Even in the immediate aftermath of a heartbreaking loss in an elimination game at the College World Series last week, freshman Deven Marrero allowed a small smile to emerge on his face.
He had his coach to thank.
“I didn’t want to tell these guys today,” ASU coach Tim Esmay said after the loss, “but two months from now we’ll be starting school again and we’ll be right back on it again.”
The Sun Devils, who finished the 2010 season 52-10, have plenty to look forward to as it prepares for next season, including the return of Marrero and a host of other players who were key cogs in ASU’s run to a fourth straight Pac-10 title this season.
“You know, it’s tough to walk away right now,” sophomore pitcher Mitchell Lambson said. “But we’ve just got to remember that feeling of walking off the field and hope it motivates us for next season."
As it is every season, the expectation for the Sun Devils in 2011 will be to return to Omaha and the first CWS at TD Ameritrade Park in the downtown portion of the city. As Esmay said often this season, it’s an expectation that comes with playing at ASU.
The Sun Devils will return plenty of pieces, including its top hitter (sophomore Riccio Torrez) and its most consistent reliever (Lambson). Torrez, who saw his team-high 26-game hitting streak end during ASU’s loss to South Carolina, hit .393 with 10 home runs and 54 RBI on his way to being named First-Team All-Pac-10.
Pac-10 Player of the Year Zack MacPhee (.389, 9 home runs, 64 RBI), Drew Maggi, Johnny Ruettiger, Andrew Aplin, Zach Wilson and Austin Barnes are among the underclassmen who will return and should provide a talented lineup that can contend for a Pac-10 record fifth straight conference championship.
“What excites me is that we have a bunch of guys that are coming back,” Esmay said. “We’re definitely ready for [next season]. We definitely understand the process and the preparation it takes to play at Arizona State. We’re looking forward to continuing that opportunity.”
Several freshmen benefitted from a wealth of experience during ASU’s run to the program’s 22nd CWS appearance. Chief among them was Marrero, who worked his way into the starting lineup toward the latter portion of the Pac-10 schedule and hit .397 with 6 home runs and 42 RBI in 37 starts.
“I'd say this year is probably one of the best years as a team that I've been part of in my life,” Marrero said. “And it was really fun. And the opportunity to be here on this team and to come to Omaha as a freshman was unbelievable. I give credit to the seniors and juniors on our squad that helped me out and helped other freshmen out.”
ASU will lose senior captains Raoul Torrez, the only player in conference history to be a part of four Pac-10 title teams, and Kole Calhoun, the team’s leading power hitter in 2010.
On the mound, the Sun Devils will also likely lose junior Seth Blair, who was drafted 46th overall in the MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Junior Merrill Kelly and sophomore Jake Borup also were drafted and are expected to make decisions on whether to go pro or return to school in the near future.
The future for the Sun Devils is tinged with a bit of uncertainty, though. A decision is expected to come in August from the NCAA Infractions Committee on possible penalties following a two-year investigation into the program.
The NCAA can either accept the self-imposed sanctions ASU put on the program in April – which included a loss of two scholarships no later than 2011-12 and a reduction of recruiting visits – or choose to levy further penalties of its own.
