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Sun Devil Baseball Heads to PNW to Battle Oregon

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Sun Devil Baseball Heads to PNW to Battle OregonSun Devil Baseball Heads to PNW to Battle Oregon

TEMPE -- Sun Devil Baseball returns to Pac-12 Conference action this week as the team heads to the Pacific Northwest for a three-game series against Oregon in Eugene beginning Friday, April 28. The opening game of the series will get underway at 6 p.m. PT, with Saturday's tilt starting at 2 p.m. and the series finale on Sunday scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch.

Follow the Action

  • Each game of the series will be available via a free live stream this weekend through the Pac-12 Network, available at Pac-12.com/Live.
  • Fans are also encouraged to follow along on Twitter (@ASU_Baseball) for live updates throughout the weekend.

Scouting the Ducks

  • The Sun Devils are 19-9 all-time in the series against the Ducks and is 7-1 in series' against Oregon with two sweeps. The lone series loss in history against the Ducks came in 2012.
  • Friday night starter JR LHP David Peterson is the only pitcher in the nation to rank in the top 10 in victories, strikeouts-to-walk ratio, strikeouts and walks allowed per nine innings heading into this weekend's games. Peterson is the national leader in wins (8) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (17.40), while ranking third in walks allowed per nine innings (0.69) and eighth in strikeouts (87).
  • It took until his 14th appearance for FR RHP Kenyon Yovan to finally give up an earned run. The Ducks' closer threw 19.1 innings in his first 13 appearances this season without giving up an earned run.
  • The Ducks rank among the national leaders in shutouts (9th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd), strikeouts per nine innings (56th), WHIP (30th) and walks allowed per nine innings (6th).
  • In his third season on the field, JR OF/1B A.J. Balta already ranks in the top 10 in four career categories, while closing in on a number of others. Balta is fourth all-time in multiple-RBI games with 24.

Eli's Coming

  • Eli Lingos, who earned first team Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2016, has quickly solidified himself as the team's ace this season after entering the year as the Friday Night Starter.
  • Lingos has been solid in 2017, going 5-3 with five quality starts in his 11 appearances of the season. No other Sun Devil has more than one quality start this season.
  • Among those wins were an upset over then-No. 1 TCU and a career-best 7.2 IP outing against LMU in which he allowed no runs.
  • Lingos went over 6.0 IP in his first five appearances this season after neving having consecutive games over 6.0 IP in his career prior to this season. He has six games over 6.0 IP this year, all wins.
  • The junior lefty has allowed no earned runs in two starts this season, something he had done in a start just once in his career prior. 
  • His six wins this season doubles his 2016 total while he has issued no walks in two his starts this season, something he had accomplished in just two starts prior to 2017.
  • He is seventh in the league with 63.2 innings pitched this season and eighth in the conference with 40 strikeouts. He is tied for third nationally with nine starts this year.

12-Gage

  • Gage Canning has been among the hottest Sun Devils in the lineup - and the Pac-12 - in recent weeks.
  • He is entering the week riding a 12-game hitting streak, tied for the longest by a Sun Devil this season.
  • In that time, he is 28-for-52 (.538) with three home runs, three triples and three doubles while slugging .885 in the process. The junior outfielder has tallied a team leading 13 RBI's, scored 12 runs and is a perfect 4-for-4 attempting to steal and has flashed the leather as well, making highlight reel plays in right field leading to a perfect fielding percentage on 26 attempts over his last 12 games.

Canning Do It? Yes, He Can

  • Canning now has nine games with three or more hits on the season which is four more than any other Sun Devil and surpasses the team lead from last season (6).
  • The nine three-hit games is tied for the most for an ASU player since Zach MacPhee and Drew Maggi did it in 2010.
  • Canning is the current national leader with seven triples this season and surpassed his total from last season (6). With 13 career triples, Canning is just seven out of cracking the all-time top-five at ASU in the category. 
  • Canning has spent time at the leadoff spot and turning the order back around in the lower part of the lineup this year and done exactly what's expected of him in that role, second on the team with six stolen bases and leading the way with 30 runs scored.
  • Canning's recent hot streak has him ranked ninth in the Pac-12 with a .359 batting average and sixth with a .569 slugging percentage.

Lin-Sanity

  • Lin has had three or more hits in three games on the year while registering multiple hits in 14 games on the season overall - tied for the team lead in the category.
  • Lin enters the weekend having reached base in 24 consecutive games. It is the longest active streak by a Sun Devil and third-longest by any ASU freshman since 2000, trailing only Gage Canning (28, 2016) and Dustin Pedroia (26, 2002).
  • The 24-game streak is the fourth longest by any Pac-12 player this season. 
  • Lin has reached base in all but one single game this season and has a hit in 31 of the team's 38 games.
  • Lin's prowess of the plate is further exemplified by his team leading 15 walks as opposing pitchers have begun pitching around him in recent weeks. 

