The 2009 All-American pitcher graduated and is currently in big league camp with the Cincinnati Reds. The preseason All-American, the one who decided to return to school and pass up a reported $300,000 bonus to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, hasn't pitched yet this season due to arm soreness.
Two players who combined to hit 35 home runs last season are now also playing professionally.
Oh, and the coach who led the program for 15 seasons is no longer a part of the program.
What sounds like an equation for the dreaded “rebuilding year” has instead been one for success for the No. 2 ASU baseball team, which pushed its record to 14-0 on Saturday night with a 16-7 win over Auburn in front of a season-high 3,920 at Packard Stadium.
For the second straight night, an ASU starter struggled out of the gates, as junior Merrill Kelly gave up a pair of three-run innings to start the night.
But as has been the story in the early going for the Sun Devils, when one facet of the team seems to shake during a game, ASU got production elsewhere.
Down 3-0 before they stepped to the plate, the Sun Devils scored four times in the bottom of the first, highlighted by an RBI double from sophomore Matt Newman and a two-RBI two-bagger by sophomore Zach Wilson.
The Sun Devils tied it up again in the third with a two-run home run by junior catcher Xorge Carrillo.
ASU scored in variety of ways in the game — a three-run fifth featured runs off a throwing error, a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout.
Sophomore second baseman Zack MacPhee hit his second home run of the season in the fourth inning and knocked in three RBI.
Newman, Carrillo and sophomore Johnny Ruetigger each had three hits, part of a 15-hit total for the home team.
Kelly, who moved his record to 4-0 on the season, settled down after the rocky start, shutting the Tigers out for the 3.1 innings before being lifted for junior Jimmy Patterson.
Patterson retired the final two batters of the sixth before sophomore Mitchell Lambson threw three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit, to earn the save.
Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu
