May 18, 2001
UCLA Bruins (29-25, 8-13 Pac-10) Packard Stadium (4,500) * Tempe, Arizona Friday, May 18, 7 p.m. (Radio/Live Stats) Mike Esposito (4-2, 3.99) vs. Bobby Roe (4-2, 5.73) Saturday, May 19, 7 p.m. (Radio/TV/Live Stats) Jon Switzer (5-4, 3.84) vs. Josh Karp (4-2, 3.48) Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m. (Radio/TV/Live Stats) Eric Doble (2-2, 5.02) vs. Casey Janssen (2-2, 4.45) *Probable Pitchers/times are Pacific Standard TimeWhat's On Tap:
The Sun Devils picked up their first Pac-10 series sweep of the year last week at Washington, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Learning they were not selected as one of the 16 teams to host a regional, the Sun Devils all but assured an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament with the sweep of the Huskies. ASU is now 34-17-1 on the year and 12-9 in Pac-10 play. The Sun Devils have faced five teams who are hosting a regional this year, including LSU, Tennesseee, Cal State Fullerton, USC and Stanford. With the exception of LSU, ASU picked up at least one win against those teams, including road wins at Tennessee, USC and Cal State Fullerton. Winning 12 of their last 16 games, ASU will look to close out the regular portion of their 2001 schedule with three games agains the Bruins (29-25, 8-13) at Packard Stadium. The Devils picked up the much-needed sweep of the Huskies with a combination of good pitching and clutch hitting. After picking up a 10-inning win to open the series Saturday on a Chris Duffy grand slam, ASU pitched their way to a 7-3 win on Sunday and swept the Dawgs with a convincing 17-1 win in a rain-shortened seven-inning game on Monday. The Devils completed their six-day roadtrip with a 6-4 loss at Nevada on Wednesday. ASU carried a 4-2 lead into the eighth before giving up four runs to hand the Wolf Pack their 30th win of the season.
The All-Time Series With The Bruins:
The Bruins and Devils are longtime rivals, with ASU holding an 89-53 advantage over UCLA. ASU is 7-5 vs. the Bruins since 1998, going 5-1 during that stretch at Packard Stadium. The Sun Devils won the series in Tempe last year, 2-1, gaining 10-8 and 18-3 wins over the then No. 19 Bruins. ASU head coach Pat Murphy is 15-15 vs. UCLA during his six seasons at the helm of the Sun Devils.
The Record Is In The Books. ASU Has Scored In 369 Straight Games:
The Arizona State baseball program made history on April 7 when they scored at least one run in its 350th consecutive game. The Devils broke the 12-year-old record in a 5-1 loss to USC exactly six years to the day when they were last shut out. ASU was shut out 9-0 on April 7, 1995 at Dedeaux Field. The one run scored in the 3-1 loss to Arizona on April 28 marked only the ninth time during the streak that ASU has scored only one run. The record is still in tact at 369 straight games after scoring in each of ASU's four games on the road last week. ASU was neck-in-neck with Wichita State who was not shutout in 332 games, but when the Shockers fell 1-0 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette ASU took over the national lead. Coastal Carolina held the record at 349 games set from 1983-1989. ASU also had a stretch of 278 games without being shut out from 1990 to 1994, meaning the program has not scored a run in a game only three times dating back to 1990.
The National Rankings And RPI:
The Sun Devils are ranked 18th by Baseball America, 15th by Collegiate Baseball and 18th in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll. ASU has now been ranked in the top 20 for 29 consecutive weeks in at least one of the three college baseball polls. ASU is 8-8-1 this year when playing a team that is currently ranked and have faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation having played 13 games against teams that have appeared in Baseball America's top 12 (LSU/USC/CSUF/STAN/TENN). ASU is currently ranked 18th in the weekly RPI ratings by www.boydsworld.com and have the 11th toughest schedule in the nation. UCLA is not ranked entering this weekend's games.
