(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The Arizona State baseball team concluded fall practice last weekend, with Game 5 of the Maroon and Gold World Series taking place on October 21. Tracy Smith’s staff split the roster into two teams, maroon and gold for a series of five intrasquad scrimmages over the course of 12 days.
The typical gold team lineup featured Gage Canning, Drew Swift, Lyle Lin, Carter Aldrete, Trevor Hauver, Alika Williams, Scott Mehan, Zach Hogueisson and Adisyn Coffey.Positions and lineup order slightly changed game to game.
The typical maroon team lineup featured Jeremy McCuin, Hunter Bishop, Cole Austin, Spencer Tokelson, Sam Ferri, Hunter Jump, Myles Denson, Gage Workman and Taylor Lane. Positions and lineup order slightly changed game to game.
WCSN’s baseball reporters were in attendance at every game of the series to provide their observations and analysis on the action.
Game 1: Gold W (Covered by Jose Liriano)
Game 1 of the M&G World Series was expected to be a rusty one, but there were still some very encouraging moments throughout the game.
Sophomore pitcher Spencer Van Scoyoc started for the gold squad and was impressive through 5 innings, only allowing one run. The third inning was especially noteworthy as he proved to be capable of performing in stressful situations. He loaded the bases with just one out, but was able to finish the inning unharmed by striking out and flying out the next two batters.
A couple offensive standouts included infielder Taylor Lane, who had three hits and an RBI in the game and outfielder Gage Canning, who had two hits and two RBI’s for the gold team. Canning was arguably the best offensive player for the Sun Devils last season, and said after the game that he looks forward to being a leader in the locker room.
ASU still has room for improvement, especially in the defensive side of the field. The two teams combined for eight errors in the game, four of them coming from freshman shortstop Gage Workman.
Game 2: 9-inning tie, Maroon W (Covered by Karli Matthias)
A pitchers’ duel ended in a 3-3 tie on Wednesday at game two of the Maroon and Gold World Series.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Boyd Vander Kooi took the mound for the first time in a Sun Devil uniform to start for the Gold team. On the other side, senior lefty Eli Lingos got the start for the Maroon team.
Vander Kooi had a rough start in the first inning after giving up a two-run home run over the National Championship sign in right-center field to sophomore Hunter Bishop. Vander Kooi settled into things following the first as he put up four quick, scoreless innings to limit the Maroon team to only two runs.
The Gold team struggled to get anything going offensively with Lingos on the mound for the Maroon team. The veteran eased through five two-hit, scoreless innings of work. Freshman Alika Williams put the first run on the board for the Gold team with an RBI groundout off sophomore right handed pitcher Alec Marsh.
Junior Fitz Stadler came on in relief for the Gold team, and after loading the bases, junior Cole Austin popped out to allow a run to score and extend the Maroon lead to 3-1. Junior righty Sam Romero came in to close things out for the Maroon team, but sophomore Lyle Lin came up big for the Gold team with an RBI single to tie the game up at 3-3.
In the ninth, sophomore lefty Chaz Montoya came out of the pen for the Gold team and maintained the tie. Romero came back out for the Maroon team and gave up a leadoff triple to Williams, but he quickly closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts.
“It was more competitive and more like baseball,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “I thought it all started with starting pitching. I thought it was more indicative of what it should be. If you’re aggressive in the zone, it helps your defense behind you. I thought both guys, Vander Kooi and Lingos, did a really good job of setting the tone for the teams.”
The game was completed at a later time and the Maroon team won.
Game 3: Maroon W (Covered by Jose Liriano)
Game 3 of the M&G world series saw great pitching from the maroon side and quite the opposite on the mound from the gold team.
Out of maroon’s three pitchers of the night (Sam Romero, Ryan Hingst and Brady Corrigan), only Hingst allowed a run, that run was allowed on a few singles in thefifth inning, but he still finished strong.
The story was different for the gold squad’s pitchers, as they each had at least one earned run including a fifth inning to forget for Tanner West, in which he allowed six runs to come in.
Lack of communication between the infield and outfield caused a routine fly ball to drop for single at one point for the gold side, further proof that defensive struggles from last season are still prevalent and could plague the Devils again in 2018.
Carter Aldrete had an impressive game defensively at third base and notched himself a couples of hits along with an RBI as well.
Hunter Bishop showed his MLB-like power once more as he crushed two home runs, including a grand slam in the second inning.
Game 4: Gold W (Covered by Jose Liriano)
Just like in the first game, pitcher Spencer Van Scoyoc had another solid outing for the gold team, allowing allowing no runs in five innings of work. He started the fourth inning with a couple of walks, then finished strong to get through the inning without allowing any hits or additional walks.
Lack of communication was again noticeable, as freshmen shortstop Gage Workman and freshmen left fielder Hunter Jump could not communicate well on a short fly ball and allowed the ball to drop in between them, which scored a run for their opponents. Workman later had another error in the game.
Freshmen Drew Swift was a standout in this game, as he showed his strong defensive skills, picking a few tough ground balls and making impressive throws to first. He also made his mark on the offense picking up 2 singles. One of those singles was actually an infield single as he beat a throw from a soft hit.
No question the Sun Devils will be looking to utilized Swift’s speed in the offense as he has been very aggressive on the bases so far, he had a stolen base in this game as well.
Game 5: Maroon W (Covered by Bobby Kraus)
The 2017 Maroon and Gold World Series wrapped up with Game 5 played at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale.
In the decisive game of the inter-squad scrimmages, head coach Tracy Smith sent two of his trusted pitchers to the mound, as senior Eli Lingos started for Maroon and sophomore Spencer Van Scoyoc took the mound first for Gold.
