May 16, 2003
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College Baseball Links:
May 17 at Washington, 1 p.m. PST
ASU - Erik Averill, LHP (7-0, 3.43 ERA)
UW - Sean White, RHP (6-4, 5.38 ERA)
May 18 at Washington, 1 p.m. PST
ASU - Ben Thurmond, RHP (6-0, 2.67 ERA)
UW - Jeff Peterson, RHP (5-4, 4.67 ERA)
May 19 at Washington, 6:30 p.m. PST
ASU - Beau Vaughan, RHP (8-4, 4.44 ERA)
UW - Clay Johnson, RHP (5-3, 5.17 ERA)
National Rankings:
Arizona State (46-10) is ranked in all three national polls and checks in this week as the No. 3 team in the nation by Sports Weekly/ESPN and No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball. The Devils also remained in the No. 6 spot in the recent Baseball America poll. The Sun Devils have now been ranked in the national polls for 74 consecutive weeks, including spending two weeks as the No. 1 team in the nation this year.
Media Exposure:
The last six games of the Arizona State Baseball regular season and all postseason games will be broadcast over the radio in the Phoenix area on NBC 1190 AM with Tim Healey and Bob Eger calling all the action. The statistical GameTracker on www.TheSunDevils.com will not be made available for the road games at Oregon State or Washington. All three of ASU's games vs. Arizona will be on AZ-TV.
Did You Know:
That Arizona State currently leads the Pac-10 in hitting (.351) and pitching (3.32) and is second in fielding (.972). ASU is also third in the nation in scoring averaging 12.29 runs per game. Dustin Pedroia became only the 22nd Sun Devil to record 100 hits in a season (102) and in the OSU series set the ASU single-season record and tied the Pac-10 mark with his 31st double of the year.
What's On Tap:
The Sun Devils continue their longest road trip of the year with three more games at the University of Washington this weekend. The Devils are coming off a 2-1 series win over Oregon State played Mon.-Wed. at Coleman Field in Corvallis, Ore. ASU is currently in second place in the Pac-10 with a 46-10 overall record and 12-6 mark in Pac-10 play. ASU has won 12 of its last 15 games and eight of last nine.
Consecutive Games Scoring Streak Reaches 489:
The Arizona State baseball program has now scored in an NCAA record 489 consecutive games dating back to the 1995 season. The Devils made history on April 7, 2001 when they scored at least one run in their 350th consecutive game. The Devils broke the 12-year-old NCAA 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 in that game on April 7, 1995 at Dedeaux Field. The Devils recently celebrated the eighth anniversary of the start of the streak with a 10-2 win over Grand Canyon on April 7. The one run scored in the 6-1 loss to Oregon State (5/13/03) marked only the 13th time during the streak that ASU has scored only one run. Coastal Carolina previously held the NCAA 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 only been shutout in three games dating back to the 1990 season. ASU is a combined 325-163-1 during the streak. Notable pitchers the Devils have faced during the streak include Jeremy Guthrie (Stanford), Barry Zito (USC), Kirk Saarloos (CS Fullerton), Jason Young (Stanford), Ben Diggins (Arizona), Adam Johnson (CS Fullerton), Ryan Drese (Cal), Jeff Weaver (Fresno State), Chad Hutchinson (Stanford), Abe Alvarez and Adam Pettyjohn (Fresno State).
Poll Mechanics:
Arizona State remains a consensus top-10 team in all four national polls with the current six-game winning streak. ASU is ranked as high as No. 3 by Sports Weekly/ESPN, and also check in at No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 6 by Baseball America. Ranked as high as No. 8 in the preseason polls, the Devils have spent virtually the entire season in the top 10 and for two weeks manned the top spot in two of the three national rakings, marking the first time being No. 1 since heading into the 1993 College World Series. ASU has been ranked for 74 consecutive national polls dating back to the start of the 2000 season. ASU entered the 2003 season ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation by Baseball America in the preseason collegiate polls. Arizona State also earned a preseason No. 9 ranking by Sports Weekly/ESPN, No .10 by NCBWA and No. 12 ranking by Collegiate Baseball. The No. 8 preseason ranking is the highest by an ASU squad since opening the 2001 season as the consensus No. 6 team in the nation.
46 Wins In The Bag:
With an overall 46-10 record the 2003 Sun Devils have already set the mark for the most wins in a season under current head coach Pat Murphy. The 2000 team had the previous best record finishing the year 44-15 after losing in the regional final to Texas. The 46 wins also marks the third time during the Murphy era that the Devils have reached the 40-win plateau, with the 2000 and the 1998 (41-23) teams also achieving that milestone. ASU's last 50-win season was in 1990 when the Devils went 52-16. The 46 wins are the most since the 1993 team went 46-20.
