PHOENIX -- The Sun Devil Baseball team wraps the regular season at home this weekend with a three-game series against fourth-ranked Stanford beginning Thursday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Thursday and Friday's contests will each get underway at 6 p.m. followed by the series finale and senior day on Saturday at 12 p.m. All three games will be featured in some manner on the Pac-12 Network.
Follow the Action
- Each game this series will be available through the Pac-12 Network. Daron Sutton will be on the call alongside analyst Andy Lopez.
- Each game will also be available over the airwaves this weekend on NBC Sports Radio 1060 AM KDUS with Tim Healey alongside analyst Max Rossiter.
- Fans are encouraged to follow along in-game content throughout the weekend on the Sun Devil Baseball account (@ASU_Baseball).
- Due to forecasted inclement weather, fans should follow social media accounts for any schedule changes throughout the weekend.
Fear the Tork
- 2019 Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist Spencer Torkelson has mutiple hits in 45 of his 106 career starts (.425).
- In only five games this season has Torkelson not registered a hit and in only 19 of his 106 career games has that been the case. Torkelson has at least one hit in 82.1 percent of his appearances as a Sun Devil.
- Torkelson has 21 home runs this season, second in the Pac-12 and 8th in the country. He has at least one home run in each of the last 10 weekend series that the Sun Devils have played – including every single series of Pac-12 play.
- Torkelson has 46 long balls in his career at ASU – already tied with Mike Kelly for third in program history and just 10 shy of the Sun Devil school record of 56 held by Bob Horner. He has joined Horner as the only other player in ASU history to have 20 or more home runs in consecutive seasons.
- In Pac-12 history, Torkelson is one of just three players to have 20+ home runs in back-to-back seasons (UCLA's Eric Valent in '97-98 and Bill Scott '99-00).
- Torkelson has also joined former Missouri State First-Round Draft Pick Jake Burger as the only player in the BBCOR era of batting standards to log multiple seasons with 20 or more home runs.
- Torkelson enters this weekend ranked in the Top-10 in the Pac-12 in nearly every major offensive category, including average (7th/.359), slugging percentage (4th/.714), RBIs (3rd/60), runs (4th/61), doubles (8th/14), total bases (2nd/155), walks (9th/37) and hits (3rd/78) in addition to his spot among the home run leaders. He sits in the Top-35 nationally in home runs, hits, runs, RBIs, slugging and total bases.
- Torkelson has multiple hits in a team-best 25 of ASU's games this season - four more than any other player - and at least one RBI in 16 games.
- In Pac-12 ONLY games, Torkelson is currently the league leader with 14 home runs - two more than any other player. His .777 slugging percentage in league games is tops in the Pac-12.
- The sophomore had a career-long 22-game hitting streak ended against Utah. It was the longest hitting streak by any Sun Devil since Riccio Torrez had a 26-game streak back in 2010 and is among the top-five longest streaks by a player in the NCAA this year. He currently has the team's active leading hit and reached-base streak at eight games.
#TorksUp
- Torkelson leads the team with 25 hits with runners in scoring position, recording 25 hits on 63 chances (.397)
- He has been an extremely tough out to end the inning, extending the inning 25-of-61 times with two outs (.410) with a team-best 33 two-out RBI - 14 more than any other player on the roster.
- Hit or not, Torkelson consistently finds a way to successfully advance baserunners, doing so 65 times on 127 opportunities (.512).
- With his first home run in the series against Cal, Torkelson has now homered in every single Pac-12 ballpark in the league despite being just a sophomore.
- Torkelson has played 28 weekend series at ASU and homered at least once in 23 of those. He has played 19 Pac-12 series and homered in 18 - the Cal series to cap 2018 being the lone exception.
- Defensively, Torkelson has made huge strides and helped turn 12 more double plays than any other player in the Pac-12 (54), which is still a testament to some of the impressive stretchs and picks he has made to make those possible.
- He has just three errors on the year despite being seventh in Pac-12 in defensive chances (422) and one of those came while he was playing out of position in right field for one inning in a game earlier this season.
- Torkelson joins Brett Wallace as the only other player in Sun Devil history to be a two-time semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. He will also rejoin the Team USA Collegiate National Team this Summer.
- Torkelson led the country in 2018 with 25 home runs – two more than any other player and just one shy of the NCAA freshman record while becoming first freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in home runs.
- Torkelson was a unanimous All-American, as every major baseball media outlet in the nation rewarded the freshman with at least one All-America accolade (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Baseball America, NCBWA, and Perfect Game)....Honored with Perfect Game's National Freshman of the Year award.
