Baseball Kicks off Homestand With USC

PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball returns to Phoenix for the first of nine consecutive home games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, beginning with a three-game Pac-12 set against long-time rival USC in the last series against the perennial power as a Pac-12 opponent in league history. The series will get underway on Friday, April 26 beginning at 6:30 p.m. AZT with Game Two taking place at the same time on Saturday before concluding on Sunday at 1 p.m. AZT.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

• All three tilts this weekend will be available through the ASU at: https://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university
• 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 23 runners attempting to steal on him after doing so on just 2 of the first 19 this season. 

2. The Sun Devils are 9th in the country in doubles (100) and 15th in doubles per game (2.44), leading the Pac-12 in both. 

3. Jacob Tobias had an impressive five-game stretch in SoCal, batting .316 with a team-best nine RBIs, paced by his three home runs to give him 10 this year.

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

5. In the last 17 games, Kien Vu leads ASU with a .473 average and a team-best 20 RBIs. His .873 SLG% is over .150 points higher than the closest hitter.

6. This season, ASU has posted 33 innings with three or more runs scored with 19 different innings where the team has scored four or more. 

7. The Sun Devils have trailed at some point in 31 of the team's last 41 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 0.57.

9. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 21 of 41 games. The total is notable as ASU had just 21 total games a season ago. 

10. Wyatt Halvorson has 44 strikeouts in just 28.0 innings, a 14.14 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 120-of-130 (92.3%) career games with ASU overall. He has reached base in all but one game this season. Campos holds the 40th-highest active career batting average at .350, a tally that is 4th among D1 catchers and 11th among players with at least 400 career at-bats. His 18 doubles this season pace the Pac-12 and are tied for eighth in the country. Campos has struck out just two in his last 22 games after doing so 15 times in the first 19. His .57 strikeout-to-walk ratio is currently second in the Pac-12 and 33rd in the nation.

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 25 of 41 games this season and is third in the Pac-12 with 404 total hits on the year.. The pitching staff has struck out double-digit batters in 21 of 41 games, posting  10.4 strikeouts per nine innings this season - a total good for 20th  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, already matching that tally this year.

8 - ASU pitchers have made a habit of escaping jams under pitching coach Sam Peraza, stranding 1,279 baserunners over 154 games, an average of 8.3 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 346 in 41 games this season. The Sun Devil bullpen has allowed just 48 of 118 (40.7 percent) inherited runners to score this season, paced by Sean Fitzpatrick (three of 15 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 and 15 first batters of 19, respectively.

1 - Over the last 17 games, sophomore Kien Vu has lead the Sun Devils in just about every offensive category since becoming a staple in the starting lineup. He leads the team with a .473 average with six homers, four doubles and a team-best 20 RBIs. His .873 slugging percentage is over .150 points higher than the next closest eligible hitter on the team. He's also a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases in that time. His average in that stretch is .130 points more than any other player while having four more RBIs and leading the team in homers. 

LAST TIME OUT: UCLA

• ASU won its first series at Jackie Robinson Stadium since 2016 with a three-game sweep in Los Angeles last weekend. It is the first time ASU has won a series against the Bruins in consecutive years since 2013 and 2014. 
• It was ASU's first road sweep of a team since doing so at Stanford from April 22-24 in 2016. It was the first time ASU swept the Bruins since the 2010 season, also in Los Angeles. 
• The 12-run margin of victory in the Sunday finale was the most for ASU in the series since a 16-2 win in Tempe in 2005 and the most at Jackie Robinson Stadium since a 15-2 win in 2002.
• The Sun Devil pitchers stranded 31 batters over the three-game series (10.3 per game). 
• Hunter Omlid's 1-2-3 first inning on Sunday, striking out the side, was the first perfect first inning for a Sun Devil pitcher since the finale at Arizona on March 17 - ending a streak of 21 straight games without a 1-2-3 first. 
• ASU allowed just six total runs in the series against the Bruins. It was the fewest runs allowed in a three games series since giving up just four to Washington State in 2021.
• ASU has held opponents to three runs or less in five of the last seven games. It had just four games in the first 34 this season allowing three runs or less. 
• The Sun Devils recorded six homers in the series last weekend, the most allowed by UCLA in a three-game series this year.

ON DECK: USC

• ASU leads the all-time series against the Trojans, 115-111  since the teams first played back in 1961. USC swept the season series last year in Los Angeles. 
• Over the last 52 years, the teams have met eight times in the postseason, including four times in the final game of the College World Series. USC won all four of those championship game meetings, including an epic 21-14 matchup in the 1998 title game. 
• They are two of the winningest programs in college baseball history, with USC owning the most CWS Titles at 12 and ASU sitting fourth on the all-time list with five National Championships. 
• The Austin Overn triple machine keeps rolling as he has five triples this season, good for the most in the Pac-12 and sixth most in the country. Overn set USC's single season triples as a freshman last year with 14, and is now just one away from tying the program's career record at 20 (Grant Green, 2007-09). Overn also has 45 runs scored on the season, good for 2nd in the Pac-12. His 14 stolen bases are 3rd most in the Pac-12. Overn's 8 homers lead the team as do his 16 multi-hit games.
• Jacob Galloway has been leading the Trojans at the plate all season, hitting .318 on the year with a team-high 31 RBI. Galloway also leads the team with a .921 OPS. He owns 10 Multi-hit games, 7 multi-RBI games and had a 22 game hitting streak earlier this year, all good for team highs. Galloway also had a 35 game reached base streak to start the season.
• Since being inserted into the starting lineup at Stanford, Brayden Dowd has been on a tear at the plate. He now owns USC's second-best batting average hitting .310, and in 27 games he has 11 RBI and 16 runs scored. Dowd was the hero in the opener against Oregon State, hitting a walk off single in the bottom of the ninth.
• Xavier Martinez leads USC with 21 pitching appearances this year, good for 2nd in the Pac-12 and 23rd in the country. He owns a 1.99 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched, with batters hitting just .177 against him.
• Trojan closer Josh Blum has struck out 33 batters in just 21.1 innings pitched this year, holding opponents to a .129 batting average. His 6 saves are good for 3rd in the Pac-12 and 28th in the nation.
• USC's team ERA of 4.55 is 3rd in the Pac-12 and 28th in the NCAA and the team's 8.54 hits allowed per nine are 3rd and 37th...USC is 2nd in the Pac-12 with 40 stolen bases this year... USC owns a .974 fielding percentage, 3rd best in the Pac-12.

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 40th-best active career batting average (.350) - fourth among the nation's catchers and 11th among players with at least 400 career at-bats (492).
• Campos has reached base in a ridiculous 120-of-130 (92.3%) 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 40 of 41 games for ASU this season. 
• Campos currently paces the Pac-12 with 18 doubles this season - a tally good for eighth in the country. His eight homers are 13th in the league as well.
• His 39 RBIs this season are tops on the team and 11th 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 second straight  weekend of the year where he comes in batting over the mark after his recent hot stretch. Campos is up to .301 on the year, third on the team among eligible hitters.
• Among those eligible batters, his .422 OBP is also tops on the squad, thanks in largue part to his team-leading 30 walks - a total good for sixth 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 0.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio in second in the Pac-12. He has also struck out just twice in the last 22 games after having 15 in the first 19.
• He easily leads the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 24 times - 11 more than any of his teammates. His .269 ISO Power mark (Slugging - Average) is 12th in the Pac-12 while he is 11th in overall slugging at .571.
• His 41 runs scored also pace the team and are good for fourth in the Pac-12. 
• Campos has been exceptional behind the plate as well, throwing out 12 of the last 23 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 third  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 only two games he did not reach base were once during opening weekend and then 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 .314 on the season with 26 RBIs, 12 doubles and 10 homers, the latter of which is good for 8th in the Pac-12 while the doubles are ninth. His .579 slugging percentage is eighth in the league.
•  His .337 average in Pac-12 only games in 15th in the league and his seven homers in league games are second. He is batting .663 in Pac-12 games, the fourth-best tally in the conference and his 15 RBIs are 17th
• His 12 doubles give him 31 for his ASU career while the 10 homers have bumped his career tally to 27.
• 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 24 RBIs - fourth on the team - and six homers. 
• Jackson's 24 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. 
• The sophomore recorded SportsCenter's No. 1 play this past Sunday with his incredibly leaping grab over the wall in right center field to rob a three-run homer from the Bruins, becoming a viral sensation overnight with several million views of the catch over multiple platforms. 
• 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 - 21st in the Pac-12 despite missing eight games - a large part of his .384 OBP despite his .246 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. 
• McLain became the fifth Sun Devil to reach double digits in doubles this season, now sitting with 10.
• Defensively, McLain is 35th in the country in defensive runs saved on fly balls at 3.73. He has no errors on 65 chances this season with a team-leading three outfield assists. 
• 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 six-weekend stretch when ASU has needed it 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 six 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 six 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 3.69 overall ERA, which is seventh among Pac-12 pitchers. His 24.1 strikeout percentage is seventh among eligible Pac-12 pitchers.
• Opponents are slugging just .357 off of Markl, the fifth-lowest tally 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 even 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 (204), is batting .279  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 has 11 multi-hit games this year. His 11 doubles are 14th in the league. 
• The super-duper senior has advanced baserunners at  a .522 clip, doing so on 36-of-69 chances. He has gotten the job done as the leadoff batter as well, reaching on 24-of-60 chances while leading off an inning ( .400).
• Williams has brought the runner home from third with less than two outs 10 times, tied for the team lead,  and has been solid with runners in scoring position, batting .333 (12-of-36).
• After having to be left out of the lineup for a couple weeks while dealing with some health complications, Kevin Karstetter made his return in a big way over the last nine games. Karstetter's .348 average with runners in scoring position (8-of-23) is third on the team.His .409 OBP this year is  fifth among all players.
• Steven Ondina has put up a solid .276 average this season with six stolen bases while making several highlight reel plays at shortstop en route to a team-best 77 defensive assists this year. He has just two errors over 63 chances in the last 17 games for a solid .968 fielding percentage at short. 
• 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.
• In the last 17 games, Demera is fourth on the team with his .295 average, with his 13 RBIs third on the squad in that stretch. He has just one error at third base in that span as well, posting a .968 fielding percentage at the hot corner.
• Eamonn Lance hasn't cared if its a start or a pinch hit as he has posted a .296 average in his last 13 appearances. Lance has four homers in that stretch and nine RBIs, posting a .778 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 in Saturday's game with a solo home run. He added another pinch hit homer, a two-run shot, in the finale against UCLA as well.

