Experience, pitching rotation lead Sun Devils baseball into 2014

(Photo: ASU Athletics)

Packard Stadium was abuzz Wednesday afternoon—music blaring, coaches laughing, and the sweet sound of BBCOR on baseball, as players got some additional reps in the batting cages before the official start of practice. With the start of the 2014 season now less than two weeks away for this Arizona State Sun Devils team, it is safe to say: Baseball is in the air.

For every season of their 54-year history, the Sun Devils have received a top-25 ranking and this year is no different. The Sun Devils come in to the season sitting at No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll with 51 consecutive 30-win seasons, the longest current streak in Division 1 baseball. Combine that with the fact that Arizona State returns five starters to the field and 10 pitchers that threw a combined 332 innings, and one can see why there is such excitement surrounding Sun Devil baseball in 2014.

But channeling that excitement has been the focus for the past few weeks. It is commonplace in sports for the practices leading up to the start of the season to be the most stressful and grueling, as players try to suppress their giddiness for Opening Day.

“Definitely a lot of emotion going into it,” said sophomore pitcher Ryan Kellogg. “Coming out here we got scrimmages every day, [and we are] working hard. We did a lot of team building stuff and we have really come together as a family. We’ve been working with our mental coach to improve that aspect, and then we come out here and work like it’s a real game.”

Redshirt junior Trever Allen attributes the Sun Devils’ ability to unite and bond as team even before the start of the season to its leadership. “Having returners always helps no matter what team you’re on,” said Allen. “We’ve got a good group of core guys that came back. The leadership is there and the younger guys are buying in. It’s not about age groups—it is one team effort.”

One of those younger guys is the sophomore sensation, right-handed pitcher Ryan Burr. Last season as a true freshman, Burr anchored the Sun Devils’ bullpen and his 12 saves set a freshman school record.

This season, Burr is making the difficult transition to starting pitcher. The transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation is one that has been a hassle for even the professionals, but for Burr, it has been a different story.

“The coaches are pretty good with planning,” Burr said. “The past few starts I’ve had in the intrasquad practices, we’ve upped my pitch count. I’m not too worried about it. Obviously it’s going to be an adjustment, but it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Kellogg, Burr’s counterpart in the rotation, had high praises and little doubt that Burr would make the transition from closer to starter appear seamless. “Love having Burr now in the rotation,” said Kellogg. “He was solid for us last year in the back end of the bullpen, but we’ve seen what he can do [as a starter] in the last couple of scrimmages. And [Brett] Lilek could have been a difference maker for us last year, but unfortunately he was hurt. To have both those guys move forward in the rotation will definitely help us out a lot this year.”

Burr is projected to be the Saturday starter, sandwiched between Kellogg and Lilek. This lefty-righty-lefty pitching sequence will keep opposing hitters from being comfortable at the plate by throwing a different arm angle at them each game. With a three-headed monster that features an 11 game-winner in Kellogg, a 95-mile-an-hour flame-thrower in Burr, and a crafty southpaw in Lilek, this Arizona State rotation has given many experts reason to foam at the mouth.

There are many reasons to be excited for Opening Day. But the reason that transcends all else is the fact that this will be the Sun Devils’ last season at Packard Stadium. The entire season will be devoted to celebrating the iconic ballpark that has hosted two national championship teams, 18 Regional tournament appearances and more than 1,100 Arizona State victories.

The Sun Devils have led the West Coast in attendance for eight straight years. They are  poised to extend that streak to nine, as the combination of experienced returners, the most talented starting rotation in the PAC-12, and the Yankee Stadium-like closing of Packard, has created an overwhelming amount of hype for the 2014 season. Opening Day is Friday, Feb. 14, as the Sun Devils will host the Baylor Bears in a three-game weekend series. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. MT.

You can reach Jacob Garcia on Twitter @jake3garcia or via email at Jacob.M.Garcia@asu.edu

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