That is going to be electric! I’m pumped
ASU Baseball 2023
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Absolute Zero
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Thanks for the heads up!
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Great game. The umpire behind plate had a really bad strike zone. Keaschall was amazing. Ryan Campos has a really good game. Ross Dunn really battled as the SP.
Stadium was packed and Dillingham threw out first pitch…threw into batters box…demanded the ball back to throw it better…bounced it to the plate.
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Now have to hope ASU can follow up after a big win in the first game against Arizona.
Agreed. This week will tell us about this team. If they somehow go 3-1, then I think we are onto something. Get tonight’s game and you are in good position.
A couple of notes:
1. Last night things got chippy in the later innings. It will be interesting to see if there is any carry over. Baseball isn’t like the other major sports so the chippiness is a little different.
2. Huge crowd last night. Over 6300 in announced attendance. Until this week, the row where my season tickets are has been empty except for my son and I. Expecting another huge crowd tonight.
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I used to love going to the games when I lived in the Valley. I'd get there early to get a seat behind the third base dugout, talk to the players and watch the warm-ups. It was some of the best times of my life.
Things often got chippy behind the dugout. Lots of talking going on with fans trying to rattle the third baseman and the pitcher.
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Great win last night. For 5 innings, UofA controlled the game. Unlike last season, when ASU would have capitulated early on, this team never stops battling. They have huge 6th inning and basically win the game.
The pitchers on this team believe. Now they go for the sweep
16-8
Sweep! No pity for the kitty. Another fantastic game. Slight hiccup in the 8th inning but they stopped the bleeding.
If not for an inexplicable meltdown last Sunday @ Utah they would be on an 11 game winning streak. Currently in first place in the PAC.
Upcoming this week is a single game @ UNLV. UNLV is not very good at all. Weekend series @ Cal. Cal is mediocre at best this year. This feels like a trap week. Anything worse than 3-1 will be not just a disappointment but a failure.
Sweep! No pity for the kitty. Another fantastic game. Slight hiccup in the 8th inning but they stopped the bleeding.
If not for an inexplicable meltdown last Sunday @ Utah they would be on an 11 game winning streak. Currently in first place in the PAC.
Upcoming this week is a single game @ UNLV. UNLV is not very good at all. Weekend series @ Cal. Cal is mediocre at best this year. This feels like a trap week. Anything worse than 3-1 will be not just a disappointment but a failure.
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That's awesome!
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So when you posted this question, I wasn’t really sure what the answer is/was. As of today, the answer is yes, this Devils team passes the eye test. Here’s why I believe this:
1. Offense - this offense is just relentless. For the most part they stack quality ABs even if the AB isn’t a success. They apply pressure to the opposing pitchers. Willie seems to be sending runners more than earlier in the year which is now putting additional pressure on the opposition.
2. Defense - this everyday lineup typically fields at least 3-4 freshman depending on the game. Freshman can and do make errors but overall this defense is solid and doesn’t allow for a ton of extra outs.
3. Starting pitching - last year Willie had smith’s guys and all the starters seemed to be the same guy. Fastball going 87-91 and some sort of off sided breaking stuff. This year Willie has his guys in the rotation and they are all experienced with most being junior or better. We’re seeing fastballs in the 93-96 range, typical breaking stuff and what appears to even be some changeups.
4. Bullpen - this is the biggest unknown at this point. Not sure there is a true closer although Blake Pivaroff seems to be that guy in development. There are some true pitchers in the pen though.
5. Intangibles - this team never stops fighting even when they are down which is a huge change from last year. These are Willie’s guys for the most part and they grind and battle and the whole team has adored that attitude for the most part.
6. Concerns - it sure feels like positional player depth is a problem. A couple more injuries and this could become a full fledged panic situation. Also, if the bullpen hits an extended sided bump things could get ugly.
At this time, I believe this team is good enough to get to a regional. From there, who knows?
Thanks for the report. I appreciate it.
I'm going to have to try to get out for some games. I used to go to a lot of games when I was in my 20s but the habit fell off and I haven't been in years now. I think I still know where Packard is.
It used to always make for a chill night that's not too expensive.
Just a quick side note. After my Packard joke in the last post I pulled up the wiki on Phoenix Muni and found this cool tidbit. I never we had the Polo Grounds connection before. I've always had a fascination with the Polo Grounds due to it's odd geometry for a field.
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ASU beats Cal on Friday, 4-1.
The Sun Devils are now 18-8 and have won their last six games.
The Sun Devils are now 18-8 and have won their last six games.
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Cal walked off the Devils last night. Defense was a little shaky and the offense had some opportunities but never exploded.
Interesting side note. The Cal player who hit the walk-off HR had an epic bat flip, was ejected for it and will miss today’s game. Also, I believe that player was hitting just below .200 before the AB
Interesting side note. The Cal player who hit the walk-off HR had an epic bat flip, was ejected for it and will miss today’s game. Also, I believe that player was hitting just below .200 before the AB
19-9
It wasn’t pretty but Devils took 2 of 3 from Cal. Sometimes winning ugly works. The boys entered the 8th inning down 8-6 and promptly put up 9 runs.
Interesting week. Tuesday they play seemingly a really bad university of Seattle team. Weekend series against Washington State. Normally I would think easy go against the Cougs but they are 17-9 and just took both games off #12 UCLA.
It wasn’t pretty but Devils took 2 of 3 from Cal. Sometimes winning ugly works. The boys entered the 8th inning down 8-6 and promptly put up 9 runs.
Interesting week. Tuesday they play seemingly a really bad university of Seattle team. Weekend series against Washington State. Normally I would think easy go against the Cougs but they are 17-9 and just took both games off #12 UCLA.
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Here are some highlights for those wanting a flavor of the ASU win over Cal.
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Contrades is red hot. Back a month ago he was hitting something like .220 and didn’t look good doing it. His defense is very good as well
