Feb. 3, 1998
ASU Hosts Nationally Ranked Florida State
Fri., Feb. 6 # 23 Florida State 7 p.m. Sat., Feb. 7 # 23 Florida State 1 p.m. Sun. Feb. 8 # 23 Florida State 1 p.m.
ASU -- Arizona State (8-0, 0-0 Pac-10 Southern Division and ranked No. 6 Baseball America and No. 5 Collegiate Baseball in the preseason polls) begin a six-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series with the Florida State Seminoles (No. 23 Collegiate Baseball and No. 25 Baseball America).
THIS WEEK ON THE RADIO -- KMVP 860 AM, home of Sun Devil baseball, will broadcast all three games this weekend with FSU. Tom Dillon and Bob Eger will provide the play-by-play and color commentary respectively. All three games will be broadcast live.
ABOUT THE SEMINOLES -- FSU is 1-2 entering this week's games ... they are coached by Mike Martin (Florida State '66) who is closing in on the 1,000 win mark ... the Seminoles return four of eight starters from last year's 50-17 team (seven of 10 pitchers) ...FloridaState hold a 14-5 edge in the all-time series with ASU ... last year, in Tallahassee, FSU won two-of-three games with Arizona State.
DID YOU KNOW? -- Arizona State's 8-0 start is its best since 1988 ... ASU has outscored its opponents 91-12 through eight games and outscored Hawaii-Hilo last week, 50-5 ... The ASU pitching staff has a phenomenal 1.06 ERA and have yielded only eight earned runs through eight games ... the Devils have allowed only one stolen base (1-7) ... ASU has held its opponents scoreless in the first, second, seventh and eighth innings so far this season ... Coach Pat Murphy is averaging 42.6 wins per season at the Div. 1 level (429 wins over 10 years).
THE LAST TIME -- Sophomore pitcher Jay Gehrke's two hitter (13-2 over Hawaii-Hilo) is ASU's first since 1995 when Billy Neal two-hit San Francisco (5-0) Feb. 17, 1995 (complete games only) ... the Sun Devils combined one hitter vs. Hawaii-Hilo (5-1, Jan. 31, 1998) is ASU's first since April 10, 1996 vs. Southern Utah (ASU won 10-1).
Talk About Tough -- Once again, Arizona State has arguably one of the toughest schedules in the nation this year. The Sun Devils will play 35 games versus Top 25 teams (preseason top 25 by Baseball America). Five Six-Pac teams are currently ranked in the preseason top 25.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES -- Two Sun Devils received multiple preseason honors by several publications to kick off the 1998 season: LHP Ryan Mills, first-team All-American (Baseball America), first-team All-American (The Sporting News) and second-team All-American (Collegiate Baseball); 3B Andrew Beinbrink, first-team All-American (The Sporting News), second-team All-American (Baseball America) and second-team All-American (Collegiate Baseball).
ON THE BRINK-- Junior Andrew Beinbrink (San Diego, Calif.), who has already picked up some preseason accolades, will anchor ASU's infield from third base in 1998. The 6-3 infielder batted .380 last year with 92 hits, 72 RBI, 60 runs scored, nine homeruns and 23 doubles. He was honored as a 1997 All-Pac-10 Southern Division selection. Beinbrink played summer ball for the Anchorage Bucs where he was named the Top Prospect by Baseball America. Through eight games, Beinbrink is hitting at a .345 clip (10-for-29) with nine runs scored and 11 RBI. He leads the team with three doubles and two triples and is on a five-game hitting streak.
Leon Pulls Double-Duty -- Senior Richy Leon (San Luis, Ariz.) will once again split his time in the field and on the mound in 1998. Leon will see time at shortstop/second base and as a righthanded middle reliever/closer for the Devils. He pitched 30.1 innings with a 1-1 record, two saves with a 2.08 ERA in 16 appearances last season. The shortstop batted .364 with 60 hits, 34 runs scored and 25 RBI. Through three games, he is batting .391 (9-of-23) with eight runs scored and four RBI. In one relief appearance, he has a 0.00 ERA (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K).
THE DYNAMIC DUO -- The one-two punch of junior lefties Ryan Mills (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Phill Lowery (Petaluma, Calif.) have proven to be formidable in 1998. Mills and Lowery have combined for four wins and a 0.32 ERA. Mills has pitched 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings for the Devils and sports an incredible 0.00 ERA through two starts. Lowery is right behind him with a stellar 0.64 ERA. Mills is holding opponent batters to a .184 average while Lowery is holding batters to a .136 average. Last year both were among the conference leaders in ERA (Mills, 2.88 ERA ranked 1st and Lowery's 4.13 ERA ranked 7th) and hits per nine inning (Mills, 7.61 hits ranked 1st and Lowery's 8.26 hits ranked 4th).
