Following a nine-game stretch in the state of Arizona, the Sun Devils are heading back on the road this weekend, traveling to Waco to take on Baylor in a critical series to boost their conference standing.
Winners of five straight and 7 of the last 10, a series against the 9th place Bears looks like a welcome sight on paper, but Baylor looks to play spoiler to the Devils postseason hopes.
Baylor looked to be getting themselves on track after taking two of three games from Arizona at Hi Corbett Field to close out March, but losing three of four conference series in the month of April (only series win coming at home against Utah on April 17-19) has the Bears on the wrong end of a 9-12 conference record and just three games in the standings above missing the conference tournament entirely. Still sitting at #61 in the RPI, they can still take the Devils by surprise if underestimated.
The Sun Devils on the other hand have been playing like a house on fire over the last week. Three straight mercy rule wins have moved Arizona State to #43 in the RPI, and the latest projection from D1 Baseball has the Devils as the #3 seed in the Conway, SC regional hosted by Coastal Carolina.
The high-30's are within reach if the Devils can continue the recent high offensive output. Over the 5 game winning streak, the Devils have outscored opponents by a 64-20 margin, highlighted by a school record 8 home runs to cap off the sweep of BYU on Saturday night.
With 10 games left on the schedule, now is not the time to get complacent. With a 14-7 record in conference play the Devils sit in a tie for 3rd place with TCU, who is on the road in Tucson against the 5th place Wildcats who sit just a game back at 13-8. A series win assures the Devils of remaining in the top 4 and in first round bye position, while a series loss could slide the Devils as low as 6th place.
How to Watch Arizona State at Baylor
First pitch between the Sun Devils (30-16, 14-7 Big XII) and Bears (28-16, 9-12 Big XII) is scheduled for 4:30pm MST from Baylor Stadium in Waco, Texas.
The game will air on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Betting Information
Arizona State enters the game as a 1.5-run favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Sun Devils are -200 on the moneyline, while the Bears are +154.
The over/under on total runs is 11.5.