April 24, 2000
ASU -- Arizona State (35-10, 11-4 Pac-10 and ranked No. 3 Baseball America, No. 3 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 3 Collegiate Baseball) travel to Oklahoma City for a single non-conference game with the Oklahoma Sooners (31-15, 14-7 Big 12 and ranked No. 19 Baseball America and No. 20 Collegiate Baseball) before traveling to Los Angeles for a critical three-game conference series with USC (27-17, 8-7 Pac-10 and ranked No. 23 Collegiate Baseball) at Dedeaux Field.
On the radio -- Tuesday's game with the Sooners (tape-delayed at 7 p.m.) and this weekend's series with the Trojans can be heard on KGME 550 AM or via the internet at www.thesundevils.com. Tim Healey and Bob Eger will handle play-by-play and color commentary duties respectively.
EXTRA INNINGS -- The Devils are averaging 10.86 runs per game and as a team, are batting at a .344 clip ... Mitch Jones and Casey Myers are listed by Baseball America as players to watch for their National Player of the Year award ... ASU's three grand slams vs. Southern Utah (Feb. 25) ties the NCAA record for a single game ... half of ASU's losses have been by two runs or less ... the Devils have recorded an extra base hit in 43 of 45 games to date ... Arizona State players have been hit a school record 86 times this season (1.91 HBP per game) ... ASU head coach Pat Murphy ranks first in career wins among active Div. I baseball coaches 43 and younger (561-279-3) ... Arizona State has not been shutout in its last 299 games (last time shutout was a 0-9 loss to USC on April 7, 1995) ... the NCAA record for consecutive games played without being shutout is 349 (held by Coastal Carolina) ... ASU's streak without being shutout which is the second longest active Div. I streak ... the 299 games ranks fifth all time in NCAA Div. I history and is the Pac-10 record ... ASU has had more players drafted in the past two years than any other Pac-10 school ... the 1999 squad led the nation in batting average (.356) and runs per game (11.4) ... among current Pac-10 coaches, no one has led a team to the national championship game faster than ASU's Pat Murphy (four years) ...Jonah Martin broke the single season hit by pitch record held by Rick Peters (18 in 1977) when he was hit for the 19th time this season in Pullman over the weekend ... Peters (1974-77) also holds the career record for most hit by pitches with 37.
ABOUT THE SOONERS -- The Sooners are 31-15 overall, 14-7 Big 12 heading into Tuesday's matchup ... the two teams met earlier this year in Tempe for a three-game series where ASU won two out of three ... they are coached by former Arizona State player Larry Cochell (in his 10th season at the helm) ... last week Oklahoma swept a three-game conference series with Oklahoma State ... probable pitcher for the Sooners: Tues., Logan Cuellar (1-0, 0.00 ERA) ... the Sooners have won 14 of their last 15 games ... they are led by Tommy Whiteman (.358-4-27) and Rick Park (.337-12-50) ... reliever Jeff Bajenaru leads the pitching staff with 15 saves (1-1, 2.11 ERA).
| Tuesday, April 25 | #19 Oklahoma | 7 p.m. CT |
| Friday, April 28 | #23 Southern California | 6 p.m. PT |
| Saturday, April 29 | #23 Southern California | 1 p.m. PT |
| Sunday, April 30 | #23 Southern California | 1 p.m. PT |
MYERS LEADS CONFERENCE IN BATTING AVERAGE
-- Junior Casey Myers (Casa Grande) won the battle with UCLA's Bill Scott for top batting average this week, coming in with a .416 aveage at the plate. The catcher is among a handful of players vying for Baseball America's National Player of the Year award. Myers has certainly put up impressive numbers in 2000, leading the team in batting average (.416), RBI (70), hits (72), doubles (16) and on-base percentage (.520). He is second in homeruns (11) behind teammate Mitch Jones. Myers has quietly done an excellent job behind the plate , calling the pitches himself. He has been named conference player of the week three times during his career at ASU. Myers is leading the squad in multiple-hit games (24) and multiple-RBI games (21). He has hit safely in 39 of 45 games this season. Myers has notched 13 two-out RBI this year. He is hitting .473 with runners in scoring position and .462 with runners on base. Myers has 179 career RBI and needs just 18 more to enter the top 10 in the league.
