Baseball Takes on UCLA at Jackie Robinson For Last Time in Pac-12 Era

LOS ANGELES -- Sun Devil Baseball continues its five-game road trek in the SoCal region this weekend with a three-game Pac-12 series at UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium beginning Friday, April 19. The final Pac-12 series in history between the two squads will get underway at 6 p.m. AZT on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and concluding at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

• All three tilts this weekend will be available through the UCLA Live Stream 2 at: https://pac-12.com/live/ucla-2
• All games this weekend are slated to be on the local airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM with Tim  and Max Rossiter providing the highlights. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
• Fans are always encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media  for any program or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. Ryan Campos has thrown out 12 of the last 21 runners attempting to steal on him after doing so on just 2 of the first 19 this season. 

2. The Sun Devils are 5th in the country in doubles (97) and 13th in doubles per game (2.55), leading the Pac-12 in both. 

3. Campos has 27 defensive assists on the season, tied for second among Pac-12 catchers. His 14 runners caught stealing leads the Pac-12. 

4. Connor Markl has given ASU 5.0 innings of work in five-straight starts with 5.0+ innings pitched - the first ASU pitcher to do so since Kyle Luckham in 2022 (7)

5. In the last 14 games, Kien Vu leads ASU with a .452 average and a team-best 15 RBIs. His .833 SLG% is over .200 points higher than the closest hitter.

6. This season, ASU has posted 30 innings with three or more runs scored with 18 different innings where the team has scored four or more. 

7. The Sun Devils have trailed at some point in 30 of the team's last 38 victories dating back to the 2023 campaign. 

8. Despite having as many strikeouts as he had all last season (17), Ryan Campos still has the second-best K:BB ratio in the Pac-12 at 0.63.

9. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 17 of 36 games. The total is notable as ASU had just 21 total games a season ago. 

10. Wyatt Halvorson has 42 strikeouts in just 27.0 innings, a 14.4 K/9 that is easily tops in the Pac-12 among pitchers with 20.0+ innings.

BY THE NUMBERS
92 - Ryan Campos in a ridiculous 117-of-127 (92.1%) career games with ASU overall. He has reached base in all but one game this season. Campos holds the 34th-highest active career batting average at .350, a tally that is 6th among D1 catchers and 7th among players with at least 400 career at-bats. His 18 doubles this season pace the Pac-12 and are tied for fifth in the country. His eight homers are eighth in the Pac-12, his 38 RBIs are sixth, his 37 runs are seventh  and he is now up the 10th in the league with his .596 slugging and 1.020 OPS.

10 - The 2024 Sun Devils had excelled in a pair of categories this season - recording double digit hits and striking out double digit batters. The team has recorded 10 or more hits in 23 of 38 games this season and is second in the Pac-12 with 369 total hits on the year.. The pitching staff has struck out double-digit batters in 19 of 38 games, posting  10.3 strikeouts per nine innings this season - a total good for 25th  in the country and tops in the Pac-12.. It is also notable as the team struck out 10 or more batters in just 21 total games a season ago. 

8 - ASU pitchers have made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,248 baserunners over 151 games, an average of 8.3 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 315 in 38 games this season. The Sun Devil bullpen has allowed just 48 of 116 (41.4 percent) inherited runners to score this season, paced by Sean Fitzpatrick (three of 14 inherited runners scored), Ryan Schiefer (six of 19) and Hunter Omlid (four of 14). A key to that is relievers getting outs as soon as they enter the game. Fitzpatrick and Cole Carlon lead that pack, retiring the first batter they faced 14 times on 18 chances

5 - Extra base hits have been a specialty for the Sun Devils lately, and they now find themselves fifth in the nation with 97 doubles on the year. That total leads the Pac-12, as does Ryan Campos with his 18 doubles that also sit fifth in the nation to date. Jacob Tobias has 12, seventh in the league, while Brandon Compton and Harris Williams are ninth with 11. ASU is the only Pac-12 school with four players with double digit doubles this season. No other has more than two. ASU has at least one double in all but three games this season and multiple doubles in 26 of 38 games

