March 6, 2012
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Arizona State junior second baseman Joey DeMichele has been named the Pac-12 Baseball Player of the Week for Feb. 27-March 4, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Tuesday.
DeMichele led the way offensively for the Sun Devils at the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise with 12 hits, six runs and 10 RBI. He hit .842 from the plate (12-of-19) with five extra base hits, including four doubles and a triple. He collected a career-best five RBI in two separate games, and started all four games at second base and did not commit an error.
He was not only productive at the plate, but he also delivered under pressure. DeMichele faced two outs with two strikes three separate times during the Devils' 9-1 win over St. Louis and all three times he drove in an RBI single, including a pair of two-run hits, to reach five RBI. He scored the game-winning run from first base in the Devils' 4-3 walk-off win against Northern Illinois after reaching on a base hit.
In a 17-2 win over Winthrop, he recorded an RBI double and a pair of two-run singles to lead the team in RBI for the second time in three games. He fell a home run short of the cycle in the Devils' 4-3 loss to St. Mary's in the fourth game of the weekend and collected a pair of runs, a stolen base and three hits, including a triple in the ninth inning to bring ASU within 90 feet of the win.
DeMichele ranks second in the NCAA with a .553 batting average, the only Pac-12 player to rank in the top 40, and 8th in RBI per game at 1.90. He is also fourth in the nation in on base percentage at .617, sixth in slugging percentage at .974 and 10th in total bases with 37.
This is DeMichele's second Pac-12 Player of the Week honor and his first this season. The Devils lead the conference in all-time selections with 101.
Fans can see DeMichele in action Tuesday night as the Sun Devils take on Texas Tech at 6:30 p.m. at Packard Stadium. The game will be webcast live on Fox Sports Arizona and can also be heard live and for free on the Sun Devil Sports Newtork.