Tag: Arizona State Sun Devils

Oregon Ducks to hire Arizona State’s Ra’Shaad Samples as new RB coach

Welcome Ra’Shaad Samples to Eugene, the Oregon Ducks’ new RB coach.

It didn’t take long for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks to find a new running backs coach after Carlos Locklyn left to join the Ohio State Buckeyes at the start of April.

Sources tell me that the Ducks will officially be hiring Ra’Shaad Samples, the former running backs coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils. The first report came from 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Samples currently holds the title of pass-game coordinator and wide receivers coach at ASU, but he was previously the youngest RB coach in the NFL, working under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams as a 28-year-old.

Samples also spent time with SMU and TCU at the start of his coaching career.

While Lanning said after the coaching position opened up that the team wasn’t in any rush to hire someone, it’s not hard to see that their ability to move relatively quickly by bringing in Samples is of benefit to the players on the roster, who are currently in the middle of spring practices. You also have to consider the fact that the transfer portal opens up in less than two weeks, so having a new coach in place before that is never a bad idea.

We will see when Samples gets to town, and how quickly he can settle in at Oregon and take over what looks like an incredibly strong backfield with Jordan James, Noah Whittington, Jayden Limar, Jay Harris, and Da’Jaun Riggs.

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Oregon takes the series 2-1 over the Arizona State Sun Devils

The Oregon Ducks baseball team beat the Arizona State Sun Devils two games to one in the desert this weekend.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team wrapped up their long road trip to the desert with a series victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils this weekend. After losing the first game of the series on Friday, the Ducks won two straight to beat the Sun Devils 2-1.

In Friday’s game – which Oregon lost 4-5 — the Ducks had no shortage of baserunners, but they had trouble bringing their guys around to score. Oregon finished the game with 10 runners left-stranded, which was partially a result of Arizona State’s pitching staff generating 13 punch-outs.

On Saturday, the Ducks offense got going. After just 4 hits on Friday, Oregon finished with 9 knocks on Saturday, two of which were home runs. Starting pitcher Tony Twist gave the Ducks just four innings, but relievers Brock Moore and Bradley Moore combined for five scoreless innings pitched to close the game for a 6-4 Oregon victory.

The Ducks brought the series home on Sunday afternoon, bringing even more offense for the third game of the series. In the fourth inning, Ducks first-baseman Jacob Walsh cranked a grand slam to put Oregon up 4-2, and from then on, the Ducks held the lead, carrying them to an 8-5 victory.

Throughout the weekend, the Ducks had to rely on their bullpen, but the relief pitchers answered the call. No Oregon starter made further than 5.1 innings, but each time the relievers were called on they answered.

The Ducks’ next matchup is on Tuesday, back in Eugene for a one-game stand against the University of Portland. After that, Oregon will host Cal and then Arizona at PK Park, each for a three-game series.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne on the move again

The third change for the former Irish quarterback

Although former Notre Dame quarterback [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag] showed he can play at the highest level, he has yet to find a permanent home.

The Connecticut native started his career in South Bend, before transferring to Arizona State this past season. The idea behind the move was to be able to get more playing time, but that didn’t happen as Pyne attempted just 49 passes on the year.

The Sun Devils have at least two quarterbacks above him on the depth chart, so Pyne looked to the portal again to find a new home. He will return to the Midwest as on Sunday it was announced that he will transfer to Missouri.

Pyne will take full advantage of the super-Senior status, as he will have three years of eligibility remaining in Columbia. Most likely he won’t be QB1 entering the season, as the Tigers starter Brady Cook returns, but he could be the backup this fall and then take over the starting job in 2025.

Check it Out – Photo Gallery of Drew Pyne’s Time at Notre Dame

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Jose Perez’s strange college basketball journey ends with him quitting on Arizona State

The Arizona State Sun Devils will compete in the Pac-12 Tournament without Jose Perez, who abruptly ended his college basketball career after the team’s win over USC.

We should have known Jose Perez’s college basketball career would end with one final confounding headline.

Perez dropped 25 points for Arizona State on Thursday in the loss to USC, and after participating in postgame activities he vanished – like a thief in the night – leaving the Sun Devils short handed in an eventual 59-47 loss to UCLA on Saturday.

