(Photo: Kimmy Davis/WCSN)
No. 9 Arizona State faces its second opponent of the season when it hosts the Oklahoma Sooners Wednesday at 6:30 MT.
The Sooners come into Phoenix Municipal Stadium after ASU won two of three against No. 10 Oklahoma State.
Although Oklahoma may not be as highly-acclaimed as its in-state rival, the Sooners still present challenges to ASU.
Last year, the Sooners finished with a record of 30-28, and have started this season 3-2, sweeping two games from Southern Illinois Edwardsville and winning one out of three against Notre Dame.
Oklahoma is led by head coach Pete Hughes, who inherited the team last season. Before that, he was the coach of Virginia Tech, coaching them to five 30-win seasons and two 40-win seasons resulting in trips to the NCAA tournament in 2010 and 2013.
The Sooner offense lit up the scoreboard through the first five games, and managed to score at least six runs in all but one game.
Much of the credit is due to the top of the order of the Sooner lineup, which features three hitters who drove in 15 of the team’s 30 runs.
Leadoff man Alex Wise played wonderfully in the first five games, hitting for a .381 average and collecting five RBI.
Junior outfielder Craig Alkin has been on an absolute tear from the second spot, posting a .400 batting average through the first five games of the season.
Oklahoma’s most dangerous offensive weapon is cleanup hitter is Anthony Hermelyn, whose lethal combination of power and efficiency could present problems for the Sun Devils.
Although Oklahoma’s pitching staff is not as elite as ASU’s, it still has some pieces that make it notable.
Sophomore pitcher Jake Elliott probably won’t start until OU’s Big-12/Pac-12 series, but he is definitely worth mentioning.
Elliott threw seven innings versus Notre Dame, and only allowed two hits and zero earned runs. His spectacular pitching earned him Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week.
As for pitchers who could see action, the main candidates for OU are the same starters from the SIUE series, Corey Copping and Robert Tasin.
Key relievers for the Sooners include Jacob Evans, Jeffrey Curran, and Keaton Hernandez, all of whom had big roles in the Notre Dame series.
First pitch will be delivered by Seth Martinez for the Sun Devils at 6.30 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
