(Photo: Blaine McCormick/WCSN)
Coming off a 14-run offensive explosion in their win over Arizona on Tuesday, the Arizona State baseball team (21-24, 7-14 Pac-12) will try to extend its two-game winning streak when the Sun Devils head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Washington Huskies (24-21, 10-11 Pac-12).
The Huskies’ offense is led by junior catcher Joey Morgan, who comes into the series batting .347 and an on-base percentage of .451 to go along with 35 RBI.
Morgan’s supporting cast includes outfielder MJ Hubbs, the only other Husky batting over .300 (.303) with 32 runs scored and an on-base percentage of .390, and second baseman Willie MacIver (.287 AVG, 2 HR and 25 RBI).
On the pitching side, sophomore right-hander Joe Demers is the best starter on Washington’s staff, boasting a 3.05 ERA in 12 starts along with just 19 walks in 79.2 innings pitched. The Huskies’ best option out of the bullpen is Greg Minier, who holds a 2.84 ERA and has allowed 29 hits in 31.2 innings pitched.
This weekend will be the first full series for the Sun Devils since the departure of juniors Ryan Lillard and Andrew Shaps from the program combined with pitchers Chris Isbell and Zach Dixon.
The Sun Devils have 21 wins on the season with 10 games remaining, putting their 54-year streak of 30-win seasons in serious jeopardy.
First pitch from Husky Stadium on Friday is set for 6:05 p.m., Saturday is scheduled for 2:05 p.m., with the series finale on Sunday set to start at 1:05 p.m.
Bobby Kraus is a baseball beat reporter for the Walter Cronkite Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @bobbykraus22
