On March 9, 1963, Arizona State hit six triples in a 12-0 baseball win over Utah State, setting a school record. That record stood for 47 years, until ASU tied it on Saturday night during the second game of the doubleheader with Northern Illinois.

In ASU’s 26-1 win in seven innings, the Devils tied the school record. The NCAA record is seven, set in 1976 and tied in 1992. ASU had not had more than four triples in a game since 1975.

Mike Benjamin is on the ASU coaching staff. Benjamin was an All-American and All-Pac-10 performer in 1987, becoming a third-round pick of the San Francisco Giants. He played 13 seasons in the Major Leagues.

He may best be known locally, though, for what he did at the Little League level. He coached Chandler National to the Little League World Series.

ATH for Thursday:

Former Sandra Day O'Connor standout Zack MacPhee played lights-out baseball for ASU on opening weekend en route to National Hitter of the Week by the college baseball writers, the Pac-10 Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week awards.

The second-year second baseman’s big bat propelled ASU to a 3-0 sweep of Northern Illinois University, highlighted by the Devils’ 21-1 spanking of the Huskies on Saturday night. MacPhee went 4-for-4 with a home run, two triples and five RBI in the victory.

Over the course of the weekend, MacPhee batted .727 with a double, four triples, a homer and eight RBI. The sophomore also played solid defense, committing no errors in the field.

ASU’s season-opening 8-0 victory over the Huskies marked Tim Esmay’s first victory as manager and the 1000th victory for the Devils at Packard Stadium.

ATH for Wednesday:

Desert Mountain High School will honor late coach and guidance counselor Terry Kellen today when they dedicate the Terry Kellen bullpen prior to the Wolves first game of the season.

Kellen worked in the Scottsdale Unified School District for 16 years and had been at Desert Mountain since the school opened in the fall of 1995. He started off teaching science and physical education at DMHS while serving as the head coach of the freshmen baseball team. After moving into the field of counseling at Desert Mountain a few years later, Kellen became an assistant coach for the Varsity Wolves and enjoyed teaching the game he loved to students.

According to Kellen’s wife Terri, he always wanted his players to “love the game as much as he did.”

But the coach was not all fun and games as he made sure his players succeeded on and off the field. Kellen ran a “Breakfast Club” before school to help baseball players with poor grades improve academically. Players who arrived late to the “Club” would have to run to make up for the tardiness.

“He always held kids to a high standard,” said DMHS principal Greg Milbrandt.

Additionally, Kellen worked diligently to better the lives of all of the young people he came in contact with. As a counselor, he fostered the “Freshmen Transition program” and the “Ambassadors Club” to help incoming freshmen succeed in high school and welcome new students to campus.

“He had a tremendous effect on numerous students and the counseling department,” said Milbrandt. “People gravitated to him because of his positive personality.”

The dedication ceremony will take place today (2/24) at 3:30 pm on the DMHS varsity baseball field prior to Desert Mountain’s first game of the season, against Mesquite High School. In addition to the dedication of the bullpen, DMHS will unveil a memorial baseball stone that reads "TK 22 - In Memory of Terry Kellen - Leave Your Mark” and retire Kellen’s jersey.