ASU baseball earns top-10 national buzz
For Arizona State baseball, nine years is a long tine without a College World Series appearance. The longest in school history, in fact.
That wait could be coming to an end if ASU matches its preseason rankings.
The Sun Devils are in the top five in three national polls and top 10 in another. They are the highest ranked Pac-12 team in all four, showing widespread believe that administrative patient support of coach Tracy Smith will pay off in his sixth season with a trip to Omaha for the first time since 2010.
“I don’t hear guys talking a lot about it,” Smith said of the lofty rankings. “We’re mindful of where the guys’ heads are, but our message has never changed. We’re not answering to the polls and focusing on our club. This is a pretty mature group.
“We have a business plan we started a few years ago. A big piece of that plan is we want to be in the conversation for national championships. If we are, that means we’re doing a lot of things right. It all comes down to what you do you on the field and where you are at the end. It’s a grind.”
ASU jumped back into the NCAA Tournament -- after two years out, last season -- starting 21-0, going 38-19 and losing in a regional at LSU. The optimism for another leap forward starts with the entire infield returning including potential major league first-round draft picks Spencer Torkelson and Alika Williams, both on the D1Baseball presesason AllAmerica first team.
projects Torkelson to be the No. 1 MLB pick in June, when the draft will be held in Omaha on the three days preceding the start of the CWS.
Smith believes ASU’s pursuit a CWS berth will keep the draft-eligible players focused on the season more than their pro future.
“If you don’t manage that, it has the ability to destroy a team,” Smith said. “But our players have been in the thick of that (pro scouting) since the day they step on campus.”
Torkelson, a first baseman, goes into his junior season with 48 home runs, nine shy of Bob Horner’s school record, set from 1976-78. Jeff Larish also is ahead of Torkelson with 51 homers from 2002-05.
ASU’s key additions including pitching coach Jason Kelly, formerly at Washington, and a top 10-ranked recruiting class (No. 8 Baseball America) with some welcomed pitching reinforcements.
Kelly was a candidate for the San Francisco Giants’ pitching coach job in December, but Andrew Bailey was the hire.
“I’m happy selfishly he’s here,” Smith said of Kelly, whom he tried to previously bring to ASU. “If nothing else, it validates what we already know, that he’s one of the top pitching coaches in the country, not just at the collegiate level but in the eyes of major league baseball.”
Returning pitchers include Boyd Vander Kooi, RJ Dabovich, Brady Corrigan and Erik Tolman. Incoming pitchers include Justin Fall, Cooper Benson, Seth Tomczak, Nick Wallerstedt and Tyler Thornton, a transfer from St. Mary’s.
Catcher Sam Ferri is back as are outfielders Trevor Hauver and Myles Denson.
Smith said ASU has 5-6 weekend starting pitching candidates that need to be sorted out early in the season. Dabovich is among those but is open to being the bullpen closer.
Ferri will be backed by Nick Cheema with freshman Nathan Baez transitioning to catcher. Freshman catcher Michael Carpentier left ASU after fall practice.
Freshman Sean McLain is competing with Dusty Garcia to start in center field, likely between Hauver and Denson.
ASU had its media day Friday and opens the season Feb. 14 against Villanova. The Sun Devils’ first 11 games and 19 of their first 21 are at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, where they have yet to host in the postseason since moving from Packard Stadium in 2015.
College baseball preseason polls
Baseball America: 1. Vanderbilt, 2. Louisville, 3. Arizona State, 4. Florida, 5. Miami, 6. Texas Tech, 7. Georgia, 8. Michigan, 9. Mississippi State, 10. UCLA. (22. Arizona).
Collegiate Baseball: 1. Louisville, 2. Vanderbilt, 3. Texas Tech, 4. Miami, 5. Arizona State, 6. Mississippi State, 7. Georgia, 8. Auburn, 9. Arkansas, 10. Michigan. (12. UCLA, 18. Arizona, 25. Stanford).
D1 Baseball: 1. Louisville, 2. Vanderbilt, 3. Miami, 4. Florida, 5. Georgia, 6. Texas, 7. Arkansas, 8. Auburn, 9. Arizona State, 10. Mississippi State (14. UCLA, 17. Stanford).
Perfect Game: 1. Louisville, 2. Vanderbilt, 3. Texas Tech, 4. Arkansas, 5. Arizona State, 6. Auburn, 7. Miami, 8. Mississippi State, 9. UCLA, 10. Georgia. (15. Stanford).