LAST TIME OUT: UTAH/FULLERTON

• The Sun Devils dropped a tough Pac-12 series to Utah at Phoenix Muni last weekend, falling in the rubber match, before splitting its midweek series against Cal State Fullerton at Goodwin Stadium earlier this week.
• Utah starter Merit Jones had not given up more than than three earned runs in a GAME this season over seven starts and 37.0 innings pitched. ASU tagged him for five in the first of the team's Saturday win. He entered the game with a 3.89 ERA. Jones had also only given up eighth doubles all season before allowing four to the Sun Devils. 
• ASU led the Utah rubber match off with three straight homers from Ryan Campos, Kien Vu and Jacob Tobias. It was the first time ASU had gone back-to-back-to-back since Trevor Hauver, Spencer Torkelson and Hunter Bishop on April 12, 2019 against Oregon State.
• Since at least 1998 (as far back as quickly available records go), ASU not only had never led off a game with three homers, it had never recorded three home runs in the first inning of a game, period. 
• Utah starter Colter McAnelly had only given up two homers all season in 25.1 innings pitched prior to his three to lead off the game. Unfortunately ASU struggled to get the bats going after that torrential opening in the 11-5 loss.
• ASU's Tuesday win over Fullerton was highlighted by true freshman starter Wyatt Halvorson, who struck out 13 batters in just five innings in ASU's 3-1 victory. Halvorson's seven consecutive strikeouts between the first and third innings were tied for the fourth-longest streak in ASU history.
• His 13 total strikeouts in the game were tied for the seventh-most at ASU since the 1998 season and the most since Adam Tulloch had 13 against San Francisco in 2022, though Tulloch accomplished the feat in seven innings. The last time a pitcher had more than 13 strikeouts in a game prior to Tulloch was Jake Borup (13) in 2010. Of the 15 pitchers since 1998 with 13+ strikeouts, Halvorson's 5.0 innings pitched were tied for the fewest with Jon Switzer against Southern Utah in 2001.
• The effort gives Halvorson 42 strikeouts in just 27.0 innings this season, good for 14th in the Pac-12 while his 14.00 K/9 is tops among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched.

ON DECK: UCLA

• ASU leads the all-time series against the Bruins, 122-85 though UCLA has had the upper hand in recent years in winning six of the last eight series against the Sun Devils, accruing a 16-8 record over that time. 
• ASU took two-of-three from the Bruins in Tempe last season, but UCLA swept ASU in the two matchups prior. UCLA last dropped a home series to ASU in 2016, winning each of the last two sets between the two teams in Los Angeles (they did not meet in 2020 due to COVID).
• UCLA is 13-21 overall on the season, including a 3-6 mark thus far in April. The Bruins are 4-4 in midweek contests, with wins against Nevada, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara, and LMU. The Bruins are 11-7 so far this season at home .UCLA is 6-12 in Pac-12 play, taking weekend series against Washington State and USC
• The Bruins enter the weekend with a plus-17 walk differential (162 drawn, 145 issued)
• UCLA has an 82% success rate on stolen bases so far this year (32-39)
• Duce Gourson had a 22-game reached-base streak snapped Apr. 9 ... he's reached in 30 of 33 games so far this year
• UCLA has started multiple players at all nine defensive positions (plus DH)

GOING CAMP-ING

• Ryan Campos entered the season as D1Baseball's 10th-ranked catcher in the country and No. 95 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. He was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, as voted on by the league's coaches.
• Campos has the 34th-best active career batting average (.352) - fifth among the nation's catchers and seventh among players with at least 400 career at-bats (477).
• Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 117-of-127 (92.1%) career games with the Sun Devils overall. He had a 40-game reached base streak dating back to 2023 snapped at Oregon State but has, regardless, reached base in 37 of 38 games for ASU this season. 
• Campos currently paces the Pac-12 with 18 doubles this season - a tally good for fifth in the country. His eight homers are eighth in the league as well.
• His 38 RBIs this season are tops on the team and 7th in the Pac-12. His 15 two-out RBI are also the most on the squad.
• After an uncharacteristically low Sub-.300 average for the majority of the season, Campos will have his first weekend of the year where he comes in batting over the mark after his recent hot stretch. Campos is up to .308 on the year, second on the team among eligible hitters.
• Among those eligible batters, his .424 OBP is also tops on the squad, thanks in largue part to his team-leading 27 walks - a total good for fourth in the Pac-12.
•  In fact, despite already having as many strikeouts as he had in all of last season (17), Campos still has more walks and his 0.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio in second in the Pac-12. He has also struck out just twice in the last 19 games after having 15 in the first 19.
• He easily leads the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 22 times - nine more than any of his teammates. His .288 ISO Power mark (Slugging - Average) is eighth in the Pac-12 while he is 10th in overall slugging at .596.
• His 38 runs scored also pace the team and are good for third in the Pac-12. 
• Campos has been exceptional behind the plate as well, throwing out 12 of the last 21 baserunners attempting to steal on him after posting just a 2-for-19 tally to start the year. His 27 defensive assists this season are tied for second among Pac-12 catchers. 
• The junior had his first multi-homer game against Santa Clara in the finale, also posting a career-best five RBIs. He added another multi-homer game against Oregon. 
• Campos reached base in all but two games last season. The two games he did not reach base was once during opening weekend and the first game after he returned from an 11-game injury absence.
• Had a team-best 31-game reached base streak at one point in last season and showed off plenty of extra pop in the bat, recording eight homers, seven doubles and a triple
• Campos was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and also tabbed as the Pac-12 Player of the Week after the Washington State series during his sophomore campaign.
• In 44 games, Campos smacked .388 with 16 extra-base hits including eight home runs...He walked 35 times and struck out on a mere 17 occurrences
• Campos' 35 earned free passes were 15th in the league, yet because of his midseason injury, he had the fewest games played of anyone in the top 50 in the category.
• His .388 average was third in the Conference of Champions and his .503 OBP was tops in the league
• ASU's most reliable presence over the last two seasons, Campos earned his first recognition to the All-Pac-12 First Team last season as a sophomore after picking up an honorable mention honor as a freshman, also earning Freshman All-America honors that season as well.
• Campos was named the Jim Brock Mr. Sun Devil at the squad's end-of-season awards banquet at the end of the regular season last year....Named for the legendary and late Dr. Jim Brock, the award is presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the attitude and character expected of a Sun Devil Baseball Player
• For his elite efforts behind the plate, Campos was named as a Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Semifinalist.

