PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball will lift the lid on the 2024 campaign this Friday, Feb. 16 on Opening Night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium against 2023 NCAA Regional Finalist Santa Clara. The first pitch of the season will be at 6:30 p.m. AZT on Friday, followed by 1 p.m. AZT first pitches on Saturday and Sunday.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
- The series will be stramed live through the ASU live streams throughout the weekend.
- Friday and Sunday's games will be broadcast live over local airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter providing the highlights.
- Fans are always encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media for any program or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball.
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. The Sun Devils walked off an opponent five times last season after not doing so in any game at Muni in 2022.
2. ASU scored five or more runs in an inning on 12 different occassions last season and scored 52 runs in the eighth inning of games.
3. Thomas Burns will become the first true freshman to start on Opening Night at ASU since Ike Davis did so in 2006.
4. ASU's 83 home runs last season were the fourth-most for a Sun Devil Baseball team since the 1998 season.
5. The Sun Devil Baseball roster features 27 new faces this season, featuring the No. 23 frosh class and No. 25 transfer class according to D1Baseball.
6. Jacob Tobias has posted a team-leading 59 RBIs last season, notable as he had just 29 for the season in 2022.
7. The Sun Devils trailed at some point in 17 of the team's last 22 victories in 2023 and in 19 of the squad's victories overall.
8. Ryan Campos has reached base safely in 80-of-89 (90.0%) of games with the Sun Devils overall and all but two games last season.
9. Seven Sun Devils have at least 7 homers last season -two more than any ASU team since at least the '98 season.
10. The Sun Devils were the only team in the Pac-12 with eight different players with six or more homers last season.
BY THE NUMBERS
80 - Ryan Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 80-of-89 (90.0%) career games with the Sun Devils overall and all but two games last season. The two games he did n't reach base was once during opening weekend and the first game after he returned from an 11-game injury absence. He will enter his junior season with a .372 career-batting average that will be among the Top-15 among active Division I players and the highest of any catcher on the list. Campos enters the season as D1Baseball's 10th-ranked catcher in the country and No. 95 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
27 - The Sun Devil Baseball roster will feature 27 new faces when it opens the 2024 campaign . Only three pitchers return from last year's roster (one of which redshirt the season due to injury) with 11 freshman arms slated to make their debuts this season. The Sun Devils brought in the No. 25 transfer class in the nation and the No. 23 freshman class in the nation according to D1Baseball. Harris Williams was the only transfer player named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 Team. Thomas Burns will become the first true frosh to start on Opening Night since Ike Davis in 2006.
18 - The Sun Devils have shown an ability to be successful in close games, going 18-9 last season in games decided by three runs or less. In 2023 the team was 14-16 in those games. More notably, ASU was 7-3 in one run games this season after going 1-7 in those games last year. ASU trailed in 17 of its last 22 victories and 19 of its victories overall and trailed by three or more runs in nine wins last year and by five or more in four of those - including two five-run comebacks over Top-25 opponents in Oregon and Oregon State on Sunday games and two seven-run comebackers earlier in the season.
7 - The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers last season - two more than any other team at ASU has had since at least the 1998 season. ASU had five players with at least seven homers in 2022, tied for the second-most at ASU since 1998. ASU had eight different players with at least six homers during the 2023 campaign - more than any other team in the Pac-12. 12 different players logged a home run last season for ASU and 10 had multiple home runs in what was a 19-homer difference between 2022 and 2023.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
- The Sun Devils had five position players honored by the Pac-12 Coaches in being selected to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team last week in Ryan Campos, Jacob Tobias, Nu'u Contrades, Nick McLain and Harris Williams
- The five selections were two more position players than any other team in the league.
- Williams was the only transfer recogized on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team by the coaches.
- Nick McLain was tabbed by D1Baseball at the No. 53 collegiate prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft with Ryan Campos checking in at No. 95. Isaiah Jackson was dubbed the No. 17 collegiate prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft by the outlet and Nu'u Contrades as the No. 52 prospect.
- The Sun Devils brought in the No. 25 transfer class in the nation, according to D1Baseball, highlighted by San Francisco All-WCC competitors Harris Williams and Mario Demera, Santa Clara's All-WCC Eamonn Lance and highly touted junior college transfer Kevin Karstetter out of the State College of Florida.
- Campos was ranked as the No. 10 catcher in the country for 2024 by D1Baseball, with Jacob Tobias as the No. 44 first baseman, Nu'u Contrades as the No. 46 third baseman and Harris Williams as the No. 88 outfielder in the country.
- McLain was tabbed as the No. 6 Pac-12 prospect in the 2024 Draft class with Campos checking in at No. 10, according to D1Baseball. Isaiah Jackson is the No. 3 prospect in the 2025 Draft Class in the league with Nu;u Contrades tabbed at No. 7.
- ASU also brought in the No. 23 freshman class in the country, according to D1Baseball, highlighted by middle infielders Ethan Mendoza and Jax Ryan, local two-way prospect Cole Carlon and Opening Night starter Thomas Burns out of Wisconsin.
ON DECK: SANTA CLARA
- ASU leads the all-time series against Santa, Clara, 8-2, with the last win coming in historic fashion in 2022. The Sun Devils exploded for three touchdowns and its most runs since 2010 with a 21-1 rout. The Sun Devils racked up 22 hits in the contest and scored crooked numbers in five innings, including 10 runs in the ninth inning – the most in one inning since 2015. The 21 runs were the most since scoring 21 against San Francisco in April 2010 and the 20-run margin of victory was ASU's largest since Feb. 20, 2010 against Northern Illinois. It was the most runs scored in a road game since scoring 23 on Feb. 27, 2007 at Arizona and the most runs in a true road game played outside the state of Arizona since a 22-4 victory at New Mexico on May 18, 2004.
- The going isn't expected to be as easy this weekend, with Santa Clara coming off a season in which it won the WCC Tournament and advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, knocking out Arizona in the process.
- Santa Clara won 36 games last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 26 years.
- The 2024 Broncos were picked first in the Preseason WCC Poll and placed six members on the Preseason All-WCC team - the most of any team in the league.
GOING CAMP-ING
- ASU's most reliable presence over the last two seasons, Ryan Campos earned his first recognition to the All-Pac-12 First Team last season as a sophomore after picking up an honorable mention honor as a freshman, also earning Freshman All-America honors that season as well.
- Campos enters the season as D1Baseball's 10th-ranked catcher in the country and No. 95 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
- Will enter his junior season with a .372 career-batting average that will be among the Top-15 among active Division I players and the highest of any catcher on the list.
- Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 80-of-89 (90.0%) career games with the Sun Devils overall and all but two games last season. The two games he did not reach base was once during opening weekend and the first game after he returned from an 11-game injury absence
- Had a team-best 31-game reached base streak at one point in the season and showed off plenty of extra pop in the bat, recording eight homers, seven doubles and a triple
- Campos was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and also tabbed as the Pac-12 Player of the Week after the Washington State series during his sophomore campaign.
- In 44 games, Campos smacked .388 with 16 extra-base hits including eight home runs...He walked 35 times and struck out on a mere 17 occurrences
- Campos' 35 earned free passes were 15th in the league, yet because of his midseason injury, he had the fewest games played of anyone in the top 50 in the category.
- His .388 average was third in the Conference of Champions and his .503 OBP was tops in the league
- Campos was named the Jim Brock Mr. Sun Devil at the squad's end-of-season awards banquet at the end of the regular season last year....Named for the legendary and late Dr. Jim Brock, the award is presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the attitude and character expected of a Sun Devil Baseball Player
- For his elite efforts behind the plate, Campos was named as a Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Semifinalist.
JACOB'S LADDER
- Jacob Tobias earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades last season as he took his game to the next level, finishing with a .317 average and starting 54 games - the majority coming at first base.
- Tobias was named by D1Baseball as the No. 44 first baseman in the country.
- He slugged .546 with 10 homers, nine doubles and leading the team with four triples en route to a 59 RBI season - good for ninth in the Pac-12 though the eight players in front of him benefited from postseason action
- Tobias was deadly the second time through the order with 22 of those RBIs coming in the fourth or fifth innings when he saw a starter for the second or third time
- As a sophomore, he recorded an RBI in 12 of the last 18 games of the season and 33 games overall
- Tobias was 7-of-9 on the season when the bases were loaded and brought a runner home from third with less than two outs 75 percent of the time (15-of-20).
- Tobias was named a Freshman All-American in 2022. His 12 bases (two homers, two doubles) against Utah in the series finale are tied for the most by a Pac-12 player in a game. His seven homers this year were tied for eighth in ASU freshman history.
- Tobias was outright deady in the fourth and fifth innings of games - typically the season second or third time he saw a starting pitcher - batting 23-of-50 (.460) with 22 RBIs, three homers and over a .500 OBP.
BIG MAC
- Nick McLain missed the first half of the season last year after a sustaining a hand injury the week prior to the season and wasted no time catching up on the lost time.
- McLain earned Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention despite appearing in just 23 games, posting a .298 average and reached base at a .391 clip while slugging .649 behind eight homers, two triples and five doubles, recording over an RBI per game with 24 on the season, recording eight multi-RBI games.
