(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
Arizona State recorded its first series sweep of the season against the Oregon Ducks Sunday afternoon after a 6-1 win to close out its first conference series of the season.
The Sun Devils outscored the Ducks 31-9 in the three-game series, which included an 18-4 blowout in Saturday night’s game.
Sunday’s win moves ASU to 11-9 on the season and 3-0 in the Pac-12. Oregon was 12-4 heading into the series after a decent non-conference stretch, but leaves Phoenix 12-7.
The biggest standout in this series for the Sun Devils was their lineup, especially junior outfielder Gage Canning.
“He’s on another planet right now, the guy is the best baseball player ever,” sophomore Carter Aldrete said about Canning. “It’s so fun to watch him play.”
Canning was 10-13 in the series, with eight runs scored, seven RBIs, two triples and two home runs, one of which was ASU’s first inside-the-park home run since 2012. Thee junior currently has a .506 batting average and leads the team in triples (8) and is tied in first in RBI’s (20).
“The guy plays hard the entire time,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “You take an approach like that in a game, I’m not going to say he’s going to hit .500 for the entire year, but I will tell you he’s going to be playing this game for a long time because of his approach and his willingness to get better.”
If the performance against Oregon was any indication, ASU’s lineup could easily trouble the Pac-12 all season.
The first three hitters in the lineup are capable of producing runs in every nine-inning game. The best overall hitter and the leader of the team hits first. Then, the talented sophomore from Taiwan, Lyle Lin, is quietly (or not-so-quietly) putting together an impressive offensive season and hitting nearly .400, while sandwiched in between Canning and Spencer Torkelson, the freshman sensation who is just two home runs away from breaking Barry Bond’s ASU freshman record.
Canning, Lin, and Torkelson have been the model of consistency for this Sun Devil squad, proving they deserve to be the first three in the batting lineup every day.
However, what transpired against Oregon saw other players gaining momentum of their own.
Cleanup hitter Carter Aldrete found his swing this weekend, driving in at least one run in every game and two Sunday.
“I mean thank god my bat is helping us win right now because I’m not doing too much in the outfield, except making errors for Eli (Lingos),” Aldrete said after Sunday’s game, still frustrated with his first inning error in right field Sunday. “However we can win, however I can help, I’m all for it.”
Senior Taylor Lane has not been a consistent name in the lineup, but found his way back into the order through hard work and consistent production, with an RBI in each of the last two games of the series, one coming from his first home run of the season.
“Taylor has embrace the grind and the practice piece and what I love about that is that you get rewarded for that in the game, and what I love about that is the next step where he’s having success in the game,” Smith said. “That’s what is supposed to be and so I’m happy for him … I think he’s working on and buying in to what he should be doing and it’s success for both him and the team.”
Freshmen infielders Gage Workman and Alika Williams also drove in two runs in the final two games.
ASU leads the Pac-12 in batting average at .366 and after their most successful weekend this season, they’re feeling more confident than ever.
“This is us man, this isn’t a fluke,” Smith said. “If we compete and play good baseball like we’re supposed to, I feel like we’re a pretty tough team to beat.”
The Pac-12 schedule is grueling and there is tougher competition to come, but the strides ASU has taken since the beginning of the year are abundantly clear.