Re-LYLE-able

  • Lyle Lin has an approach at the plate that is tough to find in many freshmen. The youngster leads the team's starters with a 19 two-out hits and is third with a .388 average (19-of-49) with two outs on the board. 
  • Lin is third on the team with nine two-out RBIs and also holds a team-leading 16 hits with runners in scoring position on 44 at bats (.364), three more than the next closest Devil.
  • Lin has started every game this season, one of just three players to do so - with a team-leading 20 RBIs in the process.

And All That Chaz 

  • In his first eight appearances, freshman Chaz Montoya struggled with a 14.29 ERA and an 0-1 record. 
  • In his last five appearances, Montoya has a 4.54 ERA and a 4-1 record, striking out 25 in the process. 
  • Of ASU's nine wins since Montoya became a starter, four of those belong to the freshman.
  • He had a streak of 17.1 innings without allowing a run come to an end in his start against UCLA.

Zach Cer-Bomb

  • One of the most pleasant surprises of 2017 has been the emergence of senior catcher Zach Cerbo, a four-year veteran who is seeing his most significant action as a Sun Devil this season.
  • Cerbo's .347 average leads the team with a .429 on-base percentage. He is second on the team with his 12 walks and also second with a .520 on-base percentage.
  • Cerbo is currently on a career-best 10-game reached base streak and an eight-game hitting streak.
  • Cerbo's defense has been another much-needed addition to the team as the senior has thrown out 10 batters attempting to steal a base this season compared to just 17 stolen bases against. Those 10 caught stealing are currently second in the Pac-12.

Shaps Blasts

  • After missing the first five games of the season to suspension, junior Andrew Shaps has two doubled-digit reached base streaks, including his active 14-game streak - the second longest by a Sun Devil this season. 
  • The outfielder had a career-best 10-game hitting streak entering that OSU finale and is currently second on the team with 26 runs scored this year.
  • Despite missing five games, Shaps is second on the team in walks this season with 12 and also second on the team in home runs with four - notable as he had just two in his career prior.

Big Willie Style

  • Tyler Williams has provided some much needed pop in the lineup this season, leading the team with five home runs on the year after having none in his freshman campaign - a total good for a tie for sixth in the Pac-12.
  • His 21 RBIs this season are third on the team and he has a knack for pushing runners across even with an out, logging eight RBIs with an out and leading the team in advancing runners with an out, doing so 16 times. 
  • Williams leads the team when it comes to advancing runners from a percentage standpoint, doing so 26 times on 44 chances (.591). 
  • The sophomore has also brought home a runner from third with less than two outs a team-best 10 times on 13 chances (.769).

#BISHETE

  • Another pair of freshmen have certainly been making the presence know this season in the form of Carter Aldrete and Hunter Bishop.
  • Aldrete currently leads the team with 23 RBIs this season and leads the team with three games with season with 3 or more RBIs. In fact, he's the only player on the team to post more than three RBIs in multiple games this year.
  • Aldrete leads the team with 10 two-out RBIs this season.
  • Bishop came on strong last week, knocking two home runs in a week removed from notching the first walk-off hit of his career against Washington State. 
  • Bishop is currently tied for third on the team with three home runs this season. 
  • Bishop and Aldrete had history before coming to Arizona State. Both hail for Northern California and played in the 2015 Under Armour All-American games and selected to play for the Oakland Athletics' Area Code team in 2015.

Turning The Tides

  • Connor Higgins was in pretty dire straights in the first 13 games with a 27.00 ERA in three appearances with just 1.1 innings pitched. Since then, Higgins has a 4.15 ERA in nine apperances with 17 strikeouts to six walks in 17.1 innings pitched while picking up two wins and a team-best three saves in the process.
  • Eder Erives had a 9.00 ERA in three appearances and just 2.0 innings pitched and that's down to a 3.07 ERA in his last five relief apperances with 16 strikeouts and all three of his season's saves, good for ninth in the Pac-12. His improvements have led to a spot in the starting lineup for the senior. 
  • Jake Godfrey had a 6.35 ERA early in the year that is now 2.13 in his last six relief appearances. The junior college transfer has been solid in keeping his team out of trouble all season, inheriting a team-leading 15 baserunners on the year and stranding 14 of those.

They Can Mash Too

Clutch Hitting

  • The Sun Devils have lived and died by their clutch hitting this season, currently batting 69-of-199 (.347) with runners in scoring position and 78-of-217 (.359) with two outs in the team's wins but struggling to get timely hits in the team's losses at just 33-of-176 (.188) with runners in scoring position and 42-of-206 (.204) with two outs.
  • On the flip side, ASU has struggled defensively to get out of some innings, allowing opponents to bat .309 (138-of-445) with two outs.

Baseball's in Their Blood

Keeping It Interesting

  • The Devils had a knack for success in close games last season and that continued this season
  • Since 2016, the Devils are 7-2 in extra-inning games (1-1 in 2017), with six walk-off wins (two this season) and are 19-4 (4-2 this year) in one-run games including 6-3 in Pac-12 play. ASU has driven in the game-winning run in the eighth inning or later 13 times (three times this year).
  • Arizona State has notched 10 wins since 2016 when trailing after six innings (four times this season).