Josh Spence (Courtesy of State Press)
#5 Arizona St. was dealt a crushing blow when they received news that Jr. LHP Josh Spence is likely to miss the rest of the season with a strained tendon in his pitching hand. On Sunday, head coach Pat Murphy announced that there was only a 5% chance that Spence would throw another pitch this season, although they will tinker with his delivery in hopes of prepping him for some relief appearances in a couple of weeks.
The Australian went only 3.1 innings during his last start on April 25 and had been scratched from his last two starts while his status was evaluated; however, Spence made little to no progress over the last two weeks. In fact, Spence has not been able to throw harder than 70 mph because of problems gripping the ball.
Spence was on course to earn All-American honors with a 8-1 record and 2.23 ERA. Together with Mike Leake, Spence helped form one of the nation’s best one-two punches. The Sun Devils are a good hitting team, but were led by an outstanding pitching staff and their 2.82 team ERA. Now with Spence on the shelf, the Sun Devils’ road to Omaha could be a whole lot bumpier.
