Redshirt sophomore outfielder Trever Allen pushes his weight on his right foot to prepare to swing against Oregon on April 7. Allen seems to be more confortable in batters boxes away from home. (Photo by Molly J. Smith)Redshirt outfielder Trever Allen may have made an “MTV Cribs” video with junior pitcher Trevor Williams detailing their home and “office” at Packard Stadium, but Allen seems more comfortable away from ASU's friendly confines.
Allen, in 16 away games this season, is hitting .357 (20-56) with five home runs and 16 RBIs.
Looking past the personal stats, the Tempe native is one of the biggest reasons the Sun Devils have started off 8-5 so far on the road.
His three-run home run in the road opener at Tennessee propelled the Sun Devils to a 4-0 win.
Only a couple of weeks later, Allen hit a long home run at the MLB-sized Surprise Stadium to tie up Gonzaga at six.
Allen struggled in the first Pac-12 road series at Oregon State (3-10, 0 RBI), but he has revived his power since then.
In the non-conference game at UNLV on April 10, Allen went 2-3 with four RBIs including a three-run home run in the Sun Devils 11-3 win.
The USC series that started two days later provided no letup. Allen went 5-14 with a homer and was a major key for the Sun Devils to take two of three games from the Trojans.
If the Sun Devils are going to win the Pac-12 this year, a major factor will be Allen’s continuing road dominance.
Blackwell steps up on Sunday
The Sun Devils have had trouble finding a pitcher for the Sunday spot. They got their best result Sunday.
Coach Tim Esmay moved away from youth and went to experience, turning to senior Alex Blackford (4-0).
Blackford pitched six solid innings, allowing only four runs (one earned), to give the Sun Devils their first Sunday victory in Pac-12 play this season.
It was Blackford’s first start of the season, but not of his career.
He made nine starts last season, but posted a dismal 5.71 ERA.
Blackford’s future in the starting rotation is still cloudy due to his success out of the bullpen this year.
His 2.36 ERA is fourth-best on the team, and Blackford has been effective in all spots out of the pen, including recording a save against Wichita State.
Familiar territory
If sophomore pitcher Adam McCreery wants to look to anybody for advice about recovering from a slow start to the season, fellow sophomore pitcher Darin Gillies is his answer.
Gillies, who began the year as the Sunday starter, was removed from the role after his first start when he walked six and gave up five runs in one inning of work.
Since then, Gillies has given up only nine runs in sixteen innings out of the bullpen and six of those came in one and one third innings against Washington State.
Gillies has earned the trust back from the coaching staff, pitching 1.2 innings Sunday in the Sun Devils 6-5 win over the Trojans.
Notes
- ASU is the only school in a "Power Six" conference and one of only two schools in Division I to rank in the top 20 in both doubles and triples per game.
- ASU is ranked as high as ninth in the Baseball America Top 25 poll and as low as 24 in Collegiate Baseball. Its NCAA RPI is nine.
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Danny__Shapiro
