ASU returns to normalcy with upcoming Pac-10 schedule

 by Andrew Pentis
 published on Thursday, March 27, 2008

Bettina Hansen / THE STATE PRESS

HEADS UP: Junior catcher Petey Paramore lets the bat slip out of his hands as he watches a foul ball fly during a Sun Devils’ game earlier this season at Packard Stadium.

The No. 1 ASU baseball team came out of its hustle and bustle of a nonconference schedule with an end to its 19-game win-streak and finally a spare moment to regroup.

Coach Pat Murphy said though his team has endured much controversy off the field, namely an internal investigation and the eligibility issues of a few players, the Sun Devils have skated by on the field.

"We're still a long way from being a great club," he said. "A lot of things we haven't faced yet. A lot of things we haven't done yet."

The squad (22-1) has not played a game outside of its home state, but it also hasn't been hosting patsies either. One of the programs potentially lumped into that category was Northern Colorado, which unexpectedly dealt ASU its first and only defeat on March 21.

The only other major program that stayed undefeated as long was Kentucky, and even it lost the same day.

This past weekend, which saw five games in four days for the nation's unanimous favorite, signals an end to the schedule crunch and a return to normalcy.

Murphy's pitching staff can now stay on turn, starting this weekend against Pac-10 opener opponent USC.

"Five games on the weekend is a little trying for anybody," Murphy said.

He added his club needs to become a better contact team and find more ways to win games than relying on the long ball, something that comes in handy during the Pac-10 gauntlet.

Junior first baseman Ike Davis, at this juncture, may be the direct opposite of "needs improvement."

Davis has 40 hits in 90 at-bats and leads the team in RBIs with 35 through 23 games. He also doubles as the team's interim closer, earning three saves thus far.

"Ike Davis put the team on his back offensively," Murphy said after his team's latest win. "Really made everybody breathe easy, because he's swinging the bat as good as anybody."

With the middle of the lineup producing, Davis as well as junior Brett Wallace and sophomore Jason Kipnis have combined for 25 of the team's 38 home runs.

The new win streak stands at three games.

"You don't really think about a winning streak, especially in college baseball," Davis said. "When we don't, that's when we lose to Northern Colorado."

Reach the reporter at: apentis@asu.edu.

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