COUNTDOWN TO 500 -- Arizona State head coach Pat Murphy should reach the 500-win mark during the 1998 season. His career record stands at 489-235-3 over 13 seasons as a head coach. Murphy need just 11 victories to reach the 500-win plateau.
THE LAST HURRAH -- Senior outfielder Mikel Moreno will end a long and successful career at ASU after this season. Through eight games, he is batting .417 with a team-leading 12 RBI and 15 hits. He has also swiped five bases in the young 1998 season. The speedy rightfielder has started all eight contests and is currently on a 20-game hitting streak dating back to the 1997 season. Moreno should leave his mark in several Sun Devil career categories including career doubles, runs and hits. Moreno is a two-year starter for ASU and batted .313 last season with 67 runs scored and 10 stolen bases.
Pitchers Corner -- Sophomore Jay Gehrke (Fargo, N.D.) picked up his second win of the season with a 13-2 complete game (seven inning) win over Hawaii-Hilo. Gehrke is off to a solid start for the Devils with a 2.45 ERA in 2 starts. He finished last season with a 4.41 ERA in six appearances with 19 K's. Junior Colin "C.J." Call (1-0), in his first collegiate start, pitched 5.1 innings of one-hit ball in ASU's 5-1 victory over the Vulcans. A lot of new faces will grace the bullpen in 1998, including junior transfer Chuck Crumpton (Mesquite, Texas) who has been tabbed as ASU's setup man. Crumpton has pitched 6.0 scoreless innings of relief for the Devils in 1998 and was a part of both of ASU's combined shutout victories. The 6-4 righthanded pitcher helped lead Northeast Texas CC to the '96 Junior College National Championship and was the winning pitcher in the championship game over Meridian JC. Freshman pitchers joining the roster are LHP Drew Friedberg, RHP Robby Milner and RHP Chad Pennington. Pennington (1-0), in his first collegiate start, pitched 7.2 innings of two-hit ball in a 14-0 win over Hawaii-Hilo on Sunday. Transfer Aaron Kramer (Grand Canyon U.) has also joined the ASU pitching staff. All are expected to see time on the mound.
INJURY REPORT -- Sophomore Kevin Tillman, who strained his left hamstring a couple weeks ago, is probable for this weekend's games ... senior Rudy Arguelles has an abdominal strain and is doubtful for the Florida State series.
Behind the Dish -- Junior Greg Halvorson (Tucson, Ariz.) will anchor the Devils from behind the plate in 1998. Through eight games, he is batting at a .211 clip with five runs scored and five RBI. The 6-4 catcher ended the '97 season strong, finishing with a .295 batting average and a team-leading 23 doubles. Backing up Halvorson will be junior transfer Jeremy Jones (Raymore, Mo.), an outstanding defensive catcher from Mesa CC, and freshman Casey Myers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) who will also see time as a designated hitter.
THE HIT MAN -- Sophomore Willie Bloomquist (Port Orchard, Wash.) has started the 1998 season on a tear. The infielder/outfielder is batting a team-leading .517 (15-for-29) and leads the team in runs scored (13), stolen bases (7) and walks (11). Bloomquist is currently on a 16-game hitting streak, dating back to the 1997 season. He was invited to the USA National Team Trials held in Tucson, Ariz. in November. While at the trials, the middle infielder hit .556 (five-for-nine) with three runs scored and one RBI. Bloomquist will be evaluated throughout the 1998 season and if all goes well, receive another invitation to the trials in the summer.
DRAFTED DEVILS -- Fifteen current players on the 1998 Arizona State squad have been taken in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft:
Phill Lowery 1995 Texas Rangers 2nd round Willie Bloomquist 1996 Seattle Mariners 8th round Mark Ernster 1996 Chicago Cubs 12th round Ryan Mills 1995 New York Yankees 13th round Robby Milner 1997 Texas Rangers 13th round Andrew Beinbrink 1995 Boston Red Sox 14th round Jay Gehrke 1996 Baltimore Orioles 24th round Drew Friedberg 1997 Arizona Diamondbacks 25th round Kevin Tillman 1996 Houston Astros 30th round Dan Meier 1996 Texas Rangers 32nd round Jeremy Jones 1995 Colorado Rockies 36th round Jeff Phelps 1997 Pittsburg Pirates 36th round Jay Sitzman 1996 Milwaukee Brewers 37th round Greg Halvorson 1995 Oakland A's 38th round Jeremy Jones 1996 Cleveland Indians 38th round Chuck Crumpton 1995 San Diego Padres 39th round Chuck Crumpton 1996 Philadelphia Phillies 49th round
UP NEXT -- The Devils will host a three-game series with Washington State (non-conference series) February 13 through 15 at Packard Stadium ... ASU holds an 11-2 edge in the all-time series with the Cougars.
