A few weeks before the season started, ASU freshman pitcher Boyd Vander Kooi wasn’t penciling himself into a starting spot. Although many believed he would get the nod to start the season, the Mesa, Arizona native wanted to prove himself.
“I want to work towards it and try to prove myself instead of automatically thinking I’m going to start,” Vander Kooi said. “I really want to prove a point to Skip that I have the ability and the hard work to have the starting spot.”
The man he was trying to impress, ASU head coach Tracy “Skip” Smith, said that Vander Kooi had the ability to start and would “push for innings right away.