June 1, 2004
NCAA Regional Links:
ASU Baseball Links:
College Baseball Links:
Thursday, June 3 (Practice Day - Goodwin Field): Cal State Fullerton (10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.) Arizona State (11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.) Minnesota (1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.) Pepperdine (2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.)Friday, June 4: Game 1: #1 Arizona State vs. #4 Pepperdine, 3 p.m. Game 2: #2 Cal State Fullerton vs. #3 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 5: Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11 a.m. Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3 p.m. Game 5: Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 (elimination game)
Sunday, June 6: Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 1 p.m. Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)
NCAA Tournament History: All-Time Record in NCAA:.............128-53 (28) Last Year in NCAA:...................4-2 (advanced to Super Regional) CWS Appearances (last):..............18 (1998) CWS Titles:..........................5 (1965, 67, 69, 77, 81)
ASU vs. 2004 Regional Field: All-Time vs. Regional Field:.........38-26 vs. CS Fullerton (36-20):..........23-21 vs. Minnesota (38-21):.............5-1 vs. Pepperdine (28-30):............10-4 vs. 64-Team NCAA Field in 2004:......21-12
National Rankings:
National Polls (May 31, 2004)
Arizona State (40-16) is ranked No. 9 in the ESPN/Sports Weeekly Coaches poll, No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 17 by Baseball America. It marks the 96th straight week the Sun Devils have been ranked in the national polls dating back to the start of the 2000 season. ASU also owns the No. 3 projected RPI (BoydsWorld.com) in the nation.
Sports Weekly/ESPN:..........9 Baseball America:............17 Collegiate Baseball:.........18 NCBWA:.......................20 BoydsWorld RPI:..............3
Media Exposure:
All of ASU's games in the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast locally in the Phoenix area on KDUS 1060 AM. Tim Healey and Bob Eger will call all the action from the Goodwin Field Press Box. The games will also be available on the internet at www.TheSunDevils.com.Game recaps, notes, stats and quotes can be found on ASU's website at the conclusion of each game.
Did You Know:
ASU notched its 25th 40-win season when it closed out the regular season with a 15-5 win over No. 2 Stanford... the Devils have advanced to the postseason for the 28th time in school history and the fifth straight under Coach Murphy... ASU finished the regular season winning 15 of the last 20 games and went 10-5 down the stretch in Pac-10 play... ASU is a combined 21-12 against the 64-team NCAA field and is 14-5 against ranked teams in 2004... Jeff Larish is hitting .376 over his last 20 games with five of his season total seven home runs... Dustin Pedroia leads ASU batting .395 with 24 doubles... Jason Urquidez is tied for the Pac-10 lead with 11 wins.
What's On Tap:
The Arizona State Sun Devils (40-16, 13-11 Pac-10) make their 28th all-time appearance in postseason play this weekend as the national No. 7 seed at the Fullerton Regional. ASU will take on No. 4 seed Pepperdine at 3 p.m. on Friday (June 4). ASU is making its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and seventh under 10th-year head coach Pat Murphy. The Fullerton bracket also includes No. 2 Cal State Fullerton and No. 3 Minnesota. ASU completed the regular season with a 40-16 record and ended on a high note with 15 wins in the last 20 games. ASU has also played at the Fullerton Regional in 2001 and Super Regional in 2003.
ASU Earns No. 7 National Seed:
Largely due to a demanding non-conference schedule that the Sun Devils handled with a 27-5 record and a high RPI, ASU was one of eight teams to earn a national seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Devils landed the No. 7 seed, meaning should they advance through the Fullerton Regional, they would host a Super Regional against the Mississippi Regional (Ole Miss, Washington, Tulane, Western Kentucky) winner at Packard Stadium (June 11-13). ASU also earned a national seed in 2000. Texas grabbed the No. 1 national seed, followed by South Carolina, Miami (Fla.), Georgia Tech, Stanford, Rice, ASU and Arkansas.
Quick Hits:
- Of ASU's 56 games this season, 36 have been played against teams that have been ranked or are currently ranked. - Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia has hit safely in 46 of 56 games and is hitting .395 with nine HR and 24 2B. - Dustin Pedroia has been named one of five finalists for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. - The Devils have used 45 different starting batting lineups and 33 different positional lineups this season. - Josh Asanovich is second on the team hitting .372 (51-for-137) with 5 HR. He is hitting .434 in his last 23 games. - Jason Urquidez is tied for the Pac-10 lead with 11 wins and heads into the NCAA tourney with 90 K in 90.2 IP. - The Devils have been ranked in 96 consecutive national polls dating back to the start of the 2000 season. - Tuffy Gosewisch was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year Award. - 10th year head coach Pat Murphy picked up his 400th win at ASU with Sunday's 15-5 win over Stanford. - Travis Buck is hitting .365 with nine home runs and is hitting .386 (22-for-83) over his last 20 games. - ASU holds the No. 3 projected RPI in the nation (www.BoydsWorld.com) and is 14-5 against top 25 teams. - ASU is 26-3 this season when the starting pitcher goes five or more innings. - The Devils have made one or less error in 42 of 56 games and no errors in 21 games (.974 FLD%). - Led by 7 from Zechry Zinicola, ASU's 19 saves are the most since 1990 (22) and fourth most in ASU history. - Arizona State has scored 67 runs in the first inning and is 26-4 when scoring in its first at-bat. - Zinicola is 4-2 with 7 SV and a 3.46 ERA. He is 2-1 with 6 SV and a 1.75 ERA in his last 25.2 IP (28 K).
Pedroia For National Player of the Year:
Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia is a leading candidate for Pac-10, National Player of the Year honors and is one of five finalists for the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. Through 56 games, Pedroia ranks second in the Pac-10 hitting .395 (92-for-233) with 76 runs scored, 24 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBI. He has hit safely in 46 of ASU's 56 games, including 28 multi-hit affairs and four games with two or more doubles. Pedroia also leads the Pac-10 in runs scored (76), hits (92), doubles (24), second in on-base percentage (.502) and is third with a .622 slugging percentage. As a sophomore, Pedroia hit .404 (120-for-297) and was named the Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year. He led the NCAA with 34 doubles, setting the ASU and Pac-10 single-season record and tied for third all-time in the NCAA record books. With 24 doubles this season, Pedroia now has 71 in his career, ranking third in the ASU career record books. He also has recorded 294 hits to rank fourth and his career .384 batting average (294-for-766) ranks tied for seventh the ASU record books. He has played and has an 'ironman' streak by starting all 182 games of his Sun Devil career and has recorded at least one hit in 153 games (84%). He has also recorded 96 career multi-hit games. He was a two-year starter for the USA Baseball National Team and was named to the all-tournament team in the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Here is a look at Pedroia's season/career highlights and statistics:
- Hitting .395 overall (92-for-233) with 24 doubles, nine home runs, 48 RBI and a .502 on-base percentage. - Golden Spikes Award Finalist and Dick Howser Player of the Year Award Semifinalist. - Leads the Pac-10 in several categories, including runs (76), hits (92), doubles (24) and is second in assists (171). - Has hit safely in 46 of 56 games in 2004 and 153 of 182 in his career. Leads the team with 34 extra base hits (24 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR). - Has 28 multi-hit games this season and 96 in his career. Has 13 multi-hit games in ASU's last 22 contests (.383, 36-for-94). - Has a pair of 10-game hitting streaks this season and seven career streaks of 10 or more games. - Tied for the team lead with nine home runs and has 14 in his career. Entered the season with only five career homers. - Rated as the No. 53 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 16 rated position player for the 2004 MLB Draft. - A