April 12, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. -
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Leading Off:
After sweeping the Stanford Cardinal last weekend, the Sun Devils continue their home stand with a three-game Pac-10 series against the Washington State Cougars. enters the series 16-14 on the year and 1-5 in the Pac-10. They did not play last weekend and dropped a 12-6 decision to Gonzaga on Tuesday.
The Sun Devils vs. The Cougars:
leads the all-time series with 33-7. The Devils took two of three from the Cougars last season in .
Facing Tough Competition:
Of ASU's ten losses this season, nine have come at the hands of teams who have been ranked at some point this season, including one to Vanderbilt, who is the top ranked team in the nation. The Sun Devils also have 12 wins against teams that have been ranked at some point this year, including a 22-8 win over , who is ranked as high as 8th. According to BoydsWorld.com, Arizona State has already faced or will face five teams rated in the top 20 in RPI (Arizona, Long Beach State, Vandy, Texas A&M and Louisiana-Lafayette). Also, seven of the ten losses have been by one run, including an extra inning game with Vanderbilt. ASU has faced or will face six teams ranked in the Top 20 in the latest ISR rankings on BoydsWorld.com, where the Sun Devils are currently ranked 14th. has 12 teams on their 2007 schedule that are currently ranked or have been ranked at some point this season, continuing the Sun Devil tradition of playing one of the most difficult schedules in the nation.
Dr. Jim Brock, Hall of Famer:
Former Sun Devils head coach Jim Brock has been named a 2007 College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Brock, who coached at ASU from 1972 until his death in 1994, will become the third Sun Devil in the Hall of Fame, joining fellow coach Bobby Winkles and former Golden Spikes Award winner Bob Horner.
Rankings:
ASU moved up three spots to #12 in the Baseball America poll while they rose three spots to #12 in the NCBWA poll. They moved up to #11 in the Rivals.com poll and were bumped up to #10 in Collegiate Baseball. They came in at #11 in the Coaches poll, up one spot.
Stanford Recap:
Arizona State handed Stanford their second straight three-game sweep in Pac-10 play, the first time since 1984 that the Cardinal were swept in back-to-back weekends...Mike Leake put on a show Thursday night, shaking off an early 4-0 deficit to shut down Stanford over the final seven innings, allowing the Devils to pick up the 5-4 comeback win. It was the first complete game of Leake's career...ASU jumped out to a lead early on Friday, but the Cardinal tied it up in the seventh, setting up a dramatic pinch hit for CJ Retherford. With the bases loaded and the game tied, Retherford was summoned off the bench and promptly delivered a bases clearing double that would propel ASU to the 12-8 victory...The Sun Devils swept the Cardinal with a total team effort, as starter Brian Flores was nearly unhittable while Kiel Roling hit everything, leading ASU to a 14-1 victory and the series sweep. Roling homered twice, including one that ended up in Lot 59 across from the ballpark, while scattered four hits over 8.1 innings to pick up the victory.
Player of the Week (Again):
Sophomore Kiel Roling added some more lines to his impressive ASU resume this week, picking up his second Pac-10 Player of the Week award and a College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll Player of the Week honor. He was 6-15 (.462) during the three game sweep of Stanford, including a two homer game in the finale. His second home run cleared the left field wall of the stadium, eventually coming to rest in 59, across four lanes of traffic and a median. Roling also earned the distinctions on March 20 following his monster Spring Break week against and .
Lights Out Leake:
Mike Leake put on a show Thursday night against the Stanford Cardinal, hurling his first career complete game in a 5-4 win. Leake shook off an early 4-0 deficit and shut down the Cardinal over the final seven innings. He allowed only three hits after the second inning, allowing a total of eight. He fanned eight, including five of the game's final six batters. Two of the four runs he allowed were unearned.
Pac-10 Players of the Week:
Four Sun Devils have earned weekly honors from the Pac-10 so far this season, including Kiel Roling twice. Roling and Brett Wallace have both been named Pac-10 Player of the Week while Josh Satow and Brian Flores have both earned Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week recognition.
Big League Splash:
Former Sun Devil Travis Buck, who played at ASU from 2003-2005, became the 87th Sun Devil to play Major League Baseball when he started in right field for the Oakland A's on opening day. Buck is one of nine Sun Devils on opening day rosters. He is joined by Barry Bonds (Giants), Willie Bloomquist (Mariners), Paul Lo Duca (Mets), Chris Duffy (Pirates), Ian Kinsler (Rangers), Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox), Andre Ethier (Dodgers) and Jon Switzer (Devil Rays). Switzer is currently on the 60-day DL for . Only USC and have produced more Major Leaguers than .
