wins (10-2) and is also third with a 2.94 ERA (80 K, 80.2 IP).
- The Devils have been ranked in 94 consecutive national polls dating back to the start of the 2000 season.
- Freshman closer Zechry Zinicola has two wins and five saves in his last 11 outings (0.96 ERA, 22 K).
- 10th year head coach Pat Murphy needs three (3) more wins to record his 400th as a Sun Devil.
- Jeff Mousser is 4-0 in his last five starts to improve to 5-3 and is fourth in the Pac-10 with a 3.57 ERA.
- Travis Buck is hitting .358 with eight home runs and was 5-for-7 against UNM/NMSU. 13-game hit streak.
- ASU holds the No. 3 projected RPI in the nation (www.BoydsWorld.com) and is 13-3 against top 25 teams.
- Nick Walsh is third in the league batting .442 in Pac-10 play and is hitting .437 (31x71) in his last 20 games.
- LHP Erik Averill is 4-1 with one save and a 3.99 ERA as a reliever (2-0, 1.38 ERA in last six relief app.).
- ASU is 24-3 this season when the starting pitcher goes five or more innings.
- The Devils have made one or less errors in 36 of 50 games and no errors in 17 games (.973 FLD%).
- Led by six from Zinicola, ASU's 17 saves are the most by a Sun Devil squad since 1990 (22).

Pedroia For National Player of the Year:
Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia is a leading candidate for Pac-10, National Player of the Year honors and the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. Through 50 games, Pedroia leads the Pac-10 and is 22nd in the NCAA hitting .411 (85-for-207) with 68 runs scored, 22 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBI. He has hit safely in 43 of ASU's 50 games, including 25 multi-hit affairs and four games with two or more doubles. Pedroia also leads the Pac-10 in runs scored (68), hits (85), doubles (22), on-base percentage (.514) and is third with a .657 slugging percentage. As a sophomore, Pedroia hit .404 (120-for-297) and was named the Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year. He led the NCAA with 34 doubles, setting the ASU and Pac-10 single-season record and tied for third all-time in the NCAA record books. With 22 doubles this season, Pedroia now has 69 in his career, ranking fourth in the ASU career record books. He also has recorded 287 hits to rank fourth and his career .388 batting average (287-for-740) ranks tied for sixth in the ASU record books. He has played and started all 176 games of his Sun Devil career and has recorded at least one hit in 150 games (85%). He has also recorded 93 career multi-hit games and is a .391 career hitter in 66 Pac-10 games (113-for-289). He was a two-year starter for the USA Baseball National Team and was named to the all-tournament team in the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Here is a look at Pedroia's season/career highlights and statistics:

- Hitting .411 overall (85-for-207) with 22 doubles, nine home runs, 48 RBI and a .514 on-base percentage.
- Leads the Pac-10 in several categories, including hitting (.411), runs (68), hits (85), doubles (22) and is second in assists (162).
- Current five-game hitting streak (.400, 8-for-20) and has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games and 15 of his last 17.
- Has hit safely in 43 of 50 games this season and 150 of 176 in his career. Leads the team with 32 extra base hits.
- Has a pair of 10-game hitting streaks this season and seven career streaks of 10 or more games.
- Leads the team with nine home runs and has 14 in his career. Entered the season with only five career homers.
- Has recorded 25 multi-hit games this season and 93 in his career. He has nine three-hit games and four, four-hit contests this season.
- Rated as the No. 28 overall position player by Baseball America for the 2004 MLB Draft.
- A career .388 (287-for-740) hitter to rank fourth in hits (287) and tied for sixth in batting average in the ASU record books.
- Has hit 69 career doubles, ranking fourth in the ASU career record books. He needs two more doubles to rank third.
- Set the ASU and Pac-10 single-season record with 34 doubles in 2003. Old ASU record was 30 by Chris Bando in 1978.
- Named the 2003 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year with Stanford's Ryan Garko and was a first-team All-American.
- Named the 2003 Defensive Player of the Year, he has a career .975 fielding percentage with only 20 errors in 787 total chances.
- Played for the USA Baseball National Team in 2002 and 2003, leading Team USA to a bronze medal in the Pan Am Games.

