ASU Sports

Leake semifinalist for top pitching honor

ckussala — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:16:20 -0600

Arizona State University sophomore right hander Mike Leake has been named a semifinalist for the Roger Clemens Award. The award is presented annually to the top pitcher in collegiate baseball.

Leake (Fallbrook, Calif.) is 8-1 with a 3.42 ERA and one save for the Sun Devils. He has thrown a team leading 92 innings, striking out 86 while walking only 12. He was a First Team All-Pac-10 selection last season and was recently named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII selection. Leake is also batting .438 with two homers and 11 RBI.

Leake is one of 10 semifinalists for the award. The three finalists will be announced on May 26.

Roger Clemens Award Semifinalists:

Scott Bittle, Mississippi
Aaron Crow, Missouri
Joshua Fields, Georgia
Scott Gorgen, UC Irvine
Chris Hernandez, Miami
Shooter Hunt, Tulane
Mike Leake, ASU
Andrew Liebel, Long Beach State
Brian Matusz, San Diego
Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State

Travel tips for this weekend

ckussala — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:12:40 -0600

Fans planning on attending the Arizona State baseball game or softball NCAA regional on Sunday, should be aware of the following travel tips. Several downtown Tempe streets will be closed or restricted for the Tempe International Triathlon. The following roads will be closed from 5:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 18:

o Mill Avenue in both directions between Curry Road/Washington Street and Rio Salado Parkway

o Rio Salado Parkway in both directions between Ash and Mill Avenues

o Westbound Rio Salado Parkway between Priest Drive and Ash Avenue

o Eastbound Washington Street between Priest Drive and Center Parkway

o The westbound Loop 202 off ramp at Priest Drive

o The eastbound Loop 202 on ramp at Priest Drive

The following roads will be restricted to one lane from 5:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 18:

o Eastbound Rio Salado Parkway between Priest Drive and Ash Avenue

o Northbound Priest Drive between Rio Salado Parkway and Washington Street

The following bus detours will occur from the start of service until 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 18:

o Valley Metro bus routes 1, 56, 66 and 76

o Orbit Earth

Parking and Transit Services has no further information on these restrictions. PTS does not close or restrict City of Tempe streets; PTS relays traffic notices to our customers so they can better plan their travels around the Tempe campus. For more information on these street closures, including bus detours, please visit http://www.tempe.gov/streetclosures/ or www.valleymetro.org/bus.

Heat sheets available for the Pac-10 Track & Field Championships

ckussala — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:04:22 -0600

The first version of the heat sheets for the Pac-10 Track & Field Championships presented by 76 Gasoline were released Wednesday, May 14. The heats, which can be accessed below, will be reviewed by the Conference coaches and any changes needed will be reposted here later Thursday night.

Access the heat sheets: HERE

Women's tennis honored with three ITA Awards

ckussala — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:59:14 -0600

For the fifth time in her career at Arizona State, Head Women's Tennis Coach, Sheila McInerney has been honored by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as the Wilson/ITA West Coach of the Year. In addition the ASU Women's Tennis Assistant Coach, Josh Goffi was named the Wilson/ITA West Assistant Coach of the Year. Freshman phenom, Kelcy McKenna was honored to complete the trifecta as she was honored as the Wilson/ITA West Rookie Player of the Year.

While the honor is the first for both Goffi and McKenna, Head Coach Sheila McInerney has been honored on four other occasions by the ITA. In 1988, 1990 and 2001 she was named the ITA West Region Coach of the Year and in 1997 she was honored again as the ITA National Coach of the Year.

ASU cites economics in reducing number of varsity sports

gcampbel — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:07:10 -0600

In response to economic realities experienced over a long period of time, Arizona State University announced May 13 the discontinuation of three varsity sports programs, effective immediately. The sport programs affected are men's swimming, men's tennis and wrestling. ASU President Michael Crow and Vice President for University Athletics Lisa Love made the announcement. With the budget cuts the University is facing, Intercollegiate Athletics cannot expect the University to make up the difference.

This move reduces the total number of varsity teams sponsored by ASU to 20 from 22. Currently, men’s swimming and men’s diving, compete as part of a combined team and this move will not affect the diving portion of the the team.

ASU will continue to fund football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, women's tennis, women's swimming and diving, men's diving, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics and women's water polo.

"Our primary concern for the immediate future is the student-athletes and coaches that are affected," says Love.

The student-athletes in the discontinued sports who decide to transfer to another institution will be provided with full assistance from ASU regarding the transfer process. The student-athletes who chose to remain at ASU will receive the full benefits of their scholarship awards through their senior year.

"With a dedicated effort to a successful 20-sport varsity program in mind," says Love, "these three sports were selected with the following criteria: financial impact, potential competitive success, conference/regional support and gender equity. Our revenue trajectory has been positive, however, our ongoing financial challenges have been well documented by the media. The decision to discontinue sport programs is a last resort, yet necessary."

