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#15 Sun Devil Baseball Welcomes Hawai'i For Three-Game Series

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#15 Sun Devil Baseball Welcomes Hawai'i For Three-Game Series#15 Sun Devil Baseball Welcomes Hawai'i For Three-Game Series

PHOENIX -- #15 Sun Devil Baseball continues its 2021 campaign at home this weekend with a three-game set over two days against Hawai'i beginning on Friday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. AZT. The two teams will compete in a Saturday doubleheader with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. in Game One while Game Two is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch, dependent on the length of the first game.

The Sun Devils will open their midweek slate this coming week with a rare midweek afternoon game against Nevada on Tuesday at 1 p.m. AZT

In The Rankings

  • The Sun Devils are ranked 15th in the country Week 1 Poll by Collegiate Baseball News, is receiving votes the NCBWA and USA Today Coaches Poll, is ranked 15th in the Perfect Game preseason poll and is unranked by Baseball America and D1Baseball. ASU was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 this season in vote by the Pac-12 Coaches last week. 

Follow the Action

  • All three games this weekend and Tuesday's game will be streamed live online. Friday's contest will be at https://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university-3 while the next three games will be featured on the main live stream at https://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university.
  • All three games this weekend will be available over the airwaves on Phoenix Sports Radio 1060 KDUS.
  • Fans are encouraged to follow along pre-game and in-game content throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twtter account: @ASU_Baseball, especially for key weather updates and time changes. 

On The Rainbow Warriors/Wolfpack

  • Hawai'i will open the 2021 season in a true away game on the mainland for the first time in school history. (The 1973 Rainbows played in the UC Riverside Tournament but did not play a full D-I schedule in 1973.). The Rainbow Warriors will open the season on the road for just the second time under Mike Trapasso (2016 at Hawai'i-Hilo).
  • Aaron Davenport was named a preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Davenport ranked 2nd in the country in wins (4-0) in 2020 and had a 2.15 ERA.
  • ASU holds a 29-18 all-time series advantage over UH dating back to the first meeting in 1973. Hawai'i last beat ASU in 1993.
  • The Rainbow Warriors and Sun Devils last met back in 2010, the last time UH made an NCAA Regional. ASU knocked off Hawai'i twice in the double-elimination style format.
  • ASU is 0-3 against Nevada all-time and last squared off in a midweek contest in 2016, a 11-5 loss in Phoenix. 
  • The Wolf Pack went 3-1 on opening weekend, taking three of four games from Cal Poly on the road and face in-state rival UNLV this weekend. Nevada is playing its first 11 games on the road.

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. Dating back to last year, ASU has held opponents to five runs or fewer in 19 of the last 20 games since Jason Kelly's arrival.

2.  ASU has struck out 31 batters to just 6 walks, a 5.17 K:BB ratio that is 13th in the country. The 2.00 BB/9 is 12th in the country.

3. .@coopb__17struck out 8, walked none, allowed just one hit and no runs in his Friday night debut in the season opener.

4. Joe Lampe slugged a gaudy 1.222 in his Sun Devil debut, recording two doubles, two triples, a game-winning run and game-winning RBI.

5. ASU's starting pitcher trio of Benson, Thornton and Tolman combined for 16.2 IP, allowing just two runs, striking out 20 and walking two.

6. .@coopb__17 has 8 or more strikeouts in three career starts and enters the weekend with a 11.4 K/9 ratio.

7. Tyler Thornton has gone at least 5.1 innings in all five starts at ASU and moved to 3-0 in the Maroon & Gold.

8. Graham Osman is one of just 31 Division I pitchers with at least 3.0 innings pitched over the opening week to not allow a hit. 

9. The 9th inning of opening night aside, ASU's entire rotation and bullpen allowed just 2 runs in 26.0 IP, striking out 29 and walking just five.

10. In 29 career appearances, Erik Tolman has yet to allow three earned runs in a single game. He has 6 or more strikeouts in his last 4 starts.