With a mix of returnees and newcomers on both sides, Smith had to have liked what he saw overall in the game, won 3-0 by Maroon. Gage Workman and Cole Austin, two of Smith’s newest players each ripped an RBI double for Maroon.
Smith spoke after the game about his team taking on a leadership-by-committee mindset heading into the winter.
“Collectively I would say it’s not so much as one individual here or there but I just think collectively they’ve done a really good job of embracing and understanding the value of. The sooner we can get everyone on board the better we’re going to be.”
Looking at performances in game 5 and factoring in their overall fall play, there have been a few players that have especially stood out.
Lyle Lin, Sophomore C/1B, Gold: The breakout star from 2017 for ASU continued that trend in this final fall matchup, lacing a single to right field off Lingos, along with throwing out Jeremy McCuin and Myles Denson attempting to steal second base.
Drew Swift, Freshman SS, Gold: The Chandler native was dealt an 0-5 at the plate, but showed good plate discipline and defensively brings a lot of positives. Swift showed an accurate arm, soft and quick hands along with good footwork around the bag. Carter Aldrete played most of his freshman season at shortstop, but could make the move to third if Swift impresses Smith enough.
Hunter Jump, Freshman OF, Maroon: Going 1-3 with a triple and scoring the third and final run of the game, Jump put together quality at-bats and showed good range in left field, taking command over center fielder Hunter Bishop on multiple balls into the left-center gap.
Eli Lingos, Senior SP, Maroon: The presumptive Friday night starter was dazzling, tossing four shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out five. Lingos was working both sides of the plate very effectively and seemed to have great control of all his offspeed pitches
Going into the fourth year of the Smith regime in Phoenix, the team will be attempting to return to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence.
Editor’s Thoughts: Nicholas Badders
Basing solely off fall practices, there are a lot of players that deserve starts in the starting lineup come February. For the most part, the maroon and gold team lineups did not see much variation and in theory, both of them would be competitive teams in the spring. Yes, this is just fall practice and a lot can change in the spring (last year is a great example with guys like Lyle Lin and Taylor Lane), but here are a few things that stood out.
The battle at the catcher position is going to be a fun one to keep an eye on for a while. Both Lyle Lin and Sam Ferri are deserving of the role for their offensive and defensive abilities. Ferri barely edges out Lin defensively, but Lin looks to have the upper hand with the bat. Both can and frankly should start, but you can only have one starting catcher.
Given his experience there last season, it makes sense for Lin to play first base, but his preference is catcher and ASU does have several other options there. While he can play third, short and now second, Jeremy McCuin could theoretically spend time there. Plus Scott Mehan and Spencer Torkelson manned the position in all five games. This brings me to my next point, the freshman infielders.
The team’s freshman recruiting class, the best in the west, are going to create several position battles. Immediately, this makes me feel Jeremy McCuin is going to be the odd man out for not only a starting job, but the No. 1 backup role as well. It makes sense to move Carter Aldrete to third permanently, as he has the arm and glove to play at the hot corner well. Drew Swift, Alika Williams and Gage Workman are the three players that could make up the middle infield, since West Virginia transfer Cole Austin has to redshirt the 2018 season.
Swift looked very smooth all fall defensively and impressed offensively. Immediately, one would imagine he finds a starting role. Williams was drafted in the 32nd round by the Yankees out of high school, what he did during the M&G World Series showed why. His glove was not flashy, his bat was incredibly impressive. Second base appears to be the spot that makes the most sense for him in terms of a starting role.
Workman is the most interesting case. He reclassified in high school with an impressive GPA to come to be able to graduate a year early and come to ASU a season earlier than others in his class were on track to. The Brewers took him in the 14th round, his bat is incredibly impressive. His subpar defense, however, was very apparent in every game. With the defensive struggles the Devils had last year, a liability in the field with a glove like his is not going to do the team any favors. Given that all three freshman infielders are talented with the bat, it makes sense for the positions to be determined by their gloves, which makes Workman the odd man out. His bat was not overwhelmingly impressive in the fall, but given his track record, it makes sense to leave some room to breathe.
Defense was a big area of concern for ASU in 2017 and rightfully so. Minus a few specific players and plays, the gloves looked a lot better this fall than they did in the spring. Pitching was an even bigger issue this past year and it is safe to say there will be enormous improvements. Talking to the players, new pitching coach Mike Cather has already made an important impact. The mindset of the pitching staff is completely different and translates on the mound. For the most part, pitching was consistent throughout the games. Boyd Vander Kooi, Ryan Hingst, Spencer Van Scoyoc and Eli Lingos were the starting pitchers for the fall and all had bright moments throughout. Jake Godfrey and Connor Higgins both rested, coaching bases for every game, but the two of them, combined with the four who started this fall, are the six pitchers that logically would be expected to be in the mix for the four traditional starting spots in the spring.
For fans who are come into the 2018 season with concerns, it is easy to argue that most, if not all of the concerns are valid. Tracy Smith has a lot to prove this spring, solely because the team is coming off the worst in the history of the school. As Smith would preach in every postgame press conference, pitching and defense win ball games and they were consistently atrocious last season, the reason for many of the losses. In addition, the consensus in the clubhouse is that the atmosphere is better than it was last year. That is not to point fingers, but to say that with guys like Gage Canning, Eli Lingos and Carter Aldrete stepping into leadership or captain-esque roles, the team that will take the field in February is a completely different ball club than 2017’s. According to both Smith and the players, the vibe is drastically different than last year’s and every person in the locker room is buying in to the team culture that the coaching staff has strived to create.
While it is far too early for anything to be set in stone, fall scrimmages have left me with the impression that this year’s team will be better than last season in every aspect of the game. The baseball played at Phoenix Municipal Stadium will be better in 2018 than it was in 2017.
