BREAKING– ASU Baseball: Catcher Sam Ferri out for season with knee injury

(By Gareth Kwok and Gabe Swartz) (Photo: Karli Matthias/WCSN)

Arizona State head coach Tracy Smith announced officially after the Devils win over New Mexico State Tuesday night that redshirt junior catcher Sam Ferri will miss the remainder of the 2020 season due to a knee injury.

Ferri’s injury occurred in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 6-4 win over Villanova when the Sun Devil catcher caught his leg in an awkward position while chasing down a wild pitch. Ferri was visited by a trainer and remained in the game, but he has not played since.

During his time at ASU, Ferri has been troubled by injuries. In his freshman season, Ferri played in just 18 games after hurting his wrist in a series at TCU. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the fall of his sophomore year, causing the catcher to miss the entire 2018 season as well.

In 2019, Ferri batted .269 with two home runs and 24 RBI, while also leading the Arizona State pitching staff. He was expected to be a full-time starter behind the plate after splitting time with Lyle Lin, who is now in the Diamondbacks organization.

“He’s got a great feel of what we’re trying to do from a sequencing standpoint,” head coach Tracy Smith said last March. “Those guys are really comfortable throwing to him. He does a good job at the bottom of the zone.

“It makes all the difference in the world when you have somebody back there that makes you take a deep breath, relax, and you feel good throwing to that guy. He’s that type of guy.”

With Ferri out, senior Nick Cheema has fully assumed the starting catcher position for the Sun Devils. The Weatherford, Texas, native has made five starts already for Arizona State, hitting .267 with 2 RBI. Prior to this season, Cheema had only made two career starts and played in only five games last season.

Freshman Nate Baez has spent time as the Sun Devils’ designated hitter so far this year, but he could see time behind the plate after converting to catcher during this past fall.

Karli Matthias also contributed to this report.