PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball open the 2019 season this weekend at home at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix with a three-game series against ACC opponent Notre Dame beginning Friday, Feb. 14. Friday and Saturday's contest will feature a first pitch at 6:30 p.m. while Sunday's finale will get underway at 12:30 p.m. Both Saturday and Sunday's games will be streamed live online through the Pac-12 Network Plus.
Follow the Action
- Saturday and Sunday's contests are scheduled to be streamed live via the Pac-12 Networks and can be viewed at https://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university.
- Due to several ASU home events scheduled on Friday, the team's season opener will not be available online or television.
- Fans are encouraged to follow along in-game content throughout the weekend on the Sun Devil Baseball account (@ASU_Baseball).
- Fans may also tune in this weekend to Blaze Radio, available at blazeradioonline.com.
Season Openers and the Irish
- The Sun Devils are 46-13-1 in season openers and have won or split 11 of their last 12 season opening series.
- ASU has won 10 of its last 12 season openers.
- For the Irish, Eric Gilgenbach was named a team captain this season and he is the most experienced hitter returning for the Irish. The senior outfielder led the Irish with 45 RBI, tied for the team lead with 10 home runs.
- On the mound, the Irish bring back a number of pitchers who saw action during the 2018 season. In total, nine of 10 pitchers who logged at least 20 innings last season will return for the Irish.
- Joe Boyle is another live arm the Irish will have coming out of the bullpen in 2019, a flamethrower that can touch close to 100 miles per hour. After the summer, Boyle was named a top prospect from the Northwoods League by D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Fear the Tork
- Spencer 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.
- He is the first freshman in NCAA history to lead the nation in home runs.
- Became just the sixth player to reach 25 home runs since the BBCOR batting technology changes took effect in 2011 and the only freshman in the NCAA to reach the milestone in that time.
- Surpassed the previous Sun Devil freshman record of 11 home runs set by Barry Bonds in 1983 against Washington State.
- Finished tied with Bob Horner (1978) for second in ASU single-season history in home runs, just two shy of Mitch Jones' school record 27 in 2000.
- Completed his spectacular freshman season 66-for-206 (.320), launching 25 home runs and driving in 53 runs.
- Slugged a gaudy .743 on the season (25 homers, 12 doubles), the third-highest total for any freshman in the NCAA in the past two decades and the highest for a freshman in the BBCOR era (since 2011). Only Rickie Weeks (.849 in 2001) and Jeremy Baltz (.771, 2010) posted higher freshman slugging percentages in the past 20 years.
- In Pac-12 games only, he led the conference in slugging (.754), runs (38), total bases (86) and home runs (14). No other player in the league led the conference in more than two categories – compared to four for Torkelson.
- Scored 59 runs on the season, third-most in ASU freshman history while his 53 total RBI were fifth among all freshmen in Sun Devil lore.
- The 66 hits are ninth in ASU freshman history.
#TorksUp
- 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.
- Named a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, an award honoring the best player in college baseball.
- National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America named him as a third-team All-America selection.
- Earned third-team recognition from Perfect Game.
- Placed on the Perfect Game Freshman All-America First Team
- Named by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper as the National Co-Freshman of the Year and the NCBWA as the National Freshman Hitter of the Year.
- Just the seventh Sun Devil in school history to be named an All-American as a freshman, joining Mike Kelly (1989) and Casey Myers (1998) as the only two ASU position players to be named All-Americans as freshman.
- Pitchers Kendall Carter (1981), Phil Lowery (1996), Mike Leake (2007) and Ryan Kellogg (2013) are the only other freshmen in program history to be named All-Americans.
- The third Sun Devil to be named Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, joining Ike Davis (2006) and Jason Kipnis (2008).
- Pac-12 All-Conference First Team member.
A Swift Glove
- Drew Swift started in 54 of 55 games as a true freshman, splitting time between both middle infield positions.
- Displayed advanced maturity which reflected in his approach at the plate, as he drew 24 walks (2nd on the team) which helped him reach base at a .321 clip.
- Recorded 31 hits, 27 runs scored, and 15 RBIs in his first collegiate season.
- Finished first on the team with 158 assists and executed 30 double plays.
- Contributed to the team in many ways, including registering a team-high 12 sacrifice hits and reaching base via hit by a pitch four times.
- Put together eight multi-hit performances on the season.
A Lot to Alika
- Alika Williams started in 54 of 55 as a true freshman, splitting time between both middle infield positions.
- Finished his first season in Tempe 52-for-186 (.280), scoring 23 runs and driving in 20.
- Went 3-for-5 with a season-best three RBIs in a 15-7 win over Utah (4/21).
- Registered a hit in 15 of 16 games between 3/11-4/7.
- Hit .293 with 52 hits over his final 51 games after starting the season 0-for-9.
- Recorded 11 multi-hit performances, including three 3+ hit games.
- Contributed a three-hit day in the Sun Devils 12-7 win over San Diego (5/9), collecting a pair of double and driving in a run.
- His 13 strikeouts were the lowest among players with at least 22 starts.
- Drew 13 walks, helping him achieve a .333 OBP.
- Teamed up with fellow freshman infielder Drew Swift to execute 30 double plays.
- Second on the team with five stolen bases.
Putting in the Work
- Gage Workman appeared in 50 games, starting 48 of them, during his true freshman in Tempe.
