Baseball Makes Final Pac-12 Trek to the Palouse

PULLMAN -- Sun Devil Baseball is back on the road for the second straight weekend, this time headed to the Palouse for its final Pac-12 series against the Washington State Cougars. The series is scheduled to begin Friday, March 22 in Pullman at 4 p.m. AZT with Saturday set for 2 p.m. AZT and the finale at 11 a.m. on Sunday. However, there is expected inclement weather all weekend in the area and fans are encouraged to follow Sun Devil Baseball on social media for schedule updates as they happen.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

• All three tilts this weekend will be available through the WSU Live Stream at https://pac-12.com/live/washington-state-university
• All games will be broadcast live over local airwaves with Friday's open on KAZG 1440 AM and the Saturday and Sunday on KDUS 1060 AM with Tim  and Max Rossiter providing the highlights. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
• 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.  There is weather expected in the Pullman area all weekend, so stay tuned for any schedule adjustments.

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. Eleven different Sun Devil have recorded multiple doubles this season, a total that sits atop the Pac-12 rankings.

2. The Sun Devils are 25th in the country in doubles (49) and 39th in doubles per game (2.33), leading the Pac-12 in both.

3. Ryan Schiefer's 1.02 ERA is the lowest for a relief pitcher with 15+ innings in ASU's first 21 games since Ryan Burr's 0.00 mark in 2015.

4. While ASU's overall team ERA remains a bit unsightly, its SIERA mark of 3.86 is fourth-best in the Pac-12 and just outside the Top-75 nationally.

5. Thomas Burns has been at his best with runners on the bases.  He has stranded 95.1% of baserunners this season - the 6th-best tally in the country this year.

6. ASU's one-hitter over Arizona marked the first time the Wildcats had been one-hit since the 2015 season against UCLA.

7. The Sun Devils trailed at some point in 25 of the team's last 31 victories dating back to the 2023 campaign.

8. Ryan Campos has reached base safely in 99-of-108 (91.7%) games with the Sun Devils and has a 29-game reached base streak dating back to '23.

9. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 14 of 21 games. ASU didn't reach 14 such games until the 38th game of the year last season.

10. Connor Markl was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week this week, ASU's first pitcher of the week since Adam Tulloch in March of 2022.

BY THE NUMBERS

101 - Ryan Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 101-of-110 (91.7%) career games with the Sun Devils overall, and all 21 games this season.. Campos is on a 31-game active reached base streak dating back to last season. Campos holds the 40th-highest active career batting average at .360, a tally that is fourth among all FBS catchers. Despite an uncharacteristic .260 average early this season, he has still reached base at a .414 clip thanks to a his team-leading 19 walks - 3rd in the Pac-12. He is sixth in the Pac-12 with 6 homers, 10th with 21 RBIs and fifth with 21 runs scored.

10 - The 2024 Sun Devils had excelled in a pair of categories this season - recording double digit hits and striking out double digit batters. The team has recorded 10 or more hits in 12 of 21 games this season and is third  in the Pac-12 with 200 total hits on the year.. The pitching staff has struck out double-digit batters in 14 of 21 games, posting  10.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season - a total good for 20th  in the country and tops in the Pac-12.. It is notable as it didn't reach 14 such games until its 38th game of the season last year.

8 - The Sun Devil pitching staff has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,101 baserunners over 134 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 195 in 19 games this season. .Thomas Burns has stranded 95.1 percent of his baserunners this year, sixth-best among eligible D1 putchers. The Sun Devil bullpen has been largely improved in its last 13 games, posting a 4.50 ERA with 78 strikeouts and allowing just a .239 average against over 66.0 innings of work. In the team's first eighth games, the bullpen had a 10.85 ERA with 44 strikeouts and a .329 average over 37.1 innings.

0. Ryan Schiefer continues his impressive tear, having not allowed an earned run in his last six appearances, including tossing two scoreless innings in relief against Utah Valley this week and 3.0 hitless innings of work for his first save against Arizona on Saturday, bringing his season ERA to 1.02 over 8 appearances with 17.2 innings pitched, striking out 23 and holding opponents to a .074 average against with just four total hits allowed. The 1.02 ERA is the lowest for an ASU reliever 21 games into the season with 15+ innings pitched since Ryan Burr had a 0.00 ERA over 16.2 innings in 2015.

LAST TIME OUT: ARIZONA/UTAH VALLEY

• The Sun Devils won the series against rival Arizona, taking two out of three for the team's first series victory in Tucson since the 2016 season. ASU rallied in the ninth inning of the opener for a 3-2 victory before one-hitting the Wildcats on Saturday in a 4-0 victory to seal the series. ASU couldn't complete its first series sweep in Tucson since 1998, dropping the finale.
• It was the first time Arizona had been one-hit in a game since the 2015 season against UCLA and the first time ASU had shutout the Wildcats since 2014. Arizona had entered the weekend averaging 7.3 runs per game on the season.
• It was the first time ASU had one-hit an opponent since doing so against Sacramento State during opening weekend of 2021. It had been since 2007 previously that ASU had posted a one-hitter against a Pac-10/12 team (did so against Oregon State).
• Connor Markl was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in Saturday's one-hitter. Markl matched his career best with 6.0 innings in Saturday's series-deciding victory, striking out eight and allowing just a single hit – a soft line drive just past the outstretched glove of the ASU third baseman early in the contest. His eight strikeouts were a season high as he shaved over two points from his season ERA in the process.
• It was just the fourth time in Markl's career – which spans 50 games and 29 starts dating back to his career at Grand Canyon – that he had reached the 6.0-inning mark.
• It was just the third time in his career he had allowed no earned runs in 5.0+ innings and first since a 6.0-inning effort against Texas State on March 5, 2023 while at GCU. He also went 5.0 innings with no earned runs allowed against Arizona as a Lope in his first appearance of the 2022 season as a sophomore.
• Markl is the first Sun Devil named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week since Adam Tulloch in March 2022.
• Ryan Schiefer continued his impressive tear, making two scoreless appearances on the season to bring his season ERA to 1.02 over eight appearances with 17.2 innings pitched, striking out 23 and holding opponents to a paltry .074 average against with just four total hits allowed this year. The 1.02 ERA is the lowest for an ASU reliever 21 games into the season with over 15 innings pitched since Ryan Burr had a 0.00 ERA over 16.2 innings in 2015.
• In ASU's midweek win over Utah Valley, reliever Hunter Omlid recorded his first seven outs by way of strikeout and eight of his first nine. His 11 total strikeouts were his most at the Division I level, trailing only a 12-strikeout game while at Central Arizona in 2021.
• It was the most strikeouts for ANY ASU pitcher since Tyler Thornton struck out 11 in 7.0 innings against Rhode Island on April 30, 2021, ironically enough, also in relief.
• He accomplished the feat in just 5.1 innings, which were also the most for an ASU relief pitcher since that Thornton game in 2021.

ON DECK: WASHINGTON STATE

• Washington State trails the all-time series with ASU, 22-66, after dropping all three games in Tempe last season but swept the 2022 series win Pullman, the first time sweeping ASU in program history.
• Washington State enters the weekend with a 12-8 overall record after sweeping a two-game set with Seattle U in Pullman earlier this week along with a 2-4 mark in Pac-12 Conference play after dropping league series against Utah and at UCLA.
• WSU is second in the Pac-12 in hitting (.311), third in scoring (7.4) and stolen bases (26), and is fourth nationally with league-bests in fielding percentage (.984)and double plays turned (24).
• Third baseman Cole Cramer is tied for second in the Pac-12 with 31 hits, is fourth in the conference with a .408 batting average and shortstop Kyle Russell is tied for fifth with eight doubles while leadoff hitter Max Hartman is fourth with nine stolen bases and sixth with 23 RBI.

GOING CAMP-ING

• Ryan Campos entered the season as D1Baseball's 10th-ranked catcher in the country and No. 95 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. He was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, as voted on by the league's coaches.
• Campos has the 40th-best active career batting average (.350) - fourth among the nation's catchers.
• Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 101-of-110 (91.8%) career games with the Sun Devils overall and all 21 this season. He has an active 31-base reached base streak dating back to last season.
• The junior had his first multi-homer game against Santa Clara in the finale, also posting a career-best five RBIs. He added another multi-homer game against Oregon. His six home runs this season are fifth in the Pac-12.
• His 21 RBIs this season are tied for the team lead and 10th in the Pac-12. His eight two-out RBI are tops on the squad and two more than any other player.
• Despite an uncharacteristic .260 average early this season, he has still reached base at a .414 clip thanks to a his team-leading 19 walks (second in the Pac-12) and two  HBPs.  He has also paced the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 10 times.
• His 21 runs scored also pace the team and are good for fifth in the Pac-12.
• Campos reached base in 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 last 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
• ASU's most reliable presence over the last two seasons, 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 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 Preseason Pac-12 All-Pac-12 recognition after he took his game to the next level last season, finishing with a .317 average and starting 54 games - the majority coming at first base.
• Tobias is third on the team batting .322 on the seasn with 13 RBIs and tied for third on the team with four homers this year.
• Tobias was named by D1Baseball as the No. 44 first baseman in the country entering this season.
• The junior posted his first career five-hit game against Arizona last weekend.
• His seven doubles this season are ninth in the Pac-12.
• Last season, 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 - batting 23-of-50 (.460) with 22 RBIs, three homers and over a .500 OBP in those two innings.
• As a sophomore, he recorded an RBI in 12 of the last 18 games of the season and 33 games overall. He has an RBI in three of four games thus far this season.
• 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 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 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.

ACTION JACKSON

• After a solid freshman showing Isaiah Jackson has shown continued exceptional defensive skills while adding 18 RBIs - third on the team - and fifve homers.
• His 18 RBIs this season are good for 16th in the Pac-12. His five homers are tied for eighth.
• Jackson had 18 RBIs through 21 games are notbale as he had just 28 total through the entirety of the his freshman season.
• Jackson homered in the first two games of the season, as did teammate Jacob Tobias, joining a small list of Sun Devils to do so since 1998, including Spencer Torkelson (2020), Riccio Torrez (2011) and Jason Kipnis (2008).
• His three-hit game in the opener gave him more hits in five at-bats than he had through his first seven games last season.

THE BURN(S) UNIT

• Thomas Burns became the first true freshman to start on the mound for the Sun Devils on Opening Night since Ike Davis in 2006.
• The youngster was electric in his debut, allowing just a single hit in his 5.0 innings and one run en route to earning his first career win. Burns struck out seven and walked just one batter in the effort.
• Burns tossed a career-best 7.0 innings in ASU's Friday night victory over Arizona, allowing just one run for ASU's first quality start of the season.
• Eight of the 11 runs scored against him this season have come by way home runs, coming off five solo homers and a three-run shot that came after he issued two walks to lead off the game against Texas A&M.
• In fact, he has only given up 16 hits on the year, of which six have  left the ballpark.
• Right-handed hitters are 6-for-43 (.140) against Burns this season while he has allowed just a .180 average against overall - second-lowest in the Pac-12 -  adding 32 strikeouts in just 25.2 innings.
• Burns has been at his best with runners on the basepath with teams batting just .111 (4-of-36) against him with runners. He has stranded 95.1 percent of his baserunners this season - the sixth-highest tally of any eligible pitcher in the country this year.
• Burns is 50th in the country and third in the Pac-12 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.61)and fourth in the Pac-12 in strikeouts per nine innings (11.22) and fourthin the league with 32 total strikeouts.

BIG MAC

• Nick McLain missed the start of the 2024 campaign for the seconds-straight season due to having his other hamate bone removed but made quite the splash in his debut during the team's trip to Texas
• McLain bat .313 on that week (5-of-16) and a .421 OBP with five RBIs in four games - including essentially carrying the team on his back with his four RBI effort against UT Arlington that included a two-RBI single to tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth and then a go-ahead two-RBI double in the seventh to put ASU on top for good in the victory.
• McLain's bat cooled since, but he has still reached base at a .397 clip since then - over 200 points higher than his average thanks to having already drawn 14 walks this season - second-most on the team
• McLain also missed the first half of the season last year after a sustaining a hamate 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.

