The Arizona State baseball program finished third at last year’s College World Series, but it began this season with an interim head coach and an injured ace. Like most teams in the field, the Sun Devils were able to overcome adversity. The national No. 1 seed defeated Arkansas in its Super Regional to earn its 22nd trip to Omaha.
Jeff Metcalfe, who covers Arizona State baseball for the Arizona Republic, will be covering his seventh College World Series. Jeff is aware that this is the last Series at Rosenblatt Stadium. His favorite ‘Blatt memory? “My favorite memory on the field is from 1988. ASU pulled out a somewhat miraculous 4-3, 10-inning win over Wichita State en route to the championship game vs. Stanford. Off the field, I covered the emotional ’94 series when Arizona State Jim Brock was dying of liver cancer and had to be air-lifted back to Phoenix during the CWS.”
He was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for White & Blue Review. Now you can impress your spouse with your Sun Devils knowledge! After you read this, you should go here and read Jeff’s blog. At that point, you’ll be so knowledgeable that you’ll be able to get into all the ASU fan tailgates. Totally worth it for free beer! (Another option would be to read Creighton Otter’s fabulous guide to CWS must-sees.)
Arizona State will begin its trek for a sixth national championship against Clemson on Sunday at 6 p.m. in game four of the College World Series.
Michael Chow/The Arizona Republic
White & Blue Review: Can you sum up the season and the path it took to get to this point? Was it easy? Was there a lot of adversity? Two months ago, did you think this team would be at this point?
Jeff Metcalfe: ASU was third at the College World Series in 2009, losing two somewhat heartbreaking games to Texas in bracket play. A number of those players are back, so in that sense making a return trip to Omaha is not surprising. But the contract of 15-year head coach Pat Murphy was terminated without cause in November, a decision tied to a two-year NCAA investigation into ASU baseball. Former assistant Tim Esmay, not retained by Murphy after the 2009 season, was hired as interim coach in December. Also, Josh Spence, expected to be ASU’s No. 1 pitcher, was unable to throw this season due to a nerve issue in his throwing elbow. Given those factors, ASU returning to the CWS was not a certainty despite its veteran talent.
By two months in (mid-April), it was clear that Esmay, since hired full-time, was succeeding at least short term, so expectations were that ASU, which started a school record 24-0, would win the Pac-10 for a fourth consecutive year and get to Omaha.
WBR: If you were a rabid ASU fan, and I came up to you and asked, “So, what is this Arizona State team about, what defines it?” what would your answer be?
JM: Although ASU has some elite individual talent, such as first-round draft pick Seth Blair and fellow pitcher Jordan Swagerty, a second-round pick, it has defined more a blue-collar work ethic and determination to uphold ASU’s storied baseball tradition. The Sun Devils have not lost consecutive games, symbolic of their resiliency, ability to win in a variety of ways and quality in all three phases of the game.
WBR: Who is the player we will hear the most about during the Devils’ time in Omaha?
JM: Probably outfielder Kole Calhoun because he made the All-CWS team last year while hitting .563 with three home runs and 11 RBI. He returns with 17 home runs and also 62 walks and has enough protection around him in the lineup to force opponents into a decision whether to pitch to him or not several times per game.
WBR: Offensively, what does the team look like?
JM: Calhoun aside, it’s a not power-laden team like recent ASU teams in Omaha. This is more of a gap team that runs extremely well, both in stretching hits and stealing bases. Zack MacPhee is the school’s single-season record holder in triples with 14. Five players have double-digit steals including Drew Maggi with a team high 35.
WBR: What about on the mound?
JM: Seth Blair is 12-0, successfully stepping into the No. 1 starter spot expected to be filled by Spence. Starters Merrill Kelly and Jake Borup also have double-digit wins. Much of the staff’s success (3.14 ERA) is thanks to relievers Mitchell Lambson, an off-speed lefty, setting up closer Swagerty, a hard-throwing righty with a school record 14 saves. This is one of the deepest staffs ASU has brought to the College World Series.
WBR: What is something that everyone NEEDS to know about this team, whether it be about a specific person or a story that sums up the season to this point very nicely?
JM: Riccio and Raoul Torrez are starters for ASU at first and third base, the first set of brothers to start in school history. Riccio leads the team with a .399 batting average while Raoul is a two-time captain who returned for his senior season and, with Calhoun, has been vital in a leadership role.
WBR: Does this trip mean anything extra for the team knowing that it will be Rosenblatt’s last Series?
JM: Certainly. This is ASU’s 22nd trip to Omaha, and the Sun Devils are a five-time champion. Baseball is the school’s most elite athletic program, at least on the men’s side. All of that history is tied into Rosenblatt Stadium.
WBR: Every team is different, so what makes this trip different for ASU compared to, say, last year, or any before it?
JM: This is ASU’s fourth trip since 2005, and fans are very hungry for that sixth national title since the last one was in 1981. It was a huge disappointment in 2008 when ASU lost in a home super regional to Fresno State, which went on to win in Omaha. All involved are anxious to make up for that and to be the final team to celebrate a title at the Diamond on the Hill.
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Also: Clemson Comes to Omaha Looking For the Elusive National Title … College World Series Secrets … WBR’s complete CWS coverage