Fresh off a mid-week tilt sweep of Creighton, Arizona Baseball (26-12, 11-7) returns to action to take on ASU (19-19, 8-7) in this important Pac-12 series.
Despite losing their last two Pac-12 series, Arizona Baseball finally got back on track a bit earlier this week when they swept Creighton in two games on the road. However, the Wildcats will have a tough one as they square off against ASU for a three-game series.
Coming in, the Wildcats face a talented, but inconsistent Sun Devils squad that has already beaten Arizona earlier this year. And the Wildcats enter Friday evening’s matchup riding a current, two-game winning streak, meanwhile, ASU has been playing well, and are winners of four straight.
Arizona is one of the better offensive teams in the country, but against Utah, it was largely absent, and against Creighton, the Cats plated just 9 runs in two games. This time around, the offense will need to be there if Arizona is to beat ASU.
The real question will be how the Wildcats’ pitching responds here. Where Arizona has shown to struggle the most is in pitching, and last time against ASU, the Wildcats surrendered 10 runs. If the Wildcats are to win this weekend, the pitcher HAS to be better!
With that said, here’s a look at Arizona’s upcoming opponent.
Getting to Know the details of Arizona Baseball’s opponent, the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Team: Arizona State Sun Devils
Head Coach: Willie Bloomquist is currently in his first season as skipper of the Sun Devils, having compiled a 19-19 (8-7) record so far. Willie was named the Sun Devils’ coach last June after previously playing in the Major Leagues for 14 years. Willie is also an ASU Alumnus.
2021-22 Record: The Sun Devils are currently 19-19 (8-7) on the year and are currently on a four-game winning streak after beating Santa Clara, and sweeping Pac-12 foe USC in a three-game series last weekend.
Head-to-head Series: Arizona leads the overall series against Arizona State, holding a 256-223-1 advantage all time.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met was in a mid-week tilt earlier this month. The Sun Devils came away with the 10-6 win in Tempe.
Game information and details for Arizona Baseball:
Date(s): Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, April 22-24, 2022
Times:
- Game 1 – 6:05 P.M. Arizona Time
- Game 2 – 5:05 P.M. Arizona Time
- Game 3 – 12:05 P.M. Arizona Time
Location: Hi Corbett Field, Tucson, Ariz. (9,500)
Television:
- Game 1 – Pac-12 Arizona
- Game 2 – Pac-12 Network
- Game 3 – Pac-12 Network
Spread: N/A (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your overall betting experience)
Pitching Matchups:
- Game 1: Arizona will turn to TJ Nichols (5-2, 4.18), while ASU will go with LHP Adam Tulloch (2-1, 6.95).
- Game 2: Arizona will go with Chandler Murphy (1-1, 9.00), while ASU will use RHP Kyle Luckham (5-2, 4.38).
- Game 3: Arizona will close out the series by going with Garrett Irvin (3-2, 2.86), meanwhile ASU has not announced who they will use in Sunday’s finale.