Junior Dalton DiNatale bats for the Sun Devils at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 22, 2015. (Nikki Bradford/ The State Press)No. 17 ASU baseball was tested with a daunting opening to its 2015 schedule, going .500 against Big 12 powers Oklahoma State and No. 7 TCU the last two weekends.
When the team returns to practice Tuesday, it will be preparing for a quick turnaround to host the inaugural Phoenix Muni Classic after drawing more than 23,000 fans through its first seven games.
With men’s basketball out of town, and only two women’s basketball games in conflict at Wells Fargo Arena, it’s a great chance for Sun Devil fans to get their fill of college baseball, as at least one game will take place at Muni prior to ASU’s for four straight days beginning Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
This story has been updated due to the possibility of inclement weather Sunday, and the new schedule reflects these changes:
Thursday/Friday:
Cal State Bakersfield (26-33, 15-12 WAC)
A pair of Roadrunners share a Valley connection — senior outfielder Jordie Hein (.280/.309/.388 in 2014) is a Chaparral High School product — while junior infielder and Brophy High School alumnus Ryan Grotjohn hit .095 in just 21 at-bats last season.
Cal State Bakersfield is in an interesting place as a program, entering just its seventh season since the sport was added in 2009.
Longtime Cal State Fullerton assistant Bill Kernen was hired to be the team’s first head coach, and in 2010, he led the Roadrunners to a win over then-No.10 ASU, but is off to a 3-4 start to 2015 after being swept by Creighton in its opening series at home.
After briefly retiring with the intent of becoming a playwright, Kernen ultimately decided to return to coaching over the summer.
Friday:
Purdue (13-37, 6-18 Big Ten)
A familiar Big Ten foe to former Indiana head coach Tracy Smith, the Boilermakers have disappointed since winning the conference title in 2012. On the surface, there doesn’t appear to be much else in common between ASU, a perennial power, and a team that has to wait until May for its field to be playable.
That is, except for coach Doug Schreiber, who will enjoy a homecoming of sorts after spending four seasons from 1995-98 under former ASU head coach Pat Murphy as an assistant.
In addition, if junior lefty Brett Lilek does indeed take the mound Friday, he’ll probably recognize more than one Purdue hitter. The South Holland, Illinois, native could see any one of 13 players on Purdue’s roster that played in the Chicagoland area in high school.
Saturday:
Gonzaga (26-29, 17-10 WCC)
Gonzaga is arguably the most comparable to ASU talent-wise, and for good reason — it has recruited from the same talent pool in the Valley. Thanks to associate head coach Danny Evans and his ties to Glendale, the Bulldogs boast five Arizona natives on its 2015 roster, including a University of Arizona transfer in redshirt sophomore outfielder Sam Brown.
They’ve had some trouble capitalizing offensively in the early part of their season, but are led by senior infielder Mitchell Gunsolus, hitting a blistering .471 through eight games so far.
On the mound, look for sophomore righty Brandon Bailey (who has solidified himself in Gonzaga’s rotation after a rocky 2014) to be a candidate to start Saturday against either senior Darin Gillies or sophomore Seth Martinez.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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