career .384 (294-for-766) hitter to rank fourth in hits (294) and tied for seventh in batting (.384) in the ASU record books. - Needs 6 more hits to reach the 300-hit milestone. He will be the fourth in ASU history and first to reach that mark in three years. - Needs only 8 more hits to reach 100, becoming only the third player in ASU history to record back-to-back 100-hit seasons. - Has hit 71 career doubles, ranking third in the ASU career record book. Needs four more doubles to reach 2nd place. - Set the ASU and Pac-10 single-season record with 34 doubles in 2003. Old ASU record was 30 by Chris Bando in 1978. - Named the 2003 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year with Stanford's Ryan Garko and was a first-team All-American. - Named the 2003 Defensive Player of the Year, he has a career .974 fielding percentage with only 21 errors in 802 total chances. - Starting shortstop for USA Baseball National Team in 2002 and 2003, leading Team USA to a bronze medal in the Pan Am Games. Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT 2002.... .347 58-58 236 51 82 13 2 1 45 24 19 5-9 2003.... .404 68-68 297 83 120 34 3 4 52 36 13 3-7 2004.... .395 56-56 233 76 92 24 1 9 48 45 13 8-13 TOTAL... .384 182-182 766 210 294 71 6 14 145 105 45 16-29Pedroia Times Two:
Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia is a doubles machine. Through ASU's first 56 games, Pedroia has 24 doubles to lead the Pac-10 and ranks 15th in the nation (0.43 doubles per game). Pedroia set an ASU and Pac-10 record while leading the NCAA with 34 doubles in 2003. Pedroia ranks third in school history with 71 career doubles.
Pedroia Inching Towards 300:
With 294 career hits, junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia ranks fourth in school history and is only six hits short of the 300 mark. With six more hits, he will become only the fourth Sun Devil to reach 300 hits in a career and the first to do so in three ore less seasons. Pedroia is also seventh in the ASU record books with 766 career at-bats, seventh in runs (210) and has never missed a game in his Sun Devil career (182 games).
Pole Position:
Despite coming off a series loss at No. 2 Stanford, the Sun Devils have still won 15 of their last 20 Games. Arizona State remains a consensus top 20 team, ranked No. 9 in the ESPN/Sports Weekly Coaches poll, No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 17 by Baseball America. Ranked in the coaches poll every week this season, ASU has extended a streak of 96 consecutive weeks in the national rankings dating back to the start of the 2000 season. ASU entered the 2004 season ranked in all four of the national preseason polls (#7 CB, #10 SW, #11 NCBWA, #18 BA). ASU finished the 2003 season with a 54-14 record and earned a consensus top 10 ranking in all four national polls.
ASU in Postseason Play:
Arizona State is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fifth straight. The Sun Devils have advanced to the postseason in seven of head coach Pat Murphy's 10 seasons in Tempe, including playing for the national championship in 1998. ASU has an all-time 128-53 record in the NCAA Tournament and has won five national championships to rank second among all NCAA schools (1965, 67, 69, 77, 81). The Devils have also made 18 trips to Omaha and the College World Series. The school is coming off a 4-2 record in the postseason a year ago, breezing through the Tempe Regional undefeated, before coming within one win of the College World Series at the Fullerton Super Regional.
Scouting the Tournament Field:
Arizona State is one of five Pac-10 teams to make the 2004 postseason (Arizona, ASU, UCLA, Stanford, Washington), marking the first time since 1997 that the conference has had five teams advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Field of 64 is made up of 30 automatic bids from conference winners and 34 at-large bids. The Sun Devils were an at-large selection and were given one of the top eight national seeds. ASU combined to play 33 games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, posting a 21-12 record. The Devils are no stranger to Goodwin Field in NCAA Tournament play, having lost in a regional in 2001 and came within one win of advancing to the College World Series in 2003.