BY THE NUMBERS

31 - ASU struck out 31 batters to just 6 walks in the opening weekend, a 5.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio that is 13th in the country. The 2.00 walks allowed per nine innings is 12th in the country.ASU gave up just 14 hits during the opening weekend, a 4.67 hits allowed per nine innings ratio that is good for 10th in the country.. ASU's 0.74 WHIP is third in the country. ASU's starting pitcher trio of Cooper Benson, Tyler Thornton and  ErikTolman combined for 16.2 innings pitched, allowing just two total runs, striking out 20 and walking just two.

29 - In 29 career appearances, Erik Tolman has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a single game. Erik Tolman allowed just one hit in five innings of work last weekend, striking out six and holding the opposition to a .062 average. As has always been the case, Tolman was electric when operating ahead in the count in his 2021 debut. In two-strike counts (0-2, 1-2, 2-2), Tolman held the opposition to 0-for-9 hitting with six strikeouts.Tolman was deadly with two strikes to his credit last season, holding opponents to 3-for-45 (.067) hitting in two-strike counts

17 - Cooper Benson was electric in his 2021 debut, allowing a hit to the second batter of the game before absolutely shutting things down, retiring 17 straight batters with eight strike outs, no walks and no runs allowed in the effort.  The eight opening day strikeouts were tied for second at ASU in at least the last 22 seasons. He now has eight or more strikeouts in three of his career starts for the Sun Devils and enters the weekend with an 11.4 strikeout to nine innings pitched tally.

0 - Graham Osman was one of just 31 Division I pitchers with at least 3.0 innings pitched over the opening week to not allow a hit. Osman was electric in his first two appearances this season, retiring all 10 batters he faced on opening weekend. Osman went 2.1 innings on Sunday to earn his first career save and seal the series victory for the Sun Devils. In six full counts, Osman threw six strikes, striking out two, getting three outs and a fielder's choice to avoid free bases. 

Just Like He Drew It Up

  • Drew Swift has quickly picked up where he left off last season, recording a two-RBI triple in the season open that had ASU in line for the victory prior to a ninth inning collapse abut bouncing right back on Saturday with the go-ahead RBI double that set ASU up for its first win of the year.
  • Swift was Mr. Sun Devil for the ASU last season, seeing time at second base, shortstop, center field and right field. He finished on an unreal tear over his final seven games, recording five-straight multi-hit efforts at one point and two of those being four-hit contests. In that five-game stretch, Swift went 15-of-29 (.517) with a team-best 13 RBIs.
  • Swift led the team in batting average, sitting at .365 overall on the season with a team-best 23 hits - three more than any of his teammates. He was easily been ASU's best hitter with runners in scoring position, going 11-for-24 (.524) with three more hits than any teammate.
  • His clutch hitting also stood out as he was the team's best hitter with two outs, going 9-for-22 (.409).Swift had a team-best 8 multi-hit games - two more than any of his teammates - and was the only player on the squad to record a 4-hit game - doing so twice. 
  • Swift helped turn 10 double plays last season - the third-most in the Pac-12 and most among non-first basemen.
  • Swift was named to the Pac-12 honorable mention All-Defensive team as a sophomore. He was a part of 36 double plays, despite the time missed, good for fourth in the Pac-12 in the category and second among non-first basemen. He helped ASU turn 61 double plays on the season - sixth in the nation and first in the Pac-12. His 135 defensive assists were good for 7th in the Pac-12.

Hangin' With Mr. Cooper

  • Cooper Benson established himself as ASU's Friday night starter late in the shortened 2020 season and left no doubts as to why in his debut of 2021. The redshirt freshman allowed a hit to the second batter of the game before absolutely shutting things down, retiring 17 straight batters with eight strike outs, no walks and no runs allowed in the effort. 
  • The eight opening day strikeouts were tied for second at ASU in at least the last 22 seasons. 
  • Benson did not have a single 2-0 pitch count on the night and fell behind in the count 3-1 just twice.
  • Benson wasted no time putting himself in the rotation as a freshman, working his way to the role of Friday-night starter by the conclusion of the shortened season.
  • He finished his true freshman year with a 1-1 record and a 3.60 ERA, striking out 25 in 20.0 innings of work.
  • Benson an impressive career debut for the Sun Devils against a Top-10 Michigan program last year, recording a quality start with 6.1 innings pitched and just two earned runs against in his first collegiate action - striking out eight with no walks.
  • Benson a career-best nine strikeouts in his final appearance of the year against Fresno State over 5.2 innings.

I Love Lamp

  • Joe Lampe showed why he might quickly become a fan favorite for the Sun Devil faithful, hustling out doubles on routine singles, turning around one extra base hit after another and generally providing some oomph into an otherwise stagnant Sun Devil offense. 
  • Lampe finished the opening weekend, batting .556 and scored the go-ahead run on Saturday and recorded the go-ahead RBI on Sunday.
  • He was a home run short of the cycle in Saturday's contest.
  • Lampe came out of the weekend slugging a gaudy 1.222 with four extra base hits (2 doubles, 2 triples on his five hits on the weekend). 

Jump Around

  • Hunter Jump was among the hottest hitters in the Sun Devil lineup in the last couple weeks of the 2020 season and finished the year on an eight-game hitting streak.
  • In the last two weeks of action, Jump went 14-of-31 with a .452 average and was second on the team with 12 RBIs in his last 8 games. He slugged .742 in that time with a team-best six doubles.
  • He leds the Pac-12 and was 27th nationally with 7 total doubles on the season.
  • Jump was responsible for the game-winning RBIs in the sixth inning or later in both of ASU's first two games of the series sweep of Fresno State.

Filling the Boyd

  • Boyd Vander Kooi is the veteran presence in the starting rotation for the Sun Devils this season but has provided much needed depth off the bench as well. 
  • The junior led the team last year with a 0.70 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched. The ERA was good for 2nd in the Pac-12 despite being second in the league in innings pitched
  • Vander Kooi walked just two batters to 20 strikeouts last season and the 10.0 strikeout to walk ratio was second in the Pac-12 and 31st nationally. 
  • His 0.82 WHIP was fifth in the Pac-12 while his 0.70 walks allowed per nine innings were third in the league and 20th nationally - but seventh among pitchers with at least 20.0 innings pitched on the year.
  • In his last nine regular season appearances dating back to 2019, Vander Kooi has posted a 1.36 ERA in 46.1 innings pitched, striking out 42 with just seven walks and seven earned runs allowed.
  • Vander Kooi has tossed 14.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run over his last 4 appearances.

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

  • Tyler Thornton continued to do Tyler Thornton things in his 2021 debut, going 5.2 innings with just one run allowed as he worked around six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. 
  • Thornton, a transfer from Saint Mary's, played heavily into the Sun Devil pitching rotation last season. He was nigh unhittable in his debut as a Sun Devil, allowing just one hit in 6.2 innings of work against Villanova. 
  • The sophomore posted a quality start in three of his first four starts last season, the only Sun Devil to post such a feat. ASU was 4-0 in games Thornton started.
  • Thornton was 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA with 25 strikeouts and seven walks in 24.0 innings pitched - tied for 6th in the Pac-12. His 25 strikeouts were 11th in the Pac-12.
  • Thornton was tabbed the National Freshman of the Year (Collegiate Baseball) and National Freshman Pitcher of the Year (NCWBA) and Freshman of the Year of the West Coast Conference. He finished the year with a 10-2 record and a 2.71 earned run average in 13 starts. His 5.54 hits allowed per nine innings were ranked 11th in the country and first in the West Coast Conference and his 10 wins were also ranked 11th in the nation. Thornton's 11.08 strikeouts per nine innings were ranked third in the WCC and his WHIP of 0.97 was also third in the conference (27th in the nation).

Pay the Tolman

  • In 29 career appearances, Erik Tolman has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any game. 
  • Erik Tolman allowed just one hit in five innings of work last weekend, striking out six and holding the opposition to a .062 average. 
  • As has always been the case, Tolman was electric when operating ahead in the count in his 2021 debut. In two-strike counts (0-2, 1-2, 2-2), Tolman held the opposition to 0-for-9 hitting with six strikeouts and threw a strike on 13-of-21 of those batters faced.
  • Tolman had 30 strikeouts in just 18.0 innings pitched last season - holding opponents to just .143 hitting. The 30 strikeouts were 5th in the Pac-12 last season while his 12 looking strikeouts were second. 
  • Tolman recorded 15.00 strikeouts per nine innings, a total that was 2nd in the Pac-12 and 18th nationally. 
  • In his three starts last year, Tolman allowed just four earned runs. He was unfazed by runners on the basepath, holding opponents to just 3-of-20 hitting (.150) with runners on. Tolman was deadly with two strikes to his credit last season, holding opponents to 3-for-45 (.067) hitting with two strikes.
  • Tolman's 2020 debut was absolutely electric as he posted a career-best 12 strikeouts against #24 Oklahoma State -  the most for an ASU pitcher since Ryan Kellogg had 12 strikeouts against Oregon on May 12, 2014. It took Kellogg eight innings to get to that mark, while Tolman was able to reach the number in just six innings of work. It was the most strikeouts in six or fewer innings since Mitchell Lambson had 12 on March 14, 2009 against Kansas in 5.2 innings. 

Dr. Oz

  • Graham Osman was electric in his first two appearances this season, retiring all 10 batters he faced on opening weekend.
  • Osman went 2.1 innings on Sunday to earn his first career save and seal the series victory for the Sun Devils. 
  • The redshirt freshman struck out five and really did his part on full counts. He faced six of them in the two appearances, throwing six strikes and getting two strikeouts, three outs in the field and a fielder's choice to avoid allowing any free base runners. 
  • He was one of just 31 Division I pitchers with at least 3.0 innings pitched over the opening week to not allow a hit. 

Pounding The Zone

  • The Sun Devil pitching rotation was absolutely elite outside of one inning in the team's season-open series win over WAC favorites Sacramento State.
  • The team finished the weekend with a 2.00 team ERA, which is lowest in the Pac-12 and 22nd in the country. 
  • ASU struck out 31 batters to just 6 walks, a 5.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio that leads the Pac-12 and is 13th in the country. The 2.00 walks allowed per nine innings is 12th in the country.
  • ASU gave up just 14 hits during the opening weekend, a 4.67 hits allowed per nine innings ratio that is good for 10th in the country and leads the league. ASU's 0.74 WHIP is third in the country and, again, leads the Pac-12
  • The staff threw a strike on 63.2 percent of its pitches over the weekend and fell into just 10 2-0 counts over the course of the weekend (on 102 batters faced).
  • ASU's starting pitcher trio of Cooper Benson, Tyler Thornton and  ErikTolman combined for 16.2 innings pitched, allowing just two total runs, striking out 20 and walking just two batters. Benson and Tolman each allowed just one single hit in their appearances.
  • The ninth inning of the season opener aside (four runs on a grand slam), ASU's entire rotation and bullpen allowed just two runs in 26.0 innings of work, striking out 29 and walking just five batters. ASU allowed just 12 hits in those 26.0 innings, limiting the opposition to a .133 batting average minus the 9th inning of Game 1.
  • Sunday's series-clinching effort against Sac State was ASU's first one-hitter since May 20, 2007 when Brian Flores went the distance in an 8-1 victory over Oregon State. ASU has had two no-hitters since then (Ryan Kellogg in 2013 and Ryan Hingst in 2016).

The JK Effect

  • ASU's new pitching coach Jason Kelly made immediate impressions on the Sun Devil pitching staff based on early returns in 2020.
  • ASU was first in the Pac-12 in strikeouts (178 - 12 more than any other team in the league) and in batters struck out looking (58 - five more than any other team).
  • After a fluky 18-run game against Nebraska, the Sun Devil pitching staff allowed just 12 TOTAL runs over its 5-game winning streak to end the season.
  • ASU held opponents to 5 runs or fewer in 16 of the first 17 games of the year. 
  • The Sun Devil pitching rotation had as effective of a 11-game stretch to open the season as it had in recent memory. The Sun Devils did not allow more than five runs in each of the first 11 games, the first time accomplishing that feat to start a season since having 12 such games in 2009. 
  • Each of ASU's five separate starting pitchers recorded a quality start in their first outing of the season (3 or fewer earned runs in 6.0+ innings of work). ASU's five consecutive quality starts were the most since a seven-game stretch in 2011 (one game against Fullerton and series against Arizona and Oregon).
  • ASU's 11 quality starts through the first 17 games were notable as it took until the March 30 of 2019 to reach the feat.
  • ASU's 18 strikeouts against #24 Oklahoma State were the most against a Power Five program since March 21, 1998, against Cal. It was the most, period, since a 21-strikeout effort in 2001 against a now defunct Southern Utah program.

