Ryan Burr (Arizona State)

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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 24 Arizona State

2014 Record: 33-24. RPI: 44.

Coach (Record at school): Tracy Smith (First season, previously at Indiana)

Postseason History: 37 regionals (active streak: 2), 22 CWS trips (last in 2010), 5 national titles (last in 1981).

Arizona State's Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Brian Serven, So. .249/.360/.355 3 27 1 1B Chris Beall, Jr. .305/.344/.364 1 11 1 2B Jordan Aboites, Jr. .240/.296/.360 0 3 2 3B Dalton DiNatale, Jr. .294/.367/.411 3 36 7 SS Colby Woodmansee, So. .200/.255/.318 2 11 1 LF Jake Peevyhouse, Sr. .290/.399/.373 0 22 4 CF Johnny Sewald, Jr. .305/.428/.350 0 19 16 RF Trever Allen, Sr. .284/.359/.456 5 17 2 DH R.J. Ybarra, Jr. .273/.342/.394 4 47 1

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV LHP Brett Lilek, Jr. 4-5 2.68 84 79 39 0 LHP Ryan Kellogg, Jr. 8-3 3.76 103 66 22 0 RHP Darin Gillies, Sr. 3-4 4.90 71.2 50 35 0 RP Ryan Burr, Jr. 3-3 3.27 44 56 38 12

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With Arizona State’s Tracy Smith

Hitting: 50. Historically speaking, everyone thinks about significant offensive production when discussing the Sun Devils. However, the Devils were less than impressive from an offensive standpoint last season, hitting just .284, and they enter the 2015 campaign needing to replace their top two hitters in Drew Stankiewicz and Nathaniel Causey. Replacing those two won’t be easy, but this lineup has an experienced foundation with potential. Woodmansee has good defensive skills, but ASU looks for him to take a step forward from an offensive standpoint this spring. Woodmansee has power potential, but finished last season with just a .200 batting average in 85 at-bats. Scrappy and aggressive leadoff hitter Sewald returns and should provide a spark atop the lineup, while Allen, DiNatale and Peevyhouse should give ASU a solid trio of run producers in the heart of the order. Peevyhouse had a strong summer and looks primed for a big senior year. Arizona State’s lineup likely won’t overwhelm anyone, but it’s a solid group that should score enough runs to win behind a loaded pitching staff.

Power: 50. The Sun Devils hope to take a big step forward from a power standpoint. The Devils finished the 2014 campaign with some unimpressive power numbers, finishing 93rd nationally in homers per game, 83rd nationally in homers overall with 26, and 74th nationally in team slugging percentage. The Devils do welcome back their top power hitter from last season in Allen (five), while cleanup hitter Ybarra is a free-swinger with power potential, and third baseman DiNatale promises to have a productive season from a power standpoint after showing more impressive power potential during fall workouts. DiNatale finished the ’14 campaign with just three homers. This area must drastically improve for Tracy Smith’s club to reach its goals.

Speed: 55. The Sun Devils aren’t expected to blow anyone away from a speed standpoint, but this group at least has more potential than the one finished 162nd nationally in stolen bases last year. The Devils welcome back a true spark plug offensively in Sewald, who registered 16 stolen bases in ’14, while the rest of the squad is filled with average runners. The Devils will need to be aggressive at the plate to get the carousel rolling around the bases with an athletic squad that lacks blazing speed.

Defense: 55. New ASU head coach Tracy Smith told us some time ago the big key to his team’s success in ’15 hinges on the defense not giving opposing teams extra chances. The Sun Devils feel good about the outfield with the return of Sewald and Allen, who have good range and instincts in the outfield. The Devils should also be quality up the middle with Aboites and Woodmansee, who has a plus arm and good overall actions. Also keep an eye on catcher Serven, who has a good frame and catch-and-throw skills.

Brett Lilek (Arizona State)

Starting pitching: 65. For as many question marks as the offense has entering the 2015 campaign, the heart and soul of this club rests with the weekend rotation, which possesses two of the nation’s elite arms in lefties Lilek and Kellogg. Lilek, a potential first-round pick in the 2015 draft, has a good 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame, and big-time stuff. Lilek was up to 95 during fall workouts and possesses good secondary stuff that continues to improve. Kellogg, who became a well-known name in college baseball as a freshman two seasons ago when he no-hit Oregon State on the road, is primed to have a very good junior campaign. Kellogg, an impressive 6-foot-5, 225-pounder, pounds the zone and has a quality four-pitch mix with a fastball that consistently sits in the 87-90 range, but touched 91 during fall workouts. Finally, the Sun Devils are cautiously optimistic Gillies will make that jump everyone has expected for a while now. Gillies has a legitimate three-pitch mix, and can get up to 91, but must show more consistency moving forward after striking out just 50, and walking 35 last season with just 71 2/3 innings pitched. Though Gillies is somewhat of a question mark, the two-man punch of Lilek and Kellogg should rival most teams around the country. Should the Gillies experiment not work, the Sun Devils could look to RHP Seth Martinez, who had a strong summer, and who sits 88-90 mph with his fastball, along with good makeup.

Bullpen: 65. The Sun Devils will have one of the nation’s premier stoppers this spring with the return of the flame-throwing Burr. Burr spent some of last season as a starting pitcher for the Devils, but that test didn’t work as Burr’s max effort approach didn’t work in the rotation and created some control issues. Now, Burr is back in his comfort zone and Smith and his staff expect big things out of the veteran. Burr was up to 93 during fall workouts, while also showcasing improved command and a higher quality changeup. He has shown mid-90s heat often in the past. Two-way player David Graybill, another righty, could be the surprise of the spring if he pans out. Graybill surprised the coaching staff in the fall with a fastball up to 95, along with a sometimes-plus slider. Should Graybill continue to improve his command, you could see himself develop into one of the nation’s biggest breakout performers, perhaps even moving into the weekend rotation at some point. So. RHP Hever Bueno and Fr. LHP Tucker Baca give this group solid depth.

Experience/Intangibles: 60. The path of a first-year coach always has the potential to be rather rocky, but we like the way Tracy Smith and his staff gelled with the current players during the fall. The Devils, along with the addition of a new coaching staff, have key experience in all the right places despite having some obvious question marks. Experience will not be an issue with this club, and Smith has shown in the past he’s a master of getting the most of his teams. It could be a memorable first season in the Smith and Phoenix Municipal Stadium era.