Devils Baseball Loses Two To The Huskies In Weekend Series

Mike Stockman
Phoenix Area Sports

PHOENIX, AZ - The Arizona State University Sun Devils Baseball team hosted Pac-12 rival Washington Huskies for a three game series that began on Friday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, April 8. The Huskies took the series, giving head coach Lindsay Meggs his 800th career win.

Brian Serven leads Pac-12 with 20 runners caught stealing.

Coming into the series, Meggs had 798 career wins. The Huskies extended it to 799 on Friday night defeating the Devils 4-2, out-hitting the Devils 11 hits to 4. Both teams had a pair of errors.

On a good note for the Devils, catcher Brian Serven (Jr, from Palm Desert, CA)  leads the Pac-12 in runners caught stealing with 20. The next closest is 13.

After game one, Devil Head Coach Tracy Smith stated "Right now we're no where near the level of play we need to be and that we expect." He then made it very clear to the rest of the questions asked - "It's the consistency piece that has to develop".

Colby Woodmansee has 25 RBI after this 2 run home run.

In game two, the Devils came out of a home run slump, getting two - 2 run home runs which contributed to the 6-3 victory over the Huskies.

Colby Woodmansee gave the Devils offense a boost in the fifth inning with his 23rd RBI of the year. He later added two more on a home run over the left field fence to give the Devils a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning.  David Greer would add another two run home run in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to a final score of 6-3.

David Greer put final touches on win with this 2 run home run.

The weather for game three on Sunday felt like winter here in the valley of the sun with temperatures in the low-60s. A rain delay in the top of the fourth inning put the scoreless game on hold for a couple of hours while fans huddled together under anything providing protection.

After two hours, game resumed with the Huskies getting three runs in the top of the fifth. The Devils' Ryan Lillard hit a double to left field, then scored from third after a wild pitch, making the score 3-1 after seven innings. In the eighth inning, the Devils had a melt-down on defense after the pitching staff walked in a run and allowed two more runs to score to give the Huskies the 6-1 victory.

After the game, Devils' Coach Tracy Smith said "It was truly a struggle offensively today. We weren't threatening, kind of hard to score when you don't get on base." He also brought up comments about consistency stating "As I said before, look for consistency. Right now we don't have it."

The Huskies (16-11,7-5), after giving Coach Meggs his 800th career win, go back to Seattle to host Seattle on Tuesday April 12, at 5:00 pm PST.

The Devils (17-12, 4-8) look to build on consistency when they host rival Arizona Wildcats for one game on Tuesday, April 12, at 7:00 pm.

The Sun Devils Sweep The Eagles, Diamondbacks Donate $200,000

Mike Stockman
Phoenix Area Sports

TEMPE, AZ (March 6, 2016) The Arizona State University Sun Devil baseball team struggled through game one and two of the three game series against Eastern Michigan University's Eagles winning all three but allowing 29 hits over the weekend at Phoenix Municipal Stadium March 4 - 6, 2016.

Cory Hahn receiving $200,000 donation from Diamondbacks

Prior to game one, ASU graduate and former athlete Cory Hahn, who was paralyzed in a baseball accident while playing for ASU, was honored by the unveiling of his shield on the right field fence for his personal contributions as an athlete and as an inspiring spokesperson for the Cory Hahn Center Field Foundation, a scholarship program named in his honor. The Arizona Diamondbacks organization met him at the mound to hand over a donation of $200,000 prior to him throwing out the first pitch.

In game one, the Eagles out-hit the Devils with 14 hits to the Devils' 13 but left 11 runners on base, which allowed the struggling Devils the ability to squeak out a low scoring victory by a score of 2-1.  

Game two went into extra innings as the Eagles were able to tie up the game  in the top of the ninth inning when a walk and two hit batters allowed for a game tying run to cross the plate.
After the game, Coach Tracy  was asked what message he will be giving his pitching staff going into game three after hitting seven batters during game two. His response was simple. "Wow, that many?  My message, don't hit the batter".

