ASU Baseball: Oregon State Preview

After dropping four of their last five contests, the No. 13 Sun Devils return home (where they sit with a 22-1 record) as their most tenacious opponent up to this point comes to town in the form of the No. 4 Oregon State Beavers.

Game 1: Friday, April 12 (6:30 p.m. MST)

Game 2: Saturday, April 13 (6:30 p.m. MST)

Game 3: Sunday, April 14 (12:30 p.m. MST)

A look at the Sun Devils

Arizona State has somewhat spiraled a bit over the last week, after taking 22 of their first 23 matchups in 2019. They lost two midweek games along with two of three at USC. Those midweek losses came in the form of a 14-9 defeat against then-three-win Long Beach State, and a blown five run lead in the ninth inning Tuesday at UNLV.

Having said that, if there were a “right time” for a cold spurt, this past week’s games resulted in smaller damage than their room for success, should they win this upcoming series along with UCLA and/or Stanford.

Last time the Devils faced off with Oregon State, they lost two of three at Goss Stadium, but picked up a Saturday win against Bryce Fehmel.

Key Player to Watch

Spencer Torkelson: The sophomore seems to have hit the power surge the ASU coaching staff has been waiting for. The slugger has smashed seven long balls in his last fourteen games, including one in each of his last three. The power is now simply complimenting an already-outstanding season at the plate with Torkelson holding a .382 clip with 39 RBI (3^rd in the Pac-12) while also riding a current 16-game hit streak.

A look at Oregon State

The reigning national champions had a plethora of roster turnover since hoisting their trophy on top of the mound at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. They lost six starting position players, including first round picks Nick Madrigal, Trevor Larnach and Cadyn Grenier, in addition to southpaw and two-year Friday starter Luke Heimlich.

But they have not skipped a beat.

Their pitching staff continues to dazzle, ranking third in the conference in ERA (2.78) and second in strikeouts (290). On the other side, they do have three players hitting over .300 up to this point.

Key Player to Watch

Brandon Eisert: This could very easily go to his battery-mate and soon-to-be top three MLB Draft pick, Adley Rutschman. However, Eisert has stepped into the Friday starter role in the last few weeks and ran with it. After being rated as the No. 5 reliever in the nation entering the season (per D1 Baseball), the now-Beavers ace has now made three starts while maintaining an ERA of 0.75, the third lowest in Division I Baseball.

The left-handed junior is slated to take the rubber Friday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium against the Pac-12’s top offense.

Something to Note

It was announced Tuesday evening that sophomore right-hander and 2018 CWS star Kevin Abel would miss the remainder of the season for the Beavers and undergo Tommy John surgery. He made just three starts on the year in 16.1 innings with a 3.86 ERA.

Friday Night’s Probable

4/12 vs Oregon State

RHP Alec Marsh: 53.1 IP, 7-1, 2.19 ERA, 21 BB, 45 K’s, .237 BAA