JACOB'S LADDER

• Jacob Tobias earned Preseason Pac-12 All-Pac-12 recognition after he took his game to the next level last season, finishing with a .317 average and starting 54 games - the majority coming at first base.
• Tobias is second on the team in batting .308 on the season with 17 RBIs, 12 doubles and seven homers. He has a .329 average in Pac-12 games this year, good for 18th in the league. 
• His 12 doubles are tied for 7th in the Pac-12 this season and give him 31 for his ASU career. His seven homers are 12th in the league and give him 24 in his career.
• The junior posted his first career five-hit game in the finale against Arizona and added a four-hit game against Utah. .
• Tobias was named by D1Baseball as the No. 44 first baseman in the country entering this season.
• Last season, he slugged .546 with 10 homers, nine doubles and leading the team with four triples en route to a 59 RBI season - good for ninth in the Pac-12 though the eight players in front of him benefited from postseason action
• Tobias was deadly the second time through the order with 22 of those RBIs coming in the fourth or fifth innings when he saw a starter for the second or third time - batting 23-of-50 (.460) with 22 RBIs, three homers and over a .500 OBP in those two innings. 
• As a sophomore, he recorded an RBI in 12 of the last 18 games of the season and 33 games overall. He has an RBI in three of four games thus far this season.
• Tobias was 7-of-9 on the season when the bases were loaded and brought a runner home from third with less than two outs 75 percent of the time (15-of-20).
• Tobias earned Pac-12 Honorable Mention accolades last season as he took his game to the next level, finishing with a .317 average and starting 54 games - the majority coming at first base.
• Tobias was named a Freshman All-American in 2022. His 12 bases (two homers, two doubles) against Utah in the series finale are tied for the most by a Pac-12 player in a game. His seven homers this year were tied for eighth in ASU freshman history.

ACTION JACKSON

• After a solid freshman showing Isaiah Jackson has shown continued exceptional defensive skills while adding 23 RBIs - fourth on the team - and six homers. 
• Jackson's 23 RBIs are notable as he had just 28 total through the entirety of the his freshman season.
• Jackson has been second on the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 13 times. 
• Jackson homered in the first two games of the season, as did teammate Jacob Tobias, joining a small list of Sun Devils to do so since 1998, including Spencer Torkelson (2020), Riccio Torrez (2011) and Jason Kipnis (2008). 
• His three-hit game in the opener gave him more hits in five at-bats than he had through his first seven games last season.