"These moves are extremely painful," says Love. "We have arrived at the realization that funding a 20 sport program is a better fit for our financial profile and will serve to secure and strengthen our future. It is our responsibility to operate a fiscally prudent varsity athletics program. The costs of doing business are escalating daily and the costs of maintaining excellence even more so."

At 20 varsity sports, ASU is in line with other major institutions around the country. In the Pacific-10 Conference, schools that compare favorably with ASU are UCLA and Washington 23 sports each, USC 21, Arizona 20, Oregon and Oregon State 18 each and Washington State 17. On a national scale, Florida, Georgia and Auburn sponsor 21 varsity sports, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and LSU 20 apiece, and Florida State 19.

"The profile of our operations budget and donation base does not lend itself to the sponsorship of 22 athletic teams," says Love. "While our revenue streams are achieving a positive trajectory they are simply not keeping pace with the current size and scope of the department.

"The decision to discontinue sports has been the most distressing and painful choice this administration has had to make. It is counter-intuitive to our administrative thinking. This decision impacts many people, both on and off our campus. The entire University, the Board of Regents, Sun Devil alumni and other universities will share in the loss of these sports and student-athletes and the contributions they have made to our University and to their sport.

"The action is in no way meant to diminish the dedication, effort or ability of these student-athletes, coaches and alumni. They have contributed greatly to Arizona State University athletics and to the vitality and history of the University," Love says.

As many as 70 student athletes will be affected by the elimination of these sports. Six full-time coaching positions will be eliminated. Head coaches will remain on contract through November, 2008.

The establishment of a 20-team varsity sport program will allow the department to realize a reduction in expenses that will total approximately of $1 million annually.

This is the second time in ASU's athletic history that programs have been eliminated. In 1993 ASU eliminated men's gymnastics, an NCAA-sponsored sport, and two club sports sponsored by ICA -- men's and women's and mixed archery and men's and women's and mixed badminton. Two sports have been added in recent program history, including women's varsity soccer in 1996 and women's water polo in 2002.

Tickets on sale for softball's NCAA Tempe Regional

ckussala — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:29:57 -0600

The 2008 softball road to Oklahoma begins this Friday, May 16 and the Sun Devils are proud to be one of the 16 Regional host sites in the nation for the first round of the 2008 NCAA Softball Tournament. This weekend in the Tempe Regional host team Arizona State will face Mississippi State, Hawaii and Stony Brook to see who will advance to the round of Super Regionals.

All games will be held at Farrington Stadium starting on Friday at 4:30 p.m. with Mississippi State taking on Hawaii and at 7 p.m. with Arizona State taking on Stony Brook. The following games in the Regional will be deterimined by the outcomes of the games.

For all fans looking to purchase tickets for the event, the pricing is as follows:

All-Session Passes
Field Level $35
GA Adult $30
GA Jr/Sr/Groups $25

Single Game Prices
Field Level $10
GA Adult $7
GA Jr/Sr/Groups $5

For more information on tickets and to purchase them, please call the ASU Ticketing Office at (480) 727-0000. For a map of Farrington Stadium, please click here.

ASU baseball completes sweep of LMU

ckussala — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:26:23 -0600

No. 3 Arizona State completed the sweep of a three-game series with Loyola Marymount on Monday, May 12, defeating the Lions 12-10 in front of a crowd of 2,110 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The Sun Devils improve to 41-9 with the victory on a night in which their season attendance surpassed the 100,000 mark for the second straight year.

Brett Wallace drove in three runs and hit his career-high 17th home run of the season to lead the ASU offense. It was Wallace's 40th career home run, moving him into a tie for sixth with Andrew Beinbrink on the school's all-time list.

Tommy Rafferty pitched 2.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowed just one run while striking out four to earn the victory and improve to 11-0 on the season. Dustin Brader came on in the ninth to record the final out and get his second save of the year.

ASU scored first with a Wallace sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first. After LMU tied the game in the fourth, the Sun Devils took the lead back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Wallace led off with a solo home run to right, Kiel Roling drove in two with his first career triple and Raoul Torrez brought Roling home with an RBI single.

The Lions scored a run in the fifth, but the Sun Devils again answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Petey Paramore.

LMU hung tough with another run in the sixth, but ASU scored three runs each in the seventh and eighth to take command of the game. Jason Kipnis stole home on a double steal for the first run in the seventh, which was his team-leading 20th stolen base of the season. Greg Bordes drove in a run with a single to right and he then scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Ryan Sontag had an RBI single, Kipnis drove in a run with a triple down the right field line and Wallace brought in the Sun Devils' final run with a groundout in the eighth.

The Lions made things interesting with seven runs in the top of the ninth, including two three-run homers, but it was not enough.

Sontag, Kipnis and Roling all had three hits and Wallace added two hits in the victory.

