May 12, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Leading Off: After winning all five non-conference games last week against San Diego and Winthrop, the Arizona State Sun Devils return to conference action this weekend. ASU welcomes the Oregon Ducks to Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark for a three-game Pac-10 series. Oregon is playing their first season since 1981. The Devils have only one remaining non-conference game this season, May 20 in Tucson against Arizona.
Devils vs. Ducks: Arizona State is 3-1 all-time against Oregon. The two teams have not met since 1974 when ASU beat Oregon 8-3 in the Riverside Tournament in Riverside, California.
Elite Company: With his victory on April 24 at Cal, Mike Leake recorded his 10th victory of the season, giving him 10+ wins in three straight years. Leake becomes only the second pitcher in Arizona State Baseball history to accomplish that feat, joining Eddie Bane, who did it from 1971 to 1973. Leake is also only the third Sun Devil to ever win 10+ three times in his career. Kendall Carter won 19 in 1981, 12 in 1983 and 10 in 1984. Carter won six in 1982.
30 Rock: With the 3-1 victory over Cal on April 24, Arizona State Baseball recorded its 49th season with at least 30 wins and 47th straight.
600: With the win over the Huskies on April 4, head coach Pat Murphy recorded his 600th career victory at Arizona State. Murph has the second most wins in school history, trailing only Jim Brock (1,100). In his 15 years at Arizona State, Murphy is 616-281-1 and is 228-152 in Pac-10 play.
Rankings: Arizona State is ranked #2 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and #3 in Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and by the NCBWA. The Sun Devils are #4 in the Rivals.com poll.
San Diego/Winthrop Recap: The Sun Devils had to work overtime to beat San Diego on Tuesday, erasing a 7-3 deficit to pull out a 8-7 win in 11 innings. Matt Newman pitched two innings of scoreless relief and got the walk off hit in the 11th to give himself the pitching victory...ASU picked up a 7-6 decision on Wednesday thanks to 2.1 shut out innings of relief by Mitchell Lambson. Newman knocked in two runs in the victory...Mike Leake went seven innings, allowing only an unearned run in a 14-3 win over Winthrop. Jason Kipnis collected four hits in the win...The Devils hit four home runs on Saturday, including a go-ahead solo shot by Kipnis in the sixth that helped ASU to a 10-9 win. Seth Blair picked up the win out of the bullpen...Jason Franzblau was masterful against his former team on Sunday, throwing a complete game shut out in a 5-0 Arizona State win. Carlos Ramirez and Kole Calhoun hit back-to-back homers for the second straight day to pace the ASU offense.
500 Club: With the win over Washington State on Friday, April 10, Arizona State Baseball recorded its 500th victory in Pacific-10 Conference play. Arizona State is in its 31st season of Pac-10 play in 2009. The Sun Devils have won eight Pacific-10 Conference championships, including the last two. ASU holds an all-time mark of 507-350 in Pac-10 play. They joined the conference in 1979.
Ace In The Hole: Mike Leake picked up his 12th win of the season on Friday night against Winthrop, going seven innings and allowing only an unearned run. In his 97.2 innings of work, he has struck out 104 batters and walked only 18. The 104 Ks ties his career high, set last season. He now has 36 career wins at Arizona State. Of his 36 career victories in maroon and gold, five of them have come out of the bullpen. He was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week following the DeMarini Invitational where he nearly no-hit the Missouri Tigers and a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week following the Arizona series.
The Total Package: For the second straight season, Mike Leake has earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII honors. By being named an All-District VIII (West Coast) selection, Leake is now eligible for Academic All-American status. Last season, Petey Paramore was named a Second Team Academic All-American.
Maggic Man: Freshman Drew Maggi has solidified himself as the Sun Devil leadoff man and shortstop. Since taking over the leadoff spot before the first game of the Stanford series, Maggi has hit .312, collecting 20 hits, drawing 14 walks and has twice been hit by pitches. He's scored 27 runs and stolen eight bases in the 16 games, tallying a .444 on base percentage. Maggi's also recorded one sac fly and three sac bunts as the leadoff man, driving in seven runs.