Sebastian Zawada crossing plate after 1 of 2 home runs in game 3.

That message may have contributed to the pitching staff performance in game three. The final game on Sunday afternoon was dominated by the Devil's defensive play and junior designated hitter Sebastian Zawada's (Tucson, AZ) performance which consisted of two home runs contributing to five runs, allowing the Devils to defeat the Eagles for the third game by a score of 8-1.

The Eagles will be heading back to Michigan and hosting Oakland on March 11, 2016. The game time has not been set.

The Sun Devils travel to California on Tuesday for a two game series against Cal State Fullerton on March 8 and 9. Game time is set for 6 p.m PST on both days.

Local Players Woodmansee and Greager Clear The Bases In Wolf Pack Victory

Mike Stockman
Phoenix Area Sports

Daniel Williams (Round Rock, TX) Scores in Loss to Wolf Pack

TEMPE, AZ (February 23, 2016) the Arizona State University Sun Devil baseballl team hosted the Nevada Wolf Pack on Tuesday evening, Feb 23 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

The Wolf Pack started the game with four hits, scoring four in the top of the first.

In the bottom of the second, Sun Devil jr. Colby Woodmansee (Phoenix,AZ) hit his fifth double of the year on a shot off the left field fence.  He scored on a single RBI by fr. Gage Canning (Ramona,CA).

In the third inning, Wolf Pack Sr. Bryce Greager (Fountain Hills, AZ) hit a two run home run over left field wall putting the Wolf Pack in front 6-1.

In the top of the fourth, Greager gets two more RBI putting the Wolf Pack up by a score of 8-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, Woodmansee hits a triple, which would have scored another run for the Devils but the lead runner was thrown out at home plate. Woodmansee scored on a sacrifice fly by Gage Canning. The score after five innings was 8-2 in favor of the visiting Wolf Pack, who have never lost to the Devils.

In the fifth, Woodmansee hit a three run home run for the Devils, making the score 9-5 cutting into the Wolf Pack lead.

ASU Fans look on in disbelief in Devils' loss.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Wolf Pack added two more runs to finish the game with 11 runs, defeating the Devils for the third time. The Wolf Pack leads the all-time series between these teams 3-0.

The Wolf Pack travel to UC Irvine for a three game series that starts Friday, February 26, at 6 P.M. PST.

The Devils will be on the road for a three gane series with Long Beach State on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Game time for Friday os 6 p.m. PST.

Sun Devil Baseball Starts The 2016 Season With 4 Wins

Mike Stockman
Phoenix Area Sports

ColbyWoodmansee tags runner attempting to steal second base.

TEMPE, AZ (February 21, 2016) The Arizona State University Sun Devil Baseball team started the 2016 season with four straight victories over Big East visitor Xavier Musketeers this weekend at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

On Friday evening, the Devils opened the season with 10 hits while the Musketeers were held to five hits.  The Devils won the opening game by a score of 5 - 2.

After the game, the Devils’ Head Coach Tracy Smith stated “the good part about tonight was I liked the way we played defense…we had nervous at bats today.”



Eder Erives grabs a bunt during double header and throws out runner.

Saturday was a double header. The first of the two games finished with the final score of 2-1. In the second game of the double header, the Musketeers were able to out-hit the Devils 12 to 9 but were unable to turn the advantage into a win. The Devils finished the evening with a win by the score of 8-2.

Game four on Sunday resulted in a 5-1 victory for the Devils, who are looking to keep the momentum alive. When asked what they need to work on before the next game, sophomore Andrew Shaps (Paradise Valley, AZ) said “all around consistent, everybody needs to keep getting better. He then ended the comment with “I think overall we did great this weekend”.

The Devils host the Nevada Wolfpack on Tuesday, Feb 23 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Game time is 6:30 P.M and will be available on ASU Live Stream | Pac-12.com.

The Devils Take the Territorial Cup Back to Tempe in 52-37 Victory Over the Wildcats

Mike Stockman

Phoenix Area Sports

(Photos by Jacob M Cutler)

TEMPE, ARIZONA (November 21, 2015) The Territorial Cup, first played on Thanksgiving Day in 1899, is the nation’s oldest collegiate rivalry trophy and it is heading back to Tempe, AZ  after the Arizona State University Sun Devils defeated their rival Arizona Wildcats by a score of 52-37 at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday November 21, 2015.

This was the 89^th meeting between these schools. The Wildcats lead the series 48-40-1.

Carrington skirts the sideline for a pick-six to seal the game.

Last year, the Wildcats won the Pac-12 South when they hosted and defeated the Devils in Tucson. This year, a win for the Devils makes them bowl eligible for the fourth straight season under Coach Todd Graham.

Even though the score sounds like a blow-out, it was a much closer 38-30 game with less than seven minutes left, until two interceptions were run back for touchdowns by freshman Kareem Orr (Chattanooga, Tenn) and red-shirt senior Lloyd Carrington (Dallas, TX),  giving the Devils 16 defensive touchdowns under Coach Graham, which is the most in the FBS since 2012.

The Player of the Game Award was given to senior WR Devin Lucien (Encino, CA). He caught nine passes for 190 yards and one touchdown.

Other notable performances came from sophomore Kalen Ballage (Peyton, CO) who rushed for a total of 110 yards.  In the second quarter, a 65 yard run set up a one yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Mike Bercovici. Bercovici led the Devils with 315 yards passing, two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown.

Foster extends his streak to 51 games - Pac-12 record

Scottsdale native DJ Foster rushed for 33 yards, one touchdown, and 14 yards receiving.  This extends his streak of at least one reception to 51 games – a Pac-12 record. Foster is the only active FBS player to rush for over 2,000 yards and over 1,500 receiving in a career.

Sophomore Demario Richard (Palmdale, CA) rushed for 105 yards and one touchdown for the Devils before leaving the game due to injuring his ankle.

Red-shirt freshman Jalen Harvey caught the first pass of his collegiate career for the Devils which went for a 41 yard touchdown.

Zane Gonzales became the second All-Time leader in scoring for the Devils when he surpassed Thomas Weber’s 340 points by racking up a total of 10 points on the day giving him 348 in his career.

The Wildcats leading performances included an interception returned 21 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter by sophomore Cam Denson (Tucson, AZ). Red-shirt freshman quarterback Brandon Dawkins (Oxnard, CA) passed for 305 yards, 78 yards rushing, one touchdown run and two touchdown passes.

21 yard pick-six by Denson puts Wildcats on board in Q2.

The longest play of the year for the Wildcats came on a 95 yard touchdown pass to red-shirt junior Trey Griffey.

Senior kicker Casey Skowron (Phoenix, AZ) became the seventh All-Time Leading Scorer for the Wildcats, adding 13 points to his career total.

The Wildcats were bowl eligible coming into this game. It is the fourth-straight season under Coach Rich Rodriguez and the seventh time in the last eight years that the Wildcats will play in a bowl game.

This was the final regular season game for the Wildcats who are off next week prior to the bowl games.

The Devils travel to Berkely, CA to play the California Golden Bears on Saturday, Nov 28 for the final game of the regular season.  The game time has been set to 8p.m. AZ time and will be covered by FoxSports1.

Devils Win Homecoming Game 27-17 Over Huskies

Mike Stockman

Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports

(Photography by Jacob M Cutler)

TEMPE, AZ (November 14, 2015) The Arizona State University Sun Devils came from behind after being down 17-3 at the half, to defeat the Washington Huskies by a final score of 27-17 on Homecoming Saturday, November 14 at Sun Devil Stadium.

