Baseball Treks To Corvallis For One Last Dance With #5 Beavers

CORVALLIS -- Sun Devil Baseball is back on the road for the third time in four weekends and the fourth time in the last six, scheduled for a pivotal Pac-12 tilt against No.5 Oregon State beginning Friday, April 5 in Corvallis, Ore. The three-game set is scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m. AZT on Friday followed by a 1:30 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and concluding at 12 p.m. on Saturday. There is expected inclement weather in the Corvallis area scheduled all weekend so fans are encouraged to follow along Sun Devil Baseball on Twitter (@ASU_Baseball) throughout the weekend for any schedule updates.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

• All three tilts this weekend will be available through the Pac-12 Insider and the Oregon State Live Stream at: https://pac-12.com/pac-12-insider
• Friday's contest will be broadcast live over local airwaves on KAZG 1440 AM with Saturday and Sunday scheduled to be on 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 expected inclement weather in the Corvallis area scheduled all weekend so fans are encouraged to follow along Sun Devil Baseball on Twitter throughout the weekend for any schedule updates.

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. Isiaah Jackson is 25th among all outfelders in runs saved from converting fly balls into outs this season at 3.19.

2. The Sun Devils are 7th in the country in doubles (74) and 12th in doubles per game (2.55), leading the Pac-12 in both.

3. ASU has three wins when trailing after eight innings this year, tied for the most since the 2006 team had five.

4. While ASU's overall team ERA is a bit unsightly, its SIERA (which takes much more into account) of 3.93 is third  in the Pac-12 and in the Top-75 nationally.

5. Cal entered last weekend Top-60 in ERA (4.66) and Top-50 in K/9 (10.9). Against ASU, it had a 10.12 ERA while while striking out just 16 (5.3 per game).

6. This season, ASU has posted 24 innings with three or more runs scored with 16 different innings where the team has scored four or more.

7. The Sun Devils have trailed at some point in 30 of the team's last 36 victories dating back to the 2023 campaign.

8. Despite having just one fewer strikeout than he had all last season (16), Ryan Campos still has the third-best K:BB ration in the Pac-12 at 0.70.

9. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 16 of 29 games. ASU didn't reach 16 such games until over 40 game into the year last season.

10. Nick McLain has had a monster seven-game stretch, batting 14-of-32 (.438) with 8 extra base hits, slugging .906, leading the team with 16 RBIs.

BY THE NUMBERS

39 - Ryan Campos has reached base in 39 consecutive games dating back to last season. He has reached base inin a ridiculous 109-of-118 (92.4%) career games with ASU overall, and all 29 games this season.. Campos holds the 44th-highest active career batting average at .349, a tally that is sixth among all FBS catchers. Despite an uncharacteristic .279 average early this season, he has still reached base at a .409 clip thanks to a his team-leading 23 walks - third in the Pac-12. His .70 strikeout-to-walk ratio is third best in the Pac-12.

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 17 of 29 games this season and is second in the Pac-12 with 287 total hits on the year.. The pitching staff has struck out double-digit batters in 16 of 29 games, posting  10.4 strikeouts per nine innings this season - a total good for 28th  in the country and tops in the Pac-12.. It is notable as it didn't reach 16 such games until over 40 games into the season last year.

8 - The Sun Devil pitchers have made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,170 baserunners over 142 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 234 in 29 games this season. .Thomas Burns has stranded 89.6 percent of his baserunners this year, 14th-best among eligible D1 pitchers and tops in the Pac-12. The Sun Devil bullpen has allowed just 37 of 86 inherited runners to score this season, paced by Ryan Schiefer (only five of 15 inherited runners scored). Hunter Omlid (four of 13) and Sean Fitzpatrick (three of 13).

7 - Extra base hits have been a specialty for the Sun Devils lately, and they now find themselves seventh in the nation with 74 doubles on the year. That total leads the Pac-12, as does Ryan Campos with his 12 doubles that also sit 26th in the nation to date. Brandon Compton and Harris Williams are tied for fourth in the league with 10.. ASU is also third in the Pac-12 and Top-60 nationally with 38 homers this season. 11 different Sun Devils have homered on the year already and seven of those have recorded multiple long balls this season.