Hello, Newman: Matt Newman had a memorable two-game series against San Diego. With the game tied heading to the 10th inning on Tuesday, Newman was summoned from right field to try and keep the Toreros off the board. He did just that, allowing only one hit in his two innings of work. He then made a winner out of himself, getting a walk off single in the bottom of the 11th to pick up his second win of the year. Newman then got the call to start on Wednesday, tossing five innings in a no decision. He batted .500 in the series, knocking in five runs.
Monster Ram Jam: On Saturday against Winthrop, Carlos Ramirez put his name in the Arizona State record books, blasting a home run over the Green Monster in centerfield. Ramirez becomes the 23rd player in history to hit a ball over the batter's eye, joining teammate Jason Kipnis, who accomplished the feat last year. Ramirez is the 17th Sun Devil to do it.
Lucky 20: The Sun Devils beat the Wildcats 20-3 in Tucson on April 29, marking the sixth time since 2000 that Arizona State has scored at least 20 runs on Arizona. The Sun Devils scored 32 against them in 2000, and have scored more than 20 twice against Arizona this season.
Mr. Versatile: Freshman Jordan Swagerty has done whatever he has been asked to do so far for the Sun Devil pitching staff. Swagerty got the call to start against Winthrop, going five innings in a no-decision. He's made 20 appearances, including three starts, going 2-1 with four saves.
Honoring the Past: Prior to the April 11 game with the Cougars, Arizona State baseball celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1969 National Championship team. Several members of the team, including 1969 National Player of the Year Paul Ray Powell, team captain Roger Detter and head coach Bobby Winkles, were honored before the game. Winkles, a College Baseball Hall of Famer, threw out the first pitch.
Fill It Up: Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark was the place to be the weekend of the Arizona series, as all three games against the Wildcats were sellouts. Over 13,000 fans packed Packard to see the Sun Devils sweep the Wildcats. Over the last two plus seasons, 13 games at Packard have seen crowds of over 4,000 people. ASU, which has led the West Coast in attendance for the past four years, is averaging over 3,100 fans a game so far in 2009.
The Few, The Proud: The Sun Devils have a 29-man roster, one of the smallest in the country. The NCAA limit is 35, but ASU carries only 29, including one, Andrew Pollak, who is out for the season and another, Jeff Lusardi, who is redshirting. It is the smallest roster in the Pac-10 Conference. Of the 29, only two have played for two seasons at Arizona State.
Two-Way Street: While Mike Leake's two-way prowess is known, several new Sun Devils are showing their versatility so far this year. Freshman Jordan Swagerty has settled in to the closer role, recording four saves, but he also has shown a glimpse of the future at the plate. Against Oregon State on February 28, Swagerty pinch hit with ASU down by two and a man on. He stepped right in and tied the game with his first career home run, the catalyst that led to ASU's come-from-behind win. Kole Calhoun has already established himself as an everyday outfielder, but has also shown promise on the mound. The lefty has made several appearances out of the bullpen so far this year.
Debuts: 17 members of the Sun Devils made their ASU debuts so far in 2009. Only Andrew Pollak (out for the season) and Jeff Lusardi (redshirting) have not played this season. Included in that group is RHP Jake Borup, who returned to ASU in 2009 after spending the last two years on a mission. Borup is the only player who was at ASU in 2006, a season he redshirted.
Family Ties: Sophomore OF/LHP Matt Newman has Maroon and Gold in his blood. His father, Randy, was a pitcher for the Sun Devils in 1981 and 1982, winning 15 career games and the 1981 National Championship. Redshirt-freshman catcher Andrew Pollak is the brother of former Sun Devil football great Mike Pollak, who played center for the Devils from 2004 to 2007. Mike was a two-time All-Pac-10 performer and currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew wears number 76, the same number Mike wore on the gridiron for ASU. UTL Mike Murphy is no relation to head coach Pat Murphy, although he is the first player named Murphy Pat Murphy has ever coached. Assistant coach Josh Holliday is the son of former Oklahoma State head baseball coach Tom Holliday and the brother of current Oakland A's outfielder Matt Holliday. Freshman OF Johnny Ruettiger is the nephew of Rudy Ruettiger, the former Notre Dame football player who had a movie about his life made.
