Clearing Up the Future of Arizona State Baseball

Story by Sarandon Rabion

21 – 0. The last team undefeated in the country. It was the dream start for the Arizona State baseball team. Early on there were high expectations for this particular roster of making a significant playoff run.

Yet, they didn’t last the first weekend of the College Baseball World Series. The Sun Devil’s fell twice to Southern Mississippi. The second of which, the Golden Eagles scored seven runs in the last two innings. It was devastating loss for ASU to say the least.

So, what’s next for this Sun Devil Baseball team?

First up, the 2019 draft. Head Coach Tracy Smith lost both centerfielder, Hunter Bishop, and starting pitcher, Alec Marsh to the MLB draft.

The San Francisco Giants selected Bishop with the tenth pick overall. Bishop hit in the 3-hole, ending the season with 22 homeruns, number fifth in the country.

While, Marsh has been the ace for the Sun Devils for the 2019 season, finishing with 3.46 ERA and nine wins. He was selected with the 70th overall pick by the Kansas City Royals.

The other loss to the program is bullpen pitcher Sam Romero. The right-handed pitcher graduated from ASU in the spring.

However, there are reasons for ASU fans to stay positive for the future.

ASU has decided to retain Smith under his current coaching contract. Smith will return for his sixth season as head coach in 2020. However, an extension has not been signed yet. The last year that Smith is under contract is for the 2021 season.

Spencer Torkelson, who has been a staple of ASU’s offense, still has one more year as a Sun Devil before he’s drafted. Torkelson hit 23 homeruns this season with a .353 average.

Starting pitchers RJ Dabovich and Boyd Vander Kooi will be going into their junior year as well. This will provide them time to get even stronger as the upcoming aces of the pitching staff.

The bullpen looks to get deeper with a new freshman pitching class coming in. Eight pitchers are a part of the 2019 signed class. Multiple of which are in the Top-500 prospects nationally.

This last season for the Sun Devils was the best, since 2011. ASU ended the 2019 season with 38 wins and 19 losses. There are plenty of reasons for fans to expect an even better 2020 season from the Sun Devils.