Arizona State visits Mississippi State for weekend series

(Photo: Grace Johnson/WCSN)

Following a 6-3 victory over UNLV on Tuesday, Arizona State baseball (4-0) is off to its best start since 2019. The expectation was that the Sun Devils would show signs of improvement – especially on the mound – in year two of head coach Willie Bloomquist’s tenure.

To kick off the season, the Sun Devils achieved a three-game sweep of San Diego State before holding offensive juggernaut UNLV to three runs in a convincing midweek victory. If there’s one takeaway from the first handful of games, securing an NCAA Tournament bid is much more attainable now than it was 365 days ago.

While almost everyone in ASU’s lineup has impressed, it’s been transfer infielder Wyatt Crenshaw (Colorado Christian) who has been the most surprising. Crenshaw Replaced sophomore outfielder Nick McLain, who was slated to play center field before injuring his wrist before Opening Day. Crenshaw has gone 8-14 at the plate with a homer and three RBIs. Returners such as junior infielder Ethan Long and sophomore Ryan Campos have been solid, while freshmen Luke Hill, Isaiah Jackson and Nu’u Contrades look to be key pieces for ASU in the present and future.

The Sun Devils have also looked extremely strong on the mound. Junior righty Khristian Curtis (Texas A&M) and junior southpaw Timmy Manning (Florida) both showed they can be key pieces of an ASU starting rotation that has yet to allow a run in 16.1 innings this year.

With the starters on an innings limit, the bullpen has picked up the slack, surrendering only 11 runs through the first four games. The leader for the closer role appears to be redshirt senior righty Jesse Wainscott, who recorded six strikeouts in a seven-out save to close out the sweep of SDSU.

The 2023 campaign is extremely young, and there is still much to prove down the stretch for ASU’s new-look squad. However, the Sun Devils have a chance to make a massive statement this upcoming weekend, as they head down to Starkville for a three-game series against a similarly new-and-improved Mississippi State (3-2).

For the Bulldogs, the last two seasons have been as a wild of a ride as they come. In 2021, Mississippi State capped off a 50-win season by defeating SEC powerhouse Vanderbilt in the national championship for their first title in program history. But just one year later, the defending champions were fresh off a disappointing 26-30 campaign that saw them miss the NCAA Tournament entirely.

Despite a rocky 3-2 start with losses to VMI and Louisiana – Monroe, there is optimism that the Bulldogs can return to regionals in 2023, as they welcomed a top-five transfer class (per d1baseball) and top-20 recruiting class (per Perfect Game) to Starksville during the offseason. This retooled roster will have its work cut out for it, however, with Mississippi State struggling both offensively and on the mound last year.

The Bulldogs were in need of some firepower at the plate after scoring the fifth-fewest runs in the SEC last season. And through five games in 2023, it seems they got just that. Junior transfer outfielder Colton Ledbetter (Samford) has hit the ground running, beginning the year 9-23 with three walks, two home runs and 10 RBIs. Another newcomer more than capable of getting on base is junior infielder Amani Larry (New Orleans), who has eight hits, three walks and 10 RBIs in five contests.

While few freshmen have seen action in Mississippi State’s lineup so far, outfielder Dakota Jordan has seized his opportunity at the plate. Through 21 at-bats at the collegiate level, the no. 2 overall Mississippi prospect in 2022 hasn’t disappointed, reaching ten times while contributing four RBIs.

It helps that the Bulldogs are seeing offensive production from their returners as well. Sophomore outfielder Bryce Chance and graduate infielder Luke Hancock are each hitting above .400 to start the season, and have the potential to be focal points of Mississippi State’s offense down the stretch.

In 2022, the Bulldogs posted a 6.07 ERA, the worst in the entire SEC. But with a slew of new and talented faces on the staff, it’s reasonable to expect improvement on the mound this season. ASU likely won’t see freshmen Jurrangelo Cijntje or Bradley Loftin – two of Mississippi State’s most exciting new arms who have both pitched a team-leading 5.0 innings so far – this weekend, but will nevertheless face talented pitchers in Starkville.

Junior right-hander Cade Smith, who started last Friday for the Bulldogs, looked strong in his season debut, dishing out five strikeouts despite conceding two hits and two walks in 4.0 innings. While he struggled on Saturday, senior KC Hunt could get the nod this weekend. The righty has five strikeouts and a 15.00 ERA through 3.0 innings of work. Senior right-hander Landon Gartman (Memphis) was given the Sunday starter role last week and looked solid on the mound, allowing seven baserunners and posting eight K’s in five frames.

As for relief pitching, Mississippi State has a number of bullpen arms it can turn to. The Bulldogs’ arsenal is headlined by sophomore righty Nate Dohm (Ball State), who allowed no earned runs and four baserunners in 4.1 innings against VMI. Junior RHP Aaron Nixon (Texas) was nearly perfect in one inning last Sunday, conceding a walk and striking out three. A pleasant surprise for Mississippi State has been freshman right-hander Evan Siary. The hometown product gave up three hits while retiring five ULM hitters via the strikeout.

All three games can be viewed on ESPN’s SEC Network (subscription required).