Fresh off back-to-back conference sweeps, the ASU baseball team will head down the I-10 for round five this year with archrival UA.
Ding ding.
The No. 7 Sun Devils (28-9, 11-4 Pac-10) already clinched the season series against the Wildcats (24-15, 6-9 Pac-10), but that doesn’t mean Tuesday night’s contest won’t count for anything.
The last time the two teams met, tempers flared and both dugouts cleared after a UA batter was hit by an ASU pitch.
Cooler heads prevailed but ASU junior Kyle Ottoson (2-0, 4.30 ERA), the starter that game, will likely be on the mound again.
If Ottoson struggles, the Sun Devils will likely turn to sophomore Alex Blackford.
In 14 appearances, including three stars, Blackford has an ERA of 2.49 with 39 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .219 off him.
ASU has mostly used him in long relief roles but he’s fully capable of spot starting a game.
Blackford threw six innings of one-run baseball in a 10-1 ASU victory on March 23 against then-No. 13 Cal State Fullerton.
The Sun Devils took two of three Pac-10 games from UA in Tempe in late March and then won the first of the two non-conference games in Tucson April 5.
Tuesday is the final meeting of the season between the schools.
The Wildcats dropped out of the coaches’ poll for the first time this year Monday after losing two of three to Oregon in Eugene.
Scoreless streak
The Sun Devil pitching staff has held its opponents scoreless for the past 22 innings.
The streak started the final four innings of the 17-inning game Thursday against California and continued with back-to-back complete game shutouts from junior Kramer Champlin and sophomore Jake Barrett.
ASU holds the NCAA record for consecutive scoreless innings at 64 in 1972.
Rockin’ Riccio
For the second time this season, and the third time in his career, ASU junior third baseman Riccio Torrez was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Monday.
Torrez went 7-for-16 and scored three runs in a sweep of Cal.
He had a career-high five hits in the 17-inning contest Thursday.
ASU now has 98 all-time Player of the Week selections, the most of any Pac-10 team.
100 games later
Tuesday will mark the hundredth game ASU coach Tim Esmay has been at the helm of the program.
Since taking over as the interim manager last season, Esmay is 80-19.
The best record for any ASU baseball coach through his first 100 games is 91-9 by Jim Brock.
ASU in the rankings
The Sun Devils moved up two spots in the coaches’ poll to No. 7.
Baseball America has ASU No. 6 while Collegiate Baseball lists it No. 10.
The Sun Devils are highest in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association at No. 6.
ASU has the third best RPI on any Division I team.
Reach the reporter at tyler.emerick@asu.edu
Tuesday’s game
No. 7 Sun Devils at Wildcats
When: 6 p.m.
Where: Tucson
UA update: The Wildcats have dropped out of the coach’s poll for the first time all season. This will be the fifth and final meeting between ASU and UA, and the Sun Devils have won three of four thus far.
