March 12, 2001

TEMPE, Ariz. -- With a 4-0 record last week, the Arizona State Sun Devil baseball team moved up in the national college baseball polls to as high as fourth. ASU is now 17-4-1 on the year heading into Pac-10 play this weekend with a three-game series at Evans Diamond vs. the Cal Bears (11-9).

The Sun Devils easily handled two good teams, Oral Roberts and South Florida, by outscoring the Golden Eagles and Bulls by a combined score of 55-13. ASU, who led the nation in scoring each of the past two years, is averaging 11.05 runs per game this year and have logged double-digits in runs 14 times, including four straight games. Riding the hot bat of freshman Jeremy West (.452/5/23) and senior Casey Myers (.441/4/40), the Sun Devils will begin defending their 2000 Pac-10 Championship this weekend.

West is coming off a stellar weekend at the plate, going 10-for-15 (.667) with two doubles, two triples and two home runs. He is in the midst of a streak in which he is 14 for his last 24 (.583) and leads the team with five home runs. Myers has been a run-producing machine with 40 RBI in ASU's 22 games. The senior catcher also has at least one hit in 18 games, 17 of which have been multi-hit affairs.

The Sun Devils moved up two spots in the Baseball America poll from No. 8 to No. 6 with the 4-0 week. Pac-10 rival Stanford jumped eight spots with its sweep of USC to claim the No. 1 spot in the polls. ASU also moved up four spots in the ESPN/Baseball Weekly Coaches Poll from No. 8 to No. 4. ASU is also ranked fourth by Collegiate Baseball.

College Baseball National Polls (March 12, 2001)

Baseball America Poll
1. Stanford
2. Rice
3. South Carolina
4. Georgia Tech
5. Nebraska
6. Arizona State
7. Miami, Fla.
8. LSU
9. Pepperdine
10. USC
11. Notre Dame
12. Central Florida
13. Auburn
14. Clemson
15. Oklahoma State
16. Tulane
17. Georgia
18. South Alabama
19. Florida State
20. East Carolina
21. Tennessee
22. Baylor
23. Rutgers
24. Cal State Fullerton
25. Wake Forest

Baseball Weekly Poll
1. Rice
2. South Carolina
3. Stanford
4. Arizona State
5. Georgia Tech
6. LSU
7. Miami, Fla.
8. Nebraska
9. Pepperdine
10. Notre Dame
11. Oklahoma State
12. Auburn
13. USC
14. Clemson
15. Central Florida
16. Baylor
17. Tulane
18. South Alabama
19. Tennessee
20. East Carolina
21. Florida State
22. Georgia
23. Stetson
24. Rutgers
25. Wake Forest

Collegiate Baseball Poll
1. Rice
2. South Carolina
3. Stanford
4. Arizona State
5. Nebraska
6. Pepperdine
7. Georgia Tech
8. Notre Dame
9. Miami, Fla.
10. Clemson
11. LSU
12. Oklahoma State
13. USC
14. Central Florida
15. Auburn
16. Stetson
17. South Alabama
18. Florida State
19. East Carolina
20. Tennessee
21. Mississippi State
22. Tulane
23. Georgia
24. Southern Mississippi
25. Rutgers

--Sun Devil Baseball--