LAST TIME OUT: CAL/GRAND CANYON

• The Sun Devils ride a season long five-game winning streak into the weekend in a stretch where the team has averaged 10.4 runs per game and coming off its first series sweep of the season against Cal in Phoenix last weekend.
• Cal entered the weekend Top-60 in the country in ERA (4.66) and Top-50 with 10.9 strikeouts per game. The Sun Devils sent them home with a 10.12 ERA for the weekend while striking out a grand total of just 16 times (5.3 per game).
• Cal had been absolutely deadly in innings 7-9 all season and the first two games of last weekend were no exception. Cal entered the series finale having outscored opponents 69-40 in those frames and had nine against ASU in Innings 7-9 before being held scoreless in those frames in the sweep-clenching win. It was just the fifth time in 25 games this season that Cal didn't score at least one run in Innings 7-9.
• ASU walked off GCU on Tuesday at home, marking the team's fourth win this season as a result of a ninth-inning lead change, with walk-offs against Oregon and GCU and ninth-inning go-ahead runs on the road against Arizona and UNLV.
• It was the third time ASU has won a game when trailing after eight innings - already matching its most since the 2017 season - and fourth when trailing or tied after 8 (achieved in 2017 and 2021). The team had five wins when trailing or tied after eight in 2016 and nine in 2015. However, should ASU win another game in which it trails after eight innings, it would be the most since the team had five such victories in 2006.

ON DECK: OREGON STATE

• ASU holds a 56-43 all-time record against the Beavers, taking two out of three in the series last season and also eliminated the Beavers from the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament.
• The 14-run output in the Pac-12 Tournament game marked the fourth time last season ASU dropped double digits on the Beavers - just the second time in OSU program history (since 1907) an opponent had done so at least four times in a season (Washington did it five times on six chances in 1998).
• Oregon State enters the weekend ranked in the Top-Five nationally in four of the five major polls and ninth in the other with a 23-4 record and 5-3 in the Pac-12.
• Oregon State has won the last four series at home versus the Sun Devils dating back to 2016. The Beavers have taken seven of the last eight. OSU is 17-7 at home versus ASU since 2009.
• OSU's 16 straight wins at home is the third-longest active streak in the nation. The Beavers' pitching staff has a 3.71 at home, with a 1.13 WHIP while totaling 122 strikeouts. OSU is batting .337 over 13 home dates this season, collecting 36 doubles, eight triples and 20 home runs to total 64 extra-base hits, an average of 4.92 per game.
• OSU has a Pac-12-best 126 extra-base hits this season, nine more than Arizona State's 117. Individually,
• Travis Bazzana leads the league with 25 extra-base hits. He carries a 10-game hit streak into Friday's opener, and is 20-for-38 (.526) with 19 runs scored, 21 RBI, 14 walks, three doubles and 10 home runs during it. He has 33 career home runs, one shy of tying Joe Gerber (1997-2000) and Andy Jarvis (2000-03) for most in program history. He has 16 this season, five shy of Jim Wilson's record 21 in 1982.