Hunting Party
- Hunter Bishop was named Perfect Game and D1Baseball's Midseason Player of the Year during the first week of April and was also tabbed as the NCBWA National Player of the Month for the Month of March.
- Bishop has also been named the 2019 Midseason Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist.
- Sophomore Hunter Bishop sits fifth nationally in home runs (22). He is five homers shy of ASU's single season record for home runs (27 by Mitch Jones in 2000).
- The junior is ranked in the top-30 nationally in numerous offensive categories, including homers, slugging (2nd/.792), runs (21st/63), RBIs (29th/61) and total bases (6th/160).
- He has reached base in all but two games this season and had a 44-game reach base streak at one point after reaching in the first 39 games of this season and last five. of 2018.
- Bishop is ranked in the Pac-12 top-10 in every major offensive category and is Top-Five in average, slugging, on-base percentage, runs, RBIs, hits, homers, triples, total bases and walks. .
- Bishop has 21 multi-hit games this season and leads the team with three games with four or more hits. His 17 multi-RBI games are more than any other player on ASU's prolific roster and he has 10 games with three or more RBIs.
- The 61 current RBIs are easily the most for a Sun Devil in the BBCOR era of batting, surpassing the previous best of 53 by Torkelson (2018) and Abe Ruiz (2011).
- Bishop leads the team in advancing teammates 69 times on 127 chances (.543).
Marshing to the Beat
- Alec Marsh has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 30 of his last 33 appearances dating back to his freshman season.
- Dating back to last season, Marsh has a posted a quality start in 16 of his 22 starts since assuming the mantle of Mr. Friday Night midway through the 2018 campaign.
- Marsh is tied for second in the Pac-12 and ninth in the nation with nine victories this season, currently posting an 9-3 record.
- His 3.04 ERA is currently 10th in the Pac-12 while his 88 strikeouts sit 4th in the league.
- Marsh leads Pac-12 pitchers and is 17th nationally with 91.2 innings pitched this season.
- The junior is not hesistant about pounding the strike zone, throwing a strike on 63.0 percent of his pitches while falling into 2-0 counts just 50 times on 375 batters faced on the year (.133).
- Marsh dominates when getting ahead of the count, holding batters to 2-29 hitting (.069) on 0-2 counts and 10-of-59 hitting (.169) on 1-2 counts with 46 combined strikeouts between the two. 2-2 counts have been especially deadly when facing Marsh this season, with opponents going 4-for-48 (.083) with 28 punchouts and a 68.2 strike percentage.
- Marsh is responsible for one ASU's two complete game this season, a masterful three-hit effort as he shut down third-ranked Oregon State to the tune of a 4-1 victory.
- Marsh struck out 10 batters on Opening Night, the first time an ASU player had reached double digits in a game since Seth Martinez in March of 2016. Marsh also became the first Sun Devil in at least 20 years to throw 10 strikeouts on Opening Night. Since at least 1998 (as far back as readily accessible records go), no Sun Devil had struck out more than eight batters on Opening Night until Marsh's performance.
- Alec Marsh was named a Midseason First Team All-American by Perfect Game on April 4 and was also named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.
- Marsh was added to the Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame's Watch List for the National Pitcher of the Year on April 17.
Alika Like That
- Alika Williams has quietly continued to put up impressive numbers as a sophomore, embracing his role as a cleanup hitter with a .328 batting average with 46 RBIs - easily a career high in the category. He had just 20 total RBIs last season.
- When he does get RBIs, he tends to get a lot of them. He has 13 multi-RBI games this season and is second on the team with eight games with three or more RBIs.
- Williams has homered four times this year and recorded 10 doubles and three triples. He is slugging .474 on the season - nearly 150 points higher than his freshman total of .333. With 17 extra-base hits on the year, he has far surpassed his freshman total of nine.
- The sophomore been incredible when falling behind in counts this season, posting a .390 average (16-of-41) when facing 1-2 counts. Of his 63 hits on the year, 36 have come when falling behind in the count.
- He is 31-of-89 (.348) on two-strike hitting on the year - striking out a team-low 25 times while walking 29 times, making him the only player on the team with more walks than strikeouts.
- 17 of his 46 RBIs (.370) have come when falling behind in counts.
- The sophomore has been incredible at advancing baserunners this season, leading the team with a .583 average with 63 advancements on 108 opportunities.
- Williams is ASU's most productive hitter with the bases loaded, going 7-for-13 this season (.538).
- Defensively, Williams is currently second in the Pac-12 with 132 defensive assists this season.
- He has helped turn 34 double plays this season, which is good for third overall in the Pac-12 and first among non-first basemen.