The Sun Devils return to Pac-10 action this weekend, hosting a three-game series with Washington beginning Friday at 7 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.

ASU's Johnson selected Pac-10 Women's Field Athlete of the Week

ckussala — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:20:53 -0600

Senior Jacquelyn Johnson has been named the Pac-10 Women's Field Athlete of the Week following her record performance over the weekend in the heptathlon at the 2008 Pac-10 Track & Field Championships presented by 76 Gasoline in Tempe, the Conference announced Monday, May 12. The weekly honor is the second of the season for Johnson, who also earned the accolade on April 9, and also marks the fifth time a Sun Devil has been recognized this season.

Johnson won her third Pac-10 heptathlon crown (2004 and 2006) as she scored 6,307 points to win by over 500 points. Her point total is a Pac-10 record, a Pac-10 meet record, an ASU school record, a Sun Angel Stadium record and the third-best mark all-time in NCAA history. Overall, Johnson won four individual events and established school heptathlon records in the 100m hurdles (13.21), high jump (1.81m), long jump (6.30m) and javelin (48.50m). Her point totals at the end of day one (3,700) and day two only (2,607) also stand as ASU heptathlon records.

The Sun Devils will play host to the remaining events of the Pac-10 Championships this weekend in Tempe with the hammer throw leading the way at 10:30 a.m. both Friday and Saturday. Action will continue each day with field events at 5 p.m. both days with running events starting at 5 p.m. on Friday and 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

2008 Pac-10 Athletes of the Week
Women's Track - Nicole Blood (Oregon)
Women's Field - Jacquelyn Johnson (Arizona State)
Men's Track - Andrew Wheating (Oregon)
Men's Field - Greg Garza (UCLA)

Davis and Nolan named to Bronco Nagurski Trophy

ckussala — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:17:11 -0600

The Football Writers Association of America announced on May 12 that Arizona State junior defensive end Dexter Davis and senior safety Troy Nolan were both named to the watch list for the 2008 Bronco Nagurski Trophy, which is annually awarded to the best defensive player in college football.

One of ASU's most consistent defenders over the last two seasons, Davis has started all 26 games of his Sun Devil career. Last season Davis earned Second-Team All-Pac-10 honors after finishing tied for third in the conference with 10.5 sacks to go along with 33 combined tackles, three forced fumbles and one pass breakup. In his two seasons at ASU, Davis has accumulated 75 combined tackles, including 24 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

A former junior college transfer who sat out his first year in Tempe because of injury, Nolan earned Second-Team All-Pac-10 honors in 2007, finishing first on the team and second in the conference with six interceptions, the most by a Sun Devil since 1989. He tied a school record by bringing two of those six interceptions back for touchdowns. Last month Nolan, who finished third on ASU in 2007 in tackles (64) and second in passes broken up (7), was one of 42 players named to the watch list for the Lott Trophy, which is given to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year.

The FWAA All-America Committee selects the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner from the association's 11-man All-America defensive team in November. The watch list was developed by the FWAA All-America committee with the help of the schools and conferences.

The Charlotte Touchdown Club will hold the 2008 banquet on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte. For the eighth straight season, the FWAA will also pick a Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week beginning with games on Aug. 30 and running through the middle of November. And a Bronko Nagurski Legends Award winner will also be selected from the FWAA's 1967 All-America team.

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been presented since 1993 and is awarded in memory of the legendary Nagurski, a former All-America lineman at Minnesota in 1927-29 and a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s.

Baseball wins 40th game with 11-3 win over LMU

ckussala — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:09:03 -0600

No. 3 Arizona State won its third straight with an 11-3 victory over Loyola Marymount in front of a crowd of 2,310 Sunday night at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The Sun Devils improve to 40-9 with the win, the fifth time in the past six years they have reached the 40-win mark.

Senior pitcher Josh Satow started and went six innings, allowing just one run and three hits to earn the victory and improve to 6-3 on the season. Jason Franzblau got his first save by pitching the final three innings.

Kiel Roling went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs to lead the ASU offense, while Brett Wallace and Raoul Torrez had two RBI and two hits each. Jason Kipnis also had two hits, and he made a spectacular catch against the center field wall in the top of the fourth inning.

The game was scoreless until the Sun Devils busted it open in the bottom of the fourth with six runs. Matt Newman drew a bases-loaded walk, Mike Leake had an RBI groundout, Roling drove in two with a single to left, Torrez hit an RBI double to left and he then stole home on a double steal.

ASU added to its lead with four more runs in the sixth, as Torrez drove in a run with a groundout, Jason Kipnis had an RBI single and Wallace roped a double down the left field line to score two.

LMU cut into the lead with three runs in the seventh, but that would be the Lions' only scoring on the night. Roling's sacrifice fly to left in the bottom half of the seventh capped off the scoring for the game.

The Sun Devils will go for the sweep of the series tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.