The Utah baseball team (6-12, 2-1) travels South to Tempe, Ariz., to take on Arizona State at Phoenix Municipal Stadium this weekend. Because it’s Easter weekend, the teams will start the three-game series on Thursday, March 24, rather than the traditional Friday start, and will wrap it up on Saturday.
The Sun Devils (13-6, 0-3 in Pac-12) are struggling, and riding a four-game losing streak, whereas the Utes are coming off their best weekend of the season after winning their series against Oregon.
Against the Ducks, Josh Lapiana (1-3, 3.16 ERA) threw his first career complete-game, allowing only three hits on the afternoon. He knows that whenever he is called upon this upcoming weekend, either on offense or defense, he will need to bring it.
“It’s baseball, so anything can happen,” Lapiana said. “We feel very good coming into the weekend, after taking two-of-three on the road last weekend.”
This will be the Utes’ fifth straight weekend on the road before returning to Salt Lake City for their home opening series. Head coach Bill Kinneberg is excited to play in front of Utah fans, but the Utes still need to get the job done against ASU before that happens.
“They’re no different than any other team we play in the Pac-12,” Kinneberg said. “Each weekend you have to play great baseball to survive, but hopefully after last weekend we gained a little bit of confidence. We’ve been on the road the last five weeks, so this isn’t anything new for us.”
Last weekend marked the Utes’ fourth conference series win since joining the Pac-12. The win was led by a few key players. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. currently has a five-game hitting streak and hopes to keep the streak alive. Keirsey Jr. has been Utah’s biggest offensive weapon, currently leading the team with a .320 batting average. Dallas Carroll and A.J. Young lead Utah in RBIs through the first 18 games with eight each. Another highlight has been the Utah infield, which is second in the conference with 16 double plays.
Thursday’s game will begin at 6:30 p.m. MT, and the probable starting pitchers will be Jayson Rose (2-2, 3.41 ERA) and Seth Martinez for Arizona State. The two teams will meet again at the same time on Friday night and Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT.
@ArmenMShrikian