Jones leads NATION with 24 homeruns -- Senior outfielder Mitch Jones (Orem, Utah) hit homeruns No. 23 in and 24 in ASU's 10-8 win over UCLA on Thursday. The slugger leads the team and conference in runs scored (68), homeruns (24), RBI (67) total bases (156) and slugging percentage (.843). Jones has tallied 21 multiple-hit games as well as 17 multiple-RBI games. His 24 homeruns is the most by a single ASU player since 1978 when Bob Horner hit 25. Jones need just one more homer to tie the ASU single season record held by Horner. The outfielder is currently hitting at a .362 clip and is second in RBI (69), doubles (13) and hits (67). Jones has notched 17 two-out RBI. Half of his homeruns have been with runners on base. Jones has drawn at least one walk in eight of the last 10 games and has hit three homers in the last four games.
the iceman cometh -- Junior Eric Doble was as cool as ice when he notched his team-leading seventh save this weekend, pitching a shutout ninth inning in ASU's 10-8 win over UCLA on Thursday. The right-hander has taken over the closer role on the Devils pitching staff and has performed solidly. Doble has five saves in conference play as well as a 2-0 record with a 2.04 ERA. For the year, Doble is now 3-1 with seven saves and a 3.16 ERA. He is leading the conference in games finished (17), games in relief (21) and second in saves (7).
CONRAD HITS GAME WINNER IN ASU's 10-8 VICTORY -- Sophomore second baseman Brooks Conrad came up big over the weekend driving in the winning runs in ASU's come-from-behind win over UCLA on Thursday night. With two outs on the board and the Devils trailing 7-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Conrad hit a two-run blast to right centerfield off of Bruins reliever Jon Brandt to seal the win. For the series, the infielder hit .500 (5-for-10) with three runs scored and three RBI. On the year, Conrad checks in with a .353 avearge at the plate and is second on the squad with 56 runs scored (second in the league). He leads the team with 18 two-out RBI's on the season and is tied for seventh in the loop in stolen bases with 11. He is batting .375 with runners in scoring position.
TEXAS LEFTY GETS NO-DECISION VS. UCLA -- Sophomore lefty Jon Switzer(Houston, Tx.)took a no-decision in Thursday night's game vs. UCLA. In only his second outing under 5.0 innings this season, he pitched 3.2 innings before leaving the game. Switzer is now 8-1 overall, 2-1 in conference play with a solid 3.36 ERA (his only loss is to then-No. 2 Stanford). He has been honred twice this year at Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week. He leads the team with 91 strikeouts and is holding opponent batters to a .207 average at the plate. He is ranked fifth in the conference in ERA (3.36) and strikeouts (91) and fourth in opposing batting average (.207) and innings pitched (88.1). Righthanded batters are only hitting .205 vs. Switzer in 2000. For his career, he is 15-5 with 169 strikeouts.
LAST HOMERUN --
Brooks Conrad vs. UCLA (April 20, 2000)
Phil Downing vs. Washington State (April 14, 2000)
Jeff Duncan vs. Maine (March 17, 2000)
Brendan Hines vs. LSU (February 19, 2000)
Mitch Jones vs. UCLA (April 20, 2000)
Mike Lopez vs. UCLA (April 22, 2000)
Jonah Martin vs. Arizona (March 4, 2000)
Casey Myers vs. UCLA (April 20, 2000)
Jeff Phelps vs. UCLA (April 22, 2000)
Trent Pratt vs. Arizona (March, 4, 2000)
AIN'T LOVE GRAND -- Right-handed pitcher Luke Field (Littleton, Co.) proposed to his girlfriend in a very unique way over the holidays. On New Year's Eve, Field and his girlfriend, Casse Watkins (Ellinwood, Kan.), went to Packard Stadium. None of the stadium lights were on as they made their way to the press box. Field had made arrangement with a manager to be there. When the couple got to the press box, the manager turned on the field lights. Spelled out in bats and baseballs were the words "Will you marry me?". Field's girlfriend said yes. No date has been set yet.
DRAFTED DEVILS -- A total of seventeen current players on the 2000 Arizona State squad have been taken in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
| Paul French | 1998 | Anaheim Angels | 3rd round | |
| Mike Esposito | 1999 | Cincinnati Reds | 5th round | |
| Robby Milner | 1997 | Texas Rangers | 13th round | |
| Dennis Sarfate | 1999 | Texas Rangers | 15th round | |
| Jason Fingers | 1997 | Boston Red Sox | 23rd round | |
| Drew Friedberg | 1997 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 25th round | |
| Mitch Jones | 1999 | Baltimore Orioles | 25th round | |
| Jon Switzer | 1998 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 26th round | |
| Mitch Jones | 1997 | Texas Rangers | 33rd round | |
| Dennis Wyrick | 1999 | Detroit Tigers | 35th round | |
| Jeff Phelps | 1997 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 36th round | |
| Trent Pratt | 1998 | Texas Rangers | 38th round | |
| Jeff Duncan | 1997 | Chicago Cubs | 41st round | |
| Jason Fingers | 1998 | Boston Red Sox | 41st round | |
| Ryan Coffin | 1999 | Boston Red Sox | 43rd round | |
| John Gusich | 1998 | Chicago White Sox | 45th round | |
| Jered Liebeck | 1999 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 45th round | |
| Luke Field | 1999 | Minnesota Twins | 47th round | |
| Mitch Jones | 1998 | Baltimore Orioles | 49th round | |
| Mike Lopez | 1996 | Toronto Blue Jays | 52nd round |
KGME TAKES OVER ASU BASEBALL ON THE AIRWAVES -- Last spring, ASU Athletics agreed to a five year partnership with a new multimedia rights holder, the Sun Devil Sports Network. This group, owned by Outdoor Systems Sports Marketing, will manage, produce and market ASU's radio and television network. The Sun Devil Sports Network signed a three year radio flagship deal with KGME (550 AM). The most powerful AM signal in Arizona. Tim Healey, Voice of the Sun Devils, and Bob Eger will provide play-by-play and color commentary respectively. KGME will broadcast all Pac-10 games as well as selected non-conference games. The games can also be heard via the internet at www.thesundevils.com
INJURY REPORT -- Senior LHP Will Waldrip has bone spurs in his pitching elbow. He will be able to DH and possibly be used in spot pitching situations. Freshman RHP Mike Esposito had successful Tommy John surgery on March 30 and is out for the rest of the season.
THE BEGINNING AND END OF IT -- Here are the pitching lines on ASU starters and relievers.
| IP | W-L | ERA | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| Starters | 213.0 | 21-5 | 4.69 | 204 | 129 | 111 | 86 | 207 |
| Relievers | 185.0 | 14-5 | 3.89 | 180 | 92 | 80 | 93 | 182 |
| Total | 398.0 | 35-10 | 4.12 | 384 | 221 | 191 | 179 | 389 |
PLAYER BIO
Jered Liebeck - Fr. - RHP - Glendale, Ariz. (Mountain Ridge)
High School: A 1999 graduate of Mountain Ridge High in Glendale, Ariz. ... all-conference selection in 1998 and '99 ... four-year letterwinner in baseball ... coached by Tony Cirrellie ... captained the baseball team his senior year ... pitched a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts against Lake Havasu HS ... participated in the Babe Ruth World Series ... holds the record for most strikeouts in school history ... 45th round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Personal: Major is undecided ... parents are Michael Liebeck and Jere Hill ... has one sister, Michele (21) ...born on January 27, 1981 in Mission Viejo, Calif. ... likes to golf ... full name is Jered Michael Liebeck.
THE DEVILS ON TV -- Arizona State baseball will be making many television appearances in 2000. The following is a list of appearances on COX Sports (local Ch. 9): Friday, Feb. 4 vs. Florida State, 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5 vs. Florida State, 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 11 vs. Duke, 7 p.m., Friday, March 3 vs. Arizona, 7 p.m., Sunday, March 5 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m., Saturday, March 11 vs. Oklahoma, 7 p.m., Friday, March 31 vs. Stanford, 7 p.m., Friday, April 7 vs. OSU, 7 p.m., Thursday, April 20 vs. UCLA, 7 p.m. and Friday, May 12 vs. Washington, 7 p.m. FOX Sports Net will broadcast the April 15 game at Washington State live at 1 p.m. College Sports Southeast will broadcast the February 18 game at LSU live at 6 p.m. CT. FOX Sports Bay Area will broadcast the March 26 game at California live at 1 p.m. PT.
