PHOENIX – Sun Devil Baseball's Hunter Bishop has been named the Midseason Player of the Year by Perfect Game, earning First-Team Midseason All-America honors alongside teammate Alec Marsh while the Sun Devil Baseball team was tabbed as the outlet's National Team of the Year at the halfway point of the 2019 season.
Bishop, a junior outfielder, is the national leader in home runs with 16 already this season – seven more than any other player in the Pac-12. He is the national leader in slugging percentage (1.010) and total bases (104) as well.
Bishop's 41 RBIs this season lead the Pac-12 and are sixth nationally while his .417 average is third in the league and 17th nationally. Bishop has scored 45 runs this season – six more than any other player in the Pac-12 and also good for the national lead as well.
The junior was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week three times in the month of March. Bishop's 16 homers are eye-popping considering he had just 10 in his career prior to this season and never more than five in a season. Bishop has nine doubles this season after having a previous career best of just nine and only 10 career doubles in his first two seasons.
His 41 RBIs already eclipse his previous career best of 26 while his 45 runs scored are 18 more than his previous career best of 27. All of this comes just 27 games into the 2019 season.
Alec Marsh has been another breakout candidate for the Sun Devils as he was also named by the outlet as a Midseason All-American. The junior right-hander is currently ranked 13th nationally and second in the Pac-12 with a 0.94 ERA and leading the nation with seven wins and a perfect 7-0 record.
He has the second-lowest ERA in the Pac-12, though he has pitched 18 more innings than Oregon State's Brandon Eisert, who was also named to Perfect Game's list. Marsh's .213 batting average against is 11thin the Pac-12 while he leads the league with 48.0 innings pitched.
Marsh has struck out 42 batters, a total that ranks fifth in the league. His five earned runs this season are third in the league but three fewer than any fellow day-to-day starter in the Pac-12.
Marsh has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 25 of his last 26 appearances dating back to his freshman season. Dating back to last season, Marsh has a posted a quality start in 11 of his 15 starts since assuming the mantle of Mr. Friday Night midway through the 2018 campaign.
As a team, the Sun Devils have taken the nation by storm in 2019 and enter this weekend's series against USC ranked No. 5 in the country in the USA Today Coaches Poll and a unanimous top-10 team after starting the season unranked by every major poll.
The Sun Devils won 21 games in a row to start the season and were the nation's last remaining undefeated team. The 21-0 start matched its second-best in program history (1961) and ASU's 25-1 record following a sweet of Arizona this past weekend matched the best start in program history through 26 games.
Despite taking a loss in its midweek tilt to Long Beach State on Tuesday, ASU continues to hold the nation's top record at 25-2.
The Sun Devils are second national in runs (268) while sitting third in the nation in both scoring (9.9) and batting average (.336). ASU's .551 team slugging percentage is second in the NCAA while its .429 on-base percentage is third.
ASU has hit 45 home runs this season – good for fourth in the league and already nearing its total for the entire 2018 season. After consecutive seasons ranked 184thor worse in fielding percentage, ASU has posted a respectable .973 fielding percentage this season that is 69thin the country.
ASU has also made huge strides on the mound after consecutive seasons with 4.70+ team ERAs. The Sun Devils are 28thnationally with a team 3.35 ERA on the season.
Bishop, a junior outfielder, is the national leader in home runs with 16 already this season – seven more than any other player in the Pac-12. He is the national leader in slugging percentage (1.010) and total bases (104) as well.
Bishop's 41 RBIs this season lead the Pac-12 and are sixth nationally while his .417 average is third in the league and 17th nationally. Bishop has scored 45 runs this season – six more than any other player in the Pac-12 and also good for the national lead as well.
The junior was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week three times in the month of March. Bishop's 16 homers are eye-popping considering he had just 10 in his career prior to this season and never more than five in a season. Bishop has nine doubles this season after having a previous career best of just nine and only 10 career doubles in his first two seasons.
His 41 RBIs already eclipse his previous career best of 26 while his 45 runs scored are 18 more than his previous career best of 27. All of this comes just 27 games into the 2019 season.
Alec Marsh has been another breakout candidate for the Sun Devils as he was also named by the outlet as a Midseason All-American. The junior right-hander is currently ranked 13th nationally and second in the Pac-12 with a 0.94 ERA and leading the nation with seven wins and a perfect 7-0 record.
He has the second-lowest ERA in the Pac-12, though he has pitched 18 more innings than Oregon State's Brandon Eisert, who was also named to Perfect Game's list. Marsh's .213 batting average against is 11thin the Pac-12 while he leads the league with 48.0 innings pitched.
Marsh has struck out 42 batters, a total that ranks fifth in the league. His five earned runs this season are third in the league but three fewer than any fellow day-to-day starter in the Pac-12.
Marsh has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 25 of his last 26 appearances dating back to his freshman season. Dating back to last season, Marsh has a posted a quality start in 11 of his 15 starts since assuming the mantle of Mr. Friday Night midway through the 2018 campaign.
As a team, the Sun Devils have taken the nation by storm in 2019 and enter this weekend's series against USC ranked No. 5 in the country in the USA Today Coaches Poll and a unanimous top-10 team after starting the season unranked by every major poll.
The Sun Devils won 21 games in a row to start the season and were the nation's last remaining undefeated team. The 21-0 start matched its second-best in program history (1961) and ASU's 25-1 record following a sweet of Arizona this past weekend matched the best start in program history through 26 games.
Despite taking a loss in its midweek tilt to Long Beach State on Tuesday, ASU continues to hold the nation's top record at 25-2.
The Sun Devils are second national in runs (268) while sitting third in the nation in both scoring (9.9) and batting average (.336). ASU's .551 team slugging percentage is second in the NCAA while its .429 on-base percentage is third.
ASU has hit 45 home runs this season – good for fourth in the league and already nearing its total for the entire 2018 season. After consecutive seasons ranked 184thor worse in fielding percentage, ASU has posted a respectable .973 fielding percentage this season that is 69thin the country.
ASU has also made huge strides on the mound after consecutive seasons with 4.70+ team ERAs. The Sun Devils are 28thnationally with a team 3.35 ERA on the season.