Putting in the Work
- Gage Workman has been one of the hottest players in the Sun Devil lineup of late, batting .337 with 37 runs scored, 39 RBIs and seven home runs. He has hits in 15 of his last 20 games and multiple hits in nine of those.
- In Pac-12 only games, Workman has a .345 average - the second-best total on the squad and just outside the Top-10 in the league.
- In Pac-12 only games, Workman is tied for 10 in the league with 17 walks.
- His .435 on-base percentage is 12th in Pac-12 games and the second-best among all Sun Devils in the category. His .621 slugging percentage in Pac-12 games is 9th in the league and second on the team.
- After not having a home run in the first four weeks of the year, Workman erupted for three in the Washington State series.
Trev Lightly and Carry a Big Stick
- Perhaps no player on the Sun Devil roster has shown as much improvement this season as sophomore Trevor Hauver.
- The leadoff man is batting .341 with a .427 on-base percentage this season and a team-best 75 hits - good for fourth in the Pac-12.
- Hauver had a 15-game hitting strea and 21-game reached base streak snapped in the series finale against Cal this past weekend
- Hauver has also showed plenty of pop in the bat, third on the team with 13 home runs this season - good for 8th in the Pac-12.
- He has been the top ASU player in games in several categories, posting a seven-RBI game, a five-hit game, a four-walk game and a two-home run game.
- Hauver has scored 56 runs this season, 5th in the league and 36th nationally.
- As a leadoff batter in an inning, Hauver has reached base 33 times this season on 91 chances (.363).
- Hauver has been very productive for his teammates as well, successfully advancing runners 62 times on 113 chances (.549). Of ASU's day-to-day starters, Hauver's 28 runners left stranded this season are the fewest on the team.
- Hauver has been light's out with runners in scoring position, leading the team with a .429 average on 24-of-56 hitting while also making it tough for pitchers to get out of innings with a second-best .388 average on 19-of-49 hitting with two outs.
- Hauver has a case for being ASU's most clutch batter late in games this season. In innings 7-9, Hauver is batting .423 on 22-of-52 hitting with 16 RBIs and 16 runs, easily leading ASU in each of those categories in the late stages of games. Six of his 13 home runs have come in these latter stages of games.
#LINSANITY
- Lyle Lin has embraced his new role as the team's designated hitter this season, just outside the Top-10 in the Pac-12 with 45 RBIs despite not quite being an every-day starter
- Lin's 45 RBIs are an incredible tally considering the junior had just 18 RBIs total during the 2018 season, despite starting every game. He has multiple RBIs in 9 games.
- Prior to the Cal series, Lin had a 10-game streak as good as any by a Sun Devil this season, batting .474 in that span with four doubles and four home runs with 10 RBIs. That .474 average was 140 points higher than any Sun Devil on the roster.
- Of Lin's 60 hits this season, 43 have come on either the first pitch of an at-bat or when battling from behind in the count. A contact hitter, Lin is tied for the team lead in fewest strikeouts at 25 but has also walked a team-low 12 times.
- Lin is 14-for-19 this season in bringing runners from third home with less than two outs, a notable area of struggle for the junior was was just 2-for-12 in the category last season despite starting every game in the middle of the lineup. The 14 RBIs in that spot this year are three more than any other Sun Devil.
- Lin has advanced baserunners 65 times on 109 chances (.596) - the highest total on the team by average.
- His knack for getting the ball into play has paid its due, as he's reached base a team-best 10 times on opponent errors this season - five more than any other Sun Devil. He has advanced a runner with an out 23 times - also good for the team lead.
- Lin recorded the game-winning RBI (the RBI that put ASU ahead for the remainder of the game) in all three of ASU's games against UC Davis.
- Lin became the first Sun Devil since 2014 to hit a grand slam with his round-tripper in the second game of the UC Davis series.
- Lin leads the team with nine games this season with three or more hits.
Just Like He Drew It Up
- Despite missing three weeks to injury, Drew Swift returned to the lineup and continued to show he is one of ASU's most improved hitters.
- He has nine doubles this season - already a career-best - and a triple for 10 extra-base hits on the season despite missing several weeks to injury. He had just two extra-base hits on the season.
- Swift has been a part of 33 double plays this season, despite the time missed, good for fifth in the Pac-12 in the category and second among non-first basemen.
- His 116 defensive assists are good for 11th in the Pac-12.
- Became the first Sun Devil since Jake Peevyhouse in 2014 to have three doubles in a game, doing so against San Diego.
Pay the Tolman
- Erik Tolman has been thrust into several crucial spots as a true freshman this season and responded best when the lights were on.
