Last year, when the folks at the NCAA decided to adopt a standardized start to the college baseball season, some thought that the teams in warm-weather climates who would sometimes play up to 20 games before squads on the East Coast ever took the field would lose a huge advantage. Not so for the ASU Baseball team, which won its second-straight Pac-10 title and nearly made it to the College World Series before melting down in the playoffs to eventual champ Fresno State. This leads us to believe that the much-criticized and kind of unlikable 15-year-strong ASU head coach, Pat Murphy -- who wouldnt be our first choice to talk to about our girl troubles -- is an amazing leader who just wins.
The 2009 ASU baseball team, which is ranked in every single preseason poll, opens its season with a four-game series against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Fri., Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 21, 1 & 5 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 22, noon, 2009