Baseball to face off Stanford in Palo Alto
Stanford (22-10, 5-7) at Arizona State (24-13, 9-6)
The 19th-ranked Arizona State baseball team looks to move to the top of the conference standings as they take on No. 8 Stanford in a three-game Pac-12 road series at Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto, Calif. First pitch on Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. (PT), while both Saturday and Sunday's contests are slated for a 1 p.m. start time.
Can't Make It?:
You can listen to the game on The Fan AM 1060 as Tim Healey and Seth Dhaenens have the call for the Sun Devils Sports Network. Friday's broadcast will begin at 5:15 p.m., while the two weekend broadcasts are set for a 12:45 p.m. start. Get live, up-to-the-minute stats online with gametracker, or join our live chat during Friday's game with a member of the ASU Media Relations staff.
Date/Time:
Friday - April 20 - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday - April 21 - 1 p.m.
Sunday - April 22 - 1 p.m.
Stadium:
Sunken Diamond - Palo Alto, Calif. br>
In The Polls:
NCBWA: #19
Baseball America: #20
Collegiate Baseball: #21
Perfect Game: #20
Devils vs. Stanford
The Sun Devils are 93-86^ all-time against Stanford and won two-of-three against the Cardinal the last time the two teams meet on April 29-May 1, 2011 at Packard Stadium. ASU won 12-10 on April 29, with the two teams combining for 22 runs and 31 hits, including 12 runs over the final inning and a half, as Brady Rodgers went seven innings and earned the win. The Devils lost on April 30, 4-6, to give Stanford its first win at Packard Stadium since 2003. ASU won the series finale, 7-1, behind three home runs by Joey DeMichele and 10 strikeouts by Jake Barrett. ASU took two-of-three from the Cardinal last time the teams met in Palo Alto in 2010.
^- Some wins in 2007 later vacated due to NCAA sanctions. Records do not reflect vacations.
Pitching Matchup:
Friday-
ASU - RHP Brady Rodgers
Stanford - RHP Mark Appel
Satday-
ASU - RHP Trevor Williams
Stanford - LHP Brett Mooneyham
Sunday-
ASU - RHP Darin Gillies
Stanford - RHP AJ Vanegas
NCBWA Stopper Of The Year Watch List:
Right-hander Jake Barrett has been named to the watch list for NCBWA Stopper of the Year, which is an honor given to the top reliever in NCAA Div. 1 baseball. He has collected six saves this season in a team-leading 19 appearances. His 19 games finished are tied for the top mark in the Pac-12. He has 27 strikeouts this season to go with only five walks, and has allowed just three earned runs on 10 hits in 20 1/3 innings. Barrett was named to the Baseball America preseason second-team prior to this season.
A Pitching Staff Worth Getting Excited About:
The Sun Devil pitching staff is in the top 10 among Div. I schools in four statistical categories. They have the third-lowest ERA in the country at 2.57, are fourth in walks allowed per nine innings (2.09), seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.23--242 strikeouts to 75 walks) and ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.53). Right-handers Brady Rodgers and Trevor Williams rank sixth and 17th in the country in that category.
New Mexico Recap:
The Sun Devils trailed by three heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but rallied for seven runs in the frame to take a 12-8 win over No. 16 Arizona on Tuesday night. James McDonald and Andrew Aplin each collected three RBI, and Joey DeMichle and Deven Marrero added a pair of RBI each. Right-hander Joseph Lopez earned his first win of the season after pitching out of a seventh-inning jam. The victory gives the Sun Devils the first win in the five-game State Farm Territorial Cup Series, and Sun Devil fans raised more than $4,200 in the inaugural Cory Hahn "Pass The Bucket Night." ASU has won 9-of-12 non-conference games against the Wildcats dating back to 2006.
Welcome To Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood:
Right-hander Brady Rodgers has three complete games this season and went the distance in back-to-back games after allowing one earned run in a win over Cal on March 23 and giving up one earned run in a loss to Oregon on March 31. He began the season with 23 consecutive scoreless innings, which is sixth-best in the school history, and has allowed just nine earned runs and seven walks in a conference-best 80 innings this season. He also went nine innings in an extra-innings contest against UCLA. Rodgers is tied for sixth in the nation with a 1.12 ERA, but is the only one in the top seven to have more than 65 innings pitched.
Leading The Pac (Team):
As of April 19, the Sun Devils lead the Pac-12 in home runs (29), slugging percentage (.444), triples (15) and total bases (555), are second in hits (367) and third in RBI (212). On the mound, they are tops in the Pac-12 in ERA (2.66) and walks allowed (76), and second in opposing batting average (.234) and third in strikeouts (249).
Leading The Pac (On The Mound):
On the pitching side, right-hander Brady Rodgers and Trevor Williams own the top-two spots in ERA at 1.12 and 1.41, respectively. Rodgers is second in the conference in innings pitched at 72, while Williams is tied for first in wins with seven and runners picked off at four. Jake Barrett is tied for first in games finished at 19 and tied for fourth in saves with six.
Doing The Extra (Base) Work:
Across the board, the Sun Devils can claim the top spot in the Pac-12 in extra-base hits. Abe Ruiz leads the conference in doubles (14) and home runs (9), and Joey DeMichele is first in triples (5). DeMichele is second in total bases (85) and Ruiz is fourth (81), while Ruiz is second in slugging percentage (.638) and DeMichele is third (.620).
A Deep Staff:
Arizona State has used 15 pitchers through 37 games of the season. The Devils only used 11 all season last year. Right-hander Mark Lambson, who appeared in 10 games and threw 23.2 innings in 2011, has not made an appearance yet this season. Eight pitchers have also made at least one start this season and 11 have registered either a win or a loss.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils are on the road again to face Washington State in a three-game Pac-12 series at Bailey-Brayton Field in Pullman, Wash. First pitch on April 27 is set for 5:30 p.m. (PT), while the game on April 28 is slated for 2 p.m. (PT) and the series finale on April 29 is set for 12 p.m. (PT). All three games will be broadcast live by Sun Devil Sports Network on The Fan AM 1060.