PACKARD STADIUM TABBED AS ONE OF NATION'S FINEST -- Baseball America recently ranked the top 15 college baseball stadiums in the country and ASU's own Packard Stadium checked in as the 10th best collegiate ballpark. Packard Stadium was the only Six-Pac facility to make the publications list and one of only five West coast ballparks.
ASU Baseball on the Internet -- Fans can catch-up on the latest news in Sun Devil Baseball on the internet at the official Arizona State Athletics homepage - http://www.thesundevils.com
Sun Devils On The Radio -- KMVP 860 AM continues its association with Arizona State baseball with a package of 56 home and away games to be broadcast this season. Tom Dillon calls the play-by-play while Bob Eger will handle color commentary duties. The following is a list of the six games that will not be broadcast by KMVP: Jan. 22 vs. CS Northridge, Jan. 24 vs. Florida International, Jan. 31 vs. Hawaii-Hilo (DH), Feb. 25 vs. Anaheim Angels (exhib.) and Feb. 27 vs. Stanford. You can also listen to the Sun Devils via audionet at www.audionet.com
FABULOUS FRESHMEN -- ASU'S freshmen class is already making a big impact on the 1998 season. Freshman Casey Myers (Casa Grande, Ariz.) is getting the job done in the designated hitters spot for the Devils. Myers is batting .450 (9-for-20) in six stints as the DH. He has scored six runs and has three RBI. Infielder Jeff Phelps (Yuma, Ariz.) is hitting at a .455 clip (5-for-11) with nine runs scored for the Devils. Phelps has made four starts this season at first base for ASU. Freshman pitchers Chad Pennington, Robby Milner and Drew Friedberg have all made solid contributions. Milner (Phoenix, Ariz.) has pitched 2.2 innings of hitless ball in relief appearances this season.
PRESEASON PAC-10 COACHES POLL -- Arizona State is picked to finish second in the 1998 Pac-10 Coaches Preseason Poll as voted on by the six head coaches from each of the Six-Pac schools. Here is the complete poll:
1. Stanford (4) 2. Arizona State (2) 3. USC 4. Arizona 5. UCLA 6. California ( ) - denoted first place votes
1998 Schedule
DATE OPPONENT TIME
Jan. 22 $Cal State Northridge 7-3
Jan. 23 $New Mexico State 13-1
Jan. 24 $ #33 Florida Internat. 21-3
Jan. 29 @ Hawaii-Hilo 7-0
Jan. 30 @ Hawaii-Hilo 11-2
Jan. 31 @ Hawaii-Hilo 13-2, 5-1
Feb. 1 @ Hawaii-Hilo 14-0
Feb. 6 #23 Florida State 7 p.m.
Feb. 7 #23 Florida State 1 p.m.
Feb. 8 #23 Florida State 1 p.m.
Feb. 13 Washington State 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 Washington State 7 p.m.
Feb. 15 Washington State 1 p.m.
Feb. 18 Brigham Young 4 p.m.
Feb. 20 @ *California 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 @ *California 1 p.m.
Feb. 22 @ *California 1 p.m.
Feb. 24 Grand Canyon 7 p.m.
Feb. 27 *Stanford 7 p.m.
Feb. 28 *Stanford 1 p.m.
Mar. 1 *Stanford 1 p.m.
Mar. 6 @ *UCLA 7 p.m.
Mar. 7 @ *UCLA 1 p.m.
Mar. 8 @ *UCLA 1 p.m.
Mar. 10 Oklahoma 7 p.m.
Mar. 11 Oklahoma 7 p.m.
Mar. 13 @ *USC 7 p.m.
Mar. 14 @ *USC 1 p.m.
Mar. 15 @ *USC 1 p.m.
Mar. 17 @ Fresno State 7 p.m.
Mar. 18 @ Fresno State 7 p.m.
Mar. 20 *California 7 p.m.
Mar. 21 *California 7 p.m.
Mar. 22 *California 1 p.m.
Mar. 24 @ Grand Canyon 7 p.m.
Mar. 27 @ Washington 2 p.m.
Mar. 28 @ Washington 1 p.m.
