May 17, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State (40-12, 15-6 Pac-10 and ranked No. 3 Baseball America, No. 3 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 4 Collegiate Baseball) close out the regular season this weekend on the road against in-state rival Arizona (25-28, 7-14 Pac-10) in Tucson.
Friday, May 19 at Arizona 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 20 at Arizona (FOX Sports AZ) 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 21 at Arizona 1 p.m.
ASU TO HOST REGIONAL FOR 2000 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP:
Arizona State was chosen as one of 16 regional host sites nationally for the 2000 NCAA Div. I Baseball Championship. Regional dates are May 26-28 with all games to be played at Packard Stadium. For ticket information, please call the ASU ticket office at 480-965-2381.
FOX SPORTS ARIZONA TO BROADCAST SATURDAY'S GAME:
FOX Sports Arizona will broadcast Saturday's game live. Barry Buetel and Jerry Kindall will handle the play-by-play and color commentary duties respectively.
On the radio:
This weekend's series with the Wildcats 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 11.0 runs per game (leads the nation) and as a team, are batting at a .345 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 50 of 52 games to date ... Arizona State players have been hit a school record 101 times this season (1.94 HBP per game) which ties the conference single season record (Washington, 1998) ... 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 306 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 306 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) ... 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 vs. WSU - he now has been hit a team-leading 27 times ... Peters (1974-77) also holds the career record for most hit by pitches with 37.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS:
The Wildcats are 25-28 overall, 7-14 Pac-10 heading into this weekend's matchup ... they are coached by Jerry Stitt (Arizona '68) ... last week the'Cats were swept by UCLA (L, 3-5, L, 0-10, L, 5-8) in a conference series ... probable pitcher for the Wildcats: Fri., Ben Diggins (9-4, 3.52 ERA), Sat., Rob Shabansky (3-5, 9.30 ERA), Sun., Tony Milo (5-6, 5.63 ERA) ... they are led by Ernie Durazo (.375-11-51) and Troy Gingrich (.360-1-31) ... the Sun Devils swept Arizona in a non-confernce series in Tempe earlier this year ... ASU leads the all-time series, 151-99 (since 1959).
MURPHY NOTCHES CAREER WIN NO. 600:
Head coach Pat Murphy reached career win No. 600 on Saturday as the Devils beat Washington 17-5. Murphy is now owns a 601-291-3 in 16 seasons. He is 228-120 in six seasons at Arizona State.
NCAA 64-TEAM SELECTION SHOW:
The 54th NCAA Division I Baseball Championship field will consist of 64 teams, 29 of which are automatic qualifiers as conference champions, including the Pac-10. The 64-team bracket will be announced on Monday, May 22 on ESPN (Noon MT). The Arizona State baseball team and coaching staff will watch the selection show at McDuffy's Sports Bar and Grill (located on the corner of 5th St. and Ash Ave. in Tempe). The media is encouraged to attend. For more information, please contact the ASU media relations office at 480-965-6592.
pac-10 race tight with ONE week remaining:
With only one week remaining in Pac-10 play, the conference race is tight with three teams within one game of each other at the top of the pack. UCLA (16-5) holds a one game advantage over both Stanford (15-6) and Arizona State (15-6) heading into the final weekend. UCLA travels to Stanford for a three-game set while the Sun Devils head down the road to Tucson.
CONRAD NAMED PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Sophomore second baseman Brooks Conrad was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for his performance vs. Washington over the weekend. Conrad went 9-for-15 (.600) with 12 RBI and eight runs scored in ASU's sweep of the Huskies. He notched five extra base hits including a towering homerun over the green monster in centerfield on Sunday afternoon. He becomes only the 18th player to hit a homer over the green monster at Packard Stadium. He collected 17 total bases for the weekend and posted a 1.133 slugging percentage as well as a .647 on-base percentage. He was perfect in the field posting four putouts and seven assists.