Year       Avg   GP-GS     AB    R    H   2B   3B   HR  RBI   BB   SO   SB-ATT
2002....  .347   58-58    236   51   82   13    2    1   45   24   19    5-9
2003....  .404   68-68    297   83  120   34    3    4   52   36   13    3-7
2004....  .411   50-50    207   68   85   22    1    9   48   41   10    6-11
TOTAL...  .388  176-176   740  202  287   69    6   14  145  101   42   14-27

Pedroia Inching Towards 300:
With 287 career hits, junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia ranks fourth in school history and is only 13 hits short of the 300 mark. With 13 more hits, he will become only the fourth Sun Devil to reach 300 hits in a career and the first to do so in three ore less seasons. Pedroia is also ninth in the ASU record books with 740 career at-bats and has never missed a game in his Sun Devil career (176 games). The all-time school record is 322 set by Clay Westlake from 1973-76.

Pole Position:
Coming off a two-game sweep on the road at New Mexico and New Mexico State, and winners of 14 of the last 16 games, Arizona State remains a consensus top 20 team. The Devils are ranked No. 13 in the ESPN/Sports Weekly Coaches poll, No. 17 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 19 by Baseball America. Ranked in the coaches poll every week this season, ASU has extended a streak of 94 consecutive weeks in the national rankings dating back to the start of the 2000 season. ASU entered the 2004 season ranked in all four of the national preseason polls (#7 CB, #10 SW, #11 NCBWA, #18 BA). ASU finished the 2003 season with a 54-14 record and earned a consensus top 10 ranking in all four national polls.

Dominating the Arizona Baseball Rivalry:
Arizona and Arizona State are the only two division I baseball programs in the state of Arizona and have met 405 times since 1907. While Arizona leads the overall rivalry 219-186, ASU leads the series 163-102 since the school officially adopted the program as a varsity sport in 1959. Additionally, ASU has dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning 14 of the last 17 games since 2000. The Sun Devils have won five straight against Arizona, including a pair of non-conference wins earlier this season in Tempe at Packard Stadium. Since head coach Pat Murphy took over the program in 1995, ASU is 32-15 (.681) and has never lost a season series to the Wildcats. ASU swept the series from Arizona last year by a combined score of 36-4.

Offensive Explosion in New Mexico:
The Devils are coming off an impressive pair of road wins in the state of New Mexico. ASU recorded season highs in hits (26), runs (22) and tied a season high with four home runs in Tuesday's 22-4 win over New Mexico. ASU then backed up the win with a 14-hit, 12-5 victory over one of the NCAA's top offensive teams in the New Mexico State Aggies. Between the pair of road wins, ASU hit .440 (40-for-91), combining for 40 hits, 34 runs and 13 extra base hits. Sophomore outfielder Travis Buck went 5-for-7 (.714) in the two games and junior outfielder Ryan McKenna was 5-for-9 (.556). Junior All-American Dustin Pedroia went 4-for-10 (.400) with five RBI and junior Chris Cook hit a pair of home runs and totaled nine RBI. Despite playing in a pair of hitter friendly ballparks, the pitching staff combined to allow only nine runs in the two tilts for a 4.50 ERA.

Buck Providing Power and Production:
Sophomore right fielder Travis Buck leads the team with 53 RBI and is fourth on the team hitting .358 (67-for-187). He is also second on the team with eight home runs and has a .567 slugging percentage. He is amongst the league leaders in RBI (53), runs scored (53), stolen bases (10) and walks (38). He has hit safely in 40 of 50 games this season and has recorded 18 multi-hit games. He was one of ASU's hottest hitters on the road swing through New Mexico, going 5-for-7 (.714). Buck is currently in the midst of a career-high 13-game hitting streak, going 22-for-54 (.407) with 15 runs and eight RBI during the stretch of games dating back to April 18 at UCLA. Additional, Buck has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games and 21 of his last 25. He also leads the team with five outfield assists and is 10-for-12 stealing bases. He was named Pac-10 Player of the Week and the Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week after going 10-for-12 (.833) with 13 RBI in the three-game series against UConn (2/27-29). Buk is a career .340 (145-for-426) hitter with 12 home runs, 112 runs scored and 99 RBI.

