With just two weeks left in the college baseball regular season, No. 25 Arizona State faces two major issues ahead of an expected No. 2 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Sun Devils need to improve their situational hitting and reduce strikeouts. And they must identify a starting pitcher who can get them deep enough into a weekend finale or third game of a regional to properly utilize the bullpen.
ASU (35-14) has won just one weekend series since April 1, going 10-13 overall in that six-week stretch after a 25-1 start. That's not due to a power outage -- Hunter Bishop, Spencer Torkelson and Trevor Hauver have a combined 54 home runs -- but too much reliance on the long ball when something as mundane as a successful sacrifice is needed.