Latest News

ASU Baseball: Sun Devils attempt to bounce back against Madrigal, Oregon State

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

After dropping a back-and-forth contest to the New Mexico State Aggies Wednesday night in Phoenix, the Arizona State baseball team (17-23, 9-9 Pac-12) resumes its conference schedule this weekend as they hit the road for a three-game series against the Oregon State Beavers (30-6, 10-5 Pac-12) in Corvallis.

Head coach Tracy Smith and his squad bring a three-game conference winning streak to Goss Stadium at Coleman Field after sweeping the Utah Utes last weekend.

The Sun Devil offense, averaging 10.5 runs per game over the last four, might stand a better chance of sustaining that success against this Beaver pitching staff compared to the 2017 version that swept the Sun Devils aside in Phoenix. To this point in 2018 the Beaver’s team ERA stands at 3.56, after finishing at 1.98 one year ago.

The projected starters for the weekend are Alec Marsh (3-2, 3.32 ERA) against Luke Heimlich (9-1, 3.18 ERA) on Friday, Sam Romero (1-1, 5.91 ERA) taking on Bryce Fehmel (5-1, 3.34 ERA) on Saturday, with Eli Lingos (6-3, 2.89 ERA) and Grant Gambrell (5-1, 2.98 ERA) set to close out the series on Sunday.

Continuing to pace the offense for Arizona State is freshman Spencer Torkelson. While his NCAA-leading home run total of 20 is double that of any other freshman, he also brings a 24-game streak of reaching base along with a team-leading 26 walks.

While Torkelson and Gage Canning continue to set the table at the top of the lineup, a player that perhaps has flown under the radar for ASU is senior Taylor Lane. Settling in nicely as Smith’s everyday DH in recent weeks, the Chesapeake, VA native boasts a .385 batting average in conference play this season.

As for Oregon State, head coach Pat Casey has recently welcomed back one of the best players in college baseball to his lineup in shortstop Nick Madrigal. Despite playing in only 10 games this season due to a broken wrist, Madrigal holds a .512 batting average while scoring 14 runs. The junior made his return last Friday against rival Oregon, going 5-11 with three runs and an RBI over three games, all won by Oregon State.

Madrigal only adds more talent to the vaunted Beaver offense, which includes Trevor Larnach (.343, 12 HR, 46 RBI), Steven Kwan (.319, 26 RBI, 12-15 stolen bases) and Cadyn Grenier (.319, 26 RBI, 42 runs). Grenier brings a 12-game hitting streak into the series, with five doubles and 12 RBI over that span.

The Sun Devils’ 9-9 conference record has them in sixth place, four games back in the loss column of the Beavers, whose 10-5 mark is good for third behind Stanford and UCLA respectively. Including this weekend’s games, the Sun Devils have 12 conference games remaining to try and improve their case to return to the NCAA tournament after missing last season. The Beavers have won six straight in this series going back to 2016.

First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 5:35 p.m., with Saturday’s game set to begin at 3:05 p.m. and Sunday’s finale slated for a 1:05 p.m. start.

Use Facebook to Comment on this Post

Bobby Kraus

Recent Posts

Skinner’s career night propels ASU to narrow victory in season opener

(Photo credit: Aishling Cavanaugh/WCSN) TEMPE — With Desert Financial Arena buzzing, Arizona State found itself…

7 hours ago

Sun Devils prepare for Big 12 debut in Adair’s third year

(Photo credit: Marina Willams/WCSN) Excitement is brewing for Arizona State women’s basketball as the Sun…

20 hours ago

Sun Devils put up complete performance in fall exhibition against GCU

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN) As warmup music echoed throughout GCU ballpark, baseball bats pinged and cleats…

2 days ago

Takeaways: Sun Devils Clinch Bowl Eligibility With Win Over Oklahoma State

With 22 seconds remaining in the first half Arizona State football found itself a single…

2 days ago

No. 13 Sun Devils Extend Win Streak to 10, Earn Season Sweep Over No. 22 Utah

(Photo: Katherine Gore/WCSN) In a match one month ago, No. 13 Arizona State Volleyball won…

3 days ago

Sun Devil arms against pros in exhibition against USA Baseball

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN) PHOENIX - Senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez walked off the mound in…

3 days ago