No. 7 ASU Baseball Hosts No. 2 Stanford This Weekend

March 29, 2000

TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State (26-7, 2-1 Pac-10 and ranked No. 7 Baseball America, No. 7 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 8 Collegiate Baseball) host the Stanford Cardinal (19-7, 2-1 Pac-10 and ranked No. 2 Baseball America, No. 3 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 4 Collegiate Baseball) in a three-game conference series at Packard Stadium.

Friday, March 31	#2 Stanford (TV)	7 p.m. MT
Saturday, April 1	#2 Stanford	1 p.m. MT
Sunday, April 2	#2 Stanford	1 p.m. MT

Friday's game on T.V. -- Friday night's game vs. the Cardinal will be broadcast live on COX Sports (local Cable Ch. 9). George Allen and Doug Gerlach will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties respectively.

On the radio -- This weekend's series with the Cardinal 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 11.6 runs per game and as a team, are batting at a .354 clip ... Brooks Conrad takes a 21-game hitting streak into Friday's game with Stanford ... ASU's three grand slams vs. Southern Utah (Feb. 25) ties the NCAA record for a single game ... five out of ASU's seven losses have been by two runs or less ... the Devils have recorded an extra base hit in all 33 games to date ... Arizona State players have been hit 65 times this season (2.00 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 287 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 287 games without being shutout is the longest active Div. I streak ... the 287 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 cardinal -- The Cardinal are 19-7 overall, 2-1 Pac-10 heading into this weekend's matchup ... they will play one mid-week game on Tuesday night vs. St. Mary's ... they are coached by Mark Marquess (in his 24th season at the helm) ... last week Stanford opened conference play by taking 2-of-3 from Arizona in Palo Alto, Calif. ... probable pitching rotation for the Cardinal: Fri., Justin Wayne (6-1, 2.09 ERA), Sat,. Jason Young (3-0, 3.98 ERA), Sun., TBA ... they are led by Edmund Muth (.293-7-27) and Craig Thompson (.349-5-13) ... the Cardinal have won the last six meetings between the two teams ... last year swept the Devils in Palo Alto ... ASU leads the all-time series 72-71 ... ASU's last win over Stanford came in Tempe in 1998 (W, 4-2).

Myers leads conference in batting average -- Junior Casey Myers (Casa Grande) leads the team and conference with a nifty .441 average at the plate. Last week he hit .462 vs. the Golden Bears while hitting his ninth homer of the year. The nine homeruns is a season high for the junior catcher (he hit eight his freshman year). He has been named conference player of the week three times during his career at ASU. Myers is leading the squad in hits (56), doubles (13), RBI (57), sac flies (5) and on-base percentage (.534). He has hit safely in 29 of 33 games this season. Myers has notched 12 two-out RBI this year.

Jones hits homer no. 18 -- Senior outfielder Mitch Jones (Orem, Utah) hit homerun No. 18 in ASU's 4-2 win over Cal on Saturday. For the series, the slugger hit .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles and the homerun. Jones was one of the heroes in ASU's come-from-behind win on Friday night when he knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. His 18 homeruns is the most by a single ASU player since 1994 when Scott Shores hit 21. Jones is currently hitting at a .357 clip and leads the team in runs scored (51), RBI (57) and slugging percentage (.843). He leads the conference and nation with 18 homeruns. Over half of his hits (30) have been for extra bases. Jones has notched 16 two-out RBI as well as 15 multiple-hit games.

Martin leads off -- Junior outfielder Jonah Martin (Waianae, Hi.) has been getting the job done from the leadoff spot for the Devils in 2000. The transfer from L.A. City JC has an on-base percentage of .500 and is third on the squad in batting average (.375). Martin leads ASU with 16 hit by pitches this season as well as sacrifice bunts with six. The 16 HBP is the most by a single ASU player since 1996 when Mikel Moreno was also hit 16 times during the season. The single season hit by pitch record is held by Rick Peters who was hit 18 times in 1977. Peters (1974-77) also holds the career record for most hit by pitches with 37. Martin is batting .600 when he leads off an inning and .400 with runners on base. He is tied for second on the squad with 11 stolen bases. He is currently on a seven-game hitting streak, his longest of the year.

