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Baseball Looks to Rebound vs. Texas Tech at Muni

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Baseball Looks to Rebound vs. Texas Tech at MuniBaseball Looks to Rebound vs. Texas Tech at Muni

PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball looks to shake off a forgettable trip to the Midwest as it gets set for nine consecutive games played in the Valley - eight of which in the confines of Phoenix Municipal Stadium beginning this weekend. ASU will open a Big 12 series against Texas Tech on Thursday, April 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m. AZT. Friday's game is set for a 7 p.m. AZT first pitch due to being broadcast nationally on ESPN2 before the series concludes on Saturday at 1 p.m. AZT. 

The Sun Devils are kicking off off their first of consecutive Thursday-Saturday series this weekend at Muni against Texas Tech due to the Easter holiday. The team will host BYU next weekend on the same days due to BYU's obligations to not play on Sundays. Those two series will be sandwiched around a midweek next Tuesday up the I-17 at Grand Canyon University. ASU will close the "home" stand following the BYU series with two midweek games at home against Long Beach State. 

FOLLOW THE ACTION

  • Thursday and Saturday's games will be available to be streamed via ESPN+ and will be broadcast by ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism. Fans can check with their local cable or internet providers to see if they are on an ESPN+ plan or visit https://plus.espn.com/to sign up. 
  • Friday's contest will be ASU's second nationally broadcast game on linear television this season on ESPN2 with Mike Ferrin and Mike Rooney on the call. 
  • ASU will celebrate the birthday of long-time Sun Devil supporter Guthrie Packard on Saturday afternoon. Mr. Packard is an ASU Alumni and a past member of the Sun Devil Club Board of Directors. Guthrie, his brother Peter, and the entire Packard family are long time of supporters of ASU Baseball and the baseball stadium at ASU was named Packard Stadium for forty seasons in honor of Guthrie's father, William Guthrie Packard, when first opened in 1974 through 2014.  ASU would like to thank the Packard Family for their continued support of ASU Athletics.
  • All contests will be available over the local airwaves with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter providing the highlights throughout the weekend on KDUS 1060 AM. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
  • As always, fans are encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media  for any programming or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. ASU has outscored teams 514-332 over its last 53 regular season games dating back to last season, posting a 36-14 record in the process. 

2. ASU is batting a solid. .379 (74-for-195) this season when the team has put the first ball of an at-bat into play 

3. Matt King has an active 14-game hitting streak to lead the Sun Devils, with multiple hits in 10 of those to now lead the team with his .405 average. 

4. Jacob Tobias has recorded 60 RBIs in his last 41 games dating back to last season. He is second on the team with 38 this year. 

5. The Sun Devils are seeing 17.5 pitches per inning this season while opponents are seeing just smidge under 17.0 at 16.9 for the season. 

6. Cole Carlon's 54 strikeouts are the most for any player in the country with fewer than 34.0 innings pitched this season. 

7. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 51-20 in the first innings of games this year and are 17-4 when scoring in the first. 

8. Arizona State pitchers have struck out double digit batters in 23 of the team's 37 games thus far this season. 

9. Kyle Walker has recorded a hit to start the game in nine of the last 19 games since becoming the leadoff batter, and a hit on the FIRST PITCH four times.

10. The Sun Devils have scored in 132 halves of an inning on the year and have plated two or more runs in 85 of those.

BY THE NUMBERS
97 - The Sun Devils enter the week ranking fourth in the nation in doubles with 97 this season. The team is on an unreal tear at the moment in the category, having posted multiple doubles in 10 of its last 12 games and 42 total in that stretch. The total is 14 more than any other team in the Big 12 and 9 off Georgia Tech's nation leading total of 106. Jacob Tobias ranks 13th in the nation and first in the Big 12 with 16 doubles - which has already surpassed his previous single season high of 14 set a year ago. He has a double in six of his last 10 games and and now has 49 for his career - which is the seventh most for a Sun Devil since the 1998 season and 15th among active D1 players. Matt King is second in the league and 37th nationally with his 14 while Brandon Compton (13) and Nu'u Contrades (12) ranks 4th and 10th in the Big 12. 

69 - The Sun Devils have added a welcomed improvement in two areas this season, seeing notable gains on the basepath and playing in the field. ASU's 69 stolen bases this season are good for 52nd  in the nation and notable as ASU has not ranked in the Top-120 in the category nationally since 2011 (18th, 99). The 69 stolen bases have already surpassed the team's total for the SEASON a year ago (53). The Sun Devils have also quietly put up 21 games this season with no errors - notable as the team had just 21 such games TOTAL a year ago -  and a .983 fielding percentage that is currently good for first in the Big 12 and 5th in the country. This tally is also notable as ASU has not ranked in the Top-100 in the category in each of the last three seasons. 

54 - Cole Carlon has struck out 54 batters in just 33.2 innings of work this season, a total good for seventh in the Big 12 and Top-100 nationally despite doing so as a bullpen pitcher. His 54 strikeouts are the most for any player in the country with under 34 innings pitched and of the 132 players in the country with 50+ strikeouts, he is one of just two with less than 34 innings to his credit. Carlon is 2.1 innings away from qualifying for the national statistics, but his .108 average against would be No. 1 in the nation if he were counted at this moment and the 1.87 ERA would be 12th. Carlon has allowed just two hits in his last 17.1 innings of work with 29 of those 52 outs come via strikeout to just three walks. He had a streak of 28 consecutive retired batters and 13.0 scoreless innings ended on Saturday at Cincinnati. 

14 - Matt King has now recorded a career high 14-game hitting streak - his longest in his 196 career games played between ASU and UTSA. In that 14-game hitting streak, King has recorded multiple hits in 10 games. It is the longest active streak for a Sun Devil entering the weekend. No player on the team - and maybe in the country - has swung a hotter bat in the last couple weeks than King, who now leads the team with a .405 on the year, good for second in the Big 12 and 35th in the country - an average that has risen from .286 in the last three weeks, alone. King leads the Big 12 in conference-only average at .469, while his 18 runs in such games are fourth, his 16 RBIs are ninth and his .500 OBP is third.King ranks second in the Big 12 and 37th nationally with his 14 doubles this season. 