Looking at the Bright Side

  • The loss of the 2020 season was tough to swallow for many across the nation, but especially for a promising Sun Devil program that was primed for a College World Series-type run. But while the Sun Devils lost some significant bats and infield defense following the season, the shortened 2020 Draft left a talented pitching staff mostly unscathed.
  • Only closer RJ Dabovich was (114th overall selection of the fourth round) lost and while ASU will have to find a way to replace his production (4 saves, 0.77 ERA, 17 strikeouts in 9 appearances and 11.2 innings), the Sun Devils return every starter for the 2020 campaign from a team that posted a 3.56 era with 178 strikeouts to just 67 walks and a just a .224 average against.

Feeling the Draft

  • Despite the draft being shortened to five rounds from 40 due to the fallout from COVID-19, the Sun Devils made history as ASU's five draft selections through the first four rounds marked a program record. Previously the record was four, which had occurred six times in history and most recently in 2012 (Deven Marrero, Brady Rodgers, Joey DeMichele, Jake Barrett). 
  • The five selections in the 2020 MLB Draft were the most of any program. ASU has had at least five MLB Draft selections if 49 of the 56 all-time draft years since Sun Devil alumnus Rick Monday was selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the 1965 MLB Draft. It was ASU's third consecutive season with five draft picks and the fourth season in the last five years with the total.
  • The haul brings ASU's all-time MLB Draft selections to an NCAA-leading 447, including secondary phase and January drafts throughout history. ASU's 156 draft selections since 1999 are also the most of any team in the nation. 
  • Sun Devil Baseball bookended the opening round of the 2020 MLB Draft as Spencer Torkelson was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Tigers while Alika Williams was chosen 37th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the Competitive Balance Round A with the final selection of the first round. 
  • Torkelson became the fourth Arizona State baseball player to go No. 1 overall in program history, easily an NCAA-high – two more than any other program. He joins Rick Monday (1965), Floyd Bannister (1976) and Bob Horner (1978) to earn the prestigious designation out of ASU. 
  • It was the seventh time in ASU history that the program recorded two first round selections (including supplementary rounds) - tied with Stanford for the most multi-pick years in NCAA history. The last time it occurred was 1997 when Ryan Bradley and Dan McKinley were selected 40th and 49th overall in the supplemental rounds. It is the first time with at least one of the players going in the non-compensatory first round since 1994 (Antone Williamson (4th) and Jacob Cruz (32nd)).
  • With Torkelson becoming Sun Devil Baseball's fourth No. 1 overall pick, Arizona State now ranks tied for fourth among all NCAA programs for most No. 1 overall draft picks from a single program among the major sports (MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL). Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC football have all had five No. 1 picks in the NFL draft.  Sun Devil Baseball is the only NCAA baseball program in the Top-10.
  • Torkelson was the 22nd first round selection for the Sun Devils in program history (June draft only, no supplemental rounds) – good for the second-highest tally in NCAA history (Stanford's 23). With supplemental rounds included, Torkelson and Williams mark 30 first-round selections - one behind Stanford for the most in the NCAA.  The duo marks the 51st and 52nd first round selections in program history with the supplementary, January and June Secondary phase drafts included as well.
  • Torkelson's selection marks the second consecutive season that a Sun Devil has gone in the first 10 picks of the MLB Draft, joining Hunter Bishop's 10th overall selection by the San Francisco Giants last season. Torkelson is the 14th Top-10 pick in Sun Devil program history - the most of any program in the NCAA.