Pedroia Eyes Triple Crown:
Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia has been named one of 30 semifinalists for the Rotary Smith College Baseball Player of the Year award and is aiming for the possible team triple crown. Pedroia currently leads the team hitting .411 (85-for-207) and also paces the team with nine home runs. Pedroia's 48 RBI are only five behind teammate Travis Buck. Former All-American catcher Casey Myers was the last Sun Devil to lead the team in all three categories in 2001 when he hit .395 with seven home runs and 69 RBI.

Buck Repeats As Pac-10 Player of the Week:
After going 5-for-10 with home runs in all three games against East Carolina, Travis Buck earned his second consecutive Pac-10 Player of the Week award. With his third career Pac-10 POW award, he became the 16th conference player to repeat and first since 1998 when Cal's Xavier Nady earned the award in consecutive weeks in 1998 (Apr. 27, May 4). He is the first Sun Devil since Oddibe McDowell in 1984 to earn back-to-back conference honors.

Buck Invited to USA Baseball National Team Trials:
Travis Buck has been invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials for the second straight year. The sophomore outfielder was one of the first 19 players invited to attend the tryouts in Durham, N.C., in mid June. ASU ranks eighth for producing players to USA Baseball and has had at least one player on Team USA in five of the last six years. Juniors Dustin Pedroia and Jeff Larish helped the 2003 Team USA squad to a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Flashing The Leather:
The Sun Devils have won 14 of their last 16 games and much of it is because of solid defense. While ranking second in the Pac-10 with a .973 fielding percentage, ASU also ranks 30th in the NCAA (out of 285 schools). ASU has played errorless in the field this year in 17 games, including three of the last five games. While going 14-2 in the last 16, ASU has a .982 FLD% with only 11 errors in 617 chances.

Asanovich Heating Up:
Junior infielder Josh Asanovich has raised his batting average 110 points from .256 (3/17) to its current mark of .366 by going 31-for-72 (.425) in his last 24 games. Asanovich has three home runs and 29 RBI while seeing action in 40 games (32 starts). He is riding a current nine-game hitting streak in which he is hitting .517 (15-for-29).

Last Year Against Arizona:
The Sun Devils swept the regular season ending Pac-10 last year from the Wildcats by a combined score of 36-4. ASU beat the then No. 15 Wildcats by scores of 5-2 (5/23/03), 16-0 (5/24/03) and clinched the sweep with a 15-2 victory (5/25/03). Current Oakland A's top prospect went 6-for-12 (.500) with five runs, two triples, three home runs and seven RBI to earn Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. Jeff Larish also had a good series at the plate, going 8-for-11 (.727) with four doubles and one home run. LHP Erik Averill had one of the best starts of his freshman All-America campaign, scattering seven hits in seven shutout innings.

Urquidez Dominating On The Mound:
Junior right-handed pitcher Jason Urquidez is tied for the Pac-10 lead with 10 wins, ranking in the top 10 in the NCAA. The junior college transfer from Central Arizona College is 10-2 with a team-leading 2.94 ERA in 16 games this season. In addition to leading the league in wins, he is also is amongst the league leaders in strikeouts (80) and opponents batting average (.249). Urquidez struck out a career-high 12 batters in 8.1 innings in his last start against Oregon State (5/15) and has 19 strikeouts in his last two games (13.1 IP). Here is a look at Urquidez's game-by-game breakdown:

Date            Opponent               GS    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO    2B  3B  HR    WP  BK HBP  DP IBB   Score    W-L  SV    ERA
Feb 08, 2004    Florida State           *   5.0   6   1   1   3   9     0   0   0     0   0   0   0   0   12-6     1-0   0   1.80
Feb 14, 2004 vs Utah                    *   6.0   3   0   0   2   7     0   0   0     0   0   0   0   0   11-0     2-0   0   0.82
Feb 22, 2004 at Rice                    *   9.0   3   1   1   2   7     0   0   0     0   0   0   0   0    3-1     3-0   0   0.90
Feb 29, 2004    Connecticut             *   3.0   3   1   1   1   1     1   0   1     0   0   0   0   0   18-11    4-0   0   1.17
Mar 06, 2004    East Carolina           *   7.0   5   4   3   3   4     0   0   2     0   0   1   0   0    6-4     5-0   0   1.80
Mar 13, 2004    Tulane                  *   5.2   4   1   1   5   5     1   0   0     0   0   0   0   0   11-3     6-0   0   1.77
Mar 20, 2004    California              *   1.1   4   3   3   2   0     0   0   1     1   0   0   0   0    8-20    6-1   0   2.43
Mar 26, 2004    Washington              *   4.1   5   5   3   4   6     3   0   1     0   0   0   0   0    1-11    6-2   0   2.83
Apr 02, 2004    USC                     *   8.1   7   3   3   6   7     1   1   0     0   0   0   0   0   10-3     7-2   0   2.90
Apr 09, 2004    Oral Roberts            *   7.0   5   1   1   2   6     2   0   0     1   0   1   0   0    5-1     8-2   0   2.70
Apr 17, 2004 at UCLA                    *   4.0   8   3   3   0   2     1   1   1     0   0   0   0   0    4-3     8-2   0   2.97
Apr 24, 2004 at Washington State        *   6.1   7   2   2   1   4     0   0   0     0   0   2   0   0    5-2     8-2   0   2.96
Apr 27, 2004 at Wichita State               1.0   1   1   1   2   1     0   0   0     0   0   1   0   0   10-9     8-2   0   3.04
Apr 28, 2004 at Wichita State               1.1   3   2   2   1   2     0   0   1     0   0   0   0   0    4-3     8-2   0   3.25
May 03, 2004    New Mexico State        *   5.0   2   1   1   2   7     0   0   1     0   0   0   0   0   19-2     9-2   0   3.15
May 15, 2004    Oregon State            *   8.1   9   1   1   2  12     0   0   0     0   0   1   0   0    3-1    10-2   0   2.94
Totals                                 14  82.2  75  30  27  38  80     9   2   8     2   0   6   0   0  130-80   10-2   0   2.94

Mousser Has Success Against Arizona:
Senior right-handed pitcher Jeff Mousser is schedule to start the series opener Friday night against Arizona. Mousser is unbeaten in his last five starts (4-0) to improve his season record to 5-3 with a 3.57 ERA. Mousser transferred to ASU from BYU during the offseason. As a BYU Cougar, Mousser was 1-0 against Arizona, defeating the Wildcats on opening day of 2003 giving up six hits and two runs in 6.1 innings.

Devils No. 3 in Projected RPI:
In the May 18 release of the projected RPI on www.Boydsworld.com, Arizona State remained at No. 3 in the nation behind Miami, Fla. (37-11) and Texas (46-10). The Devils have been ranked as high as No. 1 (3/15) and for the third straight week are ranked in the top five. The NCAA uses the rating system to help determine selections and seedings for postseason play. Boyd Nation has come up with an RPI index that has proven to be an accurate depiction of the same RPI the NCAA uses. Behind a season-high-tying nine-game wins streak, the Devils are 37-13 this season and has played arguably the toughest schedule in the nation. ASU has 14 of the top 50 teams in this week's RPI ratings on the 2004 slate. Here is the top 10 in the latest pseudo RPI:

           Division I   Overall
Rank Rating   W   L      W   L    Team

  1   0.656   37  11     37  11   Miami, Florida
  2   0.655   46  10     46  10   Texas
  3   0.638   35  13     35  13   Arizona State
  4   0.630   39  13     39  13   South Carolina
  5   0.629   38  14     38  14   Louisiana State
  6   0.625   37  16     37  16   Florida
  7   0.624   38  15     38  15   Mississippi
  8   0.623   38   9     38   9   Rice
  9   0.617   40  11     40  11   Virginia
 10   0.616   39   9     39   9   Stanford

More Freshman Records:
In addition to Zinicola and Bresnehan appearing in the freshman record books, center fielder Colin Curtis is also making his way into the record books. Curtis is hitting .305 (51-for-167) and needs four more hits to crack the freshman top 10. His 10 stolen bases are tied for the team lead (Travis Buck) and already fifth most in freshman school history. He is also eighth with five home runs.

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