LAST TIME OUT: CINCINATI/PURDUE

  • The Sun Devils will quickly look to flush its four-game trip to the Midwest this week where the team went 1-3, dropping two ninth-inning walkoffs and losing all three games when it had a lead at some point in innings 7-9. 
  • ASU dropped two of three in its Big 12 tilt against Cincinnati, the finale in a heartbreaking extra-inning affair where ASU rallied from two down entering the ninth to take the lead only to see the game tied on a two-out solo shot in the bottom half of the frame before falling in the 10th inning.
  • A new state 24 hours later did not alleviate ASU's suffering as the Sun Devils bussed to Purdue for a Monday midweek game, taking a 6-5 lead in the eighth inning only to get walked off in the bottom of the ninth. 
  • Matt King maintained his torrential tear throughout the weekend, despite the results, batting .474 over the four games with seven RBIs and four doubles. He was named the College Baseball HOF's Brooks Wallace National Shortstop of the Week for the effort. 
  • Jack Martinez and Cole Carlon teamed up for really ASU's only positive pitching news on Saturday as the duo struck out 16 between them with just three earned runs allowed en route to the 7-4 victory. 

ON DECK: TEXAS TECH

  • Texas Tech enters the weekend as one of the bizarre teams as far as record in the nation, entering just two games back from the Sun Devils in the Big 12 standings at 7-8 despite having a forgettable 11-21 record overall.
  • Texas Tech visited the Sun Devils in the final weekend of the year last season and saw ASU roll up 38 runs in just two games, with ASU winning 21-5 (7) and 17-11.
  • ASU leads the all-time series against the Red Raiders, 17-6.
  • In last weekends series victory over Baylor, Texas Tech ace Mac Heuer returned to form after a tough outing against Cincinnati as the righty tossed a career-high 108 pitches in his six innings of work. Heuer punched out seven, reaching the sixth inning for the second time this season. He and relivers Jack Cebert and Trendan Parish held the potent Baylor offense to just two runs on Friday.  
  • After seeing Baylor punch back for an 18-4 win on Saturday and down 5-0 and 7-5 early, the Red Raiders used a 4-for-4 day from first baseman Robin Villeneuve and a 3-for-4 day from Antonelli Savattere to down Baylor 9-8. In the win, Cebert again shined this time tossing 4.0 innings of one run ball to earn his fourth Big 12 win of the season. Cebert is now tied with Tommy LaPour for the Big 12 lead in wins in conference games and lowered his Big 12 only ERA to 1.40, the second-lowest ERA in Conference only games in the league. Cebert is now holding league batters to a .198 batting average against.

JACOB'S LADDER

  • Jacob Tobias was named an NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team First Baseman) and D1Baseball's #6 First Baseman in the country.
  • Tobias is tied for eighth in ASU history with his 40 home runs and ranks 34th among all activie D1 playrs with that tally.
  • Among active career D1 players, Tobias is 17th in games played (202), 19th in ABs (749), 14th in hits (232), 13th in total bases (411) and 7th in RBIs (184)
  • Tobias is batting .391 in Big 12 games, good for eighth in the league. 
  • He is second on the team with 38 RBIs this season - 10th in the Big 12 - and is reaching base at a .390 clip with a .320 average. He has recorded 60 RBIs in his last 43 games dating back to last season and has at least one RBI in 26 of those games. 
  • He has a team-best 24 hits with runners in scoring position this season - two more than any other player. Nine times this season, Tobias has been responsible for the first RBI of the game. Seven times this season, he has recorded the game-winning RBI. The next closest Sun Devil has four game-winning RBIs TOTAL.
  • His 16 doubles are first in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation and already surpasses his previous season best of 14 from a year ago. His 49 career doubles rank 15th among active D1 players. 
  • He has been among ASU's best hitters with two outs, posting a .327 average on 18-of-55 hitting and his 15 two-out RBIs are second the team. He has also been ASU's most productive out, advancing runners with an out 25 times - nine more than any other Sun Devil. 
  • Tobias bat .322 with a team-leading 58 RBIs last year, with 14 doubles and a team-leading 18 homers, the latter of which was good for second in the Pac-12 during the regular season. His .635 slugging percentage was sixth in the league in the regular season.
  • He slugged .626 in Pac-12 games, the ninth-best tally in the conference and earned Pac-12 First Team All-Conference recognition at first base
  • His 14 doubles gave him 33 for his ASU career while the 18 homers bumped his career tally to 35. The 35 homers are the seventh-most for a player in the career at ASU since the 1998 season
  • Tobias needs three homers to move into ASU's top-10 in homers all-time and 22 home runs would set the ASU school record
  • Tobias' 146 career RBIs are the 10th-most for an ASU player since the 1998 season and he needs 54 RBIs to reach 200 for his career and enter the Top-8 in ASU history and the first since Ike Davis (2006-08) to do so. His .553 career slugging percentage is also 19th at ASU in that time since 1998
  • The junior posted his first career five-hit game in the finale against Arizona and added a four-hit game against Utah. He added another five-hit game in just seven innings against Texas Tech
  • Tobias recorded 22 RBIs in his final six games of the season last year (six, eight, four, one, two, one). 
  • He joined Spencer Torkelson as the only other Sun Devil in the last decade to record over 50 RBIs and over 10 homers in back-to-back seasons. His 58 RBIs last season were sixth in the Pac-12.