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 .315 average this season, good for 18th in the Pac-12. His .413 average on balls in play, however, is fifth in the Pac-12. His .364 mark (16-of-44) with runners in scoring position is second on the team.
• His 30 RBIs are second on the team and 21st in the Pac-12 and his 14 two-out RBIs are second on the team.
• Compton is 14th in the Pac-12 with 11 doubles this year and 16th with seven homers. His .967 OPS is third on the squad and 16th in the Pac-12 while his .252 ISO Slugging (Slugging Minus Average) is 16tn 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 .278 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. He has four games with three or more hits this season, the second-best tally on the squad.
• His 11 hits with runners in scoring position are fifth 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 five starts while coming out of the pen 10 times.
• Jacobs has a team-best 56 strikeouts this season over just 38.1 innings.
• The 56 strikeouts are sixth-best in the league but his 13.15 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 36 total hits allowed this year being homers and accounting for 13 runs  of his 23 total earned runs allowed. 
• Jacobs has been especially deadly against lefties, holding left-handed batters to just a .220 average on 11-of-50 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 17 games since his start against UNLV, he leads the team with a .473 average with six homers, four doubles and a team-best 20 RBIs. His .873 slugging percentage is over .150 points higher than the next closest eligible hitter on the team. He's also a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases in that time. 
• His average in that stretch is .130 points more than any other player while having four more RBIs and leading the team in homers. 
• Overall on the season, Vu has a .449 average over 30 games and 18 starts. His 26 RBIs are already third on the squad despite have 40 fewer at-bats than the team's eight AB leaders.
• His .795 slugging percentage (six 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 .511 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 1,279 baserunners over 154 games, an average of 8.3 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU has stranded 346 in 41 games this season.
• Ryan Schiefer has a 3.66 ERA over 32.0 innings and 16 appearances - all out of the pen - holding opponents to a .198 average overall.  Schiefer has given up just 22 total hits on the season. He leads the team with three saves this season and also 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. 
• Overall, with his first start as a Sun Devil against UCLA included, Omlid has a 3.91 ERA over 25.1 innings with 37 strikeouts to 13 walks while holding opponents to a .198 average against
• ASU relief pitchers have inherited 118 baserunners this season, of which only 48 have scored (40.7).  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-15 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 15 of the 19 first batters followed by Fitzpatrick's 14-of-19 mark on first batters 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 ninth in the country with 100 doubles this year in 41 games and the 2.44 doubles per game are 15th 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 8th nationally. Jacob Tobias is ninth in the league with 12,  Brandon Compton and Harris Williams are 14th in the league with 11 and Nick McLain has 10. ASU is the only Pac-12 school with five players with double digit doubles this season. No other has more than three. 
• ASU has multiple doubles in 27 games this season and at least one double in 37 of 41 games.
• The team needs just 17 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-77 in college baseball this season with 53 home 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 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. ASU had six homers in its road series against UCLA, the most allowed by UCLA in a three-game series this year.
• 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 29 solo homers on its 53 this season. Of the team's 29 solo homers, however, 15 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 12 of ASU's 29 homers in the last 23 games coming with two outs. Five of ASU's six homers against UCLA were two-run shots
• 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 32 3+ run innings and 19 4+ run innings. ASU has seven 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 25 of 41 games this season.
• ASU has scored 78 runs in the 7-9th innings this season, and has scored 38 runs in the seventh inning of games alone. 
• The Sun Devils have trult excelled in the third innings of games this year, outscoring opponents 48-22 in the frame, batting a whopping .350 and slugging at a .568 clip with 19 doubles and seven long balls.
• ASU is batting .306 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 13-12 in games decided by three runs or less. The team is 7-3 in one-run games but oddly gone an unsightly 3-7 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 31 of its last 41 victories dating back to last season and all but six of its wins this season, which includes four of the last (vs. Utah, at Fullerton, 2x at UCLA).
• 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 16-2 when leading after six, 16-2 after seven and 15-1 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 entersedthe 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.