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ASU Baseball: Fort Worth Region Preview Part 1

By Hunter Robinson

Jun 19, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; The Road to Omaha Statue welcomes fans to the ballpark during game ten of the 2014 College World Series between the against the Mississippi Rebels and the against the TCU Horned Frogs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mississippi defeated TCU 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2014; Omaha, NE, USA; The Road to Omaha Statue welcomes fans to the ballpark during game ten of the 2014 College World Series between the against the Mississippi Rebels and the against the TCU Horned Frogs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Mississippi defeated TCU 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ASU Baseball team are back in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Fort Worth region.

The Sun Devils will play their game against Gonzaga on Friday, June 4, with the victor facing the winner of TCU against Oral Roberts.

ASU has a formidable foe in Gonzaga as the Bulldogs finished the regular season with a record of 35-19, a game and a half better than ASU. This is Gonzaga’s first trip back to the postseason since 2009.

The projected starters for the game are Seth Martinez for ASU against Brandon Bailey for Gonzaga.

Bailey has put together an impressive season, highlighted by 120 strikeouts which is good for eighth best in the NCAA this season.

Bailey has only allowed four home runs all season, and boasts an impressive 2.51 ERA.

The junior has very good control, and his ability to place pitches around the corners of the strike zone are second to none.

Martinez  has also had an impressive season in Tempe, Ariz.

He has been ASU’s ace on the hill in almost every single game he has played in and possesses an uncanny ability to get the most out of every pitch.

Another great thing about Martinez which will be crucial to the success of the Sun Devils is that he is able to go deep into games.

Martinez has pitched 108.1 innings so far this season. That is an average of 6.2 innings a game. By having a pitcher like Martinez, ASU has the ability to not have to rely on relief pitchers as much to carry them through a game.

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Offensively, ASU has had strong, consistent batting for much of the season. Reliable hitters like shortstop Colby Woodmansee and infielder David Greer have allowed ASU to give their starting pitchers good run support.

This season, ASU has only had 15 games where they have scored less than three runs. By having a lineup that scores at least three runs over 70 percent of the time, the pitching staff doesn’t have as much pressure on them to win the game.

Gonzaga has also had a great season hitting wise, led by the efforts of junior Jeff Bohling.

Bohling is batting .297 on the season with 45 RBIs and seven home runs. He also has been responsible for 47 of Gonzaga’s runs throughout the season.

Bohling is the player to watch for Gonzaga. His ability to drive runs in while also being able to score makes him a threat and will definitely be on ASU’s radar.

In the end, this will be a close fought game but ASU’s experience against the Pac-12 will give them the push they need to earn the victory and move on to the winners’ bracket.

Come Back tomorrow for the official TCU-Oral Roberts preview!

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