(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
After torching Washington State last weekend and earning the sweep, Arizona State looks to continue its momentum this weekend in a three-game Territorial Cup series versus in-state rivals No. 22 Arizona.
The long-awaited series begins Thursday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium after a two-year absence between the two teams.
Arizona’s lineup is made up of home run hitters. The top-25 team is nationally ranked 6th in batting average (.318) and 10th in slugging percentage (.501). The Wildcats are number one nationally in runs scored with a total of 212. In comparison, Arizona State has scored 114 runs up to this point in the season.
While Arizona has a long ball style of play, the Sun Devils take a different approach.
“We’re not going to have the offensive firepower to overcome a bunch of mistakes or a bunch of extra outs,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “We have hammered in from the very beginning that our winning formula is solid pitching, compete in the zone, make them earn every base they get and play catch.”
Arizona State generates runs when necessary and a key player to the team’s success offensively is second baseman Sean McLain. The redshirt freshman is currently the lineup’s hottest hitter as he has racked up hits in his last 18 games with multiple hits in 11 of those 18. McLain has the most-multi hit games of all the Sun Devils, three more than any of his teammates.
McLain leads Arizona State with a .414 average on the year, which is third in the Pac-12 and 44th in the NCAA. The clean-up hitter is advancing baserunners at a team-high as well at a .611 clip.
From pitchers to infielders, associate head coach Ben Greenspan praised the young team’s eagerness to improve and get their hands on the ball. He attributes the Sun Devils unprecedented success to the lineup’s dedication to developing into top-tier baseball players.
The Sun Devils have faced much adversity throughout the season as they’ve lost three key pitchers who provided depth on the mound.
“Really pleased with the way some of the guys have stepped up on the mound,” Greenspan said. “Obviously, we lose a lot of innings there with some of those injuries.”
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Thornton has been a key to the Sun Devil’s winning formula. Arizona State has lost just one game in which Thornton has started (9-1). Thornton has kept the Sun Devils steady for a solid five innings in nine of his 10 outings.
Though the team is young, there are a few veterans on the team to help guide and mold the young talent, including fourth-year junior shortstop Drew Swift, who has continued his strong offense and defense from a year ago.
“I don’t think you can underestimate or understate Drew’s leadership in the infield,” Greenspan said. “His pre-pitch talk, the communication that he does with those younger infielders is so valuable.”
Swift’s leadership is effective and is clear with the left side of the infield being flawless this season. Swift and freshman third baseman Hunter Haas have recorded no errors on 126 total chances. The two are the only shortstop and third baseman pair in the conference without an error this season. No duo has less than three.
Thursday and Friday’s games will begin at 6:00 p.m. MST and Saturday’s game will begin at 7:00 p.m. MST. All games will be aired on the Pac-12 Network.
