Following a series split, ASU returns home to face Minnesota

(Photo: Zina Garcia/WCSN)

There was a lot of buzz in the offseason about the offseason changes, the new pitching lab, and the year-to-year jumps made by some of the non-contributors last season for Arizona State baseball. Given that ASU has been a broken record in terms of having a high-powered offense and poor pitching year after year, results are the only way for anyone to trust the hype.

So far, so… better. Given that the club’s ERA is in the fives and the offense continues to shoulder the majority of the weight, it’s difficult to argue that ASU has changed dramatically from the prior season. Nevertheless, the Sun Devils are still 7-2 after 2-0 shutout of UCLA on Wednesday.

A more than impressive effort given UCLA had scored 15+ runs in four of their nine games to start the season, and a shutout ASU is hoping is indicative of their early season pitching struggles starting to pass. A matchup against a Minnesota Golden Gopher team coming off a win against No. 7 Oregon State, where they scored ten runs, should be a substantial test in that department.

However, as has been the case in many Golden Gopher seasons in previous years, Minnesota has not had a solid start to the season. The program has only won more than 18 games once since 2020, with their lowest point coming in 2021 when they went 6-31 and had a team ERA of 8.09.

Last season, they eclipsed that 18-win mark when they won 25. Thanks to significantly improved pitching, their team ERA was 5.19, placing third in the Big 10. One major reason for this was their ability to limit the long ball, which is ASU’s strength, they topped the Big Ten in that area, allowing only 35, 13 fewer than the next lowest total.

Junior left-handed pitcher Connor Wietgrefe was the driving force behind the improved staff. In 78 innings, he posted a 2.77 ERA, which landed him second in the Big Ten in that mark, and allowed just one home run all season. To put that in context, ASU junior left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs has allowed four home runs in just his first two starts of the season.

Unfortunately for the Golden Gophers, Wietgrefe was taken in the seventh round of the MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and signed with them. Immediately jeopardizing a starting rotation that was not particularly strong last year.

Minnesota quickly recognized this and made significant summer changes, both internally and via the transfer portal. This includes bringing in sophomore right-handed pitcher Cole Selvig from Texas, who didn’t pitch much his freshman year and chose to try his luck in Minnesota. Selvig has a 4.22 ERA in 10 ⅔ innings this season, making him a significant complement to the Minnesota rotation.

This season, the in-house alterations included changing sophomore right handed pitcher Kyle Remington and senior left handed pitcher Justin Thorsteinson from relievers to starters. Both were effective relievers last year, but with Minnesota’s summer departures from the rotation, it was evident that they recognized an opportunity to do more and worked toward that chance.

So far, they’ve been fine, combining for 19 innings, 11 runs, and 21 strikeouts for a 5.21 ERA, which would have ranked 19th among SP in the Big Ten last year. However, Thorsteinson shocked Oregon State, showing that he has the potential to shut down powerful offenses like ASU with just one earned run in 4 ⅔ innings against the Beavers.

Unlike ASU, the Minnesota offense has been the primary source of the team’s struggles this season, accounting for more losses than wins. They are 15th in the Big 12 in runs scored, as their inability to hit for power has kept them out of high-scoring games. Their 15 extra- base hits rank 16th in the Big 10, with only four starters currently having an OPS above .700.

The bats that have been good, however, have been exceptionally good. Both senior outfielder Josh Fitzgerald and junior outfielder Drew Berkland have an OPS above 1.000, and their five home runs and two doubles account for 46% of the team’s extra-base hits. The two have done their best to keep the offense afloat, but their record indicates that they are in desperate need of aid throughout the lineup.

If the Sun Devils can shut down Berkland and Fitzgerald, forcing other bats in the lineup to step up, they should have a good chance against Minnesota. Despite their improving pitching staff, they haven’t shown enough to truly pose a threat to an ASU offense that leads the Big 12 in runs.

That has been the recipe for success against the Golden Gophers this season, and it can be the same for the Sun Devils if they want to build on their early season success in non-conference play. Minnesota is a program with the pitching to compete but not flat out win them games, therefore they go as Berkland and Fitzgerald do. The Sun Devils can use that to take advantage of a struggling Golden Gopher team.