(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
For the second time in as many seasons Arizona State (4-5) will gets its crack against Oklahoma State (5-2) on its home turf.
In the Sun Devils lone game against the Cowboys in 2017, ASU was dismantled 18-4, with 16 of the 18 Oklahoma State runs coming in the final four innings of play. Returning relievers Connor Higgins, Alec Marsh, Chaz Montoya, and Jake Godfrey all pitched in those last four frames. It was ASU’s first loss of 2017.
This year, however, the Sun Devils welcome the Cowboys to town for a three-game weekend series in hopes of kick-starting a hot streak and putting the first nine games in their rearview mirror.
Arizona State returns home from a two-game road series against the Dirtbags of Long Beach State. They took game one by a score of 1-0, thanks to an early RBI single from Scott Mehan and an eye-popping shoestring catch from freshman left fielder Trevor Hauver. The grab saved the game and secured win No. 4 on the year.
But game two was abysmal for the Maroon and Gold, especially when it came to commanding the strike zone, a trend that has taken place far too often in the early season. ASU pitchers walked five Long Beach State hitters in the bottom of the fifth inning, which led to a 10-spot, leading to a 16-4 Dirtbags win.
Oklahoma State is coming off a weekday series split with Little Rock, defeating the Trojans 9-2 Tuesday but losing 12-6 Wednesday. The Cowboys have won three of their last four contests.
ASU Players to Watch for: Junior outfielder Gage Canning comes into the series hitting a remarkable .583. Canning has hit safely in each of his first nine games, including seven multi-hit games, for 21 hits. He has been a catalyst at the top of the lineup whether the Sun Devils have prevailed victorious or lost.
First baseman Spencer Torkelson will be another player on the Cowboys radar, as the freshman has burst onto the scene thus far. Torkelson is currently second in the nation in home runs (6) and first among freshman. The Petaluma, Calif. native added two long balls to his name Wednesday at Long Beach, his second multi-homer game of the season. He is currently first on the team in slugging percentage (.912) and third in batting average (.324).
Oklahoma State Players to Watch for: After losing their top two hitters in Garrett McCain and Garrett Benge to the 2017 MLB draft, the Cowboys strongest returning offensive player is junior outfielder Colin Simpson. Simpson led the team in home runs last season with 11, finishing third in batting average (.277) and slugging percentage (.492). He is off to a strong start this year, hitting .360 with two bombs and 9 RBI’s.
OSU will turn to right-hander Jonathan Heasley on the hill. The 6’3″ sophomore turned in six scoreless innings on Opening Night at Texas State. After throwing 38 innings last season with a 3.55 ERA, Cowboys head coach Josh Holliday is putting more of the weight on Heasley in 2018, with the expectation that he will be one of their strongest starting pitchers.
For the ASU starting rotation, there is likely to be a shake-up in the placement of its starters, something that Sun Devils head coach Tracy Smith hinted at toward the end of last weekend in the Saint Mary’s series. The biggest question may be how far sophomore left-hander Spencer Van Scoyoc drops in the rotation and how early in the weekend freshman Boyd Vander Kooi gets the ball.
Vander Kooi is 2-0 in his first two outings, having thrown 14.2 innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out 14 batters, including nine in his last start. He also has the ability to do what many of the Sun Devil arms haven’t yet shown in 2018: throw consistent and quality strikes.
The matchups Friday and Saturday are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 12 p.m. as Arizona State looks to reclaim a winning record.
