April 2, 2003
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TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State Baseball team will take a week off from the Pac-10 schedule and play a pair of Southwest rivals in the next week. The No. 3 Sun Devils host New Mexico Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Packard Stadium and after a weekend off, host Grand Canyon at 7 p.m. on Monday (April 7).
ASU is coming off a 2-1 weekend against USC on the road at Dedeaux Field and stand at 34-6 overall and 3-3 in Pac-10 play. The Lobos enter the midweek tilt with a strong 22-10 record off to their best start since 1985 and have won 15 of their last 19 games. ASU leads the all-time series with UNM 111-27 with the first meeting dating back to a 7-0 win by ASU in 1940. ASU and New Mexico last meet on Feb. 26, 2000 with the Devils gaining a 9-7 win over the Lobos.
The Sun Devils are led at the plate by sophomore shortstop Dustin Pedroia who carries a Pac-10 best .432 batting average into the game with New Mexico. Pedroia is 73-for-169 with 24 doubles and 26 multi-hit games. He has a current 10-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one hit in all but two of ASU's 40 games. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish leads the Pac-10 with 62 RBI and is hitting .377 (46-for-122) with 12 home runs. Freshman Travis Buck is coming off a strong weekend vs. USC in which he hit .727 (8-for-11) and was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week.
On the mound the Devils will start senior right-hander Beau Vaughan vs. the Lobos. Vaughan is 5-1 with a 4.50 ERA and leads the team with 59 strikeouts in 48.0 innings. Overall the pitching staff carries a Pac-10 best 3.44 ERA and has recorded 322 strikeouts in 350.2 innings. Closer Ryan Schroyer is 4-2 with seven saves and a 1.07 ERA.
ASU returns to Pac-10 action vs. California at Evans Diamond for a three-game series on April 11-13.