ENJOYING THE VU

  • Kien Vu had  his best week of the season against UNLV and Gonzaga, where he posted a .500 average  (7-of-14) with four home runs, three doubles, four walks and nine RBIs all in the leadoff spot for the Sun Devils.
  • Though he missed the majority of the last March with an ankle injury, Vu  maintains a .330 average on the season with six homers and six doubles and a .517 slugging percentage. 
  • He has also done a ton of damage on the basepaths, where he has 10 stolen bases (on 13 attempts). He stole three in ASU's Friday game against Oral Roberts, one off the ASU single game school record. 
  • Vu is reaching base at a a .436 clip on the year and he leads the team in advancing runners at a .609 clip (28-of-46).
  • Last season, Vu became the 133rd All-American in Sun Devil Baseball history after posting a .413 average over 47 games and 35 starts – the highest average in the Pac-12 and sixth in the country. He was second in the country in batting average on balls in play at .511
  • Vu was selected as a NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team Outfielder), D1Baseball's #14 Outfielder, D1Baseball's #21 Big 12 2025 MLB Draft Prospect and an All-Big 12 Preseason Team (Outfielder).
  • In the month of Apri last yearl, Vu posted a .439 average to lead the Sun Devils, boasting a gaudy .848 slugging percentage that was 100 points higher than any of his teammates. He had seven homers, four doubles and a triple while driving in 26 runs - 12 more than any other Sun Devil for the month. His efforts garnered him finalist consideration for the NCBWA Hitter of the Month
  • His .793 slugging percentage (14 homers, 11 doubles, two triples) was easily tops on the team while he also led the squad with 12 stolen bases on 13 chances. He reached base at a .497 clip on the year
  • The .793 slugging percentage was 18th nationally and second in the Pac-12 and his .497 OBP was second in the league and 29th in the country... The .793 slugging percentage was the highest at ASU since the 1998 season
  • His 56 RBIs were second on the squad and eighth in the Pac-12 despite having over 20 fewer at-bats than the team's eight AB leaders and nearly 64 fewer AB's than the next closest player in front of him in the conference
  • He led the Pac-12 in league-only games with a .418 average and .916 slugging percentage and his 31 RBIs in Pac-12 games were fifth in the league.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

  • Brandon Compton ranks 9th in the Big 12 with 28 walks this season, which has contributed to his .397 OBP over his .289 average.
  • Compton has 13 doubles this season, a total good for 4th in the Big 12 and in the 62nd nationally, while also adding six homers. His 40 RBIs this season lead the team and are fifth in the Big 12 and his 16 two-out RBIs this year lead the team.
  • Compton was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after an opening weekend in which he bat .461 on 6-of-13 hitting with nine RBIs (second in the league) and eight runs scored (first). He drew five walks while striking out just twice and had the go-ahead walk-off two-RBI double in ASU's Saturday win over Ohio State and the two-RBI go-ahead single in the fifth inning against Austin Peay. 
  • Compton became the 37th Freshman All-American in program history after becoming the fourth Sun Devil to be named Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year last year. 
  • He went on to be named an All-Star in the Cape Cod League for Cotuit, where he bat .331 with six homers and 30 RBIs.
  • Compton was n amed an NCBWA Preseason All-American (1st Team Designated Hitter), 2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List member, D1Baseball's #13 Outfielder and D1Baseball #29 2025 MLB Draft Prospect/#5 Big 12 entering the year.
  • He was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after he led Pac-12 freshmen in homers (14), doubles (16), average (.354), slugging (.661), OBP (.427) and RBIs (51). He was 11th overall in doubles, 10th in homers, seventh in average, fifth in slugging, 11th in OBP and 14th in RBI.
  • He was 35th among all players nationally in batting average on balls in play (.438)
  • His .354 batting average was 10th among all D1 freshmen and third among Power Five Freshmen and his 14 homers were eighth among all freshmen nationally
  • The youngster was third on the team with his .354 average last season. His .375 mark (24-of-64) with runners in scoring position was second on the team.
  • 27 of his 51 RBIs came with two outs, leading the team in the category and having five more than any other player.
  • Compton recorded three grand slams on the season, tied for the second most in program history and just one shy of the ASU single season record.
  • His 1.089 OPS was third on the squad and fourth in the Pac-12 while his .307 ISO Slugging (Slugging Minus Average) was fifth the Pac-12.
  • Compton was easily ASU's best hitter with two outs this season, recording a .438 average on 28-of-64 chances, leading the team in average and hits in the scenario.
  • He was responsible for the go-ahead grand slam in the series finale against Ohio State that proved to be the difference in the 10-8 ballgame. He also had a huge game-tying RBI single in the eighth inning of ASU's eventual walk-off win over Oregon. He had the go-ahead two-run homer against Utah Valley as well.

ACTION JACKSON

  • Isaiah Jackson has steadily put up hits in all but 10 of Arizona State's games this season.
  • He has a .279 average with 17 extra-base hits (10 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homers) - fourth on the team.
  • Jackson has been among ASU's best hitters with a runner in scoring position, posting a 18-for-48 (.375) mark in the category. 
  • He his 33 overall RBIs this season, already surpassing his previous career high and his 12 two-out RBIs are second on the team.
  • Jackson has reached on 14 of his 31 leadoff opportunities (.452) on the season, good for third on the team.
  • Jackson's defensive prowess remains untouched, as he ranks 32nd nationally in defensive runs saved on fly balls this season at 5.13.
  • Jackson  continued showing exceptional defensive skills a year ago, being named the the Pac-12 All-Defensive team for the second straight year while adding a career best 31 RBIs and eight homers.  Jackson bat .263 on the year but reached base at a .345 clip thanks to 18 walks and five HBPs.
  • A year ago, Jackson was exceptional in the last 13 games of the regular season, batting .375 on 15-of-40 hitting.
  • Jackson was third on the team in productive outs, advancing runners with an out 17 times. 
  • The sophomore recorded SportsCenter's No. 1 play against UCLA with his incredible leaping grab over the wall in right center field to rob a three-run homer from the Bruins, becoming a viral sensation overnight with several million views of the catch over multiple platforms. 
  • Jackson's eight putouts in center field in the USC finale were tied with Hunter Bishop (2019) for the second-most for an ASU outfielder since 1998 behind Joe Lampe's nine in 2021. Coincidentally, all three of those games have taken place against USC.
  • Jackson homered in the first two games of the season, as did teammate Jacob Tobias, joining a small list of Sun Devils to do so since 1998, including Spencer Torkelson (2020), Riccio Torrez (2011) and Jason Kipnis (2008).