Pennington and Doble shine over weekend -- Junior right-handed pitcher Chad Pennington, who is off to the best start of his career, pitched 6.2 innings to pick up his sixth win of the season as ASU defeated California 4-2 on Saturday. He scattered seven hits over six innings, striking out six while walking only two batters. During his career, Pennington is 3-0 vs. the Golden Bears with a save. On the year, he is 6-0 with a 4.80 ERA and 54 strikeouts (second best on the pitching staff). Junior Eric Doble had a strong showing vs. the Golden Bears as well picking up a win and a save for the series. The right-hander got his second win of the year pitching 1.2 shutout innings in relief on Friday afternoon in a 6-4 comeback victory. Doble came back on Saturday to pitch 2.1 shutout innings to notch his team-leading third save on the season. For the year, Doble is 2-1 with three saves and a 3.47 ERA.

Conrad takes 21-game hitting streak into stanford series -- Sophomore second baseman Brooks Conrad (Spring Valley, Calif.) takes a career-high 21-game hitting streak into the Stanford series this weekend. Conrad checks in with a solid .369 average at the plate and is hitting at a .404 clip with runners in scoring position. He is tied for second on the squad with 11 stolen bases and is third with 11 two-out RBI. Conrad has also been very successful when leading off an inning, batting .571 from the leadoff spot.

Esposito out for the year -- Freshman right-handed pitcher Mike Esposito (Las Vegas, Nev.) is scheduled to have "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow on March 30 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament. The surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama. Andrews has also performed the same surgery on David Wells, John Smoltz, Steve Karsay and Kerry Woods. Esposito had been the Devils Friday night starter at the beginning of the year.

LAST HOMERUN

Brooks Conrad	vs. California (March 26, 2000)
Phil Downing	vs. Southern Utah (February 25, 2000)
Jeff Duncan	vs. Maine (March 17, 2000)
Brendan Hines	vs. LSU (February 19, 2000)
Mitch Jones	vs. California (March 25, 2000)
Mike Lopez	vs. Maine (March 18, 2000)
Jonah Martin	vs. Arizona (March 4, 2000)
Casey Myers	vs. California (March 25, 2000)
Jeff Phelps	vs. Arizona (March 3, 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

ASU BASEBALL OFFENSE DOMINATES PAC-10 STATS -- Arizona State shows up quite a bit in the conference stats released this week. The Sun Devils lead the conference in batting average (.354), runs scored (383), doubles (76), walks (191) and total bases (688) to name a few. Individually, Casey Myers leads the league in batting average (.441), on-base percentage (.534), RBI (57) and hits (56). Mitch Jones leads the Pac-10 in runs scored (51), total bases (118), slugging percentage (.843), home runs (18) and RBI (57). Jeff Duncan checks in as the conference leader in walks (28) and stolen bases (17). Jonah Martin is tops around the league in sac bunts (6) and hit by pitch (16).

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	162.0	17-2	3.94	140	85	71	64	168
Relievers	128.0	9-5	3.94	118	65	56	65	124
Total	290.0	26-7	3.94	258	150	127	129	292

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. 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, 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)
vs. Maine	7.0	2	1	1	4	10	W (6-0)
vs. California	6.1	2	2	2	5	6	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)

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)
vs. Maine	2.1	2	2	2	1	5	ND
vs. California	2.1	4	2	2	0	0	ND

Note: Waldrip has two wins as a relief pitcher.