FOR THE RECORD -- A start-by-start breakdown of LHP Jon Switzer and RHP Chad Pennington :
| Jon Switzer | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | W/L | ||
| vs. Utah | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | W (1-0) | ||
| vs. FAU | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | W (2-0) | ||
| vs. #5 FSU | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ND | ||
| vs. Duke | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | W (3-0) | ||
| vs. #4 LSU | 9.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | W (4-0) | ||
| vs. New Mexico | 5.0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 9 | ND | ||
| vs. #25 Arizona | 3.1 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 6 | ND | ||
| vs. Oklahoma | 5.2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | W (5-0) | ||
| vs. Maine | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | W (6-0) | ||
| vs. California | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ND | ||
| vs. #2 Stanford | 8.1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 | L (6-1) | ||
| vs. Oregon State | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | W (7-1) | ||
| vs. Washington State | 6.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | W (8-1) | ||
| vs. #19 UCLA | 3.2 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 4 | ND |
| Chad Pennington | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | W/L | ||
| vs. Utah | 4.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ND | ||
| vs. BYU | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | W (1-0) | ||
| vs. #5 FSU | 4.1 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 4 | ND | ||
| vs. Duke | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | W (2-0) | ||
| vs. #4 LSU | 4.1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ND | ||
| vs. SUU | 3.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | W (3-0) | ||
| vs. #25 Arizona | 5.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | W (4-0) | ||
| vs. Oklahoma | 5.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 7 | ND | ||
| vs. Maine | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | W (5-0) | ||
| vs. California | 6.2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | W (6-0) | ||
| vs. #2 Stanford | 3.0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ND | ||
| vs. Oregon State | 2.0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | L (6-1) | ||
| vs. Washington State | 8.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | W (7-1) | ||
| vs. #19 UCLA | 1.2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | L (7-2) |
ASU BASEBALL TICKET INFORMATION -- Catch all the excitement of Sun Devil baseball in 2000. Single game ticket prices are $7 for field level, $5 for adult reserved, $4 for juniors/seniors reserved, $4 for adult general and $3 for juniors/seniors general seating. Group discount tickets are available for single games ($2 per ticket). For information on season tickets or single game tickets, please contact Mark Bruner, account executive, at 480-727-7022.
LAST WEEK VS. UCLA -- The Sun Devils took 2-out-of-3 games from conference opponent UCLA in Tempe over the weekend (W, 10-8, L, 3-13, W, 18-3) ... Mitch Jones hit homeruns No. 23 and 24 ... freshman Jered Liebeck, making his first collegiate start went 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, two runs with two strikeouts to notch up his first win ... Eric Doble picked up his seventh save of the year pitching a shutout inning on Thursday ... The Devils outscored the Bruins 31-24 for the series ... Jeff Phelps hit two homeruns on Saturday, turning in a 3-for-6 performance at the plate ... reliever Jason Fingers had a solid weekend, pitching 4.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on five hits with three strikeouts ...in Thursday night's come-from-behind win, ASU scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth ... the Devils were hit six times during the series.
ALL IN THE FAMILY -- Three father/son combinations have played at Arizona State including current Sun Devils Casey Myers and Brian Berger. Myers father Clint played at ASU from 1971-73 while Berger's father Bill played for the Devils from 1970-71-73. Father Eddie Bane (1971-73) and son Jaymie Bane (1997) round out the trio of father/son combos to don the Sun Devils uniform. Seven sets of brothers have graced the ASU rosters through the years: Chris (1975-78) and Sal (1964-65) Bando, Kevin (1978-81) and Pat (1980-82) Dukes, Byron (1979), Dale (1976-79) and Larry (1976-78) Eiler, Greg (1968) and Skip (1964) Hancock, Darrell (1974-77) and Dwayne (1979) Jackson, Jeff (1994) and Mike (1993) Rensmeyer, and John (1971-73) and Tom (1973-75) Sain. Of the seven sets, three sets played at least one year together at Arizona State.
