The four-time defending Pac-10 champions are back.
There are a whole lot of new faces in Sun Devil uniforms this season, but in Tempe, ASU baseball doesn’t rebuild, it reloads.
Pitching
The Sun Devils lost all three of their weekend starters from a year ago to the pros (Seth Blair, Jake Borup and Merrill Kelly).
The trio combined for 33 of the team’s 52 wins.
Filling the void at the top of the rotation will likely be sophomores Brady Rodgers and Jake Barrett.
“We lost a bunch of talent throughout the rotation,” Rodgers said, “but we have a bunch of mature players that will be able to go through the process of stepping up and taking in new roles.”
In 22 appearances last season, including five starts, Rodgers posted a 4-3 record with a 2.11 ERA while opponents hit just .202 off him.
Barrett, in just 29 innings of work in 2010, struck out 43 batters while posting a 3.41 ERA.
Behind those two lie a group of young Sun Devils competing for the remaining jobs.
“We feel strongly about the guys that have been through it and obviously the new guys, we’ll just have to see like we did last year,” ASU coach Tim Esmay said. “Who’s going to be the next Jake Borrup? Who’s the next Merrill Kelly? Going into last year, Merrill Kelly hadn’t pitched a game in Division I baseball. We’re looking for the guys next in line who’ve been waiting for their opportunity.”
Kyle Ottoson, a junior transfer from South Mountain Community College, could be one to take that role.
During his two seasons at SMCC, Ottoson had a 2.18 ERA, won 27 games and struck out 183 batters.
Another transfer looking to make an immediate impact is junior Kramer Champlin from Western Nevada.
Champlin threw a no-hitter in his first ever start at the junior college, and over his past two seasons, he’s posted a 1.95 and a 1.51 ERA, with batters hitting just .195 against him.
Also in the mix for some work is senior Josh Moody and sophomore Alex Blackford. Both pitched well last season in limited innings.
Junior Mitchell Lambson, who will try to replace last year’s closer, Jordan Swagerty, will likely anchor the ASU bullpen.
Lambson had three saves in 2010 and appeared in a team-leading 39 games. He posted a 2.16 ERA and struck out 96 opposing batters mostly using his devastating changeup.
Position Players
The Sun Devils don’t face nearly the same amount of question marks in their starting lineup as they do in their rotation.
The team brings back its top six hitters for average from last season, led by defending Pac-10 Player of the Year, junior second baseman Zack MacPhee.
His double-play partner, sophomore shortstop Deven Marrero, is coming off a Freshman All-American season after batting just shy of .400 at .397.
At the hot corner will be junior Riccio Torrez, who takes over for his older brother Raoul. Torrez was the Pac-10 batting champion last season after hitting .393 (Marrero didn’t have enough at-bats to qualify).
First base will likely see junior Zach Wilson starting most games with junior Abe Ruiz, who returns to ASU after a season at Santa Barbara City College, seeing action as well.
At catcher, both junior Austin Barnes and senior Xorge Carrillo will get plenty of starts.
Barnes started 43 games last season, hitting .272 and driving in 24 runs.
Carrillo missed most of the year after suffering a forearm injury at Cal State Fullerton.
In the outfield, sophomore leftfielder Andrew Aplin and junior centerfielder Johnny Ruettiger are the proven starters.
Aplin hit .337 last season while Ruettiger hit .351 with four homeruns, 35 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Right field could see a number of Sun Devils at the position with senior Matt Newman, who started 42 games last season, likely getting the early edge.
Also in the mix is junior Andy Workman and freshman Cory Hahn, who has impressed all his teammates throughout the preseason.
“Cory Hahn is going to be a good young freshman,” Rodgers said. “Just seeing him progress throughout the fall up until now, he’s figured out the college game and the college speed.”
While a senior at Mater Dei High School in California, Hahn was named the state’s Mr. Baseball for his work both on the mound and in the field.
“He’s going to be a good one,” Esmay said. “I see him kind of in the same light as Aplin and Marreo were last year. We’ve got to give him some at-bats and see where he goes from there.”
Hahn could also get innings on the mound at ASU.
The designated hitter slot will likely be filled on a game-to-game basis depending on matchups and who’s starting.
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
