ASU baseball is coming off a 5-4 win over UNLV Tuesday. With the Sun Devils sitting at 11-12, patience is needed with this young team despite the struggles.
ASU baseball bounced back Tuesday after a rough weekend series in Los Angeles losing two of three game versus the USC Trojans.
The Sun Devils came back home Tuesday and defeated the UNLV Rebels 5-4 after trailing 4-0 heading to the bottom of the 2nd inning.
The bats came alive versus the slumping Rebels, who were in the midst of a 7-game losing streak heading into the game.
Outfielders Gage Canning and Tyler Williams each drove in a pair of runs with catcher Zach Cerbo driving 1 run.
After Zach Dixon was pulled early after allowing 5 runs (4 earned) in 1.2 innings.
The bullpen did its job as pitchers Alec Marsh and Connor Higgins shut down the UNLV lineup combining to allow 0 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and striking 7 batters in 7.1 combined innings.
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Lots of ASU fans have high expectations of the baseball program due to its historic resume.
Arizona State was the home to many baseball greats and has the prestige not matched by many in the country.
With that, it’s led to some fans displeased with the results this and last season with fans mostly directing their anger to head coach Tracy Smith.
Smith is in his third season as ASU head coach and has led the Sun Devils to two NCAA Regional appearances.
In total, his record stands at 82-58 as Sun Devils manager.
That’s a solid record after joining a program with players he didn’t recruit.
Coming into this season, Smith brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country with some of the top prospects opting to go pro after being high draft picks in the MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Still a lot of great players were brought in like starter Spencer Van Scoyoc, catcher Lyle Lin and first baseman Carter Aldrete.
This is a young and experienced team and patience is needed to let these players develop and grow into their roles.
A lot of freshmen and sophomores have gotten extended playing time and growing pains are expected, especially in a tough conference like the Pac-12.
Next: ASU Baseball: Stellar Bullpen Performance Helps Carry the Sun Devils Over UNLV
Smith is building ASU back to prominence but while some inconsistencies might be showing now, the future is extremely bright with the baseball program.