ASU baseball up for challenge in Tucson against Arizona
Willie Bloomquist still feels the same way about playing in Arizona as he did as a player with Arizona State baseball.
Time has passed since Bloomquist played on the field for ASU from 1997-99, but the emotions remain the same. In Bloomquist’s first season, ASU has been coming into a rhythm and finding a good balance between its pitching and offense.
ASU (19-19, 8-7 in Pac-12) collected its first conference sweep of the season last weekend over USC and earning a 6-1 win over CSUN on Tuesday for its fifth straight win.
“I don’t know if I’d ever say I’m excited to go to Tucson,” Bloomquist said after Saturday’s sweep over USC. “I’m sure that’ll be an emotional series as well.”
The stories surrounding the programs has slightly changed since the last meeting on April 5. ASU had dropped three of its last five leading up to the game and almost fell into another hole when Arizona hit four home runs, but the Sun Devils rallied back to take down No. 11 Arizona 10-6.
Since then, the Wildcats (26-12, 11-7) have dropped out of the rankings and suffered two straight conference series losses against Washington State and Utah. Arizona still holds a good position in the conference and sits at third in the Pac-12 behind Oregon and Oregon State.
Arizona catcher Daniel Susac is the top hitter in the conference with a .382 batting average and is second nationally in hits with 65. Outfielder Chase Davis is second in home runs with 11. Davis hit one of four home runs against ASU in the last meeting.
The Sun Devils have seen more offensive output with 74 runs scored in the last eight games. The lineup has come alive with Sean McLain, Joe Lampe, Ethan Long, Conor Davis, and Ryan Campos coming into their own at the plate.
“Just from an on-field leadership standpoint, the way those guys are putting quality at-bats, it fuels the rest of the lineup. You can’t forget Ryan Campos, the guy is probably the most mature hitter on the team ...” Lampe said. “Just having that guy to back them up, it’s like, dang, you have to pitch to these guys. It’s a mess for pitchers right now.”
Lampe and Nate Baez are tied for second in doubles with 16 on the season. ASU currently ranks seventh nationally in doubles with 92 over its 38 games.
Lampe leads the Pac-12 with 28 extrabase hits.
Both teams will start Friday at 6 p.m., following by Saturday at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 12 p.m. Friday’s game will be shown on Pac-12 Arizona, while the other two will be on Pac-12 Networks.
Although the two teams aren’t scheduled for another meeting this season, there is still a possibility for another meeting. On the horizon for both programs is the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament at Scottsdale Stadium from May 25-29. ASU will have four more conference series before the tournament begins.
Around campus
No. 13 ASU softball (31-5, 12-0) hits the road while on its 20-game win streak and will face Stanford in a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. Two ASU players earned major recognition Wednesday when senior outfielder Yannira Acuña and freshman first baseman Cydney Sanders were named top 25 finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the top award in NCAA softball. Acuña leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.462) and runs scored (44) and ranks No. 7 in the nation in batting average. Sanders, a true freshman, ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 11 nationally with a .571 on base percentage.
The stakes remain high for ASU lacrosse as it hosts No. 17 USC in its regular season finale Friday at 3 p.m. ASU is currently in a three-way tie with USC and Stanford for first place in the Pac-12 and the winner of the game will have an impact on seeding for the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament in Tempe from May 4-7. The game will also honor the 16 seniors on the team.
ASU track and field will host the ASU Twilight Invite, its final home meet of the season, on Friday and Saturday at Sun Angel Stadium. On Friday, ASU will celebrate its seniors at 5 p.m. at the end of the finish line. This will be the last meet before the Pac-12 Championships May 13-15 in Eugene, Oregon and one of the final chances for athletes to qualify for the NCAA West Prelims (May 26-28).
ASU women’s golf finished seventh overall at the Pac-12 Championships in Eugene, Ore. Wednesday. Senior Alessandra Fanali tied for ninth overall and kept the streak of 18 consecutive years where an ASU golfer has finished in the top-10. ASU will now wait for its NCAA Regional placing.