Scouting Pepperdine:
The Sun Devils will face off against Pepperdine for the first time since the 1988 NCAA Regional at Packard Stadium. ASU is 10-4 all-time against the Waves, including a pair of wins in the 1988 postseason. Pepperdine enters the postseason with a 28-30 record and received an automatic bid after beating Loyola Marymount in straight games to win the West Coast Conference Championship Series. The Waves were 19-11 in the WCC and 9-19 in non-conference action. Steve Kleen leads Pepperdine at the plate hitting .373 (78-for-209) with 20 doubles, six home runs and 55 RBI. Kleen, a first-team All-WCC selection, is also the closer with a 3-3 record and eight saves on the mound. As a team, the Waves are hitting .306 with 50 home runs and 32 stolen bases. Junior right-hander Kea Kometani (7-6, 3.94 ERA) and senior righty Jacob Barrack (8-5, 4.08 ERA) lead the pitching staff. Common opponents with ASU include UCLA, Cal State Northridge, Tulane, Oral Roberts, Washington State, USC and Gonzaga
Scouting Minnesota:
ASU is 5-1 all-time against Minnesota last having faced the Golden Gophers in the 1993 NCAA Regional at Packard Stadium (6-5 victory). The Gophers won the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament crowns, heading into postseason play with a 38-21 record. Minnesota beat rival Ohio State in the second game of the conference tournament championship to earn the automatic bid. The Golden Gophers have advaced to six of the last seven NCAA tournaments. Senior outfielder Sam Steidl leads UM hitting .378 with 22 doubles and 20 stolen bases. As a team Minnesota is hitting .315 with 112 doubles and 37 home runs. Sophomore left-hander Glen Perkins (9-2, 2.53 ERA) leads the pitching staff and was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Perkins is coming off a career-best start in which he struck out 15 in a complete-game two-hit victory over Purdue. Minnesota has a 4.31 staff ERA. Common opponents with ASU include Florida State (W, 6-1) and Cal State Northridge (W, 12-6).
Scouting Cal State Fullerton:
Arizona State and Cal State Fullerton are bitter rivals over the years having faced each other in the 2001 NCAA Regional at Goodwin Field and again last year in the Super Regional. ASU leads the all-time series against the Titans 23-21, but has lost seven of the last 10 meetings. CSF defeated ASU 7-1 in the super regional final last season to advance to the College World Series. The Titans enter the postseason riding a hot streak of six straight wins, including a pair of sweeps over nationally ranked opponents UC Irvine (#21) and conference rival Long Beach State (#8). After starting the season 15-16 after 31 games, the Titans have won 21 of their last 25, bringing a 36-20 record into regional action. Junior catcher Kurt Suzuki is a Johnny Bench Award semifinalist and leads the team hitting .438 (88-for-201) with 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 74 RBI. Overall, CSF is hitting .326 with 119 doubles, 15 triples, 39 home runs and 52 stolen bases. Senior right-hander Jason Windsor is the ace of the pitching staff, going 8-4 with a 2.12 ERA and eight complete games during the regular season. Sophomore lefty Ricky Romero leads the team with 11 wins and has 103 strikeouts in 123.1 innings. Common opponents with ASU include Stanford, Arizona, Oklahoma, USC and Cal State Northridge.
Dominating the Arizona Baseball Rivalry:
Arizona and Arizona State are the only two Division I baseball programs in the state of Arizona and have met 408 times since 1907. While Arizona leads the overall rivalry 220-188, ASU leads the series 165-103 since the school officially adopted the program as a varsity sport in 1959. Additionally, ASU has dominated the rivalry in recent years, winning 16 of the last 20 games since 2000. The Sun Devils won four of the five meetings this year and seven of the last eight overall. ASU has won six straight series over Arizona. Since head coach Pat Murphy took over the program in 1995, ASU is 34-16 (.680) and has never lost a season series to the Wildcats.
Buck Providing Power and Production:
Sophomore right fielder Travis Buck leads the team with 56 RBI and is third on the team hitting .365 (77-for-211). He is also tied for the team lead with nine home runs and has a .577 slugging percentage. He is amongst the league leaders in RBI (56), runs scored (61), stolen bases (12), walks (41) and doubles (16). He has hit safely in 45 of 56 games this season and has recorded 21 multi-hit games. He was one of ASU's hottest hitters on the road swing through New Mexico and Arizona, going 13-for-21 (.619). Additionally, Buck has hit safely in 21 of his last 23 games and 26 of his last 31. He also leads the team with five outfield assists and is 12-for-15 stealing bases. He was named Pac-10 Player of the Week and the Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week after going 10-for-12 (.833) with 13 RBI in the three-game series against UConn (2/27-29). Buck is a career .344 (155-for-450) hitter with 13 home runs, 120 runs scored and 102 RBI.
Pedroia and Buck Eye Possible Triple Crown:
Junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia and sophomore right fielder Travis Buck are amongst the team leaders in the three Triple Crown categories. Pedroia leads the team hitting .395, while tied with Buck with nine home runs. Buck is hitting .365 (third on the team) and has a eight-RBI advantage on Pedroia with 56 RBI. Former All-American catcher Casey Myers was the last Sun Devil to lead the team in all three categories in 2001 when he hit .395 with seven home runs and 69 RBI.
Pedroia Named Golden Spikes Award Finalist:
Arizona State junior shortstop Dustin Pedroia has been named one of five finalists for the prestigious 2004 Golden Spikes Award. Pedroia joins Mississippi sophomore Stephen Head, Texas junior Huston Street, Rice junior Wade Townsend and Long Beach State junior Jered Weaver as the five finalists for the 2004 Golden Spikes Award. Pedroia is the seventh all-time finalist from ASU, as he tries to become the fourth winner of the award. Mike Kelly (1991), Oddibe McDowell (1984) and Bob Horner (1978) have helped ASU to a record-tying three Golden Spikes Awards. Jacob Cruz (1994), Paul Lo Duca (1993) and Kelly 1990) were also finalists for the Golden Spikes. Pedroia is also one of 30 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, presented annually by the NCBWA to the top college player in the nation.
Buck Repeats As Pac-10 Player of the Week:
After going 5-for-10 with home runs in all three games against East Carolina, Travis Buck earned his second consecutive Pac-10 Player of the Week award. With his third career Pac-10 POW award, he became the 16th conference player to repeat and first since 1998 when Cal's Xavier Nady earned the award in consecutive weeks in 1998 (Apr. 27, May 4). He is the first Sun Devil since Oddibe McDowell in 1984 to earn back-to-back conference honors. Buck also earned Pac-10 and national player of the week honors after going 10-for-12 (.833) with five doubles, one home run and 13 RBI in a three-game sweep of Connecticut (2-27/2-29).
Buck Invited to USA Baseball National Team Trials:
Travis Buck has been invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials for the second straight year. The sophomore outfielder was one of the first 19 players invited to attend the tryouts in Durham, N.C., in mid June. ASU ranks eighth for producing players to USA Baseball and has had at least one player on Team USA in five of the last six years. Juniors Dustin Pedroia and Jeff Larish helped the 2003 Team USA squad to a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Flashing The Leather:
The Sun Devils have won 17 of their last 22 games heading into the postseason and much of it is because of solid defense. ASU is tied for first in the Pac-10 and ranks 15th in the NCAA with a .974 fielding percentage. ASU has played errorless in the field this year in 21 games, including seven of the last 11 games. The Devils also have played 42 of 56 games this season making one or less errors. While going 17-5 in the last 22 games, ASU has a .984 FLD% with only 13 errors in 808 chances. The .974 fielding percentage is currently tied for the single-season school record, established by the 1971 squad.
Asanovich Heating Up:
Junior infielder Josh Asanovich has raised his batting average 135 points from .237 (3/14) to its current mark of .372 by going 42-for-96 (.438) in his last 32 games. Asanovich ranks fourth in the Pac-10 hitting .372 (51-for-137) and is also seventh with a .465 on-base percentage and a .577 slugging percentage. He also has nine doubles, two triples, five home runs and fifth on the team with 40 RBI. Asanovich has hit safely in 33 of 44 games this season, including 14 of the last 15 games in which he is hitting .463 (25-for-54).
