ARIZONA, USA — The Sun Devils are gearing up for a deep postseason run, but it will start with their toughest challenge yet against the top-seeded Stanford Cardinal.
ASU is limping into the postseason most recently being swept by Washington State but is viewing the playoffs as new life.
"Anything can happen in these tournaments in the postseason,” Infielder Conor Davis said. “You can be the 8th seed or 1 seed, it doesn't really matter, whoever is playing the best at the time. This is just a fresh start for us.”
It's a much-needed fresh start when you realize the Sun Devils have lost five of their last 10 games while failing to show off the offensive firepower fans were accustomed to seeing in April. Although, the players on the team’s roster aren’t looking in the past as they prepare for the Pac-12 Tournament.
"At the end of the day, it's still just a game,” Catcher Nate Baez said. “At this point in the season everyone is 0-0, just have to go out there play how we play, and not try to do too much."
Starting pitcher Kyle Luckham said his approach to the upcoming tournament is the team has nothing to lose, so there is no pressure on the Sun Devils.
"Go in it with everything we got and not look back and say we cashed it in early,” Luckham said. “We know we have to win it, so it's kind of a fearless mentality.”
That’s the exact mindset the Sun Devils will need to retain throughout the entirety of the tournament if they want any shot at earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Eighth-seeded ASU must win the tournament to earn that bid to extend their postseason hopes.
Arizona State will play top-seeded Stanford in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on May 25 at Scottsdale Stadium approximately 45 minutes after the day's first matchup between No. 4 Oregon and No. 5 Arizona at 9 a.m.
The winners and losers of those contests will face off against each other the following day in the eight-team double-elimination event.
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