- He enters this season as D1Baseball No. 53 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
- He 3-for-6 with four RBIs - including a two-run insurance missile in the ninth - in his collegiate debut, a road win over Grand Canyon
- McLain tarted his collegiate career with an 11-game hit streak - the longest streak to start a career for an ASU freshman since at least the 1998, as far back as easily found records can be accessed - and had hits in 14 of his first 15 games as a Sun Devil
- He also recorded five outfield assists on the year in his limited action.
- McLain showed the clutch gene through out the season, batting .400 in the 8th inning or later of games, posting four homers and eight RBIs in the process.
WHO'S THE NU'U GUY
- Honored as the team's Bobby Winkles Award winner as a true freshman, Nu'u Contrades found himself at home in the valley as he earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors as an infielder.
- Contrades enters the season as a Preseason All-Pac-12 selection and as D1Baseball's No. 46 third baseman in the country.
- The ASU third baseman bat .309 with 20 extra base hits (eighr homers, two triples, 10 doubles), recording 40 RBIs
- The .309 average was in the Top-5 for freshmen in the Pac-12 last season and Top-50 among all freshmen in the country...The rally at the dish came despite the youngster still sitting below the Mendoza line as of March 7
- He obliterated the University of Arizona in the three-game series in Tempe, where he was 7-14 (.500) with eight RBI, three runs scored...He plated the winning run in Saturday's series-securing victory and scored it in the series finale Sunday and was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week in the process
- He led the team with 10 RBIs (of 31 total for the week for ASU) with a .947 slugging percentage while batting .474 on 9-of-19 hitting in four total games that week
GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS
- The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 936 baserunners over 113 games, an average of 8.3 stranded opponent runners per games.
- Sun Devil relief pitchers allowed just 59 of 137 inherited runners to score (43.1 percent).
- ASU's used midweek games as bullpen days last year and the crew was absolutely electric, going 7-1 in single-game midweeks this season and 8-4 overall after going 5-7 in them in 2022.
- For the season, the bullpen posted a 5.62 ERA with 22-7 record in decisions and 11 saves. The squad had 234 strikeouts to 130 walks (over 274.0 innings) and held opponents to .270 batting. While not entirely electric, it was a marked improvement from previous season where the 2022 Sun Devil bullpen had a 6.71 ERA for the season with a 13-19 record in decisions with 231 strikeouts to 170 walks (over 271.0 innings) and a .299 average against.
- Jonah Giblin was one of ASU's best options out of the pen and one of the only pitchers returning from last year's roster. Giblin posted a 3.43 ERA in 21.0 innings over 11 appearances out of then pen - the best ERA on the team - and holding opponents to a .237 average.
- ASU's other returning option out of the pen, Matt Tieding, posted a 4-1 record in relief last season and held opponents to a .250 average on the year.
PLAYING THE FIELD
- ASU has made a habit of turning two in recent seasons, finishing third in the Pac-12 after the regular season with 42 last year. ASU turned 50 double plays in 2022 - a tally good for 21st in Division I and fourth in the Pac-12. All told, ASU has turned 152 double plays in the last three seasons.
- Luke Keaschall was sixth in the Pac-12 with 143 defensive assists last year. Sean McLain had the second-most defensive assists of any player in the Pac-12 (179) in 2022 - the second straight season an ASU player accomplished that feat following Drew Swift (171) in 2021.
- The 2024 season will mark the fourth consecutive season where ASU will debut a new starting shortstop after Alika Williams held the spot from 2018-20.
- ASU will return the same two corner infielders for the first time since that 2020 season (Spencer Torkelson and Gage Workman) with Jacob Tobias and Nu'u Contrades set to reprise their roles at first and third, respectively.
- Isaiah Jackson earned Pac-12 All-Defensive honors as a true freshman in 2023 thanks to his heroic home-run stealing efforts in center field, a spot he will reclaim this season.
HEADED TO THE GAP
- ASU got a slow start in the doubles category this season but has come in the second half of the year. After having just 13 in the first 11 of the season, ASU finished with 108 to find itself in the Top-100 prior to the NCAA Tourney after being ranked as low as 232 through the first month of the season.
- The team recorded a double in 45 of 55 games overall with multiple doubles in 26 of those.
- Luke Keaschall finished seventh second in the entire country with 25 doubles .
- The Sun Devils recorded 134 doubles in 2022, good for 19th in the nation and third in the Pac-12. The 127 doubles during the regular season were the most for a Sun Devil team in the REGULAR SEASON in the BBCOR era (since 2011) and tied for the fifth-most in a regular season since 1998.
- ASU had at least one double in all but six games in 2022 and multiple doubles in 36 of 58 games.
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL
- While ASU's double numbers were down, it should also be noted that that came in large part to the team hitting 19 more homers during the 2023 season than it did the prior year. 12 different players logged a home run last season for ASU and 10 have multiple home runs
- ASU had eight different players with at least six homers - more than any other team in the Pac-12.
