(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN) The 2015 season for the Arizona State baseball team has undoubtedly been characterized by clutch late-inning heroics. “Walk-off Woody” on the first game of the year has evolved into the season-long trend of success in critical moments of the game—hence the new team nickname, “Cardiac Devils.” The numbers back it
Tag: tracy smith
ASU Baseball: Sun Devils blast by Stanford behind Brian Serven’s brilliant performance
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) The Arizona State Sun Devils cemented the series sweep against Stanford Sunday, claiming a 14-6 victory behind two monster performances by both Brett Lilek and Brian Serven. Lilek was lights-out on the mound for the Sun Devils. Lilek went six innings-plus and 77 pitches without a hit. Four of
ASU Baseball: Kellogg instrumental in Sun Devils win over Stanford
(Photo: Scotty Bara/WCSN) One word can be used to describe Ryan Kellogg’s 2015 season: undefeated. The junior left-hander delivered another quality start for No. 6 Arizona State (17-7, 6-2) on Saturday night to lead it to a 6-3 win over Stanford (10-13, 0-5) and a third consecutive series victory. Kellogg is 5-0
ASU Baseball: Sun Devils host Stanford for a weekend set
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) The No. 6 Arizona State Sun Devils (15-7, 4-2) are riding high after consecutive Pac-12 series wins and will host Stanford (10-11, 0-3 in the Pac-12) for a three game weekend series. ASU recently took two out of three in Eugene against the Oregon Ducks. Despite the positive series,
ASU Baseball: Sun Devils scrape out win over New Mexico, despite blowing late two-run lead
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) On a stormy midweek night that had all the makings of a trap game--a 30-minute rain delay to commence and a five-inning lull that saw the Sun Devils squander a 2-1 lead--Arizona State persevered and took down New Mexico 4-3, improving its record to 13-6 on the season. Half
ASU Baseball: Sun Devils come back again to win series against Oregon State
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) The importance of winning the opening conference series cannot be stressed enough for Arizona State (12-6, 2-1), especially when playing the defending conference champions. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, they were able to capitalize on the ineffectiveness of Oregon State’s bullpen in the late innings and win the rubber
ASU Baseball: Sun Devils drop conference opener after two critical bunts go unexecuted
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) Only two days ago, Tracy Smith addressed the progress of his team heading into conference play. The answer was a resounding work-to-be-done attitude—with a greater attention to executing the fundamentals the main focus of that attitude. Smith’s 12th-ranked Sun Devils (10-6, 0-1) dropped their conference opener to Oregon State
ASU Baseball: ASU notches tenth win of season, but continues to commit costly mental mistakes
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) It’s tough to sustain much success in baseball if the very core of a team’s play is flawed from a fundamental standpoint. Though the 2015 Sun Devils have shown flashes of dominance and elite potential, mental breakdowns in different facets of the game have held them back from experiencing extended periods
ASU Baseball: Providing protection and finding bench depth critical for Tracy Smith
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) If there’s one thing we’ve learned by now about Arizona State baseball coach Tracy Smith, it’s that he’s a perfectionist. His team is 9-5 and has beaten some high-caliber opponents, and yet he still echoes two constant displeasures in post-game press conferences. The first, “We’re thin right now,” Smith succinctly
ASU Baseball: Late-inning pitching issues cost the Sun Devils in 4-2 defeat
(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN) It is no secret that the Sun Devils have had pitching issues late in the game, and those troubles plagued them in a 4-2 loss to the Long Beach State Dirtbags on Saturday night. After Ryan Kellogg ran on cruise-control through seven innings, Jordan Aboites served up a game-winning