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. California -- The Sun Devils took 2-out-of-3 games from California in their opening Pac-10 series (W, 6-4, W, 4-2, L, 2-7) ... Mitch Jones hit homerun No. 18 ... Casey Myers went 6-for-13 to hit .462 for the series ... ASU was 3-for-8 in stolen bases against the Golden Bears ... ASU turned four double plays for the weekend ... Eric Doble picked up a win and a save for the series, pitching 4.0 shutout innings ... the Sun Devils were held to a .270 average at the plate ... in Friday's game, Arizona State was down 3-4 in the top of the ninth with two outs when they scored three runs off of key hits by John Gusich, Phil Downing and Mitch Jones to get the 6-4 win.

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.

INJURY REPORT -- Freshman RHP Mike Esposito will have Tommy John surgery on March 30 and is out for the rest of the season.

Sun Devils By Position

C	Casey Myers, Jr.	.441, 56 H, 57 RBI, 9 HR
1B	Jeff Phelps, Jr.	.380, 46 H, 30 R, 32 RBI
2B	Brooks Conrad, So.	.369, 45 H, 46 R, 33 RBI
3B	Mike Lopez, Jr.	.359, 28 H, 27 R, 30 RBI
SS	Dennis Wyrick, Fr.	.289, 28 H, 28 R, 19 RBI
LF	Mitch Jones, Sr.	.357, 51 R, 57 RBI, 18 HR
CF	Jeff Duncan, Jr.	.363, 45 H, 38 R, 17 SB
RF	Jonah Martin, Jr.	.375, 42 H, 39 R, 16 HBP
DH	Brendan Hines, Jr.
or	Trent Pratt, So.
P	Jon Switzer (3/31)	6-0, 2.60 ERA, 66 K
	Chad Pennington (4/1)	4.80 ERA, 6-0, 54 K
	TBA (4/2)

ASU Record Breakdown

Pac-10	2-1
Non-Conference	24-6
Vs. Ranked Teams	5-5
Vs. Unranked Teams	21-2
Home Games	23-4
Road Games	3-3
Day Games	18-3
Night Games	8-4
Vs. Right-Hand Starters	18-6
Vs. Left-Hand Starters	8-1
One-Run Decisions	3-4
Two-Run Decisions	4-1
Extra Innings	0-1
Shutouts	2-0
ASU Scores First	15-6
Opponent Scores First	11-1
Led After Seven	23-1
Trailed After Seven	1-6
Tied After Seven	2-0
Led After Eight	22-1
Trailed After Eight	1-5
Tied After Eight	1-1
Out-hit Opponents	23-1
Out-hit by Opponents	3-4
January	7-0
February	8-4
March	11-3
April	0-0
May	0-0
Last 5 Games	4-1
Last 10 Games	7-3
Current Streak	L1

Head Coach Pat Murphy

Sixth season at Arizona State: 188-108
Div. I Record (12th year): 506-224-1
Career Record (15th year): 561-279-3

The Murphy team? Always plays hard, likes to play the tough schedule, disciplined, plays well in the postseason, plays the little game well - stolen bases, walks, no excuses.

Became the youngest coach to 500 wins (with 75% of wins coming from Div. I level) at age 39.

All but one player under Coach Murphy has been drafted higher in the MLB Draft.

Named Baseball America's Coach of the Year in 1998.

Murphy is averaging 42.2 wins per year as a coach at the Div. I level (.693 winning percentage).

Ten out of the last 12 years, his teams have finished in the top 30.

His last five squads to make playoff appearances have made it to the Sweet 16 or better.

The last five regionals a Pat Murphy team has played in, the squad has beaten the No. 1-ranked team on its home field.

Murphy has had a total of 80 Div. I players sign professional contracts after playing under him.

Murphy in the community: started the Guadalupe Project, hosts free baseball clinics with the Tempe Diablos, speaks to UNI 100 classes on the ASU campus, to name a few....

2000 Pac-10 Standings
(as of 3/27/00)

Team	Conf.	Ovrall
USC	3-0	19-9
Arizona State	2-1	26-7
Stanford	2-1	19-7
UCLA	2-1	16-11
Oregon State	0-0	16-11
Washington	1-2	8-13
California	4-5	12-16
Arizona	2-4	17-18
Washington St.	2-4	12-16