(Courtesy of ASU Athletics)Saturday afternoon, freshman lefty Ryan Kellogg threw the first no-hitter for the ASU baseball team since 1993 in a 3-0 road victory against No. 3 Oregon State.
Kellogg and pitching coach Ken Knutson held a press conference Tuesday to discuss the rare feat.
When he started to think about a no-hitter:
“It wasn’t until later on in the game. I made a joke about it in the second inning, but it was so early I was like, ‘This is never going to last.'”
Knutson’s thoughts during the game:
“I was thinking that we needed to win the game. As the game was going on, I was certainly aware of it and towards the end, when we got a bit of cushion, it was like, ‘Let’s just get this thing done.’”
Knutson’s decision to leave Kellogg in the game:
“If a kid’s got a shutout, and he’s still strong, and the pitch count is still decent, I’m going to let him finish. We had no thoughts of taking him out.”
Whether it has hit him yet:
“I’ve started taking it in during the past couple of days. It’s starting to hit me all over again with all the accolades that are coming in that I found out over Twitter.”
His feelings during the ninth inning:
"I tried to not look over at the dugout when I was on the mound, because they were going nuts. I got kind of anxious, so I had to step off, take a breath and keep pitching the same way I had the whole time."
On the final play, a comebacker he fielded:
“I went into panic mode a little bit, because I had made a similar play in the spring, and I threw the ball away.”
Whether he felt sore after of the 110-pitch performance:
“I did long toss yesterday and felt good, so I don’t think the extra pitches affected me that much.”
On his game hat being sent to the College Baseball Hall of Fame:
“I just found out about that literally 10 minutes ago, so it’s a huge honor, and I’m still amazed by it. I don’t even know what to say about it. It’s an incredible feeling that they take it that seriously and want it that badly. I was surprised.”
How things will change for him:
“I find it as motivation to come back and work even harder. I know it’s highly unlikely I’ll throw another one, but I definitely have a huge target on my back from the rest of the Pac-12 teams.”
Sun Devil predictions
With Opening Day less than a week away, the Sun Devils talked about their favorite team and made their World Series picks for the upcoming MLB season:
Sophomore shortstop Drew Stankiewicz:
“My favorite team is the New York Yankees, because they are the best team in baseball and always have been. They are definitely, 100 percent going to win the World Series.”
Senior catcher Max Rossiter:
“My favorite team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. I’m a hometown guy, so I have to support.”
Junior pitcher Billy Young:
“My favorite team is the Los Angeles Angels, because I grew up watching them. I think they will win the World Series, because they have the best lineup and best pitching staff.”
Freshman infielder David Graybill:
“I like the Washington Nationals, because I liked the Expos. They are good team, but I don’t think they are good enough to win it all. They could make a push.”
Sophomore pitcher Darin Gillies:
“My favorite team is the San Francisco Giants, because they are best team in baseball and a modern-day dynasty. They’ve won two out of the past three World Series.”
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error pitching coach Ken Knutson's name was spelled wrong. The error has since been fixed.
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu
