(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
15 games, 15 wins. That is the stat line for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team. After being ranked for the first time this season at #25 in the D1Baseball.com poll, ASU was looking to continue their perfect season Wednesday night against the Aggies of New Mexico State.
Entering the game, New Mexico State had amassed 237 runs scored in 17 games, while the Sun Devils came in with 161 runs scored in 15 games.
The Devils have prided their offense this season on situational hitting. Once again, they didn’t wait long to continue that trend and get on the board early.
In the bottom of the first, following a series of good at-bats by ASU, Alika Williams singled to center field, scoring Spencer Torkelson and Hunter Bishop.
However, New Mexico State would quickly respond in the second inning by doing what they do best; hitting home runs. Designated hitter Noah Haupt, one of two players in the starting lineup who had yet hit a long ball, homered to center field to cut the Devils’ lead in half.
The ability for the Devils to produce up and down their lineup has been glaringly obvious this season. However, the job Trevor Hauver has done at the top of the lineup has been tremendous. With his on-base percentage over .400 and his batting average sitting at .367, Hauver has been instrumental in the offensive prowess Arizona State has shown this season. The left fielder once again did his part for the ASU offense, adding a single and a home run to his already impressive line.
Hauver is approaching his impressive line humbly, “I’m doing pretty well…I feel I need to work on getting on base more, being in the leadoff spot.”. With his average nearing .400 and his OBP at .500, it’s hard to imagine how much better he hopes to be.
Hunter Bishop has become a human highlight reel for Arizona State early on. Usually in the form of a home run, given his offensive display this season. Bishop continued the strong start to his season with another great performance Saturday night.
It started in the third inning, with two outs and two runners on, as Tristan Carranza hit a rocket to deep center field. Appearing to be a home run that would put New Mexico State ahead by one run, the ASU faithful became silent. However, Bishop looked like a man on a mission, and leaped up at the wall and caught the shot by Carranza, keeping the Devils in front. Bishop played it cool when asked about his spectacular catch, “It was lucky…I didn’t think it was going out.”.
The junior would go on to hit a solo blast in the bottom half of the inning.
“Four run swing, it really was a four-run difference on that. He took three off the board, then got one himself, he is playing at a high level.”, Tracy Smith said of Bishop’s catch and blast in the third inning.
Bishop would go on to hit 4-for-4, with another home run and responsible for three of the Sun Devils seven runs in the game.
ASU played a sound defensive game and pitched “well enough to win” according to Smith. Starting pitcher Sam Romero went 2.2 innings, with three hits and three strikeouts. Erik Tolman, Blake Burzell, Brady Corrigan and Chaz Montoya would all make an appearance in relief to hold the Aggies to only three runs.
“I’m proud of our pitchers, collectively to come in and shut that down,” Smith said. “We can’t be having leadoff walks, that stuff will come back to haunt you.”
For the Sun Devils, the winning streak has reached 16 games. They remain perfect, without any signs of slowing down.
Now,the real challenge will come to fruition; conference play.
“PAC-12 is the best baseball in the country… we have to clean up the walks and some of the at-bats,” Bishop explained.
The Sun Devils know they are good but realize there is always room for improvement. Smith wants his team to continue to play the way they have, but make the necessary minor adjustments.
“The game of baseball, how perfect the bases are,” Smith said. “I look at it like the schedule, we are 16 games in, we have kind of hit maybe an emotional lull, we don’t have to say anything because conference starts. I think just the fact that it’s conference at this point is going to eject some of that energy…my hope is we don’t feel we have to do anything differently.”
Arizona State will look to stay perfect and improve upon their 16-0 start this weekend in their first games taste of conference action against Washington State.