BIG MAC

• Nick McLain missed the start of the 2024 campaign for the seconds-straight season due to having his other hamate bone removed but made quite the splash in his debut during the team's trip to Texas.
• After struggling following his return from that surgery, Nick McLain  had a monster eight-game stretch between the Washington State and Cal weekends, batting  a team-best .438 (14-of-32) with eight extra base hits for a .906 slugging percentage, leading the team with 16 RBIs - five more than any other player. He has three homers, four doubles and a triple in the stretch.
• McLain has already drawn 23 walks this year - 11th in the Pac-12 despite missing eight games - a large part of his .397 OBP despite his .243 average on the year.
• He has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs 10 times this season - leading the team despite missing eight games. 
• Defensively, McLain is 35th in the country in defensive runs saved on fly balls at 3.45.
• McLain bat .313 in Texas in his return from the surgery (5-of-16) and a .421 OBP with five RBIs in four games - including essentially carrying the team on his back with his four RBI effort against UT Arlington that included a two-RBI single to tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth and then a go-ahead two-RBI double in the seventh to put ASU on top for good in the victory.
• McLain also missed the first half of the season last year after a sustaining a hamate injury the week prior to the season and wasted no time catching up on the lost time.
• McLain earned Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention despite appearing in just 23 games, posting a .298 average and reached base at a .391 clip while slugging .649 behind eight homers, two triples and five doubles, recording over an RBI per game with 24 on the season, recording eight multi-RBI games.
• He enters this season as D1Baseball No. 53 collegiate prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft.
• He 3-for-6 with four RBIs  - including a two-run insurance missile in the ninth - in his collegiate debut, a road win over Grand Canyon
• McLain tarted his collegiate career with an 11-game hit streak - the longest streak to start a career for an ASU freshman since at least the 1998, as far back as easily found records can be accessed - and had hits in 14 of his first 15 games as a Sun Devil
• He also recorded five outfield assists on the year in his limited action.
• McLain showed the clutch gene through out the season, batting .400 in the 8th inning or later of games, posting four homers and eight RBIs in the process.

LEAVING HIS MARK-L

• Connor Markl has put together a solid five-weekend stretch when ASU has needed in most, which included posting consecutive quality starts for the first time since Tyler Meyer in March of 2022.
• Markl has gone at least 5.0 innings in each of his last five starts, eating up valuable innings while ASU battles with injuries on the mound. It is the first time in his career going 5.0+ innings in five straight games and the first for an ASU pitcher since Kyle Luckham had seven straight games in 2022. 
• Markl was named the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week following the Arizona series, ASU's first pitcher of the week since March of 2022 as well, for his efforts in one-hitting the Wildcats. 
• In his two quality starts against Arizona and Washington State, Markl had a 1.42 ERA over 12.2 innings with 14 strikeouts to four walks, holding opponents to a .186 average against. 
• He matched his career high in innings pitched with his 6.0 against Arizona and then topped it with his 6.2-inning effort against Washington State. It marked the first time in his career that he had posted back-to-back 6.0 inning efforts 
• Markl has a 3.95 overall ERA, which is ninth among Pac-12 pitchers with at least eight starts. His 25.7 strikeout percentage is eighth among Pac-12 pitchers and his 15.6 K:BB percentage is 11th among pitchers in the league.

NOT THEIR FIRST RODEO 

• While the names and faces of Harris Williams, Kevin Karstetter, Mario Demera, Eamonn Lance and Steven Ondina are new to Sun Devil fans, the trio bring no shortage of career experience and that has been in full display this season
• The five players had combined to play in 681 career games before setting foot on ASU's campus.
• Williams, a USF transfer who ranks in the Top-40 among all active Division I players in career games played (201), is batting .284  on the season - fourth on the team.
• Williams was responsible for the team's walk-off two-RBI double is ASU's home win GCU, ready when his number was called after not starting and not entering the game until the seventh inning as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. 
• Williams is fourth on the team with 10 multi-hit games. His 11 doubles are ninth in the league. 
• The super-duper senior has advanced baserunners at  a .531 clip, doing so on 34-of-64 chances. He has gotten the job done as the leadoff batter as well, reaching on 24-of-59 chances while leading off an inning ( .407).
• Williams has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs 9 times and has been solid with runners in scoring position, batting .344 (11-of-32).
• After having to be left out of the lineup for a couple weeks while dealing with some health complications, Kevin Karstetter has made his return in a big way over the last six games. Karstetter's .364 average with runners in scoring position (8-of-22) is third on the team while he has also been among the team's best hitters with two uts at a .323 clip (10-of-31).
• His .409 OBP this year is  third among all players.
• Steven Ondina has put up a solid .270 average this season with five stolen bases while making several highlight reel plays at shortstop en route to a team-best 70 defensive assists this year.
• Demera has seen an uptick in playing time and has been pivotal in filling the void at third-base with Nu'u Contrades' season-ending injury. He was responsible for the go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning of ASU's series-clinching win over Cal. It was his the first home run as a Sun Devil and also the first home run given up by Cal reliever Tyler Stasiowski this season. It was the first he had allowed since March 7, 2023 against Villanova, ending a streak of 29 straight appearances and 43.0 innings without allowing a long ball. 
• It was Demera's first homer since April 22 of last year against San Diego and just his sixth career homer over three-plus seasons and over 130 games played with over 450 at-bats.
• Eamonn Lance hasn't cared if its a start or a pinch hit as he has posted a .353 average in his last 11 appearances. Lance has three homers in that stretch and seven RBIs, posting a .680 slugging percentage. He was the only player to record an RBI in all three games against Oregon State, doing so twice as a pinch hitter - including breaking up a shutout in the ninth inning on Saturday's game with a solo home run.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

