May 17, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. -
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Leading Off: The Sun Devils hit the road for the final road trip of the 2006 regular season as they head to Tucson for a three-game Pac-10 series with the Arizona Wildcats. The Sun Devils took two of three from Pac-10 leader Oregon State over the weekend, while Arizona dropped two of three to Washington State in Tucson.
The Sun Devils vs. The Wildcats: ASU holds a 167-108 edge over their in-state rivals since Arizona State began varsity baseball in 1959. Arizona won the first meeting this season 12-8 in the Challenge at Chase on April 2nd, but the Devils took the May 2nd meeting 22-8 in Tempe. Both of those games were non-conference tilts, while this weekend will be a Pac-10 series.
Now Appearing, Brett Bordes: With his two appearances against the Beavers over the weekend, senior LHP Brett Bordes passed Kendall Carter for the school record of 102 career appearances. Bordes has now pitched in 104 games as a Sun Devil,eclipsing the mark that Carter set from 1981 to 1984. Of the 104 appearances, 92 of them have come in relief, including all 26 of his games this season. Bordes leads the team with six victories and has four saves.
RB-Ike! RB-Ike!: On the strength of his four RBI weekend against the Beavers, freshman Ike Davis has tied Casey Myers for the most runs batted in by a Sun Devil freshman in ASU history. Myers knocked in 58 runs in 1998, and Davis has 58 with six regular season games remaining. Davis currently leads the Pac-10 in RBI, something no freshman has ever done.
Rankings: The Sun Devils are ranked #13 by Baseball America, up five spots from last week. They are ranked #14 by Collegiate Baseball, who had them 20th a week ago. ASU rose to #12 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, a five spot jump. They also rose six spots to #12 in the NCBWA Poll.
OSU Wrap-Up: Tony Barnette got the starting nod on Friday night, matching up with Beavers ace Dallas Buck. Barnette was magnificent, allowing only two runs in his seven innings of work while striking out ten to pick up his fourth win of the year. He kept the game close, allowing the ASU offense to break out in the seventh inning. The Devils scored eight times in the inning to give Arizona State a 10-3 victory...Saturday night saw another fine pitching performance, this time by Josh Satow, who went seven plus innings, holding OSU to three runs. ASU once again used a big inning to beat the Beavers, scoring five times in the eighth. Seth Dhaenens hit a bases loaded double to center, knocking in three and propelling ASU to a 6-3 win...The Devils defense was their undoing on Sunday, as four ASU errors accounted for five unearned runs, including the difference maker in the ninth as the Beavers salvaged the finale 9-8.
30 Win Mark: 2006 is the 44th straight season Arizona State has surpassed the 30-win total, and 46th time in school history. Head Coach Pat Murphy has won over 30 games every season since he began coaching Division I baseball at Notre Dame in 1988.
Frank Mesa, College Graduate: Senior infielder Frank Mesa has earned his degree in sociology from Arizona State University. Mesa and the rest of the class of 2006 picked up their diplomas on May 10th.
Mr. Versatility: Eric Sogard has proved so far this season that he could hit, but what he proved against Stanford is that he can be an outfielder too. Sogard, who played in 27 games as an infielder prior to the Stanford series, flashed his outfield leather against the Cardinal. He made two diving catches, saving four runs, and ultimately the game. He has started in the outfield for the past seven contests.
For Starters: Head Coach Pat Murphy has used 11 different starting pitchers this season after using only eight a season ago. Ike Davis leads ASU with 11 games started, yet he has started only once in the past 23 games. In all, 16 different Sun Devils have climbed the hill this year. Zechry Zinicola began the season as a starter, was moved to the closer role, sat out after being suspended, then returned to the starting rotation, and is now back in the closer position.