(Photo: Jessica Carnivale/WCSN)
Arizona State Baseball was off to a 13-4 start during the 2020 season before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the season short. Now, the Sun Devils have hope in a new season as the 2021 schedule was released on Friday.
There are 55 games on the schedule with 30 Pac-12 Conference games and 25 non-conference matchups. The team hopes to add a 56th and final game over the course of the season, according to a team statement featuring ASU’s entire schedule.
The season will open on Feb. 19 when ASU hosts San Jose State in a four-game series at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. That series will begin a string of 15-straight scheduled home games to start the season. Hawaii, Utah, Cal State Fullerton, Nevada and UNLV will all travel to Phoenix during that stretch. The Utah series, taking place March 5-7, will be played as a non-conference series.
The Sun Devils will then open Pac-12 play when they travel north to face Oregon in a three-game set beginning March 19. Their first conference home series will follow beginning March 26 when they host Washington State. These will be ASU’s first conference games since the 2019 season, as they were about to host Utah last March before the NCAA canceled the winter and spring sports season.
ASU’s annual series against rival Arizona will be played in Phoenix on April 1-3, with a fourth game slated for April 6 in Tucson.
ASU will also face Grand Canyon on April 20-21 in a battle of Phoenix with one game scheduled at each location. A four-game road trip to Utah with three against the Utes and one at BYU will proceed that series.
ASU’s final non-conference series of the season will begin on April 30 when the Sun Devils host Rhode Island. The final non-conference game will be May 19 where the Sun Devils will take on San Diego as part of a trip that includes a three game series at USC. ASU’s final series of the season will be the following week at home versus UCLA.
The Pac-12 also announced that its ban on spectators at athletic contests will continue until further notice. Ongoing COVID-19 testing will occur for everyone involved in each game throughout the season.
The Sun Devils opening night on Feb. 19 will begin at 6:35 p.m. with the first pitch at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