- The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers - two more than any other team at ASU has had since at least the 1998 season. ASU had five players with at least seven homers in 2022, tied for the second-most at ASU since 1998.
- ASU's 83 homers were 56th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament.
- The better news was ASU finally started the get pumps with runners on base. 37 of the team's last 66 Sun Devil home runs last year came with runners on base after 14 of the first 17 this season were solo shots. Of the 26 solo shots, 17 were leadoff homers and thus not given the opportunity to happen with runners on base.
- The timing of the home runs improved immensely over the second half of the 2022 season as well. On 24 of the final 37 homers on the year, ASU had at least one runner on base. That was notable as ASU had runners on base just eight times on the teams first 27 homers.
- ASU recorded seven homers against Washington State, which had entered the series leading the Pac-12 with only 14 allowed through its first 27 games.
- Oregon State led the Pac-12 with just 18 home runs allowed at the time before getting tagged by seven by the Sun Devils - including two games with three homers - the first time OSU had allowed three or more in back-to-back games since 2010.
- ASU recorded 13 in three games against Oregon (including six on Saturday, tied for the second-most in school history), the most for a weekend series since at least 1998) -
- Of the nine position players with at least 30 starts in 2022, all nine had multiple home runs. ASU had ten total players with multiple homers.
COMING IN HOT
- The Sun Devils thrived in the big innings, 12 times last season recording five or more runs in an inning. The team recorded 51 innings with three or more runs scored.
- The Sun Devils owned opponent bullpens last season, as other teams had a miserable 7.36 ERA against the ASU offense and a 8-13 record in decisions. ASU bat .302 off opponent 'pens with 40 homers, 54 doubles and 9 triples over 239.2 innings. ASU worked a 118 walks to 206 strikeouts against opponent bullpens.
- Oregon State closer Ryan Brown (10) and Oregon closer Josh Mollerus (10) had allowed just 20 earned runs during the regular season over 50+ innings combined. Eight of those (four each) have come against the Sun Devils.
- The team has posted 52 runs in the eighth inning of games last season, just under a run per game. The team bat .326 in the eighth inning of games with a .526 slugging percentage. The squad had 25 home runs total in innings 7-9 - easily surpassing its total of 17 from the previous season
HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS
- ASU did its part to shake off some of that bad mojo from the 2022 in close games last year, winning seven one-run games (after going just 1-7 in such games in 2022) and 18-9 in games decided by three runs or less - a category ASU was 14-16 in in 2022.
- ASU trailed at one point in 17 of its last 22 victories and in 19 of the team's wins overall last year
- ASU was incredibly efficient at closing games out, going 24-4 when leading after six, 27-1 when leading after seven and 29-0 when leading after eight.
- In two seasons under Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils have shown that no opponent lead is safe, showing off plenty of grit in erasing multi-run deficits. ASU had nine wins last season when trailing by at least three runs at some point in the game and four of those by at least five.
- In 2022, the seven-run deficit overcome by the Sun Devils to defeat and take the series from Cal was the most since March 3, 2000 against Arizona.
- ASU doubled down at that last season with the victories over North Dakota State and GCU, overcoming a 7-0 deficit in both (and 9-2 in entering the eighth against GCU) for victories in both.
- Three times in 2022, ASU rallied from a deficit of five or more runs to tie or win the game - the first time that had happened since 2010 (also 3). ASU surpassed that and won four games last season in which it trailed by five runs.
DO I KNOW YOU?
- The Sun Devils welcome an incredible 27 new faces to the roster in 2023. The class features D1Baseball's No. 23 freshman group in the country and the No. 25 transfer class, a year removed from posting the No. 2 transfer class in the nation.
- The roster will feature 11 freshman arms, an incredible tally considering the 2022 team didn't have a single freshman arm on the roster.
- Thomas Burns is slated to become the first true freshman pitcher to start on opening night since the 2006 season when Ike Davis did it.
- The team will feature two new middle infielders for the second consecutive season after having at least one returner up the middle from 2018-22.
- Harris Williams, an All-WCC player at San Francisco last season, was the only transfer player named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team aa voted upon by the league's coaches.
- The Sun Devils added another pair of All-WCC players in USF's Mario Demera and Santa Clara's Eamonn Lance.
- In addition to the guys playing on the field, the team also welcomed a slew of new faces on the coaching and support staff, highlighted by former Central Arizona College head coach Anthony Gilich as the team's third paid assistant, taking advantage of new NCAA legislation allowing for there to be a third coach. Sun Devil legend Brett Wallace also joined the staff as the Director of Quality Control and Offensive Strategy.