National Honor Roll Honorees:
Brett Wallace, Matt Spencer, Josh Satow, Petey Paramore, Brian Flores and Kiel Roling have all been named College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll Players of the Week so far this season. Roling has twice earned the distinction.
Quick Hits:
Petey Paramore has been a walks machine so far this season. Paramore has drawn 34 walks already this year, tops in the conference. He was third on the team last season with 34 free passes...Andrew Romine has 14 bunt singles this season...The Challenge at Chase marked the third time in 2007 ASU have played in a Major League facility. They played at , home of the Houston Astros and at Surprise Stadium, Spring Training home of the Texas Rangers and Royals...Sophomore LHP Jeff Urlaub is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery this month. His expected recovery time in 10-16 months.
500 Club:
Arizona State Head Coach Pat Murphy achieved a coaching milestone against USC, collecting his 500th victory as skipper of the Sun Devils. Earlier this season, Murphy won his 800th career Division I game. ASU's first head coach, Bobby Winkles, totaled 524 wins in his 13 years at ASU. Jim Brock amassed 1,100 victories in his 23 years at the helm. Murphy is in his 13th season at .
Preseason Honors:
Junior second baseman Eric Sogard earned three Preseason All-American mentions, including two First Team honors. Both the NCBWA and Rivals.com had Sogard as a First Team Preseason All-American, while Collegiate Baseball listed him as a Third Team Preseason All-American.
That's The Pick:
In a poll of all Pac-10 baseball coaches, was picked to win the Pac-10 conference. This marks the first time that the Sun Devils have ever been picked to win the conference in the preseason coaches vote. was picked second and Stanford was third.
Fabulous Freshman:
RHP/OF Mike Leake was rated the 39th best freshman in the country by Baseball America as part of their Fabulous 50 Freshmen list. Leake, who is expected to play in the outfield as well as pitch, was a seventh round draft pick of the A's in last year's draft.
Talented Transfers:
The Sun Devils had two transfers make the top ten of Baseball 's Top 25 Transfers list. LHP Brian Flores, who came to ASU from , checked in at #7, while OF Tim Smith, who played the last two years at in , was #10. The list did not include Matt Spencer, who came to ASU from . Spencer had not yet completed his transfer to ASU when the list was released.
You Look Mahvelous!:
The Sun Devils got a surprise during a practice before the season, as actor/comedian Billy Crystal took a break from his performances at Gammage to practice with the Devils. donned the Maroon and Gold, complete with a jersey with his name and #10 on the back, and took part in drills and batting practice. After practice, he invited the coaching staff to his show, "700 Sundays" at Gammage Auditorium.
O Captain! My Captain!:
Head coach Pat Murphy has named junior OF Rocky Laguna the team captain. This is the first time in the 13 years that Murphy has been at ASU that he has named a team captain.
Back For More:
Former ASU baseball standouts Mikel Moreno and Michael Collins are both back with the program for the 2007 season as managers. was a four-year starter for the Devils from 1995 to 1998, when he earned All-American accolades and helped lead ASU to the National Championship game. Collins played from 1996 to 1998 before leaving ASU to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Collins and join fellow manager Jeff Mousser as former Sun Devil baseball players to join the baseball staff in 2007.
You Complete Me:
LHP Josh Satow did something on February 11 that no Sun Devil pitcher had done since 2005: throw a complete game. Satow's masterpiece against was the first complete game thrown by an ASU pitcher since Erik Averill beat 6-1 on June 22, 2005 in the College World Series. Satow allowed only one run on six hits while fanning eight Cougars. It was only the second complete game in the seven-year history of the Houston College Classic, and the first since the inaugural year in 2001. Not to be outdone, LHP Brian Flores threw his first career complete game against the Kansas State Wildcats, striking out eight in a 6-2 victory on March 14. Satow outdid himself against USC on March 23, throwing a complete game shut out in a 10-0 win over the Trojans. He threw his third complete game of the year against UW.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils take a break from Pac-10 play when they host the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns to . They will play a three-game set beginning next Friday night. The Devils then host the Hawai'i Rainbows for a Wednesday night game on April 25.