- Tolman is 3-1 with two saves this season and a team-best 2.85 ERA.
- Tolman has struck out 48 batters and in 47.1 innings pitched.
- Opponent's .194 batting average against Tolman this season is easily the lowest on the team.
- With a handful more innings pitched, Tolman would qualify as the only pitcher in the Pac-12 this season to not allow a home run.
- Tolman is dominant when he has two strikes to his credit, holding opponents to 4-35 (.114) in 1-2 counts and 4-of-29 (.138) in 2-2 counts with 33 of his 48 strikeouts.
- With runners on the basepath, opponents are batting just 16-of-84 (.190) against Tolman on the season and he has been shutdown with two outs, limiting the opposition to 5-of-49 (.102) while stranding 50 baserunners.
- With runners in scoring position, opponents are just 8-of-52 (.154) with just 11 RBIs.
The Brady Bunch
- Brady Corrigan has quickly asserted himself as one of ASU's go-to players out of the pen, appearing in 27 of ASU's 51 games this season.
- Corrigan has inherited a team-high 36 runners this season, allowing just seven of them to score (.194).
- Corrigan has 57 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched - easily the best strikeout-to-inning ratio on the team.
OBURZELLOUS
- Blake Burzell has allowed just one earned run in his last nine appearances (18.1 IP) with 14 strikeouts.
- Burzell has earned the win in three of those games (now 5-0 on the season) while lowering his ERA over three points in the process to drop it back under 4.00.
- Burzell throws a strike 64.0 percent of the time, the highest total on the team. He doesn't hesitate on 1-2 and 2-2 counts, throwing strikes 71.0 and 77.8 percent of the time and punching out 23 in the process.
- Opponents are just 2-for-23 (0.87) against Burzell on 1-2 counts this season.
- During his nine-game hot stretch, Burzell has held opposition to 2-for-22 hitting (.091) with two outs and 4-for-32 (.125) with runners on the base path.
Chicks Dig The Long Ball
- ASU's power numbers this season have been at another level with ASU posting 88 home runs - a total that is good for second in the nation
- The Devils have three players with over 10 home runs in Hunter Bishop (22), Spencer Torkelson (21) and Trevor Hauver (13). It is the first time a Sun Devil roster has laid that claim since 2009 (Carlos Ramirez/19, Jason Kipnis/16, Kole Calhoun/12).
- With Hunter Bishop eclipsing 20 home runs this season after Spencer Torkelson his 25 last year, it is the first time ASU has had a player hit 20 or more home runs in consecutive seasons since 1987 (Tony Mattia/21) and 1988 (Tim Spehr/20).
- Bishop and Torkelson make ASU just the 5th team in Pac-12 history to have players reach 20+ home runs in multiple consecutive seasons, joining ASU '84-85 (Bonds/McDowell), WSU '87-88 (Hooper/Olerud), STAN '90-91 (Griffin/McCarty) and UCLA '97-01 (5 players combined)
- They are first ASU duo to have 20+ HRs in same year. Since the BBCOR batting standards were introduced in '11, ASU is the first Power 5 team to achieve this and just 2nd team overall.
- ASU is just the 5th Pac-12 team in history to have at least two players reach 20+ homers in same season, joining Arizona '93 (Arias/Thompson), UCLA '97 (Glaus/Heinrichs/Valent), UCLA '00 (Johnson/Utley/Scott) and Stanford '08 (Ratliff/Muth)
- ASU's 88 home runs are the most since the 1993 team recorded 97 homers.
- ASU's 88 home runs have easily set the Pac-12 record during the BBCOR era of bats (since 2011), surpassing Oregon State's 2018 mark of 67.
- ASU is hitting 1.73 home runs per game this season, a mark that would be the third-best of any team in the past nine years since the BBCOR batting standards were introduced.
- Ten different Sun Devils have gone yard this season, with eight of those doing so 3 or more times.
- ASU's 88 home runs are 11 more than any other team in the Pac-12 (Cal is second with 77).
Pitching For Contact
- The Sun Devil pitching staff has done its part to put trust in the defense behind it, a trait of pithching to contact that has led to 58 double plays being turned on the season - a total that leads the Pac-12 and is third nationally.
- ASU's defense as done it's part with a solid .974 fielding percentage that is fourth in the league and 71st nationally after consecutive seasons ranked 184th or worst in the cateogry.
- That trusting relationship has played a huge role in ASU escaping numerous jams this season. In total, ASU has stranded 434 opponents on the basepath this year - just a tick under nine stranded runners per game at 8.9 per game.