TEMPE -- Sun Devil Baseball hits the home stretch of the season as it hosts No. 13 Stanford this weekend at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The three-game Pac-12 series will get underway on Friday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. as ASU hosts Star Wars Night at the ball park. Saturday's tilt will also get underway at 6:30 p.m. before the season finale on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. .@Connor_Higgins7 had a 27.00 ERA in his first three games this year. Since he has a 3.79 ERA with 2 wins, 3 saves in 10 games.
2. The 11 Devils who've combined for ASU's 29 homers this season entered 2017 with seven D-I collegiate homers between them.
3. .@elingos15 has already passed his 2016 win total with 6 in just 12 starts w/ 0 earned runs in two of those starts.
4. .@ashaps08 is riding a team-leading 17-game reached base streak, his second double-digit streak of the year.
5. Gage Canning's 12-game hit streak ended vs Oregon, finishing at 28-for-52 (.538) with 3 HR, 3 3B and 3 2B
6. .@gagecanning currently leads the nation with seven triples this season and has 13 in his career at ASU.
7. .@gagecanning is first Devil to have at least 9 games with 3+ hits since Zach MacPhee and Drew Maggi in 2010.
8. .@j_god23 has inherited 19 runners this season (second on team) and stranded 18 of those overall.
9. Carter Aldrete leads the team with 24 RBIs this season, 10 of which have come with two outs - also leading the team.
10. ASU is the only Pac-12 tem with a winning record against Stanford since the 1959 season (101-93).
Follow the Action
- Each game of the series will be available via a free live stream this weekend through the Pac-12 Network, available at Pac-12.com/Live.
- The Sun Devils will return the the airwaves this weekend as well after a two-week hiatus. The Sun Devil Sports Radio Network is scheduled to broadcast each tilt on NBC Sports 1060 AM and100.7 KSLX HD 2. The games will also be available through the TuneIn app on TheSunDevils.com. Broadcaster Tim Healey is set to serve his 19th season as the "Voice of the Sun Devils" on baseball broadcasts and will be joined for the second-straight season by color analyst Max Rossiter, who was an all-conference catcher for the Devils from 2012-13.
- Fans are also encouraged to follow along on Twitter (@ASU_Baseball) for live updates throughout the weekend.
Scouting the Cardinal
- Arizona State is the only Pac-12 team with a winning record against Stanford (since 1959) and leads the all-time series, 101-93.
- The Devils have won straight in the series. The Cardinal was swept in Phoenix in 2015 and at home in 2016, but had won the three previous series over the Sun Devils.
- However, Stanford is the only Pac-12 school with a winning record again the Devils in series' since 2000 (9 series wins to 8).
- Stanford's nine-game win streak is the longest in the nation, and the program's best since a nine-game stretch from Feb. 20-March 5, 2013. Stanford earned its first sweep of Arizona since 1999.
- Junior reliever Colton Hock is just the second Stanford player to record 20 career saves.
- Only five NCAA coaches have reached 1,600 career wins, only four have been Division I coaches, and only three have done it at one school. Coach Marquess is a member of each of those exclusive clubs.
- Freshman Daniel Bakst owns Stanford's longest hitting streak this year at 11 games (March 12-April 6). He has a hit in 23 of his last 26 games.
- A lefty has started 31 straight games for Stanford and all but two this year (senior righty Brett Hanewich started Feb. 18 and Feb. 28). Stanford has used just five starting pitchers this season (Miller, Castellanos, Bubic, Summerville, Hanewich).
Eli's Coming
- Eli Lingos, who earned first team Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2016, has quickly solidified himself as the team's ace this season after entering the year as the Friday Night Starter.
- Lingos has been solid in 2017, going 6-3 with six quality starts in his 12 appearances of the season. No other Sun Devil has more than one quality start this season.
- Among those wins were an upset over then-No. 1 TCU and a career-best 7.2 IP outing against LMU in which he allowed no runs.
- Lingos went over 6.0 IP in his first five appearances this season after neving having consecutive games over 6.0 IP in his career prior to this season. He has seven games over 6.0 IP this year, six of which were wins.
- The junior lefty has allowed no earned runs in two starts this season, something he had done in a start just once in his career prior.
- His six wins this season doubles his 2016 total while he has issued no walks in two of his starts this season, something he had accomplished in just two starts prior to 2017.
- He is seventh in the league with 70.1 innings pitched this season and eighth in the conference with 56 strikeouts. He is tied for fifth nationally with 12 starts this year.
12-Gage
- Gage Canning has been among the hottest Sun Devils in the lineup - and the Pac-12 - in recent weeks.
- His 12-game hitting streak this season is tied for the longest by a Sun Devil on the year.
- In that 12-game streak prior to the Oregon series, he was 28-for-52 (.538) with three home runs, three triples and three doubles while slugging .885 in the process. The junior outfielder tallied a team leading 13 RBI's, scored 12 runs and was a perfect 4-for-4 attempting to steal and flashed the leather as well, making highlight reel plays in right field leading to a perfect fielding percentage on 26 attempts during the streak.
Canning Do It? Yes, He Can
- Canning now has nine games with three or more hits on the season which is four more than any other Sun Devil and surpasses the team lead from last season (6).
- The nine three-hit games is tied for the most for an ASU player since Zach MacPhee and Drew Maggi did it in 2010.
- Canning is the current national leader with seven triples this season and surpassed his total from last season (6). With 13 career triples, Canning is just seven out of cracking the all-time top-five at ASU in the category.
- Canning has spent time at the leadoff spot and turning the order back around in the lower part of the lineup this year and done exactly what's expected of him in that role, second on the team with six stolen bases and leading the way with 30 runs scored.
- Canning's recent hot streak has him ranked 10th in the Pac-12 with a .348 batting average and ninth with a .543 slugging percentage.
Lin-Sanity
- Lyle Lin has had three or more hits in three games on the year while registering multiple hits in 14 games on the season overall - second on the team in the category.
- Lin had streak of reaching base in 24 consecutive games ended in the Oregon series. It was the longest active streak by a Sun Devil and third-longest by any ASU freshman since 2000, trailing only Gage Canning (28, 2016) and Dustin Pedroia (26, 2002).
- The 24-game streak was the fourth longest by any Pac-12 player this season.
- Lin has reached base in all but four games this season and has a hit in 31 of the team's 41 games.
- Lin's prowess of the plate is further exemplified by his team leading 15 walks as opposing pitchers have begun pitching around him in recent weeks.
Re-LYLE-able
- Lyle Lin has an approach at the plate that is tough to find in many freshmen. The youngster leads the team's starters with 19 two-out hits and is third with a .333 average (19-of-57) with two outs on the board.
- Lin is third on the team with nine two-out RBIs and also holds a team-leading 16 hits with runners in scoring position on 48 at bats (.333), three more than the next closest Devil.
- Lin has started every game this season, one of just three players to do so.
And All That Chaz
- In his first eight appearances, freshman Chaz Montoya struggled with a 14.29 ERA and an 0-1 record.
- In his last five appearances, Montoya has a 4.74 ERA and a 4-2 record, striking out 26 in the process.
- Of ASU's 10 wins since Montoya became a starter, four of those belong to the freshman.
- He had a streak of 17.1 innings without allowing a run come to an end in his start against UCLA.
Zach Cer-Bomb
- One of the most pleasant surprises of 2017 has been the emergence of senior catcher Zach Cerbo, a four-year veteran who is seeing his most significant action as a Sun Devil this season.
- Cerbo's .314 average is third on the team with a .398 on-base percentage that leads the team. He is second on the team with his 13 walks and also third with a .465 slugging percentage
- Cerbo had an 11-game reached base streak and an eight-game hitting streak snapped against Oregon.
- Cerbo's defense has been another much-needed addition to the team as the senior has thrown out 11 batters attempting to steal a base this season compared to just 20 stolen bases against. Those 11 caught stealing are tied for the lead in the Pac-12.
Shaps Blasts
- After missing the first five games of the season to suspension, junior Andrew Shaps has two doubled-digit reached base streaks, including his active 17-game streak - the second longest by a Sun Devil this season.
- The outfielder had a career-best 10-game hitting streak entering that OSU finale and is currently second on the team with 26 runs scored this year.
- Despite missing five games, Shaps is third on the team in walks this season with 12 and also second on the team in home runs with four - notable as he had just two in his career prior.
Big Willie Style
- Tyler Williams has provided some much needed pop in the lineup this season, leading the team with five home runs on the year after having none in his freshman campaign - a total good for a tie for sixth in the Pac-12.
- His 21 RBIs this season are third on the team and he has a knack for pushing runners across even with an out, logging eight RBIs with an out and leading the team in advancing runners with an out, doing so 16 times.
