Arizona State coach Pat Murphy is doing his best coaching job in years this season.
The Sun Devils lost several great players to the MLB Draft last season. And everyone, including myself, felt the Devils would take a step back this season. Well, that didn’t happen and they’re right back in the mix as a national seed.
ASU is the clear-cut favorite to win the Tempe regional, but Oral Roberts has strong pitching with Mark Serrano, Jerry Sullivan and Andre Lamontagne leading the way. Cal Poly, meanwhile, has a strong offense with Adam Buschini as the headliner and Kent State could pull off an upset if the pitching staff rises to the occasion.
Look for the Sun Devils to advance to yet another super regional.
| THE TEAMS |
| Team | Conference | Record | Berth | Last NCAA appearance |
| 1. Arizona State (No. 5 seed) | Pac-10 | 44-12 | Won Pac-10 | 2008 (Tempe super regional) |
| 2. Oral Roberts | Summit | 31-13 | Won Summit | 2008 (Lincoln regional) |
| 3. Cal Poly | Big West | 37-19 | At-large | 1966 (District 8) |
| 4. Kent State | MAC | 42-15 | Won MAC | 2007 (Columbia, Mo., regional) |
| THE BREAKDOWN |
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The favorite: Arizona State
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1. Arizona State
2. Oral Roberts
3. Cal Poly
4. Kent State
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The Tempe regional is close to the Fullerton regional in the easiest regional department for top seed Arizona State. The Sun Devils enter the regional as the heavy favorite. The Devils don’t have a great offense but have received more than enough production from Jason Kipnis and Carlos Ramirez. Kipnis is hitting at an extremely high clip and is well on his way to All-American honors. He also is slugging .720 and has a .496 on-base percentage. A junior, Ramirez, is hitting .347 with 12 doubles, 18 homers and 67 RBIs. On the mound, it doesn’t get much better than right-hander Mike Leake. The Sun Devils also received an emotional boost last week when left-hander Josh Spence returned to the mound after an injury set him back a few weeks ago.
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The dark-horse contender: Cal Poly
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The Mustangs suffered a crushing blow when stud infielder Matt Jensen went down with an injury a few weeks ago, but they’re more than capable of putting together a few wins in the Tempe regional. Cal Poly had one of the nation’s best offenses before Jensen went down with an injury. Poly, though, still has a productive offense. Adam Buschini leads the way with a .412 batting average, 18 doubles, 11 homers and 57 RBIs. Kyle Smith is hitting .335 with five homers and 40 RBIs, Ryan Lee is hitting .323 with three homers and 29 RBIs and Wes Dorrell is hitting .323 with 14 doubles, five homers and 41 RBIs. The key to Cal Poly being a factor against Arizona State is the pitching staff, which enters postseason play with a less than stellar 5.80 earned run average. If the pitching staff rises to the occasion, the Mustangs can play spoiler.
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Best hitter: Arizona State OF Jason Kipnis
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The Sun Devils received a huge boost when Kipnis spurned an opportunity to play professional baseball to return to Tempe for his junior campaign. Kipnis certainly has made the season worthwhile. He enters regional play hitting .380 with 18 doubles, four triples, 14 homers and 65 RBIs. He also is slugging .720 and has a .496 OBP. Most impressive, though, is the fact Kipnis has walked 45 times this season and only has struck out in 26 at bats. Kipnis likely will earn All-American in a couple weeks.
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Best pitcher: Arizona State RHP Mike Leake
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If not for Stephen Strasburg, everyone would be saying Leake is the nation’s premier pitcher. Heck, there are probably observers that still think that. The junior right-hander is having a fantastic campaign for the Sun Devils. He has started 14 games, thrown six complete games and has a 1.24 ERA in 115 2/3 innings. He also has struck out 128 and walked 18 and opponents are hitting him at a .170 clip. Leake is 14-1 this season and definitely will earn All-American honors.
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The buzz
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Arizona State was known for its offense last season with Brett Wallace, Ike Davis and others leading the way. But without those guys this season, the Devils are just OK offensively but outstanding on the mound. The Sun Devils have one of the nation’s best earned run averages at 2.85. Leake and Spence lead the pitching staff and reliever Mitchell Lambson has appeared in 27 games and has a 2.93 ERA in 70 2/3 innings. Also keep an eye on Seth Blair, who has made 12 starts and has a 3.42 ERA in 71 innings … We’re still trying to figure out how Oral Roberts is the No. 2 seed in this regional, but keep an eye on ORU leading hitter Juan Martinez. Martinez is batting .381 with 11 doubles, 14 homers and 62 RBIs. On the mound, Mark Serrano, Jerry Sullivan and Andre Lamontagne are the studs to watch. Serrano is 9-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 78 innings, Sullivan is 7-3 with a 3.07 ERA and Lamontagne is 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA. The Golden Eagles are a long shot to win the regional, but at least have the pitching to advance to the regional title game … Cal Poly has the offense to win this regional but the pitching staff leaves something to be desired. DJ Mauldin, Jared Eskew, Mason Radeke and Matt Leonard must rise to the occasion. Mauldin is 5-4 with a 4.78 ERA in 101 2/3 innings, Eskew is 6-2 with a 4.98 ERA in 72 1/3 innings, Radeke is 6-1 with a 5.02 ERA and Matt Leonard is 5-3 with a 7.68 ERA in 77 1/3 innings … Arizona State received one of the easiest regional draws, but Kent State in the regional opener may not be a cakewalk. The Golden Flashes have talent and are led at the plate by Jimmy Rider, Greg Rohan and Jared Humphreys. Rider is hitting .361 with five homers and 46 RBIs, Rohan is hitting .339 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs and Humphreys is hitting .338 with eight homers and 58 RBIs. Kent certainly has the offense to win a few games this weekend, but the pitching must rise to the occasion.
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