After Tuesday’s heartbreaking 10-9 loss to rival UA, the No. 9 ASU baseball will face off in a non-conference home matchup against Valparaiso.
The break from Pac-12 play will be much needed for the Sun Devils (22-11-1) after Tuesday’s game, in which they blew a six-run lead.
The Valparaiso Crusaders (14-21) come into Tempe 4-12 on the road this season, but they won their last series on the road against Youngstown State.
Junior infielder Tanner Vavra leads the Crusader offense batting .328 and is the only hitter in the starting lineup batting above .300.
Overall, the Crusaders bat only .262 as a team and average 4.2 runs per game.
Even though the Crusaders aren’t an offensive juggernaut, their pitching does more than enough to make up for it.
Their team ERA of 3.30 is a half point below the Sun Devils’. The Crusaders boast only four pitchers above a 4.00 ERA on the season.
The only opponent the two teams have in common is Long Beach State. The Sun Devils swept the Dirtbags at home and the Crusaders got swept by them on the road.
The series will provide many Sun Devils, including junior starter Trevor Williams, a chance to rebound.
Williams is only 1-3 in five Pac-12 starts and his ERA has jumped up to 3.05.
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @Danny__Shapiro
