March 16, 2000
Thursday, March 16, Maine - 7 p.m. MT
Friday, March 17, Maine - 7 p.m. MT
Saturday, March 18, Maine (DH) - 1 p.m. MT
ASU -- Arizona State (20-6, 0-0 Pac-10 and ranked No. 9 Baseball America, No. 10USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 11 Collegiate Baseball) hosts the Maine Black Bears (1-7, 0-0 America East) in a four-game non-conference series beginning on Thursday at Packard Stadium.
Maine Games On The Internet -- Friday's game and the first baseball game on Saturday can be heard via the internet at www.thesundevils.com. Tim Healey, Robby Robinson and Bob Eger will split play-by-play and color commentary duties.
Extra Innings -- The Devils are averaging 11.5 runs per game and as a team, are batting at a .346 clip ... Brooks Conrad takes a 14-game hitting streak into Thursday's game with Maine ... Arizona State has played in three straight one-run games, winning one ... ASU's three grand slams vs. Southern Utah (Feb. 25) ties the NCAA record for a single game ... five out of ASU's six losses have been by two runs or less ... the Devils have recorded an extra base hit in all 26 games to date ... Arizona State players have been hit 55 times this season (2.12 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 280 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 current streak of 280 games without being shutout is the longest active Div. I streak ... the 280 games ranks fourth 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).
About The Black Bears -- The Black Bears are 1-7 overall, 0-0 America East heading into this weekend's matchup ... they are coached by Paul Kostacopoulos(Providence '87) ... Main is 1-2 vs. the Sun Devils ... the Black Bears picked up their first win of the season on Monday with a 14-4 win over Northern Colorado ... they are led by Mike Livulpi (.368-0-4) and Jon Hambelton (.364-1-3) ... as a team, Maine checks in with a .284 average while the pitching staff sports a 6.49 ERA ... the last time the two teams met was in 1983 at the CWS - ASU won 7-0 ... the Black Bears dropped a 15-14 game yesterday to Northern Colorado at the Chandler Sports Complex ... through eight games, the Maine pitching staff has only given up one homerun.
Devils Take Tough Loss Titans -- ASU lost their second-straight one-run game on Tuesday night to CS Fullerton, 5-4 ... the Sun Devils left a season-high 12 runners on base ... Arizona State pitchers did not give up an extra base hit but allowed 11 singles ... Drew Friedberg pitched four shutoutinnings in relief, striking out four ... Eric Doble pitched 2.2 innings in relief, allowing only one hit while striking out six..
Myers Hits .700 vs. Oklahoma -- Junior Casey Myers (Casa Grande) batted .700 (7-for-10) for the weekend and upped his overall average to a team-leading .435. He scored six runs and notched eight RBI vs. the Sooners. On Saturday, in the bottom of the ninth with one out, Myers hit a solo homer to win the game. He is leading the squad in RBI (48), hits (42), on-base percentage (.555) and doubles (11). The junior catcher also leads the team in multiple-RBI games with 13 and multiple-hit games with 13. The junior catcher is batting .513 with runners in scoring position and is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak. He has hit safely in 23 of 26 games this season.
Martin Leads The Way -- Junior outfielder Jonah Martin (Waianae, Hawai) has been an effective lead-off hitter for the Sun Devils this year. He is batting .611 when leading off an inning. The rightfielder leads the squad with 13 HBP and is third in stolen bases (7). He is batting .450 vs. lefties and had notched four sacrifice bunts on the year. He has reached base in nine straight games (by a hit, walk or hit by pitch) and scored at least one run in each of those contests.
Doble Picks Up Win And Save Over Weekend -- Junior reliever Eric Doble (Casa Grande, Ariz.) picked up a win and a save over the weekend vs. Oklahoma. On Friday night, Doble went 1.2 innings, allowing only one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts and no walks to get credit for his first win of the season. On Saturday night, he pitched 2.2 shutout inning to pick up the save in relief of starter Chad Pennington. He allowed only one hit and tallied five strikeouts . Doble held the Sooner batters to a .125 average at the plate. For the weekend, he had a 0.00 ERA over five innings, allowing only onenearned run on two hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in three appearances. He then came in on Tuesday to pitch 2.2 shutout innings vs. the Titans.
Phelps Solid Through 26 Games -- Junior infielder Jeff Phelps has continued to be a model of consistency in 2000. He is batting at a .404 clip through 26 games and lis second on the squad with 38 hits. He has tallied 11 multiple-hit games as well as scoring 24 runs. Phelps has been hitting well against both lefties and righthanded pitchers (.429 vs. left and .420 vs. right). He is also batting .424 with runners in scoring position and has notched nine 2-out RBIs. He hit .364 for the Oklahoma series, going 4-for-11 with five RBI. He had a 10-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday vs. CS Fullerton.
Ain't Love Grand -- Righthanded 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.
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.
LAST HOMERUN --
Brooks Conrad vs. Arizona (March 4, 2000)
Phil Downing vs. Southern Utah (February 25, 2000)
Jeff Duncan vs. Utah (January 23, 2000)
Brendan Hines vs. LSU (February 19, 2000)
Mitch Jones vs. Arizona (March 4, 2000)
Mike Lopez vs. Oklahoma (March 10, 2000)
Jonah Martin vs. Arizona (March 4, 2000)
Casey Myers vs. Oklahoma (March 11, 2000)
Jeff Phelps vs. Arizona (March 3, 2000)
Trent Pratt vs. Arizona (March, 4, 2000)
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. 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.
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 -- Freshman RHP Mike Esposito has a strained right elbow and will be out for at least two more weeks.
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 | 124.1 | 13-2 | 4.49 | 117 | 76 | 62 | 51 | 123 |
| Relievers | 104.2 | 7-4 | 3.54 | 96 | 47 | 41 | 49 | 107 |
| Total | 229.0 | 20-6 | 4.05 | 213 | 123 | 103 | 100 | 230 |
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.
For The Record -- A start-by-start breakdown of LHP Jon Switzer, RHP Chad Pennington an d LHP Will Waldrip:
| 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) | |
| 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 | |
| Will Waldrip | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | W/L | |
| vs. Duke | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | W (3-0) | |
| vs. #4 LSU | 4.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ND | |
| vs. Southern Utah | 3.1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | W (4-0) | |
| vs. #25 Arizona | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | W (5-0) | |
| vs. Oklahoma | 5.0 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | L(5-1) |
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. Oklahoma -- The Sun Devils took 2-of-3 from the Oklahom Sooners (W, 11-5, W, 6-5, L, 5-4) ... ASU outscored OU 21-15 over the weekend ... the ASU pitching staff recorded a 3.67 ERA for the series ... Casey Myers hit a game-winning solo homer in Saturday's game despite winning two games, ASU hit .240 for the series while Oklahoma hit. 255 as a team.
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.