‘Personal’ was the reason given by school officials, and Pac-12 Network broadcaster Cavan Malayter was told he is pursuing professional opportunities.

So ends the final season of Perez’s tumultuous college basketball career, which began back in 2018-19 at Gardner-Webb in the Big South – where he posted back-to-back 15 point per game seasons. That led to him spending one season at Marquette, where he only appeared in 10 games due to injury.

What followed was another transfer and an outstanding season at Manhattan (18.9 points per game) and then – you guessed it – another transfer, this time to West Virginia. He left Manhattan due to his coach getting let go, and despite the NCAA normally granting a waiver in these cases he was not, forcing him to sit for the 2022-23 season.

Perez planned to return to WVU and finally see the floor, even after coach Bob Huggins was fired, but a messy academic dispute resulted in Perez suddenly leaving the Mountaineers and ultimately ending up in Tempe with Arizona State in September.

The 6’5 guard finished his final collegiate season averaging 13.5 points for the Sun Devils – second on the team behind Frankie Collins – and some of his final words to the press came after the team’s surprise win over then No. 21 Washington State two weeks ago:

“We gotta go out with pride,” Perez said. “Our pride gotta get in the way. We go, win out, get the best seed possible and see the standings, who we match up with. It’s all about matchups in March.”

Arizona State earned the No. 11 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and will square off against No. 6 Utah on Wednesday – and they’ll have to make their run without their second leading scorer.

Arizona State wins Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, Julia Lopez Ramirez shoots tournament record

Julia Lopez Ramirez had a tournament-record score Wednesday.

It came down to the final hole, but Arizona State held on.

Grace Summerhays sank her bogey putt on the final hole at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, helping the Sun Devils capture the 2024 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate title. It’s the first win of the year for Arizona State, and it came at an event that featured six top-10 teams.

The Sun Devils finished at 3 over for the tournament, topping No. 11 Northwestern by a shot and No. 12 Auburn by two. Host South Carolina finished fourth at 6 over.

Summerhays led heading into the day but shot 4 over in the final round. Nevertheless, she finished T-7 at 2 under. Patience Rhodes and Beth Coulter each placed T-12 finishes at even.

Missy Farr-Kaye said her teams has worked hard the past couple months on being more positive. Even as the Sun Devils trailed for a majority of the day, she is proud of her team’s resilience and how they battled even after taking the lead.

The ASU women earned the win a day after the ASU men won in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

In the individual competition at the Darius Rucker, there was a four-way tie for medalist honors, and how each player got there was unique.

First, Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez picked up her first win of the season and did so in record-setting fashion, shooting a tournament-record 7-under 64 to finish at 5 under. Her birdie putt on the last hole for a 63 came up inches short.

Then, Texas freshman Farah O’Keefe rolled in a lengthy birdie putt on her final hole to get to 5 under early and set the clubhouse lead that would hold on for the remainder of the day.

South Carolina’s Hannah Darling, a two-time first-team All-American, birdied two of her final five holes to get into the share of the lead.

Then Northwestern’s Jennifer Cai, who said in a post-round interview she had no idea where she should, was long on her final hole in two shots needing a par to join the group in the clubhouse. Her chip shot ran long and on to the fringe, but she buried the roughly 15-foot par putt to earn the win.

LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad, the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, finished a shot out of first, solo fifth at 4 under.

Photos: Pat Perez through the years

Here’s a look at Perez, who turned 48 on March 1, 2024, through the years.

Arizona State University product Pat Perez has never been shy about speaking his mind.

The Phoenix native famously called Phil Mickelson’s apology about Saudi Arabia “such horseshit,” then piled the fellow Sun Devil. “In the fact that he thought he was trying to make it better for the players. He was in it for one reason. If anybody thinks he wasn’t in it for his own pocket, and his pocket only, is (blanking) high. They are (blanking) crazy.”

Perez, a winner of three PGA Tour titles who made over $28 million in career Tour earnings, added that he didn’t think a Saudi league would ever come together  — and then he signed with the league in 2022.

After winning his first team event as a member of LIV Golf, Perez was equally as outspoken.

“All the push-back, all the negative comments, everything we’ve gotten, at this point I really don’t care. I mean, I don’t care. I’m paid. I don’t give a damn,” Perez said with a laugh in the media scrum after the 4Aces won the event to take home the top prize of $16 million at LIV Golf’s 2022 Team Championship in Miami.