The Grand Salami:
With a pinch-hit grand slam from Rod Allen in the seventh inning at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City on April 30, Arizona State tied the NCAA record for grand slams in a season with their 12th of the year. The Devils are currently tied with Oklahoma State that also hit 12 in 1996. After hitting only one grand slam all of last year, the Sun Devils have gone on a binge this year hitting 12 in their first 53 games. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish broke the single-season school record by hitting his fourth grand slam vs. UCLA (4/19). Larish broke the old record of three set by Dave Hudgens in 1977. Steve Garrabrants, Rod Allen and Jeremy West each have two slams, while Ryan Bosch and Travis Buck each have one.
Recapping the Oregon State Series:
Arizona State escaped Corvallis with a 2-1 series win against the Beavers. The Sun Devils opened the series Monday with a convincing 14-4 win. Robbie McClellan picked up the win with 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to improve to 6-0 on the year. Five Sun Devils notched multi-hit games, led by two hits and three RBI from freshman Travis Buck. Buck hit a two-run home run in the third inning to tie the game. The second game featured a complete-game, nine-hit effort from OSU starting pitcher Jake Postlewait to lead the Beavers to a 6-1 win. ASU scored its only run in the first inning after a Dustin Pedroia double to break the ASU single-season record. The Devils looked as if they would leave Corvallis for the second straight time with a series loss trailing the Beavers 6-3 heading into the eighth inning, but ASU rallied for eight runs and cruised to a 12-7 come-from-behind victory. Pedroia and Nick Walsh each had three hits in the victory and second baseman Steve Garrabrants went 2-for-5 with three RBI and scored the winning run on a double in the deciding eighth frame. Catcher Tuffy Gosewisch was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run and also had two walks. For the three-game series, ASU hit .354 (40-for-113) and pitched for a 4.50 ERA. Pedroia went 7-for-14 (.500) with two doubles to lead ASU at the plate.
Close Games:
Arizona State has built up a 46-10 record heading into the final six (6) games of the 2003 regular season. The Sun Devils have lost straight games this year only two times and have suffered a number of close losses this year. Of the Devils 10 setbacks this year, five have come by one run and seven by three or less runs. ASU's six Pac-10 setbacks have come by way of four one-run games and a two-run contest to Stanford.
Larish Looking to Join 70-70 Club:
Sophomore Jeff Larish leads the Pac-10 with 83 RBI and 68 walks and has been a big reason behind ASU's 46-10 record in 2003. Larish's amazing season also includes 12 doubles, 15 home runs and with a current career-high 17-game hitting streak intact is hitting .369 (69-for-177). Even more amazing is that Larish needs only two more walks to become only the second player in ASU Baseball history to join the 70-70 (RBI-BB) club. Former Sun Devil and major leaguer Alvin Davis, who played first base for the Sun Devils from 1979-82, is the only other member of that club after recording 91 RBI and a single-season school record 87 walks in 1982.
Devils on the Road:
The Sun Devils will take to the road this weekend as they embark on its longest road trip of the season. Although the Devils opened the season with six games at Hawaii-Hilo, the current trip to Oregon State and Washington will feature six consecutive Pac-10 contests in a stretch of eight days. After winning two of three in Corvallis earlier in the week, ASU owns an impressive 19-3 record this season while playing away from Packard Stadium.
Buck, Larish and Pedroia Invited To USA Baseball Trials:
Arizona State Baseball players Travis Buck, Jeff Larish and Dustin Pedroia have been invited to the 2003 USA Baseball National Team Trials, to be held in Tucson, Ariz., from June 21-27. Buck, Larish and Pedroia were part of a selection show Thursday where 18 more players were invited to the Team USA Trials. One more wave of 10 invitees will be announced before the trials begin in June at Hi Corbett Field. Pedroia and Georgia Tech's Eric Patterson were selected after both playing for Team USA last summer. Phillip Humber (Rice) and Huston Street (Texas) also played in 2002 for Team USA and were part of the first wave of selections last month. Georgia Tech and ASU each had three players selected for the trials during the second wave. Buck, Larish and Pedroia are looking to become the latest in a long line of Sun Devils who have played for the USA Baseball National Team. ASU has sent five players to the national team in the last five years and eight total players since 1984. In recent years Willie Bloomquist (1998), Jon Switzer (2000), Casey Myers (2000), Mike Esposito (2001) and Pedroia (2002) have donned the Red, White and Blue for USA Baseball.
Scoring at Will:
Arizona State heads into the Washington series ranked third in the nation averaging 10.29 runs per game and has scored 10 or more runs in 29 of its 56 games (52%). The Devils have also scored 20 or more runs in three games this season and as a team are also ranked third in the nation (first in Pac-10) hitting .351.
A Nice Way To Rebound:
With an overall 46-10 record heading into the Washington series, the Sun Devils have only lost back-to-back games two times this year. After eight of their 10 losses, the Devils have responded by winning the next game.
Nick Walsh on a Tear:
Junior utility player Nick Walsh has one goal in mind when he steps in the batters box... get on base. Walsh, a native of Alamo, Calif., was struggling up to the Cal series hitting only .238 (10-for-42) while playing in 32 games and making only five starts. But then he was inserted into the leadoff spot vs. the Golden Bears and finished the series 6-for-8 (.750) and since that series has been on a tear going 23-for-47 (.489) to raise his season average 131 points to .371. He had a career-best game vs. Washington State (4/27) in which he went 6-for-6 with three doubles, seven RBI, five runs scored and recorded six different run-scoring hits. The three doubles, six hits and five runs scored were each one off the single-game ASU record and his seven RBI were two away from the school record. He is currently ranked fifth in the Pac-10 with a .500 on-base percentage.
Walsh's Statistics Before April 13: Avg. GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B RBI OB% .238 32-5 42 13 10 1 0 5 .407Pedroia Makes Case For Pac-10 Player of the Year:Walsh's Statistics After April 13: Avg. GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B RBI OB% .489 13-12 47 14 23 5 1 14 .571
Sophomore shortstop Dustin Pedroia (Woodland, Calif.) has been the spark plug to ASU's early season success and an integral part to ASU's 44-9 record. ASU's only player to play and start in all 56 games, Pedroia currently leads the Pac-10 in hitting at .423 (102-for-241) with 31 doubles and 46 RBI. He also leads the conference in hits (102), doubles (31) and leads ASU with 36 extra base hits. In 18 Pac-10 contests Pedroia is hitting .422 (35-for-83) with nine doubles and 14 RBI. He has also recorded 35 multi-hit games to pace the ASU offense. With his 102 hits Pedroia became only the 22nd Sun Devil in school history to surpass the 100-hit plateau and the first since Willie Bloomquist in 1999. In a rare performance, Pedroia went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in ASU's 4-2 win over LBSU (2/2) to have his career-long 22-game hitting streak come to a halt. The streak, which spanned 11 games each at the end of 2002 and 11 games to begin 2003, fell just two games off the top six in ASU Baseball history. It is the longest streak since current Houston Astros prospect Brooks Conrad had a 21-game streak in 2000. During the streak Pedroia combined to hit .390 (41x105). He also had a 17-game and 13-game hitting streaks earlier this year, and is currently in the midst of a 12-game streak, marking his fourth hitting streak of 10 or more games this year. During his current 12-game hitting streak Pedroia is hitting .436 (24-for-55). Pedroia now has a hit in 64 of his last 67 games dating back to the end of last year, including hits in all but three games this year (53 of 56). In his two years as a Sun Devil he already has 184 hits, 44 of which are doubles, and has never missed a start in 114 consecutive games. In the field Pedroia has also been the rock to ASU's solid .972 team fielding percentage. The slick fielding shortstop has committed eight errors in 253 total chances for a .968 fielding percentage and not made an error in 14 straight games.
Pedroia Sets School Doubles Record, Looking to Pass Pac-10 and NCAA Mark:
With two doubles in the Oregon State series, sophomore Dustin Pedroia set the ASU single-season record with his 31st double of the year. He tied the record of 30 set by Chris Bando in 1978 in Monday's series opener and broke the record with a first-inning double on Tuesday. The record-breaking double down teh left field line off Jake Postlewait also tied the Pac-10 record of 31 set by Washington State's Mike Kinkade in 1994. Pedroia is the NCAA leader with his average of 0.55 doubles per game and is now only five doubles off the NCAA record of 36 doubles in a season.
Single Season Doubles: 1. Dustin Pedroia, 2003 31 2. Chris Bando, 1978 30 3. Antone Williamson, 1993 29 Steve Willis, 1988 29 5. Clay Westlake, 1976 26Pedroia Proves to be Sparkplug:
Pedroia has ignited several ASU scoring rallies this year as is evident by his .542 (52x96) average as a leadoff hitter (inning and game). The percentage marks the amount of times he has reached base to either lead off the game or an inning for the Devils. All told, Pedroia has batted leadoff in 51 of ASU's 56 games this year with the Devils going 44-7 when his name is penciled in first on the lineup card. Amazingly, Pedroia has reached base safely in 28 of those games to lead off the game for the Devils, with 22 hits (eight extra base hits) and has scored ASU's first run in 17 of those games.
Four Devils With Double-Digit Hitting Streaks:
Heading into the Washington series this weekend four Sun Devils currently have hitting streaks of 10 or more games. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish has the longest current hitting streak with a career-high 17 games. Dustin Pedroia and Jeremy West each have 12-game streaks and Andre Etheir is on an 11-game streak heading into the series with the Huskies. Pedroia is currently on his fourth separate hitting streak of 10 or more games this year and West is riding a career-long hitting streak. Here is a look at how all four players have faired during their respective impressive streaks:
Player Current Streak Statistics During Streak Jeff Larish 17 Games .353, 24-for-68, 4 2B, 4 HR, 22 RBI Dustin Pedroia 12 Games .436, 24-for-55, 7 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI Jeremy West 12 Games .490, 24-for-49, 2 2B, 7 HR, 22 RBI Andre Ethier 11 Games .412, 21-for-51, 1 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBIProduction at First Base:
The first base position has proven to be ASU's big run producer this year with Jeff Larish, Mike Guerrero and Jeremy West combining to torture opposing teams. In ASU's 56 games, Larish has played in 49 games, Guerrero in 14 games and West in one game at first base. The trio when playing the position have combined to go 86-for-214 (.402) with 22 doubles, 17 home runs and 94 RBI.
Sun Devils Record Best Start in School History:
Arizona State's 28-1 start to the season goes down in the record books as the best start in school history. The 28-1 record includes an 11-game winning streak to start the season before a loss at nationally ranked Long Beach State (Jan. 31) and a 19-game win streak up until suffering a 6-5 loss to Oklahoma (3/14). During the 28-1 start to the season ASU's pitchers posted an impressive 3.11 ERA and the hitters combined for a .360 team batting average. Here is a look at ASU's best starts in school history:
Year Start Final Record 2003 28-1 ??? 1972 23-1 64-6 1978 17-1 56-12 1988 17-1 60-13The Return of Jeremy West:
Junior designated hitter Jeremy West has slowly but surely returned to his 2002 form in which he led the Pac-10 with 71 RBI and earned first-team all-conference honors. Riding a current 12-game hitting streak, West has gone 24-for-49 (.490) during that stretch with seven home runs and 22 RBI to raise his season average to .359 (55-for-153). Over his last 25 games, West has raised his season average from .280 to .359 going 35-for-81 (.432) with 32 RBI. In his last eight games he has hit seven home runs, including his third multi-homer game of the season vs. UC Irvine (5/6). He recorded a career-best weekend vs. Washington State in which he earned his fourth career Pac-10 Player of the Week award. In the three-game set vs. the Cougars, West combined to go 9-for-16 (.562) with five home runs, seven runs scored and 13 RBI. He homered in all three games (extending his consecutive games homer streak vs. WSU to six games), including hitting a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning in Saturday's 5-3 victory and belting an ASU single-game record tying three on Sunday. Going 5-for-7 in the series finale, West tied the single-game home run mark with a two-run, three-run and grand slam home run and also equaled the school record with nine RBI. For the season, West now has 16 home runs to lead the team, including a trio of multi-home run games, and with 35 career homers is now tied for 10th in the ASU career record books. His .649 career slugging percentage also ranks fifth in ASU history heading into the Washington series this weekend.
Best Slugging Percentage (min. 250 at-bats) G AB H TB SLG% 1. Mitch Jones (1999-2000) 109 405 141 296 .731 2. Bob Horner (1976-78) 186 683 262 492 .720 3. Rick Morris (1985-86) 126 477 178 325 .681 4. Roger Schmuck (1970-71) 112 420 160 273 .650 5. Jeremy West (2001-P) 156 501 172 325 .649All-Time Series vs. Washington:ASU Career Home Runs 1. Bob Horner (1976-78) 56 2. Mike Kelly (1989-91) 46 3. Barry Bonds (1983-85) 45 4. Dan Rumsey (1986-89) 44 5. Andrew Beinbrink (1996-99) 40 6. Casey Myers (1998-2001) 39 7. Mitch Jones (1999-2000) 38 8. Ted Dyson (1983-87) 36 Mike Sodders (1980-81) 36 10. Rick Morris (1985-86) 35 Ken Landreaux (1974-76) 35 Jeremy West (2001-P) 35
Arizona State leads the all-time series against the University of Washington 11-4 with the series starting in 1998. The Devils and Huskies first met in a three-game series in 1998 (Mar. 27-29) at Husky Ballpark with the UW taking two of the three games (6-8, 6-7, 7-6). Since the North and South divisions of the Pac-10 joined in 1999, ASU has won 10 of the last 12 games, including sweeping the Huskies in both 2000 and 2001.
Last Time at Husky Ballpark:
Arizona State owns an all-time 6-3 record at Husky Ballpark with the Devils sweeping the Huskies on their home field the last time the two met in 2001. ASU opened the 2001 series with an 11-6 victory in 10 innings, and then went on to take the next two games by scores of 7-3 and 17-1.
**For tickets to the upcoming Arizona series (May 23-25), please call the ASU ticket office at 480-965-2381.**