NOT THEIR FIRST RODEO

• While the names and faces of Harris Williams, Kevin Karstetter and Steven Ondina are new to Sun Devil fans, the trio bring no shortage of career experience and that has been in full display this season
• The three players had combined to play in 461 career games before setting foot on ASU's campus.
• Williams, a USF transfer who ranks in the Top-40 among all Division I players in games played (186), is batting .337  on the season - second on the team - and has reached base in all but two games.
• Williams leads the team with nine multi-hit games - two more than any other player. He has a .447 OBP that is 12th in the Pac-12. His eighth doubles are fifth in the league
• The super-duper senior has advanced baserunners at  team-best .659 clip, doing so on 27-of-41 chances - six more than any of his teammates. He has gotten the job done as the leadoff batter as well, reaching on 15-of-41 chances while leading off an inning( .366).
• Williams has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs a team-best 6-of-6 times and also leads the team with runners in scoring position, batting .476 (10-of-21).
• Karstetter is fourth on the team with his .306 batting average. He has been one of ASU's best options at keeping innings alive, posting a .320 average on 8-of-26 hitting with two outs. His sevem hits with runners in scoring position are third on the team.
• Ondina has quietly put up a .305 average that is second on the team and struck out just eight times in 59 ABs - the 13th lowest strikeout total in the Pac-12.  His biggest impact doesn't necessarily show up in the box score as the senior is a vacuum at shortstop that has made several highlight reel plays this season.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

• Redshirt freshman Brandon Compton was recruited to ASU as a pitcher out of high school, but Tommy John surgery sidelined him his true frosh year, instead allowing him to focus on his bat - and focus he did.
• The youngster leads the team with his .348 average this season, good for 16th in the Pac-12. His .475 average on balls in play is sixth in the Pac-12.
• His 21 RBIs are tied for most on the team and fifth in the Pac-12 and his five homers are second on the team and eighth in the league.
• He was responsible for the go-ahead grand slam in the series finale against Ohio State that proved to be the difference in the 10-8 ballgame. He also had a huge game-tying RBI single in the eighth inning of ASU's eventual walk-off win over Oregon. He had the go-ahead two-run homer against Utah Valley on Tuesday as well.
• Compton had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies this past summer, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs

NO DOZE-ING OFF

• Ethan Mendoza has quietly put together quite the start to his collegiate career, posting a .271 average and earning the team's walk-off fielder's choice against Oregon and following that with a go-ahead two-RBI single in the ninth inning of the team's Friday-night victory over Arizona.
• Mendoza is tied for the team lead with 10 runners advanced with an out this season. He is a perfect 4-for-4 in bringing a runner home from third with less than two outs.
• Mendoza was the only Sun Devil to record hits in all four games in Texas.
• Mendoza was the only Sun Devil to record a hit against No. 7 Texas A&M in the first game of the Globe Life Series, in fact recording the only two hits in the shutout loss.
• Mendoza has been especially efficient in the field and has yet to post an error at second base this season, not recording his first error of the season until the team's 20th game.
• His .984 percentage is sixth among Pac-12 middle infielders this season.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS

• The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,101 baserunners over 134 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 195 in 21 games this season.
• ASU relief pitchers have inherited 61 baserunners this season, of which only 25 have scored (41.0).  Ryan Schiefer, Matt Cornelius and Matt Tieding all inherited the bases loaded against #24 Kansas State when they entered the game and all got inning-inning strikeouts.
• The Sun Devil bullpen has been largely improved in its last 13 games, posting a 4.50 ERA with 78 strikeouts and allowing just a .239 average against over 66.0 innings of work. In the team's first eighth games, the bullpen had a 10.85 ERA with 44 strikeouts and a .329 average over 37.1 innings.
• In that span, ASU has four pitchers with a Sub-3.00 ERA with over eight innings of work in Ryan Schiefer (0.00/14.2), Hunter Omlid (0.82/11.0), Ben Jacobs (2.16/8.1) andn Matt Tieding (2.89/9.1)
• Ryan Schiefer has continued to be ASU's best option out of the pen, now with a a season ERA of 1.02 over eight appearances with 17.2 innings pitched, striking out 23 and holding opponents to a paltry .074 average against with just four total hits allowed this year. The 1.02 ERA is the lowest for an ASU reliever 21 games into the season with over 15 innings pitched since Ryan Burr had a 0.00 ERA over 16.2 innings in 2015.
• ASU's 17 strikeouts against Ohio State were the most by a Pac-12 team this season.
• Last 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.