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS

  • Ben Jacobs sits 3rd in the Big 12 with his 10.99 K/9 percentage while his 57 total strikeouts are 5th in the league and 54th in the country. His career 12.58 K/9 is 12th among active D1 pitchers.
  • Jacobs has a 4.82 ERA overall but his 3.44 SIERA - which takes into consideration factors outside the pitcher's control - is 13th-best in the Big 12. 
  • Jacobs has stranded 74.3 percent of his baserunners this season, good for 11th in the Big 12.
  • Jacobs won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after he threw a perfect game thorugh 17 batters in his Friday nightsvictory against Gonzaga, striking out six with no walks and just one hit allowed in his 6.0 innings - ASU's first quality start of the year
  • Jacobs matched his career high with 11 strikeouts against Oral Roberts this season - doing so in just 5.0 innings of work. 
  • He cleaned up on the Preseason honors as he was named a  D1Baseball Preseason All-American (3rd Team Starting Pitcher), Perfect Game Preseason All-American (2nd Team Starting Pitcher), NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team Starting Pitcher), 2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List member,  D1Baseball's #13 Starting Pitcher, D1Baseball's #28 2025 MLB Draft Prospect/#4 Big 12, All-Big 12 Preseason Team (Starting Pitcher) and Prospects Live No. 2 left-handed pitching prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft.
  • He was named the the U.S. Collegiate National Team in the summer, becoming the 43rd Sun Devil to accomplish the feat. He Recorded action on the mound in the International Friendship Series…Completed the series with a 2.08 ERA and seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work … Finished with a 1-0 overall record…Yielded just two hits in a weather-shortened 3-2 win over Chinese Taipei in Cary, N.C., on June 30.
  • Jacobs evolved into ASU's ace as last season progressed, earning Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors.
  • He also tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for Cotuit in the Cape Cod League with eight strikeouts over 5.0 innings
  • Jacobs finished his debut seasson with the Devils with a 4.75 ERA and a team-best seven wins on the season, striking out 102 over 66.1 innings with a sub-.250 average against.
  • The 102 strikeouts were 43rd nationally overall and 33rd following the end of the conference tournament season
  • His 13.84 K/9 was 11th nationally and tops in the Pac-12 and his seven wins were third in the league
  • Jacobs struck out a career-best 11 hitters in his Friday night win over USC, earning a quality start with a career-best 6.1 innings of work while allowing just a single run. He added a second quality start in 6.0 scoreless innings against Stanford with nine strikeouts.

WHO'S THE NU'U GUY

  • Nu'u Contrades made his long awaited return to the hot corner this season after missing the majority of last year with a back injury. He entered the season on D1Baseball's sixth-ranked third baseman in the country and the No. 22 MLB Draft prospect in the Big 12.
  • Contrades is reaching base at a .429 clip this season over his .303 average while posting 12 doubles, a triple and four homers. Eight of his doubles have come in Big 12 games, the second-best total in the conference while he bats .375 in league games.
  • His 27 walks this season are 10th in the Big 12. He has notably struck out just 23 times on 142 ABs year (16.2 percent) after striking out 51 times with just 9 walks his freshman season on 217 ABs (23.5 percent).
  • He ranks 157th among all Division I players in Offensive Runs Above Replacement at 25.16
  • Contrades has played exceptionally well at the hot corner, second on the team in defensive assists with 64 - the most among Big 12 third baseman. He is tied for 52nd in the country overall and 14th among third basemen with a defensive WAR of 0.51 and 26th in the country over on defensive runs saved on ground balls at 6.06.
  • Among 12,000+ D1Baseball players, Contrades ranks 81st in the country with an overall WAR of 2.39.
  • Contrades had his streak of 33 games this season and 41 consecutive games dating back to his freshman season ended in the opener against Cincinnati
  • Contrades is 12-for-13 on stolen bases this year, bringing his career tally to 21-of-24. The 12 stolen bases are tied for fourth in the Big 12. 
  • Contrades has bat out of the leadoff position often this year and reached on 19-of-46 (.413) leadoff opportunities. 
  • Contrades was named the Big 12 Co-Player of the Week for his efforts against Oral Roberts, where he homered three times and bat at a .385 average with five RBIs and six runs scored. 
  • In limited action last year, Contrades reaching base at a .346 clip - striking out just twice in his first 21 ABs appearances, an area he struggled in as a freshman.
  • The ASU third baseman bat .309 with 20 extra base hits (eight homers, two triples, 10 doubles) and recording 40 RBIs as a freshman in 2023.
  • The .309 average was in the Top-5 for freshmen in the Pac-12 that year and Top-50 among all freshmen in the country...The rally at the dish came despite the youngster still sitting below the Mendoza line as of March 7
  • He obliterated the University of Arizona in the three-game series in Tempe, where he was 7-14 (.500) with eight RBI, three runs scored. He plated the winning run in Saturday's series-securing victory and scored it in the series finale Sunday and was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week in the process. He led the team with 10 RBIs (of 31 total for the week for ASU) with a .947 slugging percentage while batting .474 on 9-of-19 hitting in four total games that week
  • Honored as the team's Bobby Winkles Award winner as a true freshman, Nu'u Contrades found himself at home in the valley as he earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors as an infielder.
  • Had a productive Summer Ball campaign in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies following his freshman season, making the league All-Star game and was the league leader in RBIs with 71 while slashing .320/.423/.563, recording 17 doubles and 13 homers across 60 games and 231 ABs.