Mike Bercovici has thrown for over 4,000 yards as a Devil

In the first quarter, the Huskies chewed up the Devils’ defense with a total of 205 yards offense. Missed tackles and broken assignments allowed the Huskies to jump to a 10 - 0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Huskies extended their lead when quarterback Jake Browning threw a 29 yard touchdown pass to a wide open Darrell Daniels who strolled in easily with 8:20 left in the half.

The Devils would not get on the board until Zack Gonzales, now 3^rd all-time in scoring for the Devils, hit a 40 yard field goal with less than 2:30 left in the half.

At the half, the Huskies led 17-3 with a total of 341 yards on offense to the Devils’ 133 yards.

After halftime, a different team came out of the locker room for the Devils.  The Huskies continued to pile on the yards, but were unable to score the rest of the game.

In the second half, the Devils scored 7 points in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth.  The defense forced four turnovers, three interceptions and one forced fumble, to tame the Huskies.

The Devils finished the game with 397 yards total offense to the Huskies’ 547 total yards.

Matt Haack - 11 punts averaged over 46 yards

The Devils’ junior punter Matt Haack (Des Moines, Iowa) played a major role in pinning the Huskies back deep all game. He punted eleven times for a total of 507 yards, his average yards per punt was just over 46.

After the game, one reporter asked what happened in the locker room during the halftime intermission. Antonio Longino said “We said to each other - when we come out, we gotta come together. Don’t just play for the seniors. We have to play for everybody because tomorrow is not promised to anyone“.

In other postgame interviews, Kalen Ballage talked about the heart of the team when he stated “It’s how you finish, not how you start”.

Mike Bercovici, with over 4,000 yards passing as a Sun Devil, talked about what it felt like to put on the Devil uniform for over 90 games. He said “It feels incredible …We will never take it for granted”. “If you want to put a pitchfork on your helmet, you gotta wake up bright-eyed no matter the situation”.

As the players left the postgame interview, one could see the focus in the eyes of each of them as they begin to mentally prepare for their next game – the Arizona Wildcats.

Bercovici, Longino, Ballage in postgame interview.

The Huskies (4-6) travel to Oregon State to play the Beavers next week in a Pac12 Conference game on Saturday, November 21.

The Devils (5-5), needing  to win the next game to be bowl eligible,  host in-state rival and nemesis Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, November 21, at Sun Devil Stadium. The annual Territorial Cup showdown can be seen on local channels. Game time is 1:30 p.m. MST.  

Team USA Ties Canada 2-2 in Game 1

Mike Stockman

Copyright 2015 Phoenix Area Sports

GLENDALE, ARIZONA (October 31, 2015) The 2015 USA Baseball Premier12™ Team pitching staff combined for a total of 14 strike outs to hold back Canada in game 1 of 3 that ended in a 2-2 tie on Saturday afternoon, October 31 on Hank Aaron Field at Maryvale Baseball Park.

Team USA’s RHP Seth Simmons (Arizona Diamondbacks) led the pitching staff with five strike outs using only 39 pitches.

Canada scored their two runs in the second inning.  The first run came when Brock Kjeldgaard scored on a bases loaded walk. Taylor Green scored the second run on a sacrifice grounder.  Canada’s bats were held to a total of five hits for the game. Pete Orr led Canada’s batting with two hits in the game giving him a .500 slugging percentage.

Team USA’s first run came in the third inning when Jacob May crosses the plate on a Tyler Pastornicky RBI single to right field. The tying run came in the seventh inning when May singled up the middle allowing Brett Phillips to score on the play.

After the game, Team USA’s Manager Willie Randolph, an MLB veteran, stated “I was impressed with our pitching.” He also stated “today was a good day and I saw a lot of good things”.  When asked about tomorrow’s match up, his response was “I want them to be a little more aggressive. Tomorrow we will stretch out, probably doing more running and stealing bases.”

Team USA Baseball host Canada on Sunday at 1 p.m. AZ Time for game 2 at Maryvale Baseball Park. To follow the USA Baseball Premier™ Team, visit USABaseball.com. For game updates, follow @USABaseball on Twitter.