Mar. 29 @ Washington 1 p.m.
Apr. 1 Grand Canyon 7 p.m.
Apr. 3 @ *Arizona 7 p.m.
Apr. 4 @ *Arizona 7 p.m.
Apr. 5 @ *Arizona 1 p.m.
Apr. 9 *USC 7 p.m.
Apr. 10 *USC 7 p.m.
Apr. 11 *USC 1 p.m.
Apr. 14 @ Oklahoma 7 p.m.
Apr. 17 *UCLA 7 p.m.
Apr. 18 *UCLA 7 p.m.
Apr. 19 *UCLA 1 p.m.
Apr. 24 *Arizona 7 p.m.
Apr. 25 *Arizona 7 p.m.
Apr. 26 *Arizona 1 p.m.
Apr. 28 New Mexico 7 p.m.
Apr. 29 New Mexico 7 p.m.
May 1 @ *Stanford 7 p.m.
May 2 @ *Stanford 1 p.m.
May 3 @ *Stanford 1 p.m.
May 5 @ UNLV 5 p.m.
May 6 Southern Utah 7 p.m.
* Pacific-10 Conference game
All times local to site
$ Louisville Slugger Classic
Pac-10 0-0
Non-Conference 8-0
Vs. Ranked Teams 1-0
Vs. Unranked Teams 7-0
Home Games 3-0
Road Games 5-0
Day Games 3-0
Night Games 5-0
Vs. Right-Hand Starters 5-0
Vs. Left-Hand Starters 3-0
One-Run Decisions 0-0
Two-Run Decisions 0-0
Extra Innings 0-0
Shutouts 2-0
ASU Scores First 8-0
Opponent Scores First 0-0
Led After Seven 8-0
Trailed After Seven 0-0
Tied After Seven 0-0
Led After Eight 8-0
Trailed After Eight 0-0
Tied After Eight 0-0
Out-hit Opponents 8-0
Out-hit by Opponents 0-0
January 7-0
February 1-0
March 0-0
April 0-0
May 0-0
Last 5 Games 0-0
Last 10 Games 0-0
Current Streak W8
Longest Win Streak 8 games (1/22-2/1)
Longest Losing Streak N/A
Most Runs, Game:
ASU 21 (Florida International, 1/24)
Opp. 3 (CSN, 1/22 & FIU, 1/24)
Most Runs, Inning:
ASU 13 (Florida International, 1/24)
Opp. 2 (three teams)
Most Hits, Game:
ASU 15 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/30 & 1/31)
Opp. 7 (FIU, 1/24 & Hawaii-Hilo, 1/29)
Most Hits, I nning:
ASU 7 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/31)
Opp. 3 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/29)
Most Doubles, Game:
ASU 3 (CSN, 1/22 & FIU, 1/24)
Opp. 2 (Florida International, 1/24)
Most Triples, Game:
ASU 2 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/31)
Opp. 1 (Florida International, 1/24)
Most Home Runs, Game:
ASU 1 (NMSU, 1/23 & FIU, 1/24)
Opp. 1 (NMS, 1/23 & Hawaii-Hilo, 1/30)
Most Stolen Bases, Game:
ASU 7 (Florida International, 1/24)
Opp. 1 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/31)
Most Double Plays (turned), Game:
ASU 2 (Cal State Northridge, 1/22)
Opp. 3 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/30)
Most Errors, Game:
ASU 3 (Cal State Northridge, 1/22)
Opp. 4 (Florida International, 1/24)
Most Strikeouts (pitching), 9-Inning Game:
ASU 16 (New Mexico State, 1/23)
Opp. 10 (Hawaii-Hilo, 1/29)
Most Walks (pitching), 9-Inning Game:
ASU 5 (Cal State Northridge, 1/22)
Opp. 14 (Cal State Northridge, 1/22)
Largest Win. Margin 18 (FIU, 1/24)
Largest Loss Margin N/A
Largest Crowd, Home 1,509 (CSN, 1/22)
Smallest Crowd, Home 1,109 (FIU, 1/24)
Largest Crowd, Road 200 (UHH, 1/29)
Smallest Crowd, Road 36 (UHH, 2/1)
Longest Hit Streak 20 (Moreno, 4/27-2/1)
Most Hits, Game 3 (three players)
Most Runs, Game 4 (Myers, 1/24)
Most Doubles, Game 1 (several players)
Most Triples, Game 1 (several players)
Most HRs, Game 1 (Beinbrink, 1/23 &Moreno, 1/24)
Most RBIs, Game 4 (Mikel Moreno, 1/24)
Most SBs, Game 2 (three players)
Most Strikeouts, Game:
ASU Pitcher 11 (Ryan Mills, 1/23)
Opp. Pitcher 10 (Thomas Ford, UHH, 1/29)
Fewest Hits Allowed (CG Effort)
ASU Pitcher 2 (Jay Gehrke, 1/31)
Opp. Pitcher N/A
Most Walks, Game:
ASU Pitcher 5 (Phill Lowery, 1/22)
Opp. Pitcher 7 (Vasquez, CSN)
Most Consecutive Scoreless Innings:
Starter 14.0 (Mills, 1/23-1/29)