WALK THIS WAY

  • Kyle Walker has assumed duties at second base this season after a very productive undergraduate campaign at Grambling.
  • Walker had his team-best 19-game hitting streak snapped in the finale against Arizona.. He had multiples hits in 11 games during that streak. He has, however, reached base in an active team best 26-straight games entering the weekend. 
  • Walker remains second on the team in average at .353 - a notable achievement as he was batting .083 on Feb. 28 and still below the Mendoza line as of March 7. 
  • Since moving into the leadoff spot in the second game against TCU (where he has played every game since), Walker is batting .405 on 32-of-79 hitting with a .500 OBP and team-leading 27 runs scored. 
  • Since moving to the leadoff spot on March 15th against TCU, Kyle Walker has recorded a hit to start the game in nine of 19 games in that role. 
  • To take that a step further, the have been four times he has recorded a hit on the very first pitch of the game. 
  • Walker's .492 career OBP is fourth among active D1 players that have played their whole careers at the D1 level and his .372 career average is 12th among those active players.  He also ranks 22nd among active D1 players in runs scored (163).
  • Walker has struck out just once ever 10.8 at-bats this season, marking him the third-toughest player in the Big 12 to strike out and 62nd toughest in the country. 
  • Walker leads the team with 74 defensive assists this year while fielding a solid .979. The 74 assists are good for 15th in the Big 12 despite not starting five games for ASU this year.
  • Among Big 12 players with at least 70 defensive assists this season, Walker's .979 fielding percentage ranks tied for second. Walker's 5.19 defensive runs saved this season rank 186th among all D1 players. 
  • Walker is tied for first in the Big 12 and 28th in the country with five sac flies this year. He has successfully advanced runners at a .591 clip (39-of-66) good for second on the team.
  • Walker participated in the 2024 MLB Draft Combine and represented the U.S. Collegiate National Team during the summer, competing in the International Friendship Series against Chinese Taipei in Cary, N.C.
  • As a redshirt sophomore in 2024, led Grambling State with a career-best .381 batting average, 11 home runs, 77 hits, and 71 runs scored.He recorded 114 defensive assists and turned 26 double plays in 2024
  • Walker concluded his two-year career at Grambling State with a .376 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, 135 hits, 70 RBIs, and 121 runs scored
  • Walker began his Grambling State career in 2023 after redshirting his freshman year at Louisiana Tech, starting at second base and batted .372 with 2 home runs, 58 hits, and 50 runs scored in his debut season at Grambling.

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK

  • Senior Jack Martinez has giving ASU much-needed longevity in his three starts this season, tossing a team-best 50.1 innings.  
  • While Martinez has a 4.83 ERA, his 1.93 SIERA - which accounts for runs not in the pithcer's control -  is second-lowest in the Big 12 and 10th-lowest in the nation. 
  • He is leading the Big 12 with 75 strikeouts - good for 8th in the nation - and his 13.41 K/9 is second in the league and 13th in the country. Four times this season has Martinez recorded double-digit strikeouts, including both of his last two starts. 
  • His 4.69 strikeout to walk ratio is third in the Big 12 and 52nd nationally and his 1.11 WHIP is sixth in the Big 12. 
  • He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after the Gonzaga series where he posted a no-hitter through 6.2 innings en route to a 10 strikeout, two walk, one hit performance with no runs allowed. 
  • Among D1 pitchers with 500+ pitches this season, his 34.2 whiff percentage is 25th in the nation. His 45.8 whiff percentage on his changeup in 10th in the country and his 69.8 strike percentage on the pitch is ninth. 
  • Martinez posted a 4.40 ERA for Louisiana in 2024 as helped the Ragin' Cajuns to the Sun Belt Conference regular season title and a spot in the NCAA Baseball Tournament where it advanced to the Regional Final against eventual College World Series runner-up Texas A&M
  • He went a combined 10-1 on the mound in 38 career appearances at Division III Trinity University (Texas) and was named first-team All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, first-team D3baseball.com All-Region and second-team ABCA Second Team All-Region
  • He led a stellar pitching staff with a 2.12 earned run average in 2023, finishing the year with a 6-0 record and six saves as he recorded a team-best 81 strikeouts in 51.0 innings of work, holding opponents to a .163 batting average. He finished third among DIII players in strikeouts per nine innings (14.29).

SHORT KING

  • Matt King might be a new face to Sun Devil fans but he entered the season as one of the most veteran shortstops in the country.  
  • No player on the team - and maybe in the country - has swung a hotter bat in the last couple weeks than King, who now leads the team with a .405 on the year, good for second in the Big 12 and 35th in the country - an average that has risen from .286 in the last three weeks, alone.
  • King leads the Big 12 in conference-only average at .469, while his 18 runs in such games are fourth, his 16 RBIs are ninth and his .500 OBP is third.
  • King ranks second in the Big 12 and 37th nationally with his 14 doubles this season. 
  • The surge has elevated King to 174th in the country among all D1 players in offensive runs above replacement at 26.19. 
  • King has now recorded a career high 14-game hitting streak among 196 games between ASU and UTSA. In that 14-game hitting streak, King has recorded multiple hits in 10 games. It is the longest active streak for a Sun Devil entering the weekend. 
  • King had a hit in eight-straight at-bats over three games ended with a suspect called strike three in the ninth inning against CSUN. The eight-straight hits were tied for the third-most in school history and just one off the school record of 9, which hadn't been reached since 1982. 
  • King is also a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases this year
  • He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following the UNLV/Utah week and was named the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Brooks Wallace National Shortstop of the Week following this weekend. 
  • King has struck out once ever 11.5 at-bats this season, the second-best tally in the Big 12 and 52nd in the country.
  • King's 196 career games are 29th among active D1 players that have played their entire careers at the D1 level and his 160 total runs scored are 27th. His 231 hits are 15th, his 51 doubles are 10th, his 154 RBIs are 37th, 43 HBPs are 26th and 17 sac flies are second. 
  • King, a transfer from UTSA, was a three-year starter at short for the Roadrunners. 
  • He posted a career-best .336 average at UTSA as a junior in 2024 with 41 RBIs to finish his Roadrunner career with a .304 average with a .449 OBP and 127 RBIs over 163 games played 
  • King recorded 94 defensive assists as a junior and turned 15 double plays and finished the season with a 20+ game reached base streak en route to All-AAC First Team honors
  • He played in all 57 games in 2023, earning a start in 56 of them – all at shortstop… held a .318 batting average with 69 hits, 45 runs and 58 RBI… recorded 23 extra-base hits, including 11 doubles, six triples and six home runs… picked 22 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games
  • King won the starting shortstop battle early in the year as a true freshman in 2022 and held it down for UTSA, starting 41 games at short and a game apiece at second and first … hit .237 with a .348 OBP … recorded 31 hits in 156 at-bats with 12 doubles, a triple and a home run to earn 28 RBI.
  • King entered the season with 163 games played in his career.

