ASU senior Darin Gillies pitches to Oklahoma State, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils lost to the Cowboys 9-8. (Krista Tillman/The State Press).ASU baseball might be under new management this season, but a common theme has emerged over the past two seasons in games that the No. 17 Sun Devils (7-4) have played against the Long Beach State Dirtbags (8-4)
Most notably, at Phoenix Muni Friday night, a different starting pitcher will open the series versus Long Beach State for the second straight year.
Last season, it was then-sophomore right-hander Ryan Burr who got the start in Long Beach, California. Burr was tagged for seven runs in the third inning en route to an 11-0 defeat on a Friday night.
According to a release from the Long Beach State media relations department, sophomore Seth Martinez will start in place of junior Brett Lilek, who replaces senior Darin Gillies.
While head coach Tracy Smith has full control and the final say over all lineup changes, the most encouraging sign for ASU fans is Lilek assuming the Sunday role, his original spot in the rotation before Burr’s reassignment. The club has confirmed the move in the pitching rotation.
It’s unclear what triggered the move or what the next step for Gillies is — the bullpen is a possibility, as is the newly vacant midweek spot, for which multiple freshmen could be in also contention.
The Dirtbags lost 1-0 at UCLA on Feb. 24, and freshman Chris Mathewson and Darren McCaughan combined to throw a no-hitter on Sunday to complete a sweep of Wichita State on March 1.
Shortstop Garrett Hampson was named a second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association and the Big West Freshman Player of the Year in 2014.
He is hitting .326, with 14 hits and 10 RBIs through 12 games in 2015.
A No. 2 seed the 2014 Gainesville, Florida, regional, Long Beach State finished second in the Big West behind Cal Poly, and lost to No. 4 Charleston in the first round after topping No. 3 North Carolina.
Pitching match-ups:
Friday: Kyle Friedrichs (3-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. Seth Martinez (0-0, 0.60 ERA)
Saturday: Tanner Brown (2-0, 1.45 ERA) vs. Ryan Kellogg (3-0, 4.35 ERA)
Sunday: Chris Mathewson (1-1, 0.82 ERA) vs. Brett Lilek (0-1, 5.40 ERA)
Additional notes:
– Freshman first baseman Ryan Lillard was hit in the head by a pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Marks during Tuesday’s scrimmage at Salt River Fields.
Lillard said he “just got rattled” by the contact, but didn’t show any signs of concussion symptoms. He stayed on base for the remainder of the inning and was taken out for “precautionary reasons."
– Sophomore catcher Brian Serven’s brother, Jonathan, is a junior and an infielder for Long Beach State, and he appeared just three times in 2014 and made a start at first base. The two played together at Palm Desert High School and combined for two CIF championships.
– Junior second baseman and relief pitcher Jordan Aboites is a Long Beach native who attended Mayfair High School.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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