Watch Episode 1 of the 2017 Edition of Skip's Scoop
TEMPE -- Sun Devill Baseball kicks off the 2017 season this weekend against the Northwestern Wildcats beginning Friday, Feb. 17 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The two teams will take part in an Opening Day doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. MT with the second game getting underway at 6:30 p.m. Game Three of the series is currently scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. MT but with projected bad weather in the foreast, that contest could be moved to Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Follow Sun Devil Baseball on Twitter (@ASU_Baseball) throughout the weekend for more updates
Friday, Feb. 17, 2:00 p.m. | Northwestern at Arizona State | WATCH Live Stream | STATS
Friday, Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m. | Northwestern at Arizona State | WATCH Live Stream | STATS
Saturday, Feb. 18, 1:00 p.m. (Weather Permitting) | Northwestern at Arizona State | WATCH Live Stream | STATS
Sunday, Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m. (If Necessary) | Northwestern at Arizona State | WATCH Live Stream | STATS
Follow the Action
- Fans will be able to view each game in the series via the Pac-12 Network Live Stream, available for free at http://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university.
- While the Sun Devil Sports Network is scheduled for 32 Sun Devil radio broadcasts this season, that will not be happening during the opening weekend. The first scheduled radio broadcast will come Tuesday against Oklahoma State on 100.7 KSLX and the Sun Devils Sports Network TuneIn App.
- Fans are also encouraged to follow along on Twitter (@ASU_Baseball) and interact throughout the weekend.
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. .@Elingos15 will make his first Opening Night start for the Devils after joining the starting rotation in 2016.
2. .@EderTwentyUno placed fourth in the conference in saves last season with 10 despite bouncing between the bullpen and rotation.
3. .@ASU_Baseball has never opened their season against a Big Ten opponent and last played a series against conference in 2006.
4. The only time @ASU_Baseball and @NUCatsBaseball have previously met was in 1996 (ASU won 14-3).
5. .@ASU_Baseball has won 10 consecutive series on Opening Weekend and 9 of the last 10 season openers.
6. Friday will mark the first Opening Day doubleheader for ASU since 1979 and only the 4th in program history.
7. The Devils are 18-3 in series' that have been played in the month of February in the past 11 seasons.
8. .@EderTwentyUno was named to the @NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List this week.
9. .@SpencerV44 will look to become the first Sun Devil freshman to start a game during opening weekend since Adam McCreery in 2012.
10. .@ASU_Baseball has won at least 30 games in 56 consecutive seasons, two more than Florida State in second.
Season Openers & Double-Headers
- The Sun Devils are 45-12-1 in season openers and 488-143 in doubleheaders.
- ASU has won nine of its last 10 season openers, the lone loss coming in 2014 to Baylor.
- The Devils were not originally scheduled to compete in a doubleheader this weekend, but forecasted inclement weather on Saturday forced the change.
- While doubleheaders on Opening Weekend aren't necessarily rare, a doubleheader on Opening Day is almost unheard of. In fact, ASU last played an Opening Day doubleheader on Feb. 4, 1979 against Cal State-Dominguez Hills and this weekend will mark just the fourth Opening Day doubleheader on record in program lore.
- This is the first time in Arizona State history that the Devils will open the season against a Big Ten opponent.
Scouting the Wildcats
- ASU is 1-0 all-time against Northwestern with the lone match-up on February 15, 1996. The game ended in a 14-3 victory for the Devils.
- Last season, Northwestern went 15-39 and 7-17 in Big Ten games but won five of their final six games of the season. They are projected to finish in the lower half of the Big Ten this season.
- The Wildcats return their top two hitters from last season in OF Matt Hopfner (.355/.470/.440/2 HR) and INF Connor Lind (.289/.313/.368).
- NU has tabbed Joe Schindler as the opening day starter for the second straight year, while freshmen Hank Christie and Matt Gannon will make their collegiate debuts in game two and game three of the series, respectively.
Devils vs. Big Ten
- The Sun Devils are 109-39 all-time against programs currently in the Big Ten Conference with a whopping 106 of those total games coming against Michigan and Wisconsin.
- The Devils don't tend to see much of the Big Ten in the regular season, last taking on a Big Ten opponent in 2015 (Purdue, one game) and not seeing an opponent from the conference in a series since Penn State in 2006.
Streaking in February
- The Devils are 18-3 in series' played in the month of February over the past 11 years and have won ten consecutive series on Opening Weekend.
- ASU had won 16 consecutive February series until dropping a three-game series against top-ranked TCU Feb. 20-22, 2015. Prior to that, the last time was Feb. 18-20, 2005 when they were swept by No. 1 Tulane on the road.
Eli's Coming
- Eli Lingos, who earned first team Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2016, is slated to make his first career Opening Night Start when he toes the rubber Friday night for Arizona State.
- Lingos was 3-5 last season with a 4.50 ERA in 20 appearances. Lingos began the 2016 season as the Devils' Saturday night starter.
Mr. Friday Night
- Lingos will be the sixth pitcher since 2014 to assume the Friday Night role, joining Ryan Burr, Brett Lilek, Seth Martinez and Ryan Kellogg.
- ASU used four pitchers in the Friday night role in six seasons between 2008 and 2013 with Mike Leake ('08, '09), Seth Blair ('10), Brady Rodgers ('11, '12) and Trevor Williams ('13).
- Lingos joins a long and illustrious line of Mr. Friday Night's at ASU that includes nine Major Leaguers and numerous ASU Hall of Famers, including Eddie Bane, Floyd Bannister, Kendall Carter, Mike Esposito, Larry Gura, Gary Gentry, Mike Leake, Trevor Williams and Brady Rodgers.
Erives On Fire
- Sun Devil Baseball senior RHP Eder Erives has been named to the preseason watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball, members of the association announced Monday.
- Erives is the first Sun Devil to be named to the preseason watch list for the award since Ryan Burr in 2014.
- Erives, a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2016, notched a 6-2 record with a 2.95 ERA last season. His 10 saves trailed only Oregon State's Max Englebrekt, whose 11 saves top the list of returning relievers in in the Pac-12.
- Last season, Erives struck out 73 batters and walked 36 in 76.1 innings. The 76.1 innings pitched rank fourth among the 55 players named to the watch list while his 73 strikeouts are good for seventh. Erives held opponent batting average to .192, a career-low for the right-handed pitcher. He made 23 appearances with three starts and finished fourth in the conference in saves.
- Erives holds a 3.00 career ERA and a 9-4 record overall with 61 total appearances, three starts and 11 saves over 129 innings.
12-Gage
- It was a tale of two halves last season for OF Gage Canning. In the first 26 games of the season he batted .197 with 15 hits, including one double and one triple, 12 RBI, seven runs scored and 18 total bases. In the final 29 games of the regular season he is batting .346 with a team-best 37 hits, including 13 for extra-bases (five doubles, five triples, three home runs), and 14 RBI, and 20 runs scored and 61 total bases.
- He reached base in 26 of the 29 games during the stretch and put together a team-high 13-game hitting streak.
Not Wasting Time
- Freshman Spencer Van Scoyoc is currently slated to toe the rubber in the third game of the series this weekend. He would become the first Sun Devil freshman to start a game in the Opening Weekend since Adam McCreery against Western Michigan in 2012.
- Van Scoyoc was selected in the 19th round of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays but elected to attend ASU instead.
- He was rated the #1 LHP and #1 overall player in Iowa and the #8 overal LHP in the nation.
Filling the Void(s)
- The Sun Devil will have plenty of roles to fill this season after losing the team's starting catcher, first baseman, shortstop, second baseman and Friday Night starter to the draft or graduation following 2016.
- With a need to fill nearly the entire infield, transfers Jackson Willeford and Taylor Lane figure to play a role immediately while fresman INF Carter Aldrete will receive plenty of looks. Sophomore Jeremy McCuin showed flashes throughout the season last year and will also play a role while freshman Sam Ferri figures to be calling the shots behind the plate.
- Eli Lingos will start the season on the mound for the Devils but a number of fresh arms will look to make their presence known, inclduing freshmen Spencer Van Scoyoc, Zane Strand and Chaz Montoya.
Keeping It Interesting
- In 2016, the Devils went 6-1 in extra-inning games, had four walk-off wins and went 12-1 in one-run games including 5-1 in Pac-12 play. ASU drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning or later 10 times.
- Arizona State notched seven wins in 2016 when trailing after six innings (three vs. Stanford and one each against USC, Eastern Michigan, UC Davis and Oregon).
Baseball's in Their Blood
- There are eight Sun Devils on the 2017 squad who have a history of baseball in their family: Ryan Hingst (father, David, UT El Paso), Andrew Snow (cousin, Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox), Garvin Alston Jr. (father, Garvin, MiLB), Eli Lingos (brother, Angelos, UC Riverside), Jackson Willeford (brother, Guy, Palomar JC; brother, Alex, Palomar JC/SDSU), Hunter Bishop (brother, Braden, Seattle Mariners), Fitz Stadler (Brothers Sullivan and Walker, Indiana), Carter Aldrete (father, Rich, MiLB; uncle, Mike, New York Yankees).
#Bishete
- Freshman outfielder Hunter Bishop and infielder Carter Aldrete have history before coming to Arizona State. Both played in the 2015 Under Armour All-American games and selected to play for the Oakland Athletics' Area Code team in 2015.
- Both hail from Northern California and are expected play prominent roles in the Sun Devil lineup this season.
#OccupyPHXMuni
- ASU drew more than 78,000 fans last season, finishing in the top 30 nationally in total attendance and attendance per game.
- ASU ranked 13th in total attendance and was the only school west of Texas to draw more than 100,000 fans in 2015, and ranked 18th in average attendance with 3,082 fans per game. ASU's 107,010 fans were the program's most since 2010 and ranked as the fourth-highest regular-season attendance since 1988.
- ASU moved back to Phoenix Municipal Stadium in 2015 after playing 40 seasons at Packard Stadium from 1974-2014, winning their first contest in the team's on a walk-off home run in extra inning against No. 5 Oklahoma State on Feb. 13, 2015.
- The Devils played 137 games at Muni from 1964-74, and went 111-26 at the stadium, including 17-6 against Arizona. ASU's first game at Muni was April 10, 1964, and was a 5-3 win over Arizona. ASU's last game at Muni was March 18, 1974, and was 9-6 win over Colorado. ASU won District 7 titles in 1965 and 1967 at Muni before going on to win National Championships in Omaha.
- Former Sun Devil and eventual Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was the first college player to hit a home run at Muni.
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2017 Season Tickets
Sun Devil Baseball season tickets are on sale now, and fans can purchase by calling 480-965-5812 or click here for more information and to purchase
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