• Redshirt freshman Brandon Compton was recruited to ASU as a pitcher out of high school, but Tommy John surgery sidelined him his true frosh year, instead allowing him to focus on his bat - and focus he did.
• The youngster leads the team with his .317 average this season, good for 18th in the Pac-12. His .421 average on balls in play is ninth in the Pac-12. His .372 mark (16-of-43) with runners in scoring position is second on the team.
• His 30 RBIs are second on the team and 15th in the Pac-12 and his 14 two-out RBIs are second on the team.
• Compton is ninth in the Pac-12 with 11 doubles this year and 12 with seven homers. His .981 OPS is second on the squad and 11th in the Pac-12 while his .288 ISO Slugging (Slugging Minus Average) is eighth in the Pac-12
• He was responsible for the go-ahead grand slam in the series finale against Ohio State that proved to be the difference in the 10-8 ballgame. He also had a huge game-tying RBI single in the eighth inning of ASU's eventual walk-off win over Oregon. He had the go-ahead two-run homer against Utah Valley as well. 
• Compton had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies this past summer, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs

NO DOZE-ING OFF

• Ethan Mendoza has quietly put together quite the start to his collegiate career, posting a .268 average and earning the team's walk-off fielder's choice against Oregon and following that with a go-ahead two-RBI single in the ninth inning of the team's Friday-night victory over Arizona.
• Mendoza is third on the team with 11 runners advanced with an out this season. 
• The freshman recorded a 4-for-4 effort in the second game against Washington State despite only seeing five pitches in the contest.
• His 11 hits with runners in scoring position are fourth on the team. 
• Mendoza was the only Sun Devil to record hits in all four games in Texas.
• Mendoza was the only Sun Devil to record a hit against No. 7 Texas A&M in the first game of the Globe Life Series, in fact recording the only two hits in the shutout loss.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS

• Ben Jacobs has quietly put together an impressive season for ASU and done so in a number of roles, making four starts while coming out of the pen 10 times.
• Jacobs has a team-best 48 strikeouts this season over just 33.1 innings.
• The 48 strikeouts are seventh-best in the league but his 12.96 K/9 is tops in the league among players with at least 30 innings pitched this year.
• Jacobs' only struggle has been keeping the ball in the park with nine of his 31 total hits allowed this year being homers and accounting for 13 runs  of his 21 total earned runs allowed. 
• Jacobs has been especially deadly against lefties, holding left-handed batters to just a .170 average on 8-of-47 batting this year.

ENJOY THE VU

• No player has been swinging a better bat over the last month for the Sun Devils than Kien Vu.
• Over the last 14 games since his start against UNLV, he leads the team with a .452 average with four homers, four doubles and a team-best 15 RBIs. His .833 slugging percentage is over .200 points higher than the next closest eligible hitter on the team.
• Overall on the season, Vu has a .431 average over 27 games and 15 starts. His 21 RBIs are fifth on the squad despite have 38 less at-bats than the next closest player ahead of him on that list. 
• His .754 slugging percentage (four homers, seven doubles, one triple) is easily tops on the team while he also leads the squad with eight stolen bases on a perfect 8-for-8 on his attempts. He is reaching base at a.493 clip on the year.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS

• The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,248 baserunners over 151 games, an average of 8.3 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 315 in 38 games this season.
• Ryan Schiefer has a3.60 ERA over 30.0 innings and 15 appearances - all out of the pen - holding opponents to a .192 average overall.  Schiefer has given up just 20 total hits on the season. He is tied for the team lead with two saves this season and leads the team in stranding 13 inherited runners on the year, allowing just 6-of-19 to score. 
• Hunter Omlid has come on strong of late in 15 relief appearances, posting a 4.22 ERA and holding opponents to just a .197 average against. He has stranded 10 of his 14 inherited runners on the year. His 11 total strikeouts against Utah Valley were his most at the Division I level, trailing only a 12-strikeout game while at Central Arizona in 2021. It was the most strikeouts for an ASU relief pitcher since Tyler Thornton struck out 11 in 7.0 innings against Rhode Island on April 30, 2021. 
• ASU relief pitchers have inherited 116 baserunners this season, of which only 48 have scored (41.4).  Ryan Schiefer, Matt Cornelius and Matt Tieding all inherited the bases loaded against #24 Kansas State when they entered the game and all got inning-inning strikeouts. 
• Scheifer paces the category, stranding 13 of his 19 inherited runners, Sean Fitzpatrick has done so on 3-of-14 and Hunter Omlid on 4-of-14.
• Recording the first out when coming into the game out of the pen has been a highlight for several bullpen members, with Cole Carlon and Sean Fitzpatrick leading the way in retiring 14 of the 18 first batters they have faced when entering the game out of the pen. 
• ASU's 17 strikeouts against Ohio State AND Cal State Fullerton are the most by a Pac-12 team this season. ASU is also one of just two teams in the league to one-hit an opponent this year.
• Last season, the bullpen posted a 5.62 ERA with 22-7 record in decisions and 11 saves. The squad had 234 strikeouts to 130 walks (over 274.0 innings) and held opponents to .270 batting. While not entirely electric, it was a marked improvement from previous season where the 2022 Sun Devil bullpen had a 6.71 ERA for the season with a 13-19 record in decisions with 231 strikeouts to 170 walks (over 271.0 innings) and a .299 average against.