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 44th-best active career batting average (.349) - sixth among the nation's catchers and 18th among players at a Power Conference school.
• Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 109-of-118 (92.4%) career games with the Sun Devils overall and all 29 this season. He has an active 39-base reached base streak dating back to last season.
• Campos currently paces the Pac-12 with 12 doubles this season - a tally good for 26th in the country. His seven homers are sixth in the league.
• His 32 RBIs this season are tops on the team and 5th in the Pac-12. His 13 two-out RBI are also the most on the squad and two-more than any other player.
• Despite an uncharacteristic .279 average early this season, he has still reached base at a .409 clip thanks to a his team-leading 23 walks (third in the Pac-12) and two  HBPs.  In fact, despite already having just one-less strikeout than he had in all of last season (16), Campos still has more walks and his 0.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio in third in the Pac-12.
• He easily leads the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 16 times - three more than any of his teammates. His .297 ISO Power mark (Slugging - Average) is seventh in the Pac-12.
• His 30 runs scored also pace the team and are good for third in the Pac-12.
• Campos has been exceptional behind the plate as well, throwing out nine of the last 14 baserunners attempting to steal on him after posting just a 2-for-19 tally to start the year.
• 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.
• 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 batting .287 on the season with 15 RBIs, eight doubles and five homers.
• His eight doubles are tied for 12th in the Pac-12 this season.
• The junior posted his first career five-hit game in the finale against Arizona.
• Tobias was named by D1Baseball as the No. 44 first baseman in the country entering this season.
• 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 19 RBIs - third on the team - and five homers.
• His 22 RBIs this season are good for 17th in the Pac-12. His six homers are tied for eighth.
• Jackson's 22 RBIs through 29 games are notbale as he had just 28 total through the entirety of the his freshman season.
• There has been no dropoff in his defensive game either, as he is currently 25th in the country in Defensive Runs Saved on Fly Balls at 3.19.
• Jackson has been second on the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 13 times.
• 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.
• Burns has been sidelined with minor shoulder inflammation the last two weekends.
• 11 of the 16 runs scored against him this season have come by way home runs, coming off five solo homers, a three-run shot against Texas A&M, and three by way of homer against Washington State (a two-run shot of his own and an inherited runner scoring on another pitcher's home run allowed).
• In fact, he has only given up 23 hits on the year, of which seven have  left the ballpark.
• Right-handed hitters are 10-for-55 (.182) against Burns this season while he has allowed just a .213 average against overall - ninth-lowest in the Pac-12 -  adding 39 strikeouts in just 30.1 innings.
• Burns has been at his best with runners on the basepath with teams batting just .130 (6-of-46) against him with runners. He has stranded 89.6 percent of his baserunners this season - the 14th-highest tally of any eligible pitcher in the country this year and tops in the Pac-12.
• Burns is seventh in the Pac-12 in hits allowed per nine innings (6.82) and third in the Pac-12 in strikeouts per nine innings (11.57). He has struck out 28.5 percent of the batters he has faced this year, a tally good for sixth in the Pac-12.

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.
• After struggling following his return from that surgery, Nick McLain has had a monster eight-game stretch, batting  a team-best .438 (14-of-32) with eight extra base hits for a .906 slugging percentage, leading the team with 16 RBIs - five more than any other player. He has three homers, four doubles and a triple in the stretch.
• McLain has already drawn 18 walks this year - 11th in the Pac-12 despite missing eight games.
• His recent efforts have boosted his OBP to a team-best .448 while his average has rocketed to the fourth-best on the squad at .293.
• He has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs nine times this season - already tied for the team lead despite missing eight games.
• McLain bat .313 in Texas in his return from the surgery (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 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.

LEAVING HIS MARK-L

• Connor Markl as been exceptional in the past two weekend's, posting consecutive quality starts for the first time since Tyler Meyer in March of 2022.
• Markl was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week following the Arizona series, ASU's first pitcher of the week since March of 2022 as well, for his efforts in one-hitting the Wildcats.
• In his last two starts, Markl has a 1.42 ERA over 12.2 innings with 14 strikeouts to four walks, holding opponents to a .186 average against.
• He matched his career high in innings pitched with his 6.0 against Arizona and then topped it last weekend with his 6.2-inning effort against Washington State. It marked the first time in his career that he had posted back-to-back 6.0 inning efforts
• Markl has a 3.86 overall ERA but a 3.07 SIERA mark that that is currently good for sixth in the Pac-12. His 26.3 strikeout percentage is ninth among Pac-12 pitchers and his 18.8 K:BB percentage is sixth among in the league.