NO LUMP OF COLE

  • Cole Carlon is riding one heck of a heater into the weekend as one of ASU's most reliable options out of its bullpen. 
  • Carlon had his streak of consecutive batters retired ended at 28 after his two-out walk in the sixth on Saturday against Cincinnati. UC's leadoff double in the ninth ended Carlon's streak of 13.0 straight innings with no hits dating back to March 21 vs. #22 Kansas over six appearances. Regardless, Carlon has allowed just two hits in his last 17.1 innings of work with 29 of those 52 outs come via strikeout to just three walks.
  • He recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over 4.1 innings of work in the Sunday victory over Arizona. That number marked the second most for a Sun Devil reliever since 2021 (Tie: Tyler Thornton- 11 vs. Rhode Island 4/30/21; Hunter Omlid- 11 vs. Utah Valley 3/19/24). vAt one point, Carlon retired seven straight batters on strikeouts, which is tied for the fourth-most consecutive strikeouts by a Sun Devil in program history.
  • With his recent efforts, Carlon is now down to a 1.87 ERA this season with a 2-0 record and a save with only a paltry .108 batting average against  over 33.2 innings.
  • He has 54 strikeouts on the season, third on the Sun Devils, seventh in the Big 12 and 86th in the nation.
  • His 54 strikeouts are the most for any player in the country with under 34 innings pitched and of the 132 players in the country with 50+ strikeouts, he is one of just two with less than 34 innings to his credit. 
  • Carlon is 2.1 innings away from qualifying for the national statistics, but his .108 average against would be No. 1 in the nation if he were counted at this moment and the 1.87 ERA would be 12th.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS

  • The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under Willie Bloomquist, stranding 1,692 baserunners over 207 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU stranded 453 in 55 games last season and 278 in 33 games this season.
  • This season is the first time ASU has posted two midweek shutouts since 2012, when the team beat Utah Valley (9-0) and Cal State Fullerton (1-0) on March 13 and March 27. It is the first time the team had back-to-back midweek shutouts since March 26-27, 1996 vs. Portland State (10-0, 12-0). It is the first time a team has back-to-back midweek shutouts over two separate teams since Feb. 5 and Feb. 20, 1990 vs. Chapman and Lubbock Christian (4-0, 4-0). These totals are all notable as ASU used five pitchers in each of those victories (2-0 at UCLA, 7-0 vs. UNLV).
  • Jonah Giblin has been solid in long relief for the Sun Devils this season, currently fourth on the team with 29.1 innings pitched and posting a 4.60 ERA with a 5-2 record and 31 strikeouts to 10 walks while opponents are hitting just .232 off of him. The five victories are fourth in the Big 12 and 51st nationally this season.
  • Lucas Kelly has allowed just four runs in 15.1 innings over 13 appearances with 18 strikeouts and just a .250 average against to go with his 2.35 ERA
  • Derek Schaefer has a 3.38 ERA on the season with two saves and 22 strikeouts over 18.2 innings with just a .222 average against.

PITCH AND CATCH

  • While there is still a ton of season ahead, early returns on new Sun Devil pitching coach Jeremy Accardo have paid immediate dividends while the defenders behind him have done their part to reward the staff for throwing strikes and taking care of balls in play.
  • ASU has seven pitchers with 15.0+ innings pitched and a sub-5.00 ERA. Last year at this time, the team had four. 
  • ASU's overall team WHIP sits 73rd nationally at 1.47. While not eye popping, It is notable as the team has not finished in the Top-100 in the category since 2012 (6th, 1.17). In fact, ASU has been outside the Top-200 five different times since then and outside the Top-150 eight times. 
  • The team's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.47 ranks 38th in the nation as well. The Sun Devils have not ranked in the Top-100 in that category in a non-COVID season since the 2015 campaign where ASU checked in at 79th in the nation with a ratio of 2.20.
  • ASU is first in the Big 12 with a 10.9 K/9 average this season, good for 12th nationally. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 23 of 37 games on the season.
  • The Sun Devils have posted 21 games this season without an error and have quietly put up a .983 fielding percentage on the year - good for first in the Big 12 and 5th in the country. ASU ranked outside the Top-100 in each of the last three seasons in the category.
  • The 21 games without an error already match ASU's total for the season a year ago.
  • ASU is the highest ranked team in the country that plays on a a totally natural field (dirt and grass, including foul territory) and one of just four teams in the Top-25 to lay such a claim. 
  • ASU had a seven-game streak without an error at one point this year - which was  its longest since a nine-game stretch in the 2015 season. 
  • The Sun Devil pitchers have been amonst the most improved in the area, with just three errors credited against them this season - notable as ASU pitchers were responsible for 12 of ASU's 60 errors last season (20.0 percent).

WHAT'S THE CATCH?

