(Photo: Kimmy Davis/WCSN)
The No. 18 ranked Sun Devils will kick off their season with a three game weekend home series against the 5th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. As defending Big XII regular season champions, defeating Oklahoma State will be no small task for the Sun Devils.
Brett Lilek and Ryan Kellogg will get the nods on the hill on Friday and Saturday for ASU, while the Sunday starter is still undecided.
This weekend will be the first glimpse at the Sun Devils new home, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, as well as new head coach Tracy Smith, who was the two time Big Ten coach of the year at Indiana University.
Oklahoma State is led by head coach Josh Holliday, who is entering his third season at the helm, and are coming off of an impressive 48-18 season that concluded in a super regionals loss to UC Irvine.
Offensively, the Cowboys have big hitters throughout their lineup. Conor Costello, who hit nine home runs in his sophomore campaign last season, will be the regular DH and should be the primary power source.
Dustin Williams and Donnie Walton are two other Cowboy hitters to watch out for, as they are each coming off of strong seasons for an OSU team that was ranked 19th in the RPI last year.
Seniors Gage Green and Tim Arakawa are threats at the plate and on the bases, as they swiped 20 and 15 bases respectively last season.
Hometown player Jon Littell, who grew up in Stillwater, OK, is their lone freshman starter and is full of raw potential.
The offensive output from the Cowboys is expected to be very high this season, and don’t be surprised if they set the tone at the plate against the Sun Devils to start off the season.
The Cowboys have nice pitching depth, but cannot yet rival the Sun Devils duo of Lilek and Kellogg on the mound.
Senior Jon Perrin is the ace of the staff and will get the nod on Friday. He put together a nice season last year, striking out 81 in 102 innings and posting a 2.38 ERA.
Saturday starter Tyler Nurdin is also a senior, but will have to overcome a rough 2014 season that saw him post a 6.54 ERA. He struggles with his command too, allowing 39 walks to 31 strikeouts. Nurdin has the tools to put it all together, but this will be his last chance.
Right now Tyler Buffett is listed as the Sunday starter, but sophomore Garrett Williams could figure into the mix as well. Closer Trey Cobb will make it tough on the Sun Devils if they trail in the 9th. Cobb posted a 1.69 ERA in 53 innings last season as a freshman.
There should be no shortage of exciting moments in the three game series between two of the best teams in college baseball. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, with Lilek facing off against Perrin. The next two games are day games, and will begin at 1 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Phoenix Muni.