NOT HIS FIRST RODEO

• Harris Williams, a USF transfer who ranks in the Top-40 among all active Division I players in career games played (194), is batting .309  on the season - second on the team - and has reached base in all but two games.
• Williams was responsible for the team's walk-off two-RBI double on Tuesday against GCU, ready when his number was called after not starting and not entering the game until the seventh inning as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement.
• Williams leads the team with nine multi-hit games. His 10 doubles are fourth in the league. His 19 walks are second on the team and eighth in the Pac-12.
• The super-duper senior has advanced baserunners at  team-best .611 clip, doing so on 33-of-54 chances - two more than any of his teammates. He has gotten the job done as the leadoff batter as well, reaching on 21-of-50 chances while leading off an inning ( .420).
• Williams has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs a team-best 9-of-9 times and also second on the team with runners in scoring position, batting .407 (11-of-27).

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 .330 average this season, good for 16th in the Pac-12. His .431 average on balls in play is 10 in the Pac-12. His .412 mark (14-of-34) with runners in scoring position is tops on the team.
• His 26 RBIs are second on the team and 13th in the Pac-12 and his 11 two-out RBIs are second on the team.
• Compton is fourth in the Pac-12 with 10 doubles this year and eighth with six homers. His 1.050 OPS is tops on the squad and ninth in the Pac-12 while his .298 ISO Slugging (Slugging Minus Average) is sixth in the Pac-12
• 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 .298 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 second on the team lead with 11 runners advanced with an out this season.
• The freshman recorded a 4-for-4 effort in the second game against Washington State despite only seeing five pitches in the contest. He led all players in the last four games with his .500 average on 8-of-16 hitting.
• 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.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS

• Ben Jacobs has quietly put together an impressive season for ASU and done so in a number of roles, making two starts while coming out of the pen 10 times.
• Jacobs has a 4.10 ERA on the year with a team-best 41 strikeouts in just 26.1 innings of work - holding opponents to a paltry .204 average against.
• The 41 strikeouts are sixth-best in the league but his 14.01 K/9 easily leads the league and would be 18th among all pitchers in the country if he had 2.2 more innings under his belt to meet the minimum to qualify.
• Jacobs' only struggle has been keeping the ball in the park with seven of his 19 total hits allowed this year being homers and accounting for 10 runs  of his 16 total earned runs allowed.
• Jacobs has been especially deadly against lefties, holding left-handed batters to just a .135 average on 5-of-37 batting this year.

CHIEF SCHIEF

• One of the most pleasant surprises of the Sun Devil pitching staff this season has been the emergence of reliever Ryan Schiefer.
• Schiefer has a 1.96 ERA over 23.0 innings and 13 appearances, holding opponents to a .143 average overall.
• Schiefer has given up just 11 total hits on the season.
• Schiefer's first-half efforts mark the first Sub-2.00 ERA at ASU with 20+ innings of work 29 games into the season since Erik Tolman had a 1.74 tally in 20.2 innings in 2019.
• He is tied for the team lead with two saves this season and leads the team in stranding 10 inherited runners on the year, allowing just 5-of-15 to score.

READY WHEN THEIR NAME IS CALLED

• ASU's recent five-game win streak is notable as it has been accomplished with several new faces in the lineup - all of which have contributed.
• Kien Vu has bat .556 this season as a pinch hitter (5-of-9) with four RBIs. His efforts in that realm earned him a couple starts during this recent stretch and he has responded with a .500 average on 6-of-12 hitting with three RBIs, a homer, two stolen bases and a team-best seven runs scored in the win streak.
• Mario Demera has the second-best average on the squad during the 5-game stretch, batting .375 on 6-of-16 hitting with seven RBIs, three walks, a .474 OBP and a .625 slugging percentage
• Demera was responsible for the go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning of ASU's series-clinching win over Cal. It was his the first home run as a Sun Devil and also the first home run given up by Cal reliever Tyler Stasiowski this season. It was the first he had allowed since March 7, 2023 against Villanova, ending a streak of 29 straight appearances and 43.0 innings without allowing a long ball.
• It was Demera's first homer since April 22 of last year against San Diego and just his sixth career homer over three-plus seasons and over 130 games played with over 450 at-bats.
• Eamonn Lance got his first three starts of the year and responded in a big way, leading the team in the five-game stretch with a massive .909 slugging percentage by way of two homers and a double to go along with four RBIs.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS

• The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,170 baserunners over 142 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 197 in 25 games this season.
• ASU relief pitchers have inherited 86 baserunners this season, of which only 37 have scored (43.0).  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.
• Scheifer paces the category, stranding 10 of his 15 inherited runners, Sean Fitzpatrick has done so on 3-of-10 and Hunter Omlid on 4-of-13.
• Recording the first out when coming into the game out of the pen has been a highlight for several bullpen members, with Cole Carlon leading the way in retiring 13 of the 15 first batters he's faced when entering the game out of the pen. Ben Jacobs has done so on 9-of-10, Sean Fitzpatrick on 11-of-14 and Matt Tieding on 8-of-11.
• Hunter Omlid is the only Sun Devil to strikeout 10 batters in a game this season, and he did so as a reliver against Utah Valley.
• ASU's 17 strikeouts against Ohio State were the most by a Pac-12 team this season. ASU is also one of just two teams in the league to one-hit an opponent this year.
• 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.

HEADED TO THE GAP

• The Sun Devils are tops in the Pac-12 and 7th in the country with 74 doubles this year in 29 games and the 2.55 doubles per game are 14th in the nation.
• 14 different Sun Devils have multiple doubles this season - the most of any school in the Pac-12.
• Ryan Campos is the Pac-12 leader with 12 doubles this year - a tally good for 26th nationally. Harris Williams and Brandon Compton are tied for fourth in the league with 10 doubles and Top-100 nationally.
• ASU has multiple doubles in 20 games this season and at least one double in 27 of 29 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 third in the Pac-12 and Top-65 in college baseball this season with 38 home runs, despite not hitting a single one in its four games in Texas or in its series at Arizona. In fact, Nick McLain's homer in the final game against Washington State was ASU's first homer hit away from Phoenix Muni this season. ASU added three more of those against UNLV,
• 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 18 solo homers on its 38 this season. Of the team's 21 solo homers, however, 11 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.
• Clutch homers have increased recently though, with eight of ASU's 14 homers in the last 11 games coming with two outs.
• Already, seven different Sun Devils have multiple homers and 11 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
• Last season, 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 24 3+ run innings and 16 4+ run innings. ASU has five innings with 5+ runs.
• ASU has recorded 10 or more hits in 17 of 29 games this season.
• 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 69 runs in the 7-9th innings this season, and has scored 37 runs in the seventh inning of games alone.
• ASU is batting .351 in the seventh inning of games, recording 14 extra base-hits in the process.

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 (going 7-3 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 11-10 in games decided by three runs or less after getting swept in Pullman by a grand total of four runs. The team is 7-3 in one-run games but oddly gone 1-5 in two-run games.. ASU seven wins in one run games already matches last season's total and is the most since the team had nine in the 2017 season.
• The walk-off win against GCU was ASU's fourth this season as a result of a ninth-inning lead change, with walk-offs against Oregon and GCU and ninth-inning go-ahead runs on the road against Arizona and UNLV.
• It was the third time ASU has won a game this year when trailing after eight innings - already matching its most since the 2017 season - and fourth when trailing OR tied after 8 (achieved in 2017 and 2021). The team had five wins when trailing or tied after eight in 2016 and nine in 2015. However, should ASU win another game in which it trails after eight innings, it would be the most since the team had five such victories in 2006.
• ASU trailed at one point in 30 of its last 36 victories dating abck to last season and all but two of its 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.
• ASU has gone ahead in the ninth inning of three games this season, walking off Oregon, and taking road ninth-inning leads at Arizona and at UNLV.
• 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 five 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 have two such games this season, adding their ninth game under Bloomquist to that tally coming back from a 7-1 deficit against UNLV on Monday, improving to 7-2 in games that featured a five-run comeback at some point under Bloomquist. .

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.