HEADED TO THE GAP

• The Sun Devils are tops in the Pac-12 and third in the country with 97 doubles this year in 38 games and the 2.55 doubles per game are 13th in the nation. 
• 14 different Sun Devils have multiple doubles this season - the most of any school in the Pac-12. 
• Ryan Campos is the Pac-12 leader with 18 doubles this year - a tally good for 6th nationally. Jacob Tobias is seventh in the league with 12 and Brandon Compto and Harris Williams are ninth in the league with 11. ASU is the only Pac-12 school with four players with double digit doubles this season. No other has more than two. 
• ASU has multiple doubles in 26 games this season and at least one double in 35 of 38 games.
• The team needs just 20 to crack into the Top-10 of ASU team's since 1998 in the category (127).
• ASU got a slow start in the doubles category last season but came alive in the second half of the year. After having just 13 in the first 11 of the season, ASU finished with 108 to find itself in the Top-100 prior to the NCAA Tourney after being ranked as low as 232 through the first month of the season. 
• The team recorded a double in 45 of 55 games overall with multiple doubles in 26 of those.
• Luke Keaschall finished seventh second in the entire country with 25 doubles .
• The Sun Devils recorded 134 doubles in 2022, good for 19th in the nation and third in the Pac-12.  The 127 doubles during the regular season were the most for a Sun Devil team in the REGULAR SEASON in the BBCOR era (since 2011) and tied for the fifth-most in a regular season since 1998.
• ASU had at least one double in all but six games in 2022 and multiple doubles in 36 of 58 games.

CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL

• ASU is currently fourth in the Pac-12 and Top-75 in college baseball this season with 417home runs, despite not hitting a single one in its four games in Texas or in its series at Arizona. In fact, Nick McLain's homer in the final game against Washington State was ASU's first homer hit away from Phoenix Muni this season. ASU added three more of those against UNLV.
• ASU homered once in each of the three games against Oregon State, notable as the Beavers had allowed just 10 homers all season entering the weekend and just five total at Goss Stadium.
• The Sun Devils had eight homers in the Oregon series. Unfortunately, all came of the solo variety. 
• The Sun Devils continue looking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU now has 28 solo homers on its 47 this season. Of the team's 28 solo homers, however, 14 were of the leadoff variety and didn't give anyone a chance to be on base while four others came as part of back-to-back homers and thus, the same principle.
• Clutch homers have increased recently though, with 10 of ASU's 23 homers in the last 20 games coming with two outs.
• Eight different Sun Devils have multiple homers and 11 players have homered overall.
• The Sun Devils hit 19 more homers during the 2023 season than it did the prior year. 12 different players logged a home run last season for ASU and 10 had multiple home runs
• Last season, ASU had eight different players with at least six homers - more than any other team in the Pac-12.
• The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers last year - two more than any other team at ASU has had since at least the 1998 season. ASU had five players with at least seven homers in 2022, tied for the second-most at ASU since 1998. 
• ASU's 83 homers were 56th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament. 
• The better news was ASU finally started the get pumps with runners on base. 37 of the team's last 66 Sun Devil home runs last year came with runners on base after 14 of the first 17 this season were solo shots. Of the 26 solo shots, 17 were leadoff homers and thus not given the opportunity to happen with runners on base.
• The timing of the home runs  improved immensely over the second half of the 2022 season as well. On 24 of the final 37 homers on the year, ASU had at least one runner on base. That was notable as ASU had runners on base just eight times on the teams first 27 homers. 
• Of the nine position players with at least 30 starts in 2022, all nine had multiple home runs. ASU had ten total players with multiple homers.