Devil Ties: While in Surprise, head coach Pat Murphy visited the Seattle Mariners training facility in Peoria to meet with former Sun Devil great and current Seattle Mariner manager Don Wakamatsu. Wakamatsu played four years for ASU from 1982 to 1985, earning All-Pac-10 honors in each of his final three seasons. He is the first former Sun Devil player to become a manager in Major League Baseball and the first Asian-American manager in MLB history. Murph also visited with many Mariners players and coaches, including future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr. Wakamatsu presented Griffey with an ASU Baseball cap, which the slugger displayed in his locker.
Brotherly Love: In addition to the previously mentioned family connections on ASU, the Sun Devils boast a pair of brothers who will see time next to each other in the infield. Junior Raoul Torrez mans the hot corner for the Devils, while his brother Riccio, a freshman, also plays in the infield. The Torrez brothers are the fifth set of brothers to suit up for the same Sun Devil team, and became the first to start next to each other on the diamond. The other Sun Devil brothers to play on the same teams are Kevin and Pat Dukes (1980-81), Dale and Larry Eiler (1976-78), John and Tom Sain (1973) and Brett and Greg Bordes (2005-06).
School Ties: Many players on the ASU roster are quite familiar with one another. The Sun Devils have five student-athletes who were all teammates at Brophy Prep in Phoenix. RJ Preach, Raoul and Riccio Torrez, Drew Maggi and Matt Newman all played together on the Brophy baseball team.
Mid-Season Awards: Jason Kipnis, Mike Leake and Josh Spence were all named Mid-Season All-Americans by Baseball America. In addition, Leake, Spence and Mitchell Lambson have been named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List.
Field of Dreams: The Sun Devils played at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, on April 3 when they beat the Washington Huskies 3-1. It marked the third Major League park ASU has played in since 2007, joining Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros) and Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks). ASU is 3-3 in those games (0-2 at Chase Field, 1-0 at Safeco Field, 2-1 at Minute Maid Park).
Pac-10 Picks: The Sun Devils were picked to win the Pac-10 Championship for the third straight year. ASU and UCLA each got three first place votes, but ASU had more total points than the Bruins. This is the second time in school history Arizona State has been picked to win the conference, with the first time being 2007.
Ay Ay Captain: Head coach Pat Murphy has named junior infielder Raoul Torrez and junior RHP/UTL Mike Leake as the captains of the 2009 Sun Devils. Petey Paramore served as captain last season.
Leader of the Pac: Since the 2000 season, Pat Murphy and the Arizona State Sun Devils have been the most consistent program in the Pac-10 conference. Since 2000, ASU leads the Pac-10 in wins (420), conference wins (152), NCAA Tournament appearances (9), Top 25 finishes (9), All-Americans (25), draft picks (72) and is tied with Stanford for First Team All-Pac-10 players (35). The Devils have won three Pac-10 titles since 2000, including the last two.
Milestone Marker: With his win against Winthrop, junior RHP Mike Leake now has 36 career pitching victories. That is the third most wins at ASU in the Aluminum Bat Era (1974-Present). Overall, Leake is fifth on the school's all-time list.
Honoring Pat Tillman: Former ASU football player and American Hero Pat Tillman had strong ties to the ASU Baseball program. In addition to his brother Kevin playing for ASU, Pat became extremely close with head coach Pat Murphy. Murphy wears jersey #42 in honor of Tillman, and in January 2007, Murph donated $100,000 to the baseball program for the construction of the Tillman Training Room, a room that will honor both Pat and Kevin and their commitment to both Arizona State University and the United States of America. The team wears a memorial "PT*42" patch on their jerseys in honor of Pat.
Up Next: Arizona State will play their final non-conference game on May 20 in Tucson against Arizona before returning home to close out the regular season with a three-game Pac-10 series with UCLA that starts on May 22.