Way Too Early ASU Baseball Preview

As the 2017 calendar year has just begun and the cold weather surrounds the country, the baseball season appears to be a distant horizon. But here at Devils in Detail it’s never too early to give our readers a preview for ASU baseball.

Arizona State has reached the college baseball postseason in 15 of the last 16 seasons, and success has followed manager Tracy Smith from Indiana to Tempe.

In his second season at the helm, Smith compiled a record of 36-23 in his second season at the helm and brought in the nation’s top recruiting class according to college baseball daily, including top pitchers Alec Marsh, Zane Strand and transfer Jake Godfrey. The top position player recruit is catcher Sam Ferri who will compete with senior Zach Cerbo for every day playing time. Ferri was a star recruit out of Wisconsin both on the mound and behind the dish. He has a chance to make an immediate impact for ASU.

The team will be in a unique position of having numerous returning pitchers with previous success, but will have a lineup consisting of mostly new players or unproven returnees. This situation could be beneficial for the team, as the Pac-12 is known as a hitter’s paradise with the warm weather and high elevation ballparks. Relying on pitching and defense is a sound strategy the Sun Devils could possibly employ in 2017.

Junior outfielder Andrew Shaps finished second on the team in batting average last season and will look to take another step forward leading the offense as top offensive performers David Greer and Brian Serven fled to the MLB Draft. Returning position players Andrew Snow and Gage Canning will be asked to increase their offensive performance in order for ASU to score runs.

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One spot that Smith has to be comfortable with is his pitching staff. Returning junior starters Eli Lingos and Ryan Hingst, the best on the Sun Devil’s staff, will compete for the Friday starter’s spot. Hingst had the highlight of ASU’s season last year when he tossed the 10^th no-hitter in program history. Lingos progressed a lot in his sophomore season, and the left-hander looks to take the next step this season.

The Sun Devils begin the season ranked at No. 25 in the country, according to collegiate baseball newspaper. The team’s success will look to depend on the growth of their recruiting class as the season progresses, and winning series in Pac-12 play. Tracy Smith’s third season will come with high expectations, especially with a program that is used to being successful. For now, the Sun Devils have to like their prospects.

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