Arizona State Sun Devils
Overall Rank: #5
Conference Rank: #1 Pac-12
Perennial power, Arizona State, looks to return to the College World Series for the 23rd time in program history. The Sun Devils fell one game short last season, losing to Texas in the Austin Super Regional. Third year Head Coach Tim Esmay, who took the Sun Devils to Omaha in his first season, will field a team that lost 11 players to the MLB draft. Arizona State brings back 12 letter winners including seven pitchers and five position players.
2011: 43-18, 17-10
2011 Postseason: NCAA - Eliminated in Austin Super Regional (two losses to Texas)
Coach: Tim Esmay, 3rd Season
Field Players:
Junior Joey DeMichelle led the Sun Devils and the Pac-10 with a .368 average last season. The designated hitter also led the conference in slugging (.663). He was tops on his team as well with nine home runs and earned All-American honors. Short stop Deven Marrero collected the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award in 2011. Selected for the USA National Collegiate Team, he hit .315 last spring. Outfielder Andrew Aplin returns. The junior hit .284 with 13 extra base hits.
Pitchers:
Last year’s starters Brady Rodgers and Jake Barrett return. The right handed juniors both had quality numbers in 2011. Rodgers spent the summer with the USA Collegiate National Team after a spring where he started 15 games, went 9-4, posted an ERA of 2.75 and sat down 87 by strikeout. Barrett started 14 games, ended 7-4, fanning 72 in 76 innings. Sophomore Trevor Williams earned Freshman All-American honors in 2011, coming on in relief 32 times. The right hander finished with a 2.50 ERA and struck out 35 in 39 innings. Junior Alex Blackford took the mound 24 times last season, 20 in relief. The righty had a 4-1 record, striking out 55, just less than one an inning.
Who to Watch:
Freshman Adam McCreery was drafted by the Twins in the 14th round of the 2011 MLB draft. The left handed hurler from Bonita High (La Verne, CA) was 13-4 in his prep career. Infielder Drew Stankiewicz is one of two freshmen from Gilbert High School (AZ) to join Arizona State this season. At Gilbert, Stankiewicz was a multi-sport athlete lettering in baseball, basketball and football. The Rockies picked him in the 40th round of the draft last June. Freshman Nathaniel Causey is the other. He was also selected in the 46th round of last year’s draft. The left handed hitting catcher mashed 14 home runs and batted .493 as a senior. Junior Max Rossiter joins the Sun Devils from Central Arizona College. In 2011 he hit .338, was named Central Arizona Student-Athlete of the Year and was drafted in the 40th round by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Final Projection:
The Sun Devils will need to replace some of their top hitters, but sophomores James McDonald, Kasey Coffman, Michael Benjamin and the addition of Rossiter and Stankiewicz could do the trick. The veteran pitching staff is augmented by six transfers, four righties and two southpaws. Coach Esmay has a total of 17 newcomers to work with, and combined with the experienced lettermen, the Sun Devils will vie for the conference title, certainly return to the tournament and have an excellent chance to make the program’s 23rd trip to the College World Series.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Deven Marrero, IF, 219
Hits: Joey DeMichelle, DH, 71
Home Runs: Joey DeMichelle, DH, 9
RBIs: Joey DeMichelle, DH, 51
Runs: Joey DeMichelle, DH, 37
Stolen Bases: Deven Marrero, IF, 10
Wins: Brady Rodgers, P, 9
Innings Pitched: Brady Rodgers, P, 98
Strikeouts: Brady Rodgers, P, 87
Saves: Mitchell Lambson, P, 9
Madness 2012 MLB Draft Rankings:
#3 Jake Barrett
#5 Deven Marrero
#62 Brady Rogers