COMING IN HOT

• This season, ASU has now posted 30 3+ run innings and 18 4+ run innings. ASU has six innings with 5+ runs. 
• The Sun Devils thrived in the big innings a year, 12 times recording five or more runs in an inning. The team recorded 51 innings with three or more runs scored. 
• ASU has recorded 10 or more hits in 23 of 38 games this season.
• ASU has scored 73 runs in the 7-9th innings this season, and has scored 38 runs in the seventh inning of games alone. 
• ASU is batting .313 in the seventh inning of games, recording 15 extra base-hits in the process.
• The team posted 52 runs in the eighth inning of games last season, just under a run per game. The team bat .326 in the eighth inning of games with a .526 slugging percentage. The squad had 25 home runs total in innings 7-9 - easily surpassing its total of 17 from the previous season.

HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS

• ASU did its part to shake off some of that bad mojo from the 2022  in close games last year, winning seven one-run games (going 7-3 after going just 1-7 in such games in 2022) and 18-9 in games decided by three runs or less - a category ASU was 14-16 in in 2022. 
• This season, ASU is 12-12 in games decided by three runs or less. The team is 7-3 in one-run games but oddly gone an unsightly 2-7 in two-run games.. ASU's seven wins in one run games already matches last season's total and is the most since the team had nine in the 2017 season.
• The walk-off win against GCU was ASU's fourth this season as a result of a ninth-inning lead change, with walk-offs against Oregon and GCU and ninth-inning go-ahead runs on the road against Arizona and UNLV.
• It was the third time ASU has won a game this year when trailing after eight innings - already matching its most since the 2017 season - and fourth when trailing OR tied after 8 (achieved in 2017 and 2021). The team had five wins when trailing or tied after eight in 2016 and nine in 2015. However, should ASU win another game in which it trails after eight innings, it would be the most since the team had five such victories in 2006. 
• ASU trailed at one point in 30 of its last 38 victories dating back to last season and all but four of its wins this season, which includes the last two (vs. Utah, at Fullerton).
• Last season, ASU was incredibly efficient at closing games out, going 24-4 when leading after six, 27-1 when leading after seven and 29-0 when leading after eight. This season ASU is 13-2 when leading after six, 13-2 after seven and 12-1 after eight. The loss of a ninth-inning lead in the second game against Oregon marked the first time ASU had lost a game when leading after eight innings since Feb. 25, 2022 against BYU (led 4-2, lost 6-5). The Sun Devils had won 56 consecutive games when leading after eight innings prior to that. 
• ASU has gone ahead in the ninth inning of three games this season, walking off Oregon, and taking road ninth-inning leads at Arizona and at UNLV.
• In two-plus seasons under Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils have shown that no opponent lead is safe, showing off plenty of grit in erasing multi-run deficits. ASU had nine wins last season when trailing by at least three runs at some point in the game and four of those by at least five. 
• ASU has five wins this season when trailing by three or more.
• In 2022, the seven-run deficit overcome by the Sun Devils to defeat and take the series from Cal was the most since March 3, 2000 against Arizona. 
• ASU doubled down at that last season with the victories over North Dakota State and GCU, overcoming a 7-0 deficit in both (and 9-2 in entering the eighth against GCU) for victories in both.
• Three times in 2022, ASU rallied from a deficit of five or more runs to tie or win the game - the first time that had happened since 2010 (also 3). ASU surpassed that and won four games last season in which it trailed by five runs. 
• The Sun Devils have two such games this season, adding their ninth game under Bloomquist to that tally coming back from a 7-1 deficit against UNLV on Monday, improving to 7-2 in games that featured a five-run comeback at some point under Bloomquist. .

DO I KNOW YOU?

• The Sun Devils welcome an incredible 27 new faces to the roster in 2023. The class features D1Baseball's No. 23 freshman group in the country and the No. 25 transfer class, a year removed from posting the No. 2 transfer class in the nation.
• The roster will feature 11 freshman arms, an incredible tally considering the 2022 team didn't have a single freshman arm on the roster. 
• Thomas Burns is slated to become the first true freshman pitcher to start on opening night since the 2006 season when Ike Davis did it. 
• The team will feature two new middle infielders for the second consecutive season after having at least one returner up the middle from 2018-22.
• Harris Williams, an All-WCC player at San Francisco last season, was the only transfer player named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team aa voted upon by the league's coaches. 
• The Sun Devils added another pair of All-WCC players in USF's Mario Demera and Santa Clara's Eamonn Lance. 
• In addition to the guys playing on the field, the team also welcomed a slew of new faces on the coaching and support staff, highlighted by former Central Arizona College head coach Anthony Gilich as the team's third paid assistant, taking advantage of new NCAA legislation allowing for there to be a third coach. Sun Devil legend Brett Wallace also joined the staff as the Director of Quality Control and Offensive Strategy.