HEADED TO THE GAP

• The Sun Devils are tops in the Pac-12 and 25th in the country with 49 doubles this year in 21 games.
• 11 different Sun Devils have multiple doubles this season - the most of any school in the Pac-12.
• Harris Williams is fifth in the league with eight doubles and Jacob Tobias' seven are ninth.
• ASU has multiple doubles in 13 games this season and at least one double in 19 of 21 games.
• ASU got a slow start in the doubles category last season but came alive 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

• ASU is currently fourth in the Pac-12 and Top-75 in college baseball this season with 25 home runs, despite not hitting a single one in its four games in Texas or at Arizona last weekend.
• The Sun Devils had eight homers in the Oregon series. Unfortunately, all came of the solo variety. The Sun Devils continue ooking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU now has 15 solo homers on its 25 this season. Of the teams 15 solo homers, however, seven were of the leadoff variety and didn't give anyone a chance to be on base while two others came as part of back-to-back homers and thus, the same principle.
• Already, five different Sun Devils have multiple homers and eight players have homered overall.
• The Sun Devils hit 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 had 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 last year - 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.
• 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.
• This season, ASU has now posted 18 3+ run innings and 10 4+ run innings this season.
• ASU has recorded 10 or more hits in 12 of 21 games this season.
• The team is batting .312 as a squad overall this year, good for the Top-50 nationally and fourth in the Pac-12. The squad's .505 team slugging percentage is just outside the Top-50  in the country and fourth in the Pac-12.
• 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.
• This has continued  this year with ASU logging a 5.95 ERA against opponent bullpens while batting .273.  ASU scored two runs of Kansas State All-American closer Tyson Neighbors in 1.1 innings  after he did not give up more than a run in any sub 2.0-inning effort last season and just one single time previously in his career.
• Santa Clara All-WCC closer August Souza posted a 1.69 ERA in 32.0 innings pitched in 2023, leading the Broncos with five saves. Arizona State plated three earned runs off of him in 4.1 innings. He did not allow more than two earned runs in 12 appearances a season ago.
• The team 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.
• ASU has scored 48 runs in the 7-9th innings this season, and has scored 28 runs in the seventh inning of games alone.

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.
• This season, ASU is 7-6 in games decided by three runs or less this season and 4-1 in one-run games - oddly going 1-4 in two-run games..
• ASU trailed at one point in 25 of its last 31 victories dating abck to last season. It has trailed in eight of the ten wins this season.
• Last season, 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. ASU is 7-2 when leading after six, 8-2 after seven and 7-1 after eight this season. The loss of a ninth-inning lead in the second game against Oregon marked the first time ASU had lost a game when leading after eight innings since Feb. 25, 2022 against BYU (led 4-2, lost 6-5). The Sun Devils had won 56 consecutive games when leading after eight innings prior to that.
• In two-plus 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.
• ASU has three wins this season when trailing by three or more.
• 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.
• The Sun Devils added their eighth game under Bloomquist to that tally coming back from 5-0 to take a late lead against No. 5 TCU in the eventual loss, falling to 6-2 in games that featured a five-run comeback at some point.

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.

WHO'S THE NU'U GUY

• Nu'u Contrades entersedthe season as a Preseason All-Pac-12 selection and as D1Baseball's No. 46 third baseman in the country.
• The sophomore is reaching base at a .346 clip - striking out just twice in his first 21 ABs appearances, an area he struggled in last season, though he has missed action lately with a lingering back injury.
• The ASU third baseman bat .309 with 20 extra base hits (eight 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
• 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.
• Had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs

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.