- Williams leads the team when it comes to advancing runners from a percentage standpoint, doing so 26 times on 45 chances (.578).
- The sophomore has also brought home a runner from third with less than two outs a team-best 10 times on 14 chances (.714).
#BISHETE
- Another pair of freshmen have certainly been making the presence know this season in the form of Carter Aldrete and Hunter Bishop.
- Aldrete currently leads the team with 24 RBIs this season and leads the team with three games with season with 3 or more RBIs. In fact, he's the only player on the team to post more than three RBIs in multiple games this year.
- Aldrete leads the team with 10 two-out RBIs this season.
- Bishop came on strong against CSUB, knocking two home runs in a week removed from notching the first walk-off hit of his career against Washington State.
- Bishop is currently tied for second on the team with four home runs this season.
- Bishop and Aldrete had history before coming to Arizona State. Both hail for Northern California and played in the 2015 Under Armour All-American games and selected to play for the Oakland Athletics' Area Code team in 2015.
Turning The Tides
- Connor Higgins was in pretty dire straights in the first 13 games with a 27.00 ERA in three appearances with just 1.1 innings pitched. Since then, Higgins has a 3.79 ERA in 10 apperances with 18 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched while picking up two wins and a team-best three saves in the process.
- Eder Erives had a 9.00 ERA in three appearances and just 2.0 innings pitched and that's down to a 3.07 ERA in his last five relief apperances with 16 strikeouts and all three of his season's saves, good for ninth in the Pac-12. His improvements have led to a spot in the starting lineup for the senior.
- Jake Godfrey had a 6.35 ERA early in the year that is now 2.35 in his last eight relief appearances. The junior college transfer has been solid in keeping his team out of trouble all season, inheriting a team-leading 19 baserunners on the year and stranding 18 of those.
They Can Mash Too
- Eleven Sun Devils (Tyler Williams 5, Hunter Bishop 4, Andrew Shaps 4, Carter Aldrete 3, Gage Canning 3, Zach Cerbo 2, Ryan Lillard 2, Jeremy McCuin 2, Taylor Lane 2, Lyle Lin 1, and Jackson Willeford 1) have combined for ASU's 29 home runs this season - an interesting note as those 10 combined entered the 2017 season with just seven Division I career home runs between them (Canning 3, Shaps 2, Lillard 1, McCuin 1).
- Despite the not-so-home-run-friendly confines of Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the Sun Devils are currently third in the Pac-12 with 29 home runs this season.
Clutch Hitting
- The Sun Devils have lived and died by their clutch hitting this season, currently batting 70-of-205 (.341) with runners in scoring position and 79-of-227 (.348) with two outs in the team's wins but struggling to get timely hits in the team's losses at just 34-of-185 (.184) with runners in scoring position and 43-of-226 (.190) with two outs.
- On the flip side, ASU has struggled defensively to get out of some innings, allowing opponents to bat .304 (144-of-474) with two outs.
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), Andrew Shaps (father, Robert, Cleveland Indians).
Keeping It Interesting
- The Devils had a knack for success in close games last season and that continued this season
- Since 2016, the Devils are 7-2 in extra-inning games (1-1 in 2017), with six walk-off wins (two this season) and are 20-5 (8-4 this year) in one-run games including 7-4 in Pac-12 play. ASU has driven in the game-winning run in the eighth inning or later 13 times (three times this year).
- Arizona State has notched 10 wins since 2016 when trailing after six innings (four times 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.
- The Sun Devils have had a pair of big attendance games this season, including 6,010 against Oregon State in the series opener - the second largest crowd since moving back to Phoenix Muni - as well as 4,107 fans against UNLV in the largest mid-week attendance since returning to Muni and fifth-largest overall since returning.
- The Devils are currently 24th nationally with 67,274 cumulative fans this season (second in the Pac-12) and 27th with 2,492 fans per game (third in the Pac-12).
- 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.
Erives On Fire
- Eder Erives has worked his way into the starting lineup in recent weeks, despite also leading the team with three saves this season.
- The senior is the only player to pitch a complete game this season, going a career best 8.0 innings while allowing just one earned run in the loss.
- After struggling early in this season, Erives has a team-low 3.00 ERA in nine appearances since the Long Beach State series, striking out 27 and allowing a team-best .226 opponent batting average.