(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
While 2018 has been nothing short of a rough go-around for Arizona State to this point, they are trending in the right direction in conference play as they welcome the Washington Huskies to town for a weekend series.
The Sun Devils (18-25, 10-11) have won four of their last six Pac-12 matchups, featuring a weekend sweep of Utah and swiping one victory from now-No. 3 Oregon State. But they will have their work cut out for them this weekend against the Huskies who are 11-7 in conference and have claimed four series wins in six attempts in the Pac-12. Washington coming off a series win at home against in-state rival Washington State.
Last season, the Huskies beat the Devils in two of three games up at Husky Ballpark in the Pacific Northwest during the middle of May.
Washington is a team with a healthy balance of upper classmen and experience mixed in with several young, productive players. They have prided themselves on strong pitching as well with a fierce 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. The squad has also had to fill in several gaps in their lineup up to this point with infielder AJ Graffanino and catcher Willie MacIver missing most of the season with injuries. Both players earned Pac-12 Honorable Mentions after their 2017 campaigns, with Arizona native Graffanino starting all but one game for UW in his sophomore year.
For the Sun Devils, the X-factor is going to rest on the shoulders of the pitching. The offense has been clicking as of late, posting five or more runs in six of the last seven games but the pitching has not clicked in that same fashion. Lefty Eli Lingos (6-4, 3.36 ERA) has been ASU’s most consistent arm in 2018, with sophomore right-hander Alec Marsh providing Tracy Smith’s ballclub with a shot in the arm Friday nights, but the rest of the cast has not followed suit.
Taking an even closer look, finding more reliable guys in the bullpen to use in high leverage situations will be critical in winning the series. Dellan Raish (3-1, 2.57 ERA) has been phenomenal in his first year, only having allowed two runs in his last 15 innings. But they can’t rely solely on the redshirt freshman, especially if he is called upon to throw multiple innings early in the weekend, as he has done a handful of times in 2018. Chaz Montoya will be another reliever that the ballclub may turn to for a quality inning late in the game. Montoya leads the team in saves with five but has not been as effective in recent outings.
UW Player to Watch For: Joe DeMers
DeMers hit national headlines earlier this season when he spun a perfect game against UC Riverside at home Feb. 24, the first in school history. But DeMers has been much more than a one-hit wonder. The junior was named to the Midseason Golden Spikes Watch List, while possessing a team lead in innings pitched (72.2). The Sun Devils will likely see the right-hander Saturday night.
ASU Player to Watch For: Boyd Vander Kooi
Some reinforcements are on the way for Arizona State as the freshman is likely to make his first appearance this weekend since March 24 at UCLA. Vander Kooi was off to a roaring start, looking like the strongest pitcher on staff as a freshman after allowing three earned runs in 25.1 innings, but has since missed six weeks due to injury. He came in as a defensive replacement at first base in Corvallis but is now ready to make his awaited return to the rubber.
The series consists of two evening showdowns at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a Sunday afternoon game at 12:30 p.m. for the finale.