  • The Sun Devils looked hard-pressed to replace one of the program's most prolific offensive players in history as All-American catcher Ryan Campos is now departed as an early round draft pick to the Cardinals organization, leaving a gap at the catcher position that was manned by the .369 career hitter the last three seasons but Josiah Cromwick and Brody Briggs have answered  the call.
  • After a prolific offensive Fall and early Spring in team scrimmages, Josiah Cromwick has shown he can do it with the lights on as well, leading the Sun Devils with nine home runs this season, good for sixth in the Big 12 despite not seeing every day action in the lineup.
  • Cromwick has 20 total hits on the season and 14 of those have gone for extra bases, recording nine homers and five doubles. 
  • ASU went with Cromwick as the backstop to get the opening night start. Granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Cromwick was arguable t he team's best play erthrough Fall and Preseason camp this year, recording 20 home runs in live AB scrimmages. Cromwick was a Top-25 catcher in the nation out of high school and started 67 games for the Oregon Ducks prior to transferring to ASU last year.
  • Brody Briggs has posted a .286 average on the year. His seven RBIs on the first two home runs of his career in the rubber match victory over TCU are the most for a Sun Devil this season.
  • Briggs has shown defensively as well, with 19 defensive assists on the year and leading the team in throwing out six batters this season - tied for fourth in the Big 12 despite seeingle significantly fewer chances than the players ahead of him.

THINGS ARE GETTING A BIT HAIR-Y

  • Freshman Landon Hairston has shown a mature approach at the plate despite the freshman tag and has quickly become a staple in the Sun Devil lineup.
  • Hairston is batting .337 on the year, good for third on the team, and added his first career homer this last weekend at Cincinnati while also starting to pile up the doubles, now sitting at four. The average has risen from .222 entering the month of march. 
  • His .466 OBP and just .06 points off the team lead. 
  • Hairston has shown his ability to make in-game adjustments as he is batting .354 (17-48) in innings 6-9 this season. 
  • Hairston has spent much of his time in the last month in right field in place of the injured Kien Vu, and he has been a perfect 42-for-42 on defensive chances with no errors.

HEADED TO THE GAP

  • ASU has recorded 97 doubles this year and multiple doubles in 26 games, ranking 3rd in the country (and 7th at 2.62 per game) and first in the Big 12. ASU has racked up 42 doubles in its last 12 games, alone.
  • Twelve players have recorded a double this season and 11 have multiples. Jacob Tobias ranks 13th in the country with his 16 doubles and tops in the Big 12. Matt King is second in the league and 37th nationally with 14, Brandon Compton is 4th in the league in 62nd nationally with 13 and Nu'u Contrades is 10th in the Big 12 with 12.
  • The Sun Devils were tops in the Pac-12 and sixth in the country with 143 doubles last year in 58 games and the 2.47 doubles per game were fourth in the nation. The total was 15 more than any other team in the Pac-12 even without making the postseason.
  • 15 different Sun Devils had multiple doubles last season - the most of any school in the Pac-12.
  • Ryan Campos was the Pac-12 leader with 25 doubles this year - a tally good for 7th nationally. Nick McLain was sixth with 18, Brandon Compton was 12th with 16.  Jacob Tobias had 14, Harris Williams had 13 and Ethan Mendoza and Kien Vu had 11, giving ASU a Pac-12 leading seven players that have reached double digits in the category.
  • ASU had multiple doubles in 39 games last season and at least one double in 51 of 63 games. The team's 143 double were fifth out of all ASU team's since 1998 in the category.
  • ASU got a slow start in the doubles category in 2023 but came alive in the second half of the year. After having just 13 in the first 11 of the season, ASU finished with 108 to find itself in the Top-100 prior to the NCAA Tourney after being ranked as low as 232 through the first month of the season.
  • The team recorded a double in 45 of 55 games overall that year with multiple doubles in 26 of those. Luke Keaschall finished seventh second in the entire country with 25 doubles .
  • The Sun Devils recorded 134 doubles in 2022, good for 19th in the nation and third in the Pac-12. The 127 doubles during the regular season were the most for a Sun Devil team in the REGULAR SEASON in the BBCOR era (since 2011) and tied for the fifth-most in a regular season since 1998.
  • ASU had at least one double in all but six games in 2022 and multiple doubles in 36 of 58 games.

CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL

  • Arizona State has 43 home runs this season, a total that is fifth in the Big 12. 10 players have homered and nine have multiple homers. 
  • ASU only had runners on base on 9 of its first 23 homers of the season but has had runners on 16 of its last 20 homers with the only four exceptions being leadoff home runs. 
  • Notable though, ASU swept the road series against Utah WITHOUT hitting a home run - the first time the team had accomplished that feat in a road series sweep since the start of the 1999 season (3-0 at Hawai'i, 4-0 at Hawai'i-Hilo) and the first time overall in a series sweep since 2017 against Northwestern in Week One.
  • The Sun Devils had 102 homers last year, good for 30th nationally and surpassing the program's BBCOR record of 94 from the 2019 season. ASU became just the eighth Sun Devil team in the program's illustrious history to reach 100 home runs and the first to do it since having 101 in 1990. The 2024 Sun Devils were the fastest to reach triple digits in the category in program history, doing so in 56 games.
  • ASU had five Sun Devils reach doublle digit homers (Ryan Campos, Kien Vu, Brandon Compton, Jacob Tobias and Nick McLain), marking the first time at ASU since 1993 that five players accomplished the feat (Todd Cady, Doug Newstrom, Antone Williamson, Paul Lo Duca, Jacob Cruz). It was the first season that even four had reached the tally since 1994. 
  • 11 different Sun Devils had multiple homers - second-best in the Pac-12 - and 13 homered overall, which was also the second-most in the league.
  • The 2024 Sun Devils were the first ASU team to have 13 players homer since the 2008 squad also had 13.
  • ASU homered once in each of the three games against Oregon State, notable as the Beavers had allowed just 10 homers all season entering the weekend and just five total at Goss Stadium.
  • ASU had six homers in its road series against UCLA, the most allowed by UCLA in a three-game series this year. ASU had four in each of its first two games against USC, the most the Trojans had allowed in a game all year. ASU had five in a game against UC San Diego, the most it had allowed and had four in two of its games against UW, also the most the Huskies had allowed. With the team's five-homer game against Stanford  - the most the Cardinal had allowed at the Sunken Diamond since 2000 - ASU had five-straight series in which it has recorded at least one game with the most home runs allowed by that opponent last season.
  • The Sun Devils had eight homers in the Oregon series. Unfortunately, all came of the solo variety.
  • The Sun Devils continued looking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU had 49 solo homers on its 102 last season. Of the team's 49 solo homers, however, 23 were of the leadoff variety and didn't give anyone a chance to be on base while five others came as part of back-to-back homers and thus, the same principle.
  • The big homers with men on base, however, increased in the last month. Five of ASU's six homers against UCLA were two-run shots and 5 of 10 against USC were multi-run bombs, as were five of its seven against UC San Diego. Seven of the ten homers against Washington were multi-run shots. Four of the 11 homers against Stanford were three-run bombs while another was a two-run shot.
  • The Sun Devils hit 19 more homers during the 2023 season (83) than it did the prior year. 12 different players logged a home run last season for ASU and 10 had multiple home runs. In 2023, ASU had eight different players with at least six homers - more than any other team in the Pac-12.
  • The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers that year - at the time two more than any other team at ASU had had since at least the 1998 season. ASU had five players with at least seven homers in 2022, tied for the second-most at ASU since 1998. The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers last season as well.
  • ASU's 83 homers in 2023 were 56th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament.
  • The better news was ASU finally started the get pumps with runners on base. 37 of the team's last 66 Sun Devil home runs that year came with runners on base after 14 of the first 17 that season were solo shots. Of the 26 solo shots, 17 were leadoff homers and thus not given the opportunity to happen with runners on base.
  • The timing of the home runs improved immensely over the second half of the 2022 season as well. On 24 of the final 37 homers on the year, ASU had at least one runner on base. That was notable as ASU had runners on base just eight times on the teams first 27 homers.
  • Of the nine position players with at least 30 starts in 2022, all nine had multiple home runs. ASU had ten total players with multiple homers.

COMING IN HOT

  • The Sun Devils have 45 innings this season scoring at least three runs, 19 with 4+ and 11 with 5+.
  • ASU has outscored teams 514-332 over its last 53 regular season games dating back to last season, posting a 37-17 record in the process. 
  • Big innings have been the theme of ASU's season as the team has now scored in 132 halves of an inning on the year and have plated two or more runs in 85 of those.  
  • ASU has scored 131 runs in its 15 conference games this season (8.7 per game) - second in the league. 
  • The team is batting .36 in Big 12 games - tops in the league.
  • Seven time in the Willie Bloomquist tenure - and twice this season - the Sun Devils have recorded 20 or more hits (since 2022). The team had just eight from 2008-21 and only three from 2011-21).
  • Both of ASU's 20-hit games this season have come on the road and three of the seven total under Bloomquist. Of the team's 36 games with 20+ hits from 2000-2021, only eight came on the road.
  • The Sun Devils have scored 20 or more runs five times in 3+ seasons under head coach Willie Bloomquist. That total is notable as the team had just five such games TOTAL from 2009-2021.
  • Last season, ASU has posted 68 3+ run innings and 41 4+ run innings. 21 times last season, ASU  scored five or more runs in an inning. 
  • The Sun Devils thrived in the big innings in 2023 as well, 12 times recording five or more runs in an inning. The team recorded 51 innings with three or more runs scored.
  • The team has 10 or more hits in 20 games so far this season. ASU recorded 10 or more hits in 39 of 58 games last season and in nine-straight games to conclude the regular season and 16 of the last 17 in the regular season . ASU's 652 total hits last season were tops in the Pac-12 and 14th nationally.
  • ASU ranks 30th nationally and 3rd in the Big 12 with a .311 batting average this season and is 45th in the country and third in the league with a .494 slugging percentage. The Sun Devils'  offensive surge at the end of last year boosted its team slugging percentage to .541 on the year, good for tops in the Pac-12 and 15th nationally. The batting average was .313 for the year, tops in the Pac-12 and 12th nationally.
  • ASU is third in the Big 12 and 46th nationally with 8.2 runs per game. Last season, the Sun Devils were second in the Pac-12 in averaging 8.3 runs per game and 29th nationally. 
  • ASU has outscored opponents 50-20 in the first innings of games this season and are 17-4 when scoring in the first inning.
  • ASU has also been very good in the sixth inning of games, outscoring teams 40-20.

HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS

  • After going 1-7 in one-run games in 2022, ASU went 7-3 and 8-5 in one run efforts in 2023 and 2024. ASU's eight wins in one run games last year were the most since the team had nine in the 2017 season.
  • ASU is 5-5 in one-run games this season and is 8-8 in games decided by two runs or less after going 11-13 in such games last year. 
  • The team has posted the game-winning RBI/run in the sixth inning or later in nine of the team's wins so far. 
  • The walk-off win against UNLV  in the regular season finale a year ago was ASU's sixth last season as a result of a ninth or extra-inning lead change, with walk-offs against Oregon, GCU and UW (10th inning) and UNLV and ninth-inning go-ahead runs on the road against Arizona and UNLV. ASU has two walk-offs this season.
  • ASU won four games last year when trailing after eight innings and five games when trailing OR tied after 8. The team had five wins when trailing or tied after eight in 2016 and nine in 2015. ASU's four games in which it trailed after eight innings are the most since the team had five such victories in 2006. 
  • ASU has trailed at one point in 47 of its last 75 victories dating back to to 2023 - including nine of its wins this season. 
  • In 2023, ASU was incredibly efficient at closing games out, going 24-4 when leading after six, 27-1 when leading after seven and 29-0 when leading after eight. Last season ASU was 27-2 when leading after six, 25-2 after seven and 23-1 after eight
  • ASU is 98-5 when leading after eight innings under Willie Bloomquist
  • In three seasons under Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils have shown that no opponent lead is safe, showