It's always fun to watch teams clinch a berth in Omaha just to see how they react. Most come together in a joyous, emotional dogpile that makes you wonder how no one gets hurt. Rice didn't dogpile Saturday, sending the message that they're not satisfied with making it to Omaha, that they want to win the whole thing and dogpile then.

Arizona State did neither.

They kind of gathered together and hugged, then slowly and orderly started piling up on each other once they realized that dogpiles are seemingly required behavior.

The good news for ASU is that they have the talent to earn another chance to dogpile this season.

Continue reading "Tempe: Wrapup -- the Art of the Dogpile" »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Look out Omaha, Murph's coming back to town.

Arizona State got 7.2 innings of shutout pitching from Josh Satow and a game-breaking homer from Brett Wallace to beat Ole Miss 7-1, sweeping the Tempe Super Regional series.

The win sends the Sun Devils to the College World Series for the 20th time, the third time under head coach Pat Murphy.

Continue reading "Tempe: Satow pitches Devils back to Rosenblatt" »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 11:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It was the most orderly and safety-conscious dogpile I've ever seen, though.

The Arizona State Sun Devils will head back to Omaha for their 20th visit.

The Devils rode 7.2 shutout innings from little Josh Satow to a 7-1 win, sweeping Ole Miss in the Tempe Super Regional.

Back in a bit with a game story, quotes, and a wrapup.

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm back on the roof of the press box at Arizona State's Packard Stadium for game two of the Tempe Super Regional.

After last night's magical 4-3 ninth-inning comeback win over Ole Miss, the Devils are one win away from setting a date Saturday in Omaha with the UC Irvine Anteaters.

An Ole Miss win would force a winner-take-all game tomorrow.

The game will begin at 4 p.m. local time, and I know what you're thinking -- why in the name of Oddibe would anyone schedule a June baseball game in the desert at 4 p.m.?!??!

Well, it's because of television, and the boys in Bristol may get some real excitement, as it's about 143 degrees here and the buzzards are already circling the stadium waiting for someone to drop.

Continue reading "Tempe: Can we top last night?" »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow.

This one had it all.

Ole Miss ace Will Kline shut down the nation's best hitting team and took a 3-1 lead into the ninth, but Arizona State rallies for three runs to win it 4-3.

Wow.

Continue reading "Tempe: Wrap on the Instant Classic" »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 01:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Will Kline pitched the game of his life and shut down the biggest bats in the NCAA for eight innings.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't go nine.

The third-ranked Sun Devils, who entered the game batting .351 as a team and averaging 9.7 runs per game, were held scoreless for the first seven innings, but rallied for three runs in the ninth to shock Ole Miss 4-3.

Brett Wallace delivered the game-winner on a two-out single to center.

Continue reading "Tempe: Devils rally to shock Rebels." »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's a dry heat.

It's a dry heat.

It's a dry heat.

And the thermometer in my car said it was 104 degrees of dry heat.

I'm at Packard Stadium on the edge of the Arizona State campus getting ready for a 6 p.m. start of game one of the Ole Miss-ASU super regional.

Continue reading "Tempe: Hotter than the devil" »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 08:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I feel like I drew the long straw for super regional assignments.

Because the NCAA selection committee put every western team into the left side of the bracket, most of the super regional matchups are very regional but not that super.

But Ole Miss snuck into the western bracket as a one-seed and now they'll head west.

Yeah, North and South Carolina will be a war and Texas A&M at Rice will be a hoot, but can you really ask for more than Mississippi and Arizona State?

Continue reading "Tempe: Super matchup that's hotter than the weather" »

Posted by Glenn Tanner at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)