- Collegiate Baseball News Freshman All-American
- Completed an impressive freshman campaign 48-for-174 (.276), launching three home runs, driving in 25 runs, and scoring 27.
- Collected seven triples, tied for the fifth highest total in the country and second on the team behind the national leader in the category, teammate Gage Canning.
- Contributed significantly in the Sun Devil's series victory over Oklahoma State (3/2-3/4), finishing the weekend 6-for-13, driving in six runs, scoring four, and smacking a pair of triples.
- Smashed his first career home run during a 2-for-3 day against USC (4/8).
- A big part of Arizona State's first Pac-12 sweep of the season, as he finished the series against Oregon (3/16-3/18) 5-for-11 with two doubles and three RBIs.
- Went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the Sun Devil's 8-3 victory over Pacific (5/14).
- An on-base machine during a four game run in April, recording at least one hit and one walk in four consecutive games (4/6-4/10).
- Did not ground into a double play all season, the only ASU regular that can make that claim
- Recorded 12 multi-hit games, including three 3+ hit performances.
- Drove in multiple runs in a game on six occasions.
- Posted an OPS of .805, slugging .466 (3rd on team) and reaching base at a .339 clip.
Marshing to the Beat
- Junior RHP Alec Marsh figures to reclaim his role as Mr. Friday Night and was exceptional in Pac-12 games last season and has posted five quality starts in six Pac-12 series after being moved to ASU's Friday-night starter.
- Made a significant leap from his first to second year on campus in Tempe.
- Finished with a 3-3 record while posting a 3.89 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched.
- Struck out 64 batters and held opponents to a .232 batting average.
- Started the season by throwing 13.1 consecutive scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and striking out 10 over that span.
- Put together his best performance as a Sun Devil in a 5-1 victory over USC (4/6), going 8.1 dominant innings, allowing one run while striking out seven carrying a shutout into the ninth inning.
- Recorded a career-high eight strikeouts against Oregon State (3/4), going seven innings while allowing two runs on five hits.
- Dealt 4.2 scoreless innings in his first start of the season, a 1-0 win against Long Beach State (2/27).
- Allowed three earned runs or less in 11 of his 12 starts.
#LINSANITY
- Lyle Lin started all 55 games for the Sun Devils for the second consecutive season, giving him 110 consecutive starts to begin his Sun Devil career.
- Finished his sophomore season 72-for-231 (.312) with two home runs and 18 RBIs.
- Smashed 16 doubles to go along with the pair of home runs, helping him post a .407 slugging percentage.
- Improved his arm and delivery time from behind the plate, throwing out 11 potential base stealers.
- Opened this season on a 15-game hitting streak, going 26-for-61 (.426) with two home runs and six RBIs in that span.
- Recorded at least one hit in 25 of 26 games to start the season.
- Went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the Sun Devils 7-3 victory over Miami (OH) (2/17).
- Drove in four runs in Arizona State's 8-5 upset victory over No. 5 Oregon State (4/28).
- Second on the team with 22 multi-hit games, including four three-hit performances.
Filling the Boyd
- Boyd Vander Kooi enjoyed an outstanding true freshman campaign, providing the Sun Devils a dominating presence on the mound before being sidelined with injury over the second half of the year.
- Made 10 appearances on the season, including five starts, finishing the campaign with a 3-3 record.
- His 3.00 ERA tied him for the lowest on the team among those with at least 36 innings pitched.
- Burst on to the scene with a fantastic collegiate debut, throwing a seven-inning complete game, allowing no earned runs and striking out five in a 11-1 victory over Miami (OH) (2/18).
- Put together a terrific performance in a 2-1 victory over Saint Mary's, going a season-high 7.2 innings while limiting the Gaels to just four hits and one run, striking out a season-high nine.
- Stuck out 35 batters, allowing just 12 earned runs in 36.0 innings pitched.
- Threw five scoreless innings in the Sun Devils 18-4 victory over Oregon (3/17), giving up only one hit and striking out four.
- Made his final five appearances (8.1 innings) out of the bullpen, preventing an earned run from scoring in four of the five outings.
- Did not allow an earned run in six of his ten outings.
Put Me In, Coach
- The consumate team player, fans can expect to find Carter Aldrete all over the diamond this season. Aldrete figures to start the year as the team's starting right fielder, but can fill holes across the infield and even on the mound as the season progresses.
- Finished a solid sophomore season with a .293 average (56-for-191) with three home runs and 31 RBI's - giving him 62 through his first two seasons in Phoenix.
- Showed a mature approach at the plate, drawing 22 walks giving him a .373 OBP
- Recorded 10 doubles, giving him consecutive seasons reaching double-digits in doubles
- Completed the season with 13 multi-hit and 8 multi-RBI performances
- Saved his best play for last, ending the season on a nine-game hit streak
- Drove in three runs in back-to-back games in March, going 3-for-5 in a 10-7 victory over Pepperdine (3/6) followed by a 2-for-3 outing in the Sun Devil's 9-4 win over UNC Wilmington (3/9)
- Outstanding in the Sun Devil's three-game sweep of Oregon to open up Pac-12 play, finishing the series 5-for-12 (.417) with four RBIs
- Hit two of his three homers in back-to-back games, launching one in a 3-for-6 effort against San Diego (5/9) before leaving the yard against Pacific (5/13)
- Had a streak of seven straight games where he drove in a run spanning from 5/9-5/24.