Reliever 6.0 (Chuck Crumpton, 1/22-2/1)
1998 National Rankings (Six-Pac Schools)
School BA CB SN
(Pre) (Pre) (2/2)
Stanford 1 1 1
USC 5 6 5
Arizona State 6 5 3
UCLA 18 21 23
Arizona 24 34 22
BA- Baseball America
CB- Collegiate Baseball
SN- The Sporting News
1998 Devils in the Record Book
Career Hitting
Most Runs
1. 224 - Gary Atwell, 1970-73
2. 216 - Rick Peter, 1974-77
3. 212 - Ken Landreaux, 1974-76
4. 198 - Mike Kelly, 1989-91
168 - Mikel Moreno, 1995-
Most Doubles
1. 88 - Clay Westlake, 1973-76
2. 70 - Antone Williamson, 1992-94
3. 59 - Stan Holmes, 1978-81
4. 58 - Dan Rumsey, 1986-89
41 - Mikel Moreno, 1995-
Most Hits
1. 322 - Clay Westlake, 1973-76
2. 289 - Stan Holmes, 1978-81
3. 286 - Gary Atwell, 1970-73
4. 264 - Antone Williamson, 1992-94
5. 262 - Bob Horner, 1976-78
195 - Mikel Moreno, 1995-
Batting Average
1. .408 - Kevin Romine, 1981-82
2. .396 - Hubie Brooks, 1977-79
3. .389 - Mike Sodders, 1980-81
.389 - Dan McKinley, 1995-97
5. .388 - Chris Bando, 1975-78
9. .373 - Andrew Beinbrink, 1996-
Individual, Single Game
Most Doubles
1. 4 - Mike Devereaux,
1/31/85 vs. UCSB
4 - Gary Atwell, 4/23/71 vs. UTEP
3. 3 - 13 times, most recently by
Mikel Moreno, 4/1/97 vs. GCU
Most RBI
1. 9 - Tommy Adams,
5/2/90 vs. UNLV
2. 8 - five times, most recently by
Scott Shores, 2/9/94 vs. SU
7. 7 - Willie Bloomquist,
2/16/97 vs. Southern Illinois
7 - Kevin Tillman,
2/2/97 vs. Eastern Michigan
Head Coach Pat Murphy
Fourth season at Arizona State: 108-64 Div. I Record (10th year): 426-180-1 Career Record (13th year): 481-235-3
Pat Murphy now in his fourth season at Arizona State after spending seven years at Notre Dame, has left his mark on Arizona State baseball. In his first year, Murphy guided ASU to a 34-21 record and put together the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. In 1996, he directed ASU to a 35-21 record and a No. 25 final ranking by Baseball America. His recruiting class was ranked third in the country. Last year marked ASU's return to postseason play as ASU went 3-2 in the NCAA Atlantic Regiona, narrowly missing out on a trip to Omaha. The Devils finished with a 39-22 record and a No. 11 ranking by Baseball America and No. 14 ranking by Collegiate Baseball. Murphy has also started the Pitch-by-Pitch Baseball Academy which holds baseball camps and clinics year round, not only in Phoenix, but around the country as well. His 426-180-1 Division I record gives him a winning percentage of .702, seventh-best among active NCAA coaches with a minimum of five years of Division I experience.
Murphy's Notre Dame teams recorded 45 or more wins in each of the past six seasons and advanced to the finals of an NCAA Regional each of the last three seasons.
The Syracuse, N.Y., native was hired August 17, 1994, and immediately set to work on building his program.
He also has international coaching experience, guiding the Dutch National Team to the European championship in the summer of 1987, and helping to develop baseball in Australia as a state manager in New South Wales in 1984.
Murphy is the first coach in the era of aluminum bats to have his players practice exclusively with wood bats in practice.
Murphy has never had a player declared ineligble for a season.
"The guy's got one of those Chevy V8s that never stops running ... he's working as if he's got to win a national championship yesterday."
--Bob MoranMesa Tribune, 8/28/94