THE BURN(S) UNIT

• Thomas Burns became the first true freshman to start on the mound for the Sun Devils on Opening Night since Ike Davis in 2006.
• The youngster was electric in his debut, allowing just a single hit in his 5.0 innings and one run en route to earning his first career win. Burns struck out seven and walked just one batter in the effort. 
• Burns tossed a career-best 7.0 innings in ASU's Friday night victory over Arizona, allowing just one run for ASU's first quality start of the season.
• Burns has been sidelined with shoulder inflammation the last three weekends. 
• 11 of the 16 runs scored against him this season have come by way home runs, coming off five solo homers, a three-run shot against Texas A&M, and three by way of homer against Washington State (a two-run shot of his own and an inherited runner scoring on another pitcher's home run allowed).
• In fact, he has only given up 23 hits on the year, of which seven have  left the ballpark.
• Right-handed hitters are 10-for-55 (.182) against Burns this season while he has allowed just a .213 average against overall - ninth-lowest in the Pac-12  prior to his injury -  adding 39 strikeouts in just 30.1 innings. 
• Burns has been at his best with runners on the basepath with teams batting just .130 (6-of-46) against him with runners. 
• Prior to his injury, he had stranded 89.6 percent of his baserunners this season - the 14th-highest tally of any eligible pitcher in the country this year and tops in the Pac-12.
• Prior to his recent absence, Burns was seventh in the Pac-12 in hits allowed per nine innings (6.82) and third in the Pac-12 in strikeouts per nine innings (11.57). He had struck out 28.5 percent of the batters he has faced this year, a tally good for sixth in the Pac-12.

WHO'S THE NU'U GUY

• Nu'u Contrades entered the season as a Preseason All-Pac-12 selection and as D1Baseball's No. 46 third baseman in the country. 
• The sophomore is reaching base at a .346 clip - striking out just twice in his first 21 ABs appearances, an area he struggled in last season, though he has missed action lately with a lingering back injury. 
• The ASU third baseman bat .309 with 20 extra base hits (eight homers, two triples, 10 doubles), recording 40 RBIs
• The .309 average was in the Top-5 for freshmen in the Pac-12 last season and Top-50 among all freshmen in the country...The rally at the dish came despite the youngster still sitting below the Mendoza line as of March 7
• He obliterated the University of Arizona in the three-game series in Tempe, where he was 7-14 (.500) with eight RBI, three runs scored...He plated the winning run in Saturday's series-securing victory and scored it in the series finale Sunday and was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week in the process. He led the team with 10 RBIs (of 31 total for the week for ASU) with a .947 slugging percentage while batting .474 on 9-of-19 hitting in four total games that week
• Honored as the team's Bobby Winkles Award winner as a true freshman, Nu'u Contrades found himself at home in the valley as he earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors as an infielder.
• Had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs

PRESEASON ACCOLADES

• The Sun Devils had five position players honored by the Pac-12 Coaches in being selected to the Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference team last week in Ryan Campos, Jacob Tobias, Nu'u Contrades, Nick McLain and Harris Williams
• The five selections were two more position players than any other team in the league. 
• Williams was the only transfer recogized on the Preseason All-Pac-12 team by the coaches.
• Nick McLain was tabbed by D1Baseball at the No. 53 collegiate prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft with Ryan Campos checking in at No. 95. Isaiah Jackson was dubbed the No. 17 collegiate prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft by the outlet and Nu'u Contrades as the No. 52 prospect. 
• The Sun Devils brought in the No. 25 transfer class in the nation, according to D1Baseball, highlighted by San Francisco All-WCC competitors Harris Williams and Mario Demera, Santa Clara's All-WCC Eamonn Lance and highly touted junior college transfer Kevin Karstetter out of the State College of Florida.
• Campos was ranked as the No. 10 catcher in the country for 2024 by D1Baseball, with Jacob Tobias as the No. 44 first baseman, Nu'u Contrades as the No. 46 third baseman and Harris Williams as the No. 88 outfielder in the country.
• McLain was tabbed as the No. 6 Pac-12 prospect in the 2024 Draft class with Campos checking in at No. 10, according to D1Baseball. Isaiah Jackson is the No. 3 prospect in the 2025 Draft Class in the league with Nu'u Contrades tabbed at No. 7. 
• ASU also brought in the No. 23 freshman class in the country, according to D1Baseball, highlighted by middle infielders Ethan Mendoza and Jax Ryan, local two-way prospect Cole Carlon and Opening Night starter Thomas Burns out of Wisconsin.