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS:
sophomore reliever Franco Pezely and freshman reliever Bryce Kartler provided quite a punch for the Sun Devils vs. Washington. Kartler (Phoenix) punched out nine Huskies in four innings of relief work on Friday to pick up his first save on the year. Then, on Saturday, Pezely pitched five innings in relief with 10 K's to notch his seventh win of the season. Between the two relievers, they struckout 19 batters in nine innings of work.
Jones leads nation in homerun race:
Senior outfielder Mitch Jones (Orem, Utah) remains in first with 25 homeruns (0.48 per game) among the nation's long ball hitters. Jones ties the ASU single season homerun record held by Bob Horner (1978) against Oklahoma (4/25) with a towering shot to leftfield. The slugger leads the team and conference in runs scored (72), homeruns (25), RBI (82) and is second in total bases (171) and slugging percentage (.784). Jones has tallied 24 multiple-hit games as well as 21 multiple-RBI games. The outfielder is currently hitting at a .344 clip and is second in hits (75). Jones has notched 20 two-out RBI and has five multi-homer games this season. Half of his homeruns have been with runners on base . For his two year career at ASU, he has 36 homeruns and needs three more to tie for sixth in career homers with Stan Holmes (39 from 1978-81).
WHERE ASU RANKS NATIONALLY:
Arizona State is still leading the nation, averaging 11.00 runs per game heading into this weekend's games. As a team, they are ranked fourth in fielding (.972) and batting average (.345) as well as third in winning percentage (.769). Individually, Mitch Jones still leads the nation, averaging 0.48 homers per game and is fourth in RBI per game (1.58). Casey Myers checks in ranked sixth in RBI per game (1.52) and 35th in batting average (.413).
MYERS LEADS team IN BATTING AVERAGE:
Junior Casey Myers (Casa Grande) is batting at a team-leading .413 clip in 2000. 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 (.413), hits (85), doubles (18) and on-base percentage (.510). He is second in RBI (79) and homeruns (12) 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. He has reached base safely (hit, walk, hbp) in 48 of 52 games this year. Myers is leading the squad in multiple-hit games (26) and multiple-RBI games (22). He has hit safely in 44 of 52 games this season. Myers has notched 18 two-out RBI this year. He is hitting .455 with runners in scoring position and .452 with runners on base. Myers has 188 career RBI and needs just 3 more to enter the top 10 in the league.
MARTIN TAKES ONE (or two) FOR THE TEAM:
Junior transfer Jonah Martin (Wainae, Hi.) holds the school record for most hit by pitches in a single season (27) and still has three regular season games left.The 27 HBP ranks him 5th in the NCAA record books for a single season. Nevada's Corky Miller is fourth in the NCAA record book with 29 HBP in 1998. David Bacani from Cal State Fullerton (1998) is third with 30 HBP.
the iceman cometh:
Junior Eric Doble has been as cool as ice this season with a team-leading seven saves on the year. 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 1.83 ERA. For the year, Doble is now 3-1 with seven saves and a 3.07 ERA. He is leading the conference in games finished (20), second in saves (7), third in games in relief (24) and sixth in appearances (24). He is holding opponent batters to a .233 average at the plate and a .205 average with runners on base.
TEXAS LEFTY PICKS UP WIN NO. 10 VS. WASHINGTON:
Sophomore lefty Jon Switzer(Houston, Tx.) picked up win No. 10 as Arizona State rolled to a 25-5 win over Washington on Friday night. Switzer allowed only one hits over four innings of work as the designated pitcher of record. He also had a relief appearance on Sunday, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits. Switzer is now 10-1 overall, 4-1 in conference play with a solid 3.10 ERA (his only loss is to then-No. 2 Stanford). He has been honred as Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week three times this year (tying UCLA's Rob Henkel for the most honors). He leads the team with 107 strikeouts and is holding opponent batters to a .203 average at the plate. He ranks second in the conference in ERA (3.10), second in opposing batting average (.203), sixth in strikeouts (107) and is tied for second in wins (10). He is 4-0 in his last five starts. Righthanded batters are only hitting .207 vs. Switzer in 2000 while lefties check in at .188. For his career, he is 17-5 with 185 strikeouts.
LAST HOMERUN:
Brooks Conrad vs. Washington (May 14, 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. Oklahoma (April 25, 2000)
Mike Lopez vs. UCLA (April 22, 2000)
Jonah Martin vs. Arizona (March 4, 2000)
Casey Myers vs. Washington (May 12, 2000)
Jeff Phelps vs. UCLA (April 22, 2000)
Trent Pratt vs. Arizona (March, 4, 2000)
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 101 times this season - an ASU school record. They tied the Pac-10 single-season record held by Washington (1998) while the national record is held by Nevada (125 in 1997). ASU's 101 HBP in 2000 teis for fifth all-time in the NCAA record book. They can move into a tie for fourth with one more hit by pitches (CS Fullerton 1998). Long Beach State (1999) is third with 114.
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.
JONES NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR ROTARY SMITH AWARD:
Arizona State's Mitch Jones has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the Rotary Smith Award (given to the nation's top collegiate player). Jones leads the nation in homeruns and just tied the ASU single season homerun record (25) held by Bob Horner (1978).SID's will now cut the list from the 12 semifinalists to 3 finalists in the next stage of balloting within the next month. The final voting stage, to pick the 2000 winner, will end following the conclusion of this year's College World Series (June 9-17). The winner will be named at a dinner at the Doubletree-Post Oak Hotel in Houston the evening of Monday, June 19.
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:
Junior Mike Lopez broke his right wrist over the weekend and is out for the remainder of the season. Senior LHP Will Waldrip has bone spurs in his pitching elbow. He will be able to DH and be used in spot pitching situations for the rest of the season. 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 | 239.2 | 24-7 | 4.70 | 233 | 145 | 125 | 104 | 229 | ||
| Relievers | 219.1 | 16-5 | 3.86 | 213 | 111 | 94 | 103 | 220 | ||
| Total | 459.0 | 40-12 | 4.29 | 446 | 256 | 219 | 207 | 449 |
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. 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. FOX Sports Arizona will broadcast the Saturday, May 20 game vs. Arizona live.
FOR THE RECORD:
A start-by-start breakdown of LHP Jon Switzer :
| 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 | ||
| vs. #21 USC | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | W (9-1) | ||
| vs. Washington | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | W (10-1) | ||
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.
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.
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.
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL:
The Sun Devils are tied for second in the conference behind UCLA (102) in homeruns with 76 on the season. The 76 homers is the most by the club since 1994 when they also notched 76 round-trippers. The single-season team record is 110 set by the 1981 club.
PHELPS HAVING A GRAND TIME:
Infielder Jeff Phelps (Yuma) has hit two grand slams this season and three for his career. The ASU record for most grand slams in a season is three, held by Dave Hudgens (1977). Phelps is having the best year of his career at ASU, batting at a .369 clip with 70 hits and seven homeruns. He has a .468 on-base percentage - third best on the squad. The junior is batting well vs. both lefties (.362) and righthanders (.372) and is batting .373 with runners on base. Phelps is one of only three players to start all 52 games for the Devils this year. He is currently on a four-game hitting streak for the Devils.
THE FIREMAN:
Sophomore reliever Franco Pezely has been putting out "fires" all season long for the Devils. And in the process, has posted a 7-2 record to go along with a 3.43 ERA. The lefty has been a key reliever out of the bullpen making 23 appearances. He has picked up a win in relief vs. Stanford, Oregon State, Washington State and Oklahoma in the month of April. On Saturday, Pezely pitched a career-high 5.0 innings, striking out 10 (also a career high). The seven wins ties him for second on the pitching staff. He is holding opponent batters to a .240 average at the plate.