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ASU baseball returns to Cal State Fullerton after unpleasant history

The Sun Devils will be looking to rid memories of last season and prove themselves in their biggest non-conference test of their 2016 schedule.

Baseball Eder Erives Fullerton regional
Sophomore reliever Eder Erives returns to the dugout after walking in the losing run against Fullerton on Saturday, May 30, 2015, at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, California. The Titans defeated the Sun Devils 3-2 in 14 innings.

ASU baseball's two-game midweek series at No. 23 Cal State Fullerton is almost like "going back to the scene of the crime," as head coach Tracy Smith put it back on the team's Feb. 11 media day. 

Last May, the Sun Devils lost 3-2 to Cal State Fullerton in 14 innings in the Fullerton Regional after Eder Erives issued a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded. It sent ASU to an elimination game against Pepperdine with the season on the line, which it ended up losing. 

But the recent history between the two programs at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, California, doesn't stop there. In 2013, Cal State Fullerton defeated ASU 6-1 in an elimination game in the Fullerton Regional. 

The Sun Devils have seen their season end in Fullerton two of the past three years. 

And while the two-game midweek tilt may seen anti-climactic to the aforementioned postseason drama, it holds a significance. 

It offers a chance for ASU (8-3) to return to an atmosphere praised by many players for the team's first test against a ranked opponent this season. The Titans (6-4) are No. 23, but are just 1-3 against Pac-12 opponents this season after losing an opening series at Stanford and a midweek game at Arizona. 

"I would say we have a rivalry with that team," said junior right-hander Seth Martinez, who started that 14-inning game last May. "We know that they're one of the top teams and we know that they have a lot of good players...it's a fun environment playing against that team at their field. We'll be ready."

Martinez gave up two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings during that start, but ASU used five other pitchers after him. It is improbable he will pitch this time around after he went six innings and earned a win in last Friday's series-opener against Eastern Michigan. 

Junior first baseman David Greer received a pinch-hitting opportunity in that game after starting in the designated hitter hole the night before. He struck out in his lone at-bat, and even though he did not get much time in the game, he compared the atmosphere at Goodwin Field to that of their own Phoenix Municipal Stadium. 

"Going out to Fullerton, it's a good matchup," he said. "It's going to be fun. I don't know what they have to bring, but I know what we have to bring. I'm looking forward to it." 

Greer will enter the series leading the team in batting average at a .390 clip with three doubles and nine RBIs. 

Sophomore lefty Reagan Todd did not pitch in last year's regional because he redshirted in 2015, but he said the team will be looking to treat Cal State Fullerton (6-4) like a normal opponent. 

He admitted being back in that environment will be fun, though. 

"I know their fans are pretty ruthless and hectic, but that's what we love, so we're ready," Todd said. 

Junior outfielder Daniel Williams, a junior college transfer, is an integral part of the lineup as the leadoff man and one of three new starters in the outfield this year. But he wasn't with the program last year to experience the ups and downs of the Fullerton Regional. 

That doesn't mean he hasn't heard the stories and doesn't feel the motivation for the team's upcoming out-of-conference matchup. 

Williams is batting .269 with a pair of doubles, but has yet to drive in a run. The 6-foot-3, 221-pound junior will be looking to make his mark during his introduction to the newfound rivalry. 

"I know some guys are really hungry to go back and get some wins there, so it should be fun," he said. "It's going to be heated there. It's going to be good." 


Reach the reporter at Justin.Toscano@asu.edu or on Twitter @justintoscano3.

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