(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
Two themes defined Arizona State Baseball’s opening series win against Sacramento State.
First, the offense proved the preseason perception that it is likely not the home run-smashing, run-producing juggernaut it once was.
Second, the pitching staff isn’t just solid – it’s potentially dominant.
The Sun Devils, led by redshirt freshman starter Cooper Benson, redshirt sophomore starter Tyler Thornton and redshirt junior starter Erik Tolman, made it a weekend to forget for Hornets hitters. The trio combined to allow two measly runs while striking out 20 batters in 16.2 innings.
Aside from a heartbreaking ninth inning in the opener, the bullpen didn’t make it any easier for the Hornets either. Featuring new faces like freshman right-handers Ethan Long and Brock Peery, the Sun Devil bullpen provided a similar shellacking. Outside of the grand slam that redshirt freshman right-hander Cam Dennie allowed in the first game, the ASU’s ‘pen combined to surrender five hits for the rest of the weekend.
The icing on the cake? A miraculous one-hitter in the series finale that was ASU’s first since 2007.
“Outside of that one inning on Friday, I’d say we were at the top of the food chain on the pitching and defense side of things,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “It definitely carried us over the weekend.”
The historic weekend from the arms still doesn’t dismiss the misfortunes of the re-tooled offense. Much like last year against Boston College, the Sun Devils will seek their breakout game in the second weekend of the season.
If ASU struggled to find their stroke against the Hornets, it won’t get any easier against Hawaii, who begin its season on Friday in Tempe. The weekend set features a Saturday doubleheader, the only twin-bill the Sun Devils have scheduled this season.
The Rainbow Warriors finished 11-6 last season in large part due to their pitching staff, which features sophomore right hander and preseason All-American Aaron Davenport. Davenport finished 2020 with a 2.15 ERA in five starts. Both he and junior left-hander Brandon Ross helped Hawaii finish with a more than respectable 3.74 team ERA in 2020.
While killing the offensive slump will be no easy feat against Hawaii, the Sun Devils have reason to believe otherwise after strong performances from redshirt freshman Joe Lampe and redshirt senior catcher Sam Ferri at the plate. Lampe collected four extra base hits, showcasing his now-infamous speed against the Hornets while Ferri returned from his 2020 season-ending injury with four hits in seven at-bats.
Transfers Allbry Major and Kai Murphy had their share of struggles as well but managed to provide big hits throughout the weekend. As the son of former ASU head coach Pat Murphy, Kai, a redshirt freshman two-way player, had his first hit as a Sun Devil result in a home run, and the redshirt junior outfielder Major had a trio of singles and a RBI.
“We’ve done a good job to this point of buying into the fact that we’re a different team offensively,” Smith said. “We can still be a very good team offensively, but it takes everybody buying in and doing their job situationally.”
If the Sun Devils are unable to find their groove at the plate, it’s going to be another weekend defined by pitching and defense. That is, if Hawaii doesn’t take advantage first.
The Rainbow Warriors cracked a whopping 43 extra base hits in 2020, a mark which led the Big West Conference. They also displayed excellent plate discipline, walking 63 times en route to scoring 93 runs over the course of 17 games.
Junior infielder Kole Kaler is at the center of it all, as he hit a team leading .407 last season while driving in a conference-best 17 RBI. The Phoenix-area Queen Creek High School graduate is complemented by other sound hitters in the Hawaii order, such as sophomore outfielders Scotty Scott and Tyler Best, who hit .321 and .289 respectively last season.
Benson will take the hill once more on Friday to try and replicate his six-inning shutout performance from opening night. The left-hander has handled his heightened role well so far.
“When I go out there and throw strikes and compete in the zone, I think it gives everyone else in that bullpen and rotation confidence,” Benson said. “As a Friday night starter, I set the tone for the whole weekend.”
The remaining two starters will likely be Thornton and Tolman again, but a midweek showdown against Nevada next Tuesday could cause a shake-up in the weekend rotation.
Regardless, the Rainbow Warriors’ offense, while effective, will have to find their footing early against the Sun Devils’ arsenal of talented arms.
The key to winning the series for the Sun Devils perhaps comes down to the offense. If ASU wants to play deep into the postseason, two runs or less per game won’t exactly ensure that outcome.
Be that as it may, the season is still very young, and Smith and the staff still believe the best of what the offense has to offer remains to be seen.
“We know some of those guys are gonna hit,” Smith said. “If you’re gonna be playing catch-up, I’d much rather be doing it on the offensive side of it.”
With conference play set to begin in another couple of weeks, a breakout at the plate might be exactly what ASU needs to propel themselves in the right direction, which makes the Hawaii series this weekend that much more important.
“The key hits are gonna come,” Lampe said. “We just gotta keep trusting the process.”
