(Photo: Karli Matthias/WCSN)
Sunday’s 18-10 wallop by Nebraska against Arizona State may not have come at a better time for the Sun Devils. Sure, a loss in that fashion may not entirely be a good thing, but as head coach Tracy Smith said after the game, the performance might have been a humbling experience for ASU.
“This game is about how you respond,” Smith said. “For some of these guys, that’s the first time this has happened to them in a competition. It’s a learning experience for us. You have to have a short memory in this game.”
With Cal State Fullerton looming – perhaps the best team the Sun Devils have faced so far in this young season talent wise – Sunday’s demolition provides ASU with anger and motivation heading into the two game set against such a daunting opponent. It also presents a chance for Smith to see his squad demonstrate whether they’ve acquired that short memory trait.
The Titans, however, will likely be just as motivated as well.
Despite being arguably the best team on ASU’s schedule thus far, Cal State Fullerton has struggled to begin the 2020 season. A team that could have made a push for the College World Series is only 4-7 and is batting just .223 as a team, 231st in college baseball out of 300 DI teams.
Among other brutal Titans stats: they’re 239th in runs scored per game (3.8), 248th in home runs hit (two) and are slugging just .279 – 264th in the country.
But what’s perhaps most disappointing for CSF is that the other side of the squad is holding up their own weight. The Titans are 77th in the country with a 3.39 team ERA and have allowed the third fewest walks so far season. CSF’s staff is also good in tight situations. While the team ERA is low, they don’t allow a small amount of hits (8.82 per nine innings, 169th in the country).
Though faced against a vaunted ASU offense, CSF seems to be pivoting a bit. The Titans will be starting junior right-hander Landon Anderson on Tuesday night and freshman Cameron Repetti on Wednesday. The duo have combined for just 1.1 innings thrown so far season with the freshman getting more work than the junior.
Repetti threw a single inning against San Francisco on Sunday, walking a batter and giving up a hit, though none scored. Despite his listing as an infielder on CSF’s roster, Perfect Game did have him listed as a right-handed pitcher with a fastball that’s been clocked as high as 91 MPH.
Anderson is more experienced despite recording just one out this season. The junior could be getting a chance to show what he’s worth early this season as he’s pitched seldom throughout his first two years. Anderson pitched well his freshman season in 2017-18, appearing in seven games (making one start) and pitching to the tune of a 2.70 ERA. Last year was more difficult, however. Anderson saw action in 12 games, again making just one start, but he struggled as he owned a 8.20 ERA and gave up 27 hits in 18.2 innings.
ASU counters CSF by throwing two of their more experienced and better pitchers: junior righthander Boyd Vander Kooi will pitch Tuesday and sophomore lefthander Erik Tolman is slated to throw Wednesday.
Vander Kooi will look to continue what has been an impressive third-year campaign thus far. The junior has a 1.08 ERA over the course of 16.2 innings pitched this season and has struck out 13 batters over that frame.
Tolman has continued his excellence from last season as he has a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings pitched this year. The sophomore has struck out 22 batters, one more than sophomore Tyler Thornton, who’s pitched 6.2 innings more than Tolman this year.
On the offensive side of things, Drew Swift has been one of the most consistent hitters for the Devils. Swift arguably had the best series of his career against Nebraska. The junior went 9-for-13 with a double with five RBI and four runs scored. He currently leads the team with a .362 average and has a team-best six multi-hit games this year, three more than any other Devil.
While CSF has struggled at the plate this season, there are still a couple batters making noise. Sophomore infielder Zach Lew is batting .349/.462/.395 so far this season and leads the team in hits with 15. Junior infielders Josh Urps – despite his 15 strikeouts in 35 at-bats – leads the team in RBI with seven and is batting .286/.419/.514.
The Titans do present matchup advantages for the Sun Devils – poor offense and inexperienced pitching – but one major element has changed for ASU this series: they’re on the road.
It’s typical for ASU to play a long stretch of home games before heading on the road, but after Sunday’s loss, this road trip signifies a true test for the Sun Devils. They have been beaten down a bit, and now they have to turn it around within two days.
ASU was just .500 on the road last season, compared to 27-7 at home. Smith knows this year’s team is capable of more than that. Perhaps two wins on the road would be the response he’s looking for.