Perez also split with his wife Ashley after nine years of marriage in 2023. he was also famous for releasing this YouTube music video.

Here’s a look at Perez, who turned 48 on March 1, 2024, through the years.

Ohio State baseball splits series on the road against Arizona State

The Buckeyes return to Columbus with a series split, #GoBucks

The Ohio State baseball team had an opportunity to take a road series against Arizona State on Sunday afternoon, but it ended up falling short.

The Buckeyes won on Thursday, 11-4, lost on Friday, 14-4 and won on Saturday, 13-4, giving them a chance at winning the series on Sunday. The high scoring contest went the favor of the Sun Devils, as they put up 10 runs to Ohio State’s eight.

The loss puts the Buckeyes at even on the year, 4-4, and now they will have a break until Friday when they hit the road again to take on three different teams in the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic.

After the top of the fifth, Ohio State held a 7-5 and 8-6 leads, but its pitching failed it over the final half of the game. First baseman Ryan Miller had 3 RBIs while Henry Kaczmar had 2. Pitcher Hunter Shaw took the loss, giving up four runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

Kenny Dillingham has harsh statement for college coaches complaining about their job

Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham is tired of his fellow coaches moaning about their job.

Former Oregon offensive coordinator and current Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has had enough.

He has not had enough of his job in Tempe, but he’s tired of his fellow coaches around the country having the gall to complain about their current positions.

Being a head coach in college football and other sports has changed a lot over the last few years. They not only have to deal with their current players, but now coaches have to deal with agents, NIL issues and a transfer portal exploding with talent.

Some coaches have adapted to the new landscape while some have not and those who haven’t are probably out of a job or soon will be. For example, UCLA’s NIL situation is so bad that Chip Kelly left a head coaching position to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Dillingham told On3 that he’s tired of the moaning.

“I literally spent nine years of my life doing anything to become a coffee boy,” he said. “So, don’t give me the ‘Oh, it’s hard to be a coach right now.’ Yeah, it’s hard. Then quit.”

That’s a lot of coffee, but now Dillingham can have his own coffee boy at ASU. He’s in the middle of rebuilding the Sun Devil program as they finished 3-9 last season as ASU heads to the Big XII next year. Assuming Dillingham drinks coffee, maybe he could take men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley away because by the way he acts on the sidelines, Hurley drinks enough coffee.

But the big question still remains, How does Dillingham take his cup of joe? Black, cream, sugar, one lump or two? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Ohio State baseball starts the season off with a road series victory

The Buckeye baseball team had a great weekend in Phoenix

All across the country, collegiate baseball got its start this past weekend and the Ohio State baseball team started off the year right with a road series victory.

Starting on Friday, they faced off against three different opponents in the Desert Invitational in Phoenix, Arizona. The Buckeyes lost the opener to Boston College 9-2, but rebounded quickly.

On Saturday Ohio State defeated Brigham Young 7-2 and then faced off against a future Big Ten opponent in USC on Sunday night on MLB.TV. The Buckeyes defeated the Trojans 5-2, finishing their opening weekend with a 2-1 record.

Offensively, it was Tyler Pettorini and Henry Kaczmar leading with way with 4 RBI each. On the mound, two of the Buckeyes starters, Colin Purcell and Gavin Bruni, each went five innings and allowed just one run.

The Buckeyes will stay out in the Phoenix-area for the remainder of the week as they return to the diamond on Tuesday to face Grand Canyon University.  They’ll take on Arizona State in their weekend series before heading back to Columbus.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X.

NCAA history in Hawaii, Oregon freshman wins again among highlights from past week of college golf

No one has ever gone as low as Wenyi Ding did.

It’s hard to put into context what Wenyi Ding did in Hawaii.

The freshman at Arizona State was a mid-year enrollee for the Sun Devils. And in his first two tournaments, he has bested some ASU records set by former players such as Jon Rahm. In fact, Ding has set new NCAA benchmarks because of his stellar play.

It’s like he’s playing basketball on a five-foot hoop against a bunch of preschoolers, but instead he’s playing golf against some of the best amateurs in the world in stellar college tournaments across the United States.

However, Ding wasn’t the only great story last week. Here’s what you need to know from the past week in college golf.

More college golf: Practice facilities around the country