Media Exposure:
All three games of the UCLA series can be heard over the airwaves on XTRA 910 AM in the Phoenix area or over the internet at www.thesundevils.com. Live Stats can also be viewed on the internet by pointing your browser to www.thesundevils.com. Tim Healey and Bob Eger will call all the radio action. Saturday and Sunday's games can be viewed locally on Cox Cable 9.
Casey Myers Reached 300, Now Eyes 283 Career RBI:
One of the best hitters in college baseball and making a name for himself as one of the best Sun Devils to ever wear the Maroon and Gold, Casey Myers recently became only the third Sun Devil in history to pass 300 hits in a career. With 306, he is now just has 16 hits short of the school record of 322 set by Clay Westlake (1973-76). Myers is a career .384 hitter in Tempe (306x796) in 2013 career games. Myers recorded his 300th career hit in his 200th career start two weeks ago vs. Tennessee. The senior All-American catcher is also chasing the Pac-10 and ASU career RBI record of 283 set by former Sun Devil Andrew Beinbrink (1996-99). After tabbing four RBI during the four-game roadtrip, Myers is now just 11 short of the record with 272 in his career and 66 this year. He passed former Stanford Cardinal standout John Gall (263) to move into second place in Pac-10 history. Myers is also ranked sixth with 38 career home run, tied for seventh with a .384 career batting average, fourth with 483 total bases, fourth with 63 doubles and sixth with 796 career at-bats. Myers has recorded 28 multi-hit games in 2001 and has 94 in his career. For the first time since Feb. 13, Myers batting average has dipped below the .400 mark.
Myers, Phelps, Switzer Named Academic All-Americans:
Casey Myers, Jon Switzer and Jeff Phelps were named to teh 2001 Verizon Academic All-District VII Baseball Team when it was announced Thursday. Myers is a three-time selection to the team and was last year's Academic All-American in the University Division. He holds an impressie 3.98 GPA in Math/Economics. He graduated with honors this week. Teammates Switzer and Phelps were also announced to the team. Phelps, a senior infielder for ASU, is a two-time selection, carrying a 3.40 GPA in Communications. Switzer, a junior majoring in Marketing, earned his first academic honor with a 3.44 GPA in his major. The ASU baseball program has now produced seven Academic All-Americans in the last three years.
Rod Allen Is "DANGER"ous:
Rod Allen has proven to be one of the best freshmen hitters in the nation. Batting .387 heading into the UCLA series, Allen is second on the team in hitting and sixth in the Pac-10. Allen is hitting .379 in Pac-10 play and finished with a .393 in non-conference games. He has recorded a hit in 35 of 44 games played this year and his 43 RBI rank third on the team behind seniors Casey Myers and Mike Lopez. During the recent four-game roadtrip at Washington and Nevada, Allen was 5-for-16 with five runs scored and four RBI. He is currently riding a four-game hitting streak (.312). He started his ASU career with a bang, tabbing hits in 17 consecutive games. During his 17-game streak Allen was a .450 hitter (27x60). A reserve designated hitter to begin the season, Allen moved into a starting role during his 17-game hitting streak and started 13 games at designated hitter. He has since made the transition as ASU's everyday left fielder and has faired well with five outfield assists. In addition to his .387 average, Allen has four home runs, 12 doubles and one triple.
Myers Picks Up More Accolades:
Casey Myers, a candidate for National and Pac-10 Player of the Year, has been named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser National Player of the Year Award, Rotary Smith National Player of the Year Award and the Johnny Bench National Catcher of the Year Award. Myers is currently ranked third in the Pac-10 in hitting and second in the Pac-10 in RBI.
Murphy Picks Up Pac-10 Wins No. 100, 101 and 102:
ASU head coach Pat Murphy needed one win in the Pacific Northwest to gain his 100th Pac-10 victory. Instead he picked up three, left Seattle with 102 career wins in league play, and even more importantly assured his 2001 squad at least a .500 finish in the Pac-10 this year. Murphy's squads have picked up at least 12 wins in Pac-10 play in each of his seven seasons at the helm of the Sun Devils.
Copy By Jeff R. Evans
ASU Media Relations