Thursdays at the Ballpark -- Head coach Pat Murphy and the Sun Devil baseball team will host "Thursdays at the BallPark", a post-practice barbecue, February 3, March 2, April 6 and May 11 at Packard Stadium from 5-7 p.m. during the 2000 season. Meet the Arizona State baseball team and coaching staff to talk about the upcoming series, grab a bite to eat, get autographs and win raffle prizes. Food will be available for purchase or you can bring your own sack lunch. It's an event for the entire family. For more information, please contact the ASU baseball office at 480-965-6085.
TWO-SPORT ATHLETE? A little known fact around the ballpark is that centerfielder Jeff Duncan is a big hockey fan. The native of Illinois played hockey as a kid growing up all the way through high school. What position you ask? Center, of course.
SWITZER INVITED TO 2000 USA BASEBALL NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS -- Sophomore lefty Jon Switzer (Houston, Texas) is among 20 invitees to the 2000 USA Baseball Team Trials to be held in June. Switzer will be joined by three other Pac-10 players: USC's Mark Prior, UCLA's Josh Karp and Stanford's Brian Sager. Depending on the draft, junior Casey Myers may also opt to try out for the national team. Myers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) was a member of the junior national team in '96 and was a '98 national team invitee.
MYERS ON 2000 COLLEGIATE CATCHER OF THE YEAR WATCH -- Junior Casey Myers is on a list of the nation's top 40 catchers up for the Johnny Bench National Collegiate Catcher of the Year award sponsored by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission. It is the first year for the award which will be presented annually at a sports banquet to the nation's top collegiate catcher, as voted on by a panel fo sportswriters, sportscasters, Division I coaches and scouts. The list will be narrowed down to ten semi-finalists by May 15. The finalists will be announced June 8 prior to the start of the College World Series.
OUCH! -- As a team, Arizona State has been hit by a pitch 86 times this season - a school record. The Pac-10 single-season record is 101 held by Washington (1998) while the national record is held by Nevada (125 in 1997). ASU is tied with Loyola Marymount (1986) for 8th all-time in NCAA history for a single season with 86 on the year. They can move into a tie for seventh with one more hit by pitch (Southern Mississippi in 1997).
SUN DEVILS HITTING THE LONG BALL -- The Sun Devils rank second in the conference behind UCLA (75) in homeruns with 65 on the season. Arizona State can eclipse last season's mark of 67 with just two more homeruns. The single-season team record is 110 set by the 1981 club.
ASU Record Breakdown
| Pac-10 | 11-4 |
| Non-Conference | 24-6 |
| Vs. Ranked Teams | 9-7 |
| Vs. Unranked Teams | 26-3 |
| Home Games | 29-7 |
| Road Games | 6-3 |
| Day Games | 25-4 |
| Night Games | 10-6 |
| Vs. Right-Hand Starters | 22-8 |
| Vs. Left-Hand Starters | 13-2 |
| One-Run Decisions | 5-4 |
| Two-Run Decisions | 6-1 |
| Extra Innings | 0-1 |
| Shutouts | 3-0 |
| ASU Scores First | 21-6 |
| Opponent Scores First | 14-4 |
| Led After Seven | 31-1 |
| Trailed After Seven | 2-9 |
| Tied After Seven | 2-0 |
| Led After Eight | 31-1 |
| Trailed After Eight | 1-8 |
| Tied After Eight | 1-1 |
| Out-hit Opponents | 28-1 |
| Out-hit by Opponents | 6-7 |
| January | 7-0 |
| February | 8-4 |
| March | 11-4 |
| April | 9-2 |
| May | 0-0 |
| Last 5 Games | 4-1 |
| Last 10 Games | 8-2 |
| Current Streak | W1 |
Homeruns (72)
Solo: (28) Hines 4, Conrad 2, Jones 12, Myers 3, Phelps 3, Stocker 1, Pratt 1, Martin 1,
Downing 1
2-run: (20) Jones 6, Myers 4, Hines 2, Conrad 3, Martin 1, Lopez 1, Duncan 1, Phelps 1,
Downing 1
3-run: (18) Duncan 1, Jones 5, Myers 4, Lopez 5, Conrad 1, Downing 1, Phelps 1
Grand Slam: (5) Conrad 1, Phelps 2, Jones 1, Downing 1
Two in One Game: (6) Jones 2, Hines 1, Conrad 1, Myers 1, Downing 1, Phelps 1
Inside the Park: (1) Jeff Duncan 1
Pinch hit: (1) Phil Downing 1