Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Hingst made ASU baseball history Friday night as he became the tenth pitcher in school history to record a no-hitter.
His performance, along with some overdue action at the plate, allowed the Sun Devils to break their five-game losing streak in a route. They defeated Utah 5-0.
The start was Hingst's first of the season, and he was at a loss in how to explain his feelings on the impressive first outing across.
“I’m on cloud nine right now, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Hingst said. “It’ll probably hit me later on tonight when I’m about to go to bed.”
Hingst went four perfect innings before recording a walk in the fifth. It was around that time he began to sense there was a different feel about the way the dugout was interacting with him.
“It was kind of in the back of my mind and then in the sixth inning I noticed every body was ignoring me,” he said. “Higgy, our pitching coach is usually right next to me in between innings and I noticed he wasn’t next to me those last three and it made me look at the scoreboard, that’s when it really hit me.”
Smith joked if anyone had talked to Hingst they would have been dismissed.
The last time ASU had a pitcher throw a no-hitter was March 23, 2013, when former Sun Devil Ryan Kellogg did it at Oregon State.
Kellogg and Hingst lived together last year when students weren’t permitted in the dorms and developed a close relationship during that time. Hingst said he’d probably give Kellogg a call later to share the moment, but after the game, the first people he called were his parents in Texas.
“My dad was really proud and my mom started crying,” Hingst said.
He threw nine strikeouts, three walks and hit one batter by pitch in 121 total pitches.
When told his total pitch count, Hingst replied, “It was that many?”
“This is the best my arm’s felt,” he said. “Usually I’m kind of aching by the fifth or sixth inning and I really didn’t even notice it.”
Hingst’s no-hitter is the first that Smith has been a part of as a coach. At Miami of Ohio he was on the losing end, when a ball bounced off the right fielder’s head after an error for a four-base error, Smith said.
He has been a part of some close games with similar outcomes to Friday’s, but never experienced it until Hingst.
“That was pretty special,” Smith said. “He’s been throwing the ball really well and earned that opportunity to start today.”
Beyond the exciting night on the mound, the past week of struggles at the plate became a distant memory for the Sun Devils as they recorded 13 hits.
Smith was most impressed with sophomore second baseman Andrew Snow’s performance in the leadoff spot and was glad senior catcher Brian Serven was able to get some good at bats, noting the Sun Devils need the senior to “get going” again.
Snow was 3-5 on the night and Serven was 2-4. Freshman left fielder Tyler Williams also impressed Smith by going 2-3 on the night.
“He’s been working really hard in practice and (being) consistent, so it was nice to see a guy get an opportunity and do something with it,” Smith said.
The emphasis was made by Smith again after the game on the Sun Devils need to meet their potential and battle in at bats.
“I’m hoping that tonight is kind of a catalyst to put us back in our groove a little bit where can guys relax and let their abilities take over because I think this club’s going to hit," he said. "Let me rephrase that, I know this club’s going to hit.”
Reach the reporter at haley.stesiak@asu.edu or follow @haley_stesiak on Twitter.
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