(Photo: Gabrielle Mercer/WCSN)
From afar the 2016 Sun Devils haven’t put up any unbelievable statistics 70 percent through their season, but they are sitting pretty as the No. 21 team in the country.
If we look in depth at the numbers it is pretty clear why they are 8.5 games over .500 with 18 games remaining.
It was somewhat a mystery what ASU was going to be able to do this season. One thing was a given: the Sun Devils didn’t have the same firepower as last season. Everyone knew that, including the team, and even head coach Robert Wagner said recently they don’t need to hit 81 home runs like they did last season to succeed. Yet Arizona State has hit 47 home runs through 37 games, which is closer than was originally imagined.
ASU is second in the Pac-12 in home runs this year. How does that compare to last season? The Amber Freeman-led Sun Devils were only tied for third in the conference in home runs in 2015.
So this surprising power must be from some talented newcomers, right? Well, sophomore Nichole Chilson and freshman Fa Leilua have hit five and six home runs respectively. However, the two leaders of the long ball are both upperclassmen. Chelsea Gonzales and Jennifer Soria lead the team with ten big flies each. Gonzales is only one away from reaching her 2015 total and Soria has been the biggest surprise; the senior has nearly doubled her total of six home runs last season.
Arguably the team’s biggest strength has been speed. This is the biggest change from 2015. This year’s squad, led by Abby Spiel, has amounted for 45 stolen bases. Spiel alone has the same amount of steals as the entire team last season with 12.
Arizona State hasn’t been reckless on the base path either. Of those 45 steals, only seven times has a Sun Devil been thrown out attempting to take a base.
How do you get to the point of being able to steal 45 bases? It helps if you don’t strike out. ASU has only struck out 109 times collectively. That is good for second in the Pac-12 behind only No. 7 Oregon.
If we move to the defensive side of things, concern sets in a bit. ASU’s opposition has scored 37 unearned runs. That number is a bit high for a team that is looking to make a run in the postseason. The outlier when it comes to errors has been shortstop Chelsea Gonzales. She has booted 13 of the teams 33 errors this season. That being said, Wagner is able to overlook that statistic given she’s driven in a team high 34 runs this season.
The pitchers would prefer fewer errors but they’re doing alright for themselves. As a staff, Kelsey Kessler, Breanna Macha and Dale Ryndak hold a combined 2.68 ERA. They have managed to create a nice three-pitcher rotation, which is different than last season. In 2015 the entire load was on Macha and Ryndak, which led to a combined 4.28 ERA as a group. The 2016 average is sure to rise given the tough Pac-12 talent, but it will still most likely be lower than last season.
Based on the numbers it is clear Kessler is the go-to pitcher. She has logged more innings than the other two combined. In the early part of the season it was tough to tell who would get more time in the circle between Macha and Kessler. The stats show there’s a reason Kessler has been awarded the most playing time: she has only allowed 36 earned runs in 124.2 innings.
The pitching staff needs improvement, though. The Devils have given up a conference-leading 30 home runs this season. You could argue this is because of the short dimensions of Farrington Stadium, but it is a clear red flag regardless.
Three of Arizona State’s remaining six series are against ranked opponents, so the winning rate the Sun Devils are on is bound to slow down a bit. However, even if they only win 50 percent of their remaining games, the Devils will still match their win total of last season.
Things are looking up for ASU, but I don’t have to tell you that. Numbers never lie, after all.
You can contact Drew Andre via e-mail or on Twitter @DrewJAndre
