ASU's prized shortstop, Drew Maggi, signed with Pittsburgh at the MLB signing deadline. Despite being picked up in the 15th round, Maggi was offered an extremely generous signing bonus, and he smartly decided to head for the minor leagues.

Maggi hit .326 on the year for the Devils, and stole 36 bases. Maggi's OBP was over .400 in both his seasons at Arizona State.

Here is what Pirates Prospects says about the deal:

The sophomore shortstop from Arizona State received $468,000, which is $318,000 over MLB's recommended maximum of $150,000 after the fifth round.  The bonus is equivalent to a late second round slot price, and is the second highest announced bonus so far

In other news, second round pick Jordan Swagerty still has not signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, although according to their official site, the "deal is imminent."

As for the rest of the Sun Devil draftees?

Other Sun Devils who have signed pro contacts are pitchers Seth Blair, Merrill Kelly, Josh Spence, Jimmy Patterson and Jake Borup, outfielder Kole Calhoun, third baseman Raoul Torrez and catcher Xorge Carrillo. Recruits Taylor Lindsey and Travis Flores also signed.

Next year will tell a lot about the future of the Arizona State baseball program.

Well, this is not good.

ASU is on the verge of being sent home from Omaha early. Aftrer losing 6-3 to the upstart Clemson Tigers, the Sun Devils will face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday for the right to live another day.

Some reaction to the game:

Official ASU Recap

Blair took the loss, his first of the season, to drop to 12-1. He allowed seven hits and five earned runs and matched his career high with five walks over 4.1 innings. Brady Rodgers allowed a run over 1.2 innings of relief, while Jimmy Patterson and Mitchell Lambson combined to throw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

ASU will try to make run through loser's bracket - AZ Republic

"There's a reason why we haven't lost consecutive games and there's a reason why we have the record we do because we're able to bounce back," third baseman/captain Raoul Torrez said. "We'll be ready to go."

ASU has not gone 0-2 at Rosenblatt Stadium since 1993 and only twice in 21 previous CWS appearances (also 1987). To do so as the No. 1 national seed would be a major embarrassment and a setback for first-year coach Tim Esmay, whose interim status was upgraded earlier this month.

South Carolina is no pushover. The Gamecocks swept No. 4 national seed Coastal Carolina in a Super Regional and went 21-9 in the rugged Southeastern Conference.

 

Looks like we're in for a battle tomorrow.

The 2010 College World Series began on Saturday with UCLA and TCU blowing out the Florida state schools. Today is the day of the Sun Devil: our matchup against Clemson begins at 4 PM Arizona time ASU and Clemson have been moved to 8 AM PST on Monday due to the weather.

It looks as though Seth Blair will be pitching on Monday against the Tigers. Our first round pick is an easy choice to send to the mound.

I'm really looking forward to this game, and you can watch it on ESPN or ESPN3.com if you're not cable-savvy. No excuses - we need our city watching this game. Though I understand the game is on during work hours, who says you can't live stream it from your desk?

This could finally be the year we bring another CWS title back to Tempe, so I want to witness it.

ASU pitcher Jake Borup is blogging from Omaha. This is a pretty cool thing, and I hope to see more of its kind in the coming years.

Jeff Metcalfe has been blogging a great amount of information about ASU, and I highly recommend you check it out. Prime example: updates about Josh Spence (he's expected to sign with the Padres) and coverage of other draft picks.

Drew Maggi hit a game-winning home run in the top of the 12th inning to propel the Sun Devils back to Omaha.

It was an excellent series against the Arkansas Razorbacks, with the two games taking 24 innings to complete.

ASU is heavily favored to win the College World Series, and will play the winner of the Alabama/Clemson super regional.

Some people say baseball is boring.  They say it's a slow paced, low action game.  I've got the perfect video to prove otherwise.  The ASU vs. Arkansas regional game held at Packard Stadium on Saturday night was a game to remember.  How's this for drama?  With 2-outs in the 9th inning, a runner on 3rd base, and a 2 strike count,  Pac-10 player of the year Zack MacPhee hits a chopper to the left side of the infield.  The pitcher fields the ball, overthrowing first base as the tying run crosses the plate.  The Devils proceed to load the bases and Ruettiger hits a chopper up the middle.  The SS fields the ball and flips it to the 2nd baseman to get the out by a matter of inches.  How is that for a dose of drama?  

Mitchell Lambson came on to pitch 5 innings of 1-hit ball and shut down a feisty Arkansas lineup which climbed out of an early 3-0 deficit.  Fast forward to the bottom of the 12th inning.  Calhoun led off with a walk.  Riccio Torrez got plunked by a pitch to put men at first and second.  Ruettiger came up and bunted a ball hard down the line, which the third basemen fielded perfectly and got the force out at 2nd, leaving men on first and third, and a chance for a double play to end the inning.  Deven Marrero came up to bat in what was a perfect intentional walk situation.  Why not load the bases and get the easy force at home on a ground ball?  Instead, Arkansas decided to pitch to Marrero and he made them pay.  With a liner up the middle into the outfield, the Devils took game one of the best of 3 series and with it all the momentum there is to be had.

With one more win against the Razorbacks, the Devils will be heading to Omaha as the likely favorite to win the WS.  Incase you missed the game, check out ESPN3.COM for a replay, it's worth it.

After Seth Blair was drafted in the first round on Monday, nine more Sun Devils were selected on the second day of the MLB draft, which wrapped up today.

Josh Spence, who didn’t even pitch this year, was picked in the 9th round by the Padres. Hopefully the majority of these guys stick around for another season of success in the desert.

Check out the link above to see who else was drafted.

ASU is currently beating Hawai'i 7-4 in the bottom of the 7th. If the Sun Devils win tonight, they will advance to the Super Regional. If the Rainbow Warriors can pull it out, there will be another game tomorrow night to determine the champion.

ASU starter Jake Borup went 6 innings, giving up 4 earned runs. Kole Calhoun hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning, while Drew Maggi stroked a two-run double in the 4th.

Lets go Devils!

UPDATE: ASU wins, 8-4. Mitchell Lambson pitched two innings, striking out four, and Jordan Swagerty came in and shut the door on Hawai'i.