Ethan Long Earns National, Pac-12 Player of the Week Nods

PHOENIX – Sun Devil Baseball's Ethan Long continued his historic tear through the weekend and saw it paid dividends today as he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the second consecutive week and one of Collegiate Baseball News' National Players of the Week. 
 
It is the first time ASU has had a National Player of the Week from CBN since Gage Canning earned the honor on March 19, 2018. Long became the first Sun Devil since Hunter Bishop in 2019 to earn back-to-back Pac-12 Player of the Week nods and just the third Sun Devil since 2008 to accomplish it (Ike Davis in 2008).

Long is the only player to win two Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this year, let alone the only one to do it back-to-back. ASU has had 154 all-time Pac-12 Player of the Week awards.

Long bat .500 (9-of-18) this week and recorded five home runs over four games as he led ASU to a series sweep over Rhode Island this weekend. He had 14 RBIs for the week and of his nine total hits, seven were for extra bases (5 homers, 2 doubles) for an absurd 1.444 slugging percentage and an even gaudier 1.918 OPS. 

Long had an ASU season high six RBIs in the series sweeping victory over Rhode Island Sunday and was a triple shy of the cycle in the process. In his four games this week, he recorded 3 RBI, 3 RBI, 2 RBI and 6 RBI, respectively and scored six runs in the process. Long's six RBIs in the series finale against Rhode Island were the most by a Sun Devil since Trevor Hauver had seven in a 17-2 rout over UC Davis on Feb. 24, 2019.

Long has eight homers in his last seven games – becoming the first Sun Devil in program history to accomplish that feat.  He also has nine homers in the last ten games. 
Over Long's last seven games, he is slugging at a 1.433 clip and reaching base at a .545 clip, giving him an OPS of 1.978. During that span he also has 18 RBIs, 10 home runs, three doubles, on 16 hits with 11 runs scored.

Long's ten home runs already place him tied for third with Mike Kelly and only behind Barry Bonds and Spencer Torkelson in ASU freshman history for most homers.

Long leads the team with 10 multi-RBI games this year - two more than any other Sun Devil. He has six games with at least three RBI - also two more than any other player on the roster. Long extended his hitting streak to 11 straight games this weekend and he has reached base safely in 14 straight. 

The Sun Devils return to conference play this weekend with a key road series in Berkeley against the Cal Golden Bears beginning on Friday.