Freshman pitcher Ryan Hingst pitching in his first career start at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona in an exhibition against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 3, 2015. The Diamondbacks would go on to win against Arizona State 4-0. (J. Bauer-Leffler/The State Press)ASU baseball head coach Tracy Smith emphasized before the season that developing the program's young arms would be key to the team competing at a national level for years to come.
"I had a chance to meet (Tracy Smith) the other day, he's a good guy," said Jake Barrett, an ASU alumnus and Arizona Diamondbacks closer. "One of my friends actually played for him when he went to Indiana. ... He knows what he's doing."
So on Tuesday, freshman right-hander Ryan Hingst was thrown into the proverbial fire against Mark Trumbo, Paul Goldschmidt, highly-touted Cuban signee Yasmany Tomas and the Arizona Diamondbacks in an exhibition matchup at Salt River Fields.
Hingst threw two scoreless innings, and surrendered his one hit to Goldschmidt, the 2013 Hank Aaron Award recipient and Silver Slugger winner, awarded to the top offensive player in both the NL and AL.
With lefties Eli Lingos, Tucker Baca and Andrew Shaps and right-hander Grant Schneider combining to give up just two runs on three hits, the freshman pitching corps displayed that they can compete on just about any stage, despite a 4-0 loss.
Diamondbacks catcher and ASU alumnus Tuffy Gosewisch has mentored young pitchers from the minor leagues and non-roster invitees battling for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
He knows good pitching when he sees it.
"I thought they all had pretty solid command, they threw fastballs to both side of the plate," Gosewisch said. "They got some ground balls, they jammed me — they jammed several guys. They're not afraid to pitch inside."
The Sun Devil brotherhood extends far beyond the boundaries of the time spent wearing the maroon and gold. Facilitated by the homecoming to Phoenix Muni, with a brand-new alumni locker room, these bonds connect players from all eras and origins.
"I talked to (junior second baseman) Jordan Aboites," Gosewisch said. "I told him to keep playing the way he's playing. All those guys play the game the right way. ... If you do, it carries over."
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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