Arizona State Career Stats in NCAA Tournament:
Player Avg. G AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB Bocchi .000 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Buck .125 6 24 4 3 3 0 0 0 1 Cadena .231 4 13 1 3 2 1 0 0 1 Gosewisch .333 6 18 4 6 4 0 0 0 0 Larish .289 10 38 9 11 11 0 0 3 0 McKenna .333 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 Pedroia .367 10 49 10 18 7 2 1 0 0 Walsh .276 10 29 11 8 3 1 0 0 1Player ERA W-L SV G IP H R ER BB SO Averill 5.40 0-1 0 1 8.1 10 5 5 1 9 Bordes 0.00 0-0 0 2 3.0 0 0 0 2 2 Mousser* 3.38 0-0 0 1 8.0 6 4 3 5 1 *played in 2002 NCAA Tournament with BYU at USC Regional (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Urquidez Dominating On The Mound:
Junior right-handed pitcher Jason Urquidez leads the Pac-10 and is eighth in the NCAA with 11 wins. The junior college transfer from Central Arizona College is 11-3 with a team-leading 3.31 ERA in 18 games this season. As a starter, Urquidez has a 3.10 ERA with opponents hitting only .244 off him. In addition to being tied for the league lead in wins with 11, he is also amongst the Pac-10 leaders ranking second in ERA (3.31), sixth in opposing batting average (.249), 10th innings pitched (92.1) and seventh in strikeouts (90). Urquidez struck out a career-high 12 batters in 8.1 innings against Oregon State (5/15) and had nine strikeouts in 7.1 innings against rival Arizona. He has won three of his last four starts and has 29 strikeouts in his last four outings (22.2 IP). Here is a look at Urquidez's game-by-game breakdown:
Date Opponent GS IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR WP BK HBP DP IBB Score W-L SV ERA Feb 08, 2004 Florida State * 5.0 6 1 1 3 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12-6 1-0 0 1.80 Feb 14, 2004 vs Utah * 6.0 3 0 0 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11-0 2-0 0 0.82 Feb 22, 2004 at Rice * 9.0 3 1 1 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3-1 3-0 0 0.90 Feb 29, 2004 Connecticut * 3.0 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 18-11 4-0 0 1.17 Mar 06, 2004 East Carolina * 7.0 5 4 3 3 4 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 6-4 5-0 0 1.80 Mar 13, 2004 Tulane * 5.2 4 1 1 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11-3 6-0 0 1.77 Mar 20, 2004 California * 1.1 4 3 3 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8-20 6-1 0 2.43 Mar 26, 2004 Washington * 4.1 5 5 3 4 6 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1-11 6-2 0 2.83 Apr 02, 2004 USC * 8.1 7 3 3 6 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10-3 7-2 0 2.90 Apr 09, 2004 Oral Roberts * 7.0 5 1 1 2 6 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 5-1 8-2 0 2.70 Apr 17, 2004 at UCLA * 4.0 8 3 3 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4-3 8-2 0 2.97 Apr 24, 2004 at Washington State * 6.1 7 2 2 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 5-2 8-2 0 2.96 Apr 27, 2004 at Wichita State 1.0 1 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10-9 8-2 0 3.04 Apr 28, 2004 at Wichita State 1.1 3 2 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4-3 8-2 0 3.25 May 03, 2004 New Mexico State * 5.0 2 1 1 2 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 19-2 9-2 0 3.15 May 15, 2004 Oregon State * 8.1 9 1 1 2 12 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3-1 10-2 0 2.94 May 22, 2004 at Arizona * 7.1 3 2 2 4 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7-2 11-2 0 2.90 May 29, 2004 at Stanford * 2.1 6 5 5 2 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3-10 11-3 0 3.31 Totals 16 92.1 84 37 34 44 90 11 3 10 2 0 6 0 0 140-92 11-3 0 3.31Mousser Enters Regional Winner of Five of Last Seven Starts:
Senior right-handed pitcher Jeff Mousser has been impressive in his last seven starts, turning a dismal 1-3 start into a strong 6-4 record. Mousser is 5-1 with a 3.57 ERA in his last seven starts. He suffered his first loss last Friday against Stanford since April 10 (Oral Roberts) when he gave up five runs in four innings. He ranks in the top 10 in the Pac-10 with a 3.93 ERA and is also amongst the league leaders with a .252 opponents batting average. The senior transfer from BYU has made 16 starts this season and has one complete-game. The Tempe native prepped at Marcos de Niza High School.
Murphy Picks Up ASU Win No. 400:
Arizona State head coach Pat Murphy picked up his 400th career win as a Sun Devil with the 15-5 win over No. 2 Stanford during the regular season finale. It is the second milestone victory for Murphy this season, as he gained his 700th career Division I victory with a 10-3 win over USC on April 2. Murphy is now 400-194-1 during his 10 seasons in Tempe and is averaging over 40 wins per season with an all-time 773-365-4 record in 19 seasons as a head coach. Murphy has a 718-310-2 record in 17 seasons at the Division I level (7 at Notre Dame, 10th at ASU).
Devils No. 3 in Projected RPI:
In the May 31 release of the projected RPI on www.Boydsworld.com, Arizona State remained at No. 3 in the nation behind Miami, Fla. (44-11) and Texas (50-13). The Devils have been ranked as high as No. 1 (3/15) and for the fourth straight week are ranked in the top five. The NCAA uses the rating system to help determine selections and seedings for postseason play. Boyd Nation has come up with an RPI index that has proven to be an accurate depiction of the same RPI the NCAA uses. Winners of 15 of the last 20 and 17 of the last 22, the Devils are 40-16 this season and have played arguably the toughest schedule in the nation. ASU had 12 of the top 50 teams in this week's RPI ratings on the 2004 slate. ASU also ranks third in the ISR ratings, which is the author's (Boyd Nation) best attempt at an objective rating system. Here is the top 20 in the last regular season pseudo RPI:
Division I Overall
Rank Rating W L W L Team
1 0.660 44 11 44 11 Miami, Florida
2 0.645 50 13 50 13 Texas
3 0.631 40 16 40 16 Arizona State
4 0.628 45 15 45 15 South Carolina
5 0.618 40 20 40 20 Florida
6 0.617 42 20 42 20 Florida State
7 0.617 41 17 41 17 Louisiana State
8 0.614 39 19 39 19 Mississippi
9 0.614 44 12 44 12 Stanford
10 0.609 41 19 41 19 Georgia Tech
11 0.609 38 20 38 20 Georgia
12 0.608 39 21 39 21 Arkansas
13 0.607 42 17 42 17 Vanderbilt
14 0.606 43 12 43 12 Rice
15 0.605 48 11 48 11 East Carolina
16 0.605 42 13 42 13 Virginia
17 0.603 36 24 36 24 Clemson
18 0.600 39 19 39 19 Texas A&M
19 0.600 46 10 49 10 Notre Dame
20 0.597 36 20 36 20 Cal State Fullerton
Freshmen Saving The Day:Through 56 games, the Sun Devil pitching staff has recorded 19 saves. The 18 saves lead the Pac-10 and are the most by an ASU squad since recording 22 in 1990. It is already the fourth most in ASU single-season history. Additionally, 16 of the 19 saves are by freshman pitchers, with closer Zechry Zinicola leading the way with seven saves. Zinicola, who has two wins and six saves in his last 14 outings, ranks second in the ASU freshman record books. He trails freshman record holder Mitch Dean, who had eight in 1976. Freshman RHP Pat Bresnehan also has five saves to rank fourth in the ASU freshman annals. Erik Averill (2), Quentin Andes (2), Josh Blake (1), Pat Cassa (1) and Brett Bordes (1) have also earned saves this season.
More Freshman Records:
In addition to Zinicola and Bresnehan appearing in the freshman record books for saves, center fielder Colin Curtis is also making his way into the record books. Curtis is hitting .294 (53-for-180) and needs two more hits to crack the freshman top 10. His 11 stolen bases second on the team behind Travis Buck (12) and already fifth most in freshman school history. He is also eighth with five home runs. Zinicola is also 10th with 52 strikeouts and hit 3.46 ERA currently ranks ninth (minimum 50.0 IP).
Larish Finds His Groove At The Plate:
Junior All-American outfielder Jeff Larish struggled early in the season to find consistency at the plate, but has heated up to return to his sophomore season form. Larish recently had a season-high 13-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 19 of his last 22 games. Over the last 22 games, Larish is hitting .362 (34-for-94) with five home runs, 23 RBI and a .585 slugging percentage. During that stretch he has raised his season average from .269 to .308. The junior outfielder is hitting .308 (69-for-224) with 17 doubles, seven home runs and is second on the team with 49 RBI. He also has 21 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI contests. Larish has hit four of his seven home runs this season in the last eight games, including his second career multi-homer game against Arizona (5/22). He also hit his fifth career grand slam against Stanford in the regular season finale. Larish set the ASU record with four grand slams last season. As a sophomore he hit .372 (87-for-234) with 18 home runs and 95 RBI. Making 54 starts in left field this season, Larish is at his third position as a Sun Devil in as many years (3B in 2002, 1B in 2003). Last season, Larish became only the second Sun Devil to join the 70-70 club (RBI-BB) when he had 95 RBI (fifth most in ASU history) and led the NCAA with 78 walks. The Tempe native is a career .338 (198-for-586) hitter with 168 RBI and 142 walks (.466 on-base percentage and .565 slugging). The 2004 preseason All-American is listed as the No. 10 college prospect and No. 46 overall prospect for the annual June Amateur Draft.
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT 2002.... .328 34-33 128 31 42 4 3 3 24 29 19 0-1 2003.... .372 65-64 234 80 87 18 2 18 95 78 42 3-5 2004.... .308 54-54 224 45 69 17 0 7 49 35 46 3-7 TOTAL... .338 153-151 586 156 198 39 5 28 168 142 107 6-13Tuff Behind the Plate:
Junior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch is the epitome of his name behind the dish... tough. In his second year as a full-time starter, Gosewisch has taken ASU's young pitching staff by the reins to help lead the Devils to a 40-16 record and the second-best ERA in the Pac-10 (4.60). Additionally, he has been solid at the plate, hitting .346 (65-for-188) with 36 runs, 13 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 46 RBI. He has hit safely in 42 of 56 games this season and has 20 multi-hit games. The Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year semifinalist has thrown out 17 attempted base stealers and has a .984 FLD%.
Two-Way Zinicola:
Freshman Zechry Zinicola is becoming regular contributor for the Sun Devils, whether as a starting pitcher, designated hitter or even at first base. Zinicola (San Bernadino, Calif.) has made 23 pitching appearances (4 starts) and is 4-2 with seven saves and is second on the team with a 3.46 ERA. Moving back into the closer role after making four starts, Zinicola has been dominant in his last 14 outings, going 2-1 with six saves and 27 strike outs. At the plate, Zinicola has made 23 starts at designated hitter and two at first base. He has recorded at least one hit in 21 of 29 games played and has seven multi-hit contests. He is hitting .280 (28-for-100) with eight doubles, three home runs and 26 RBI. Zinicola had a hand in ASU's 4-3 win over UCLA (4/17) in both roles, picking up the win on the mound with 1.1 perfect innings and drove home the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning. His seven saves rank fourth in the Pac-10 and are the second most in ASU freshman history. He is ASU's first full-time two-way player since Richy Leon (1995-98). Leon was a career .298 hitter as an outfielder and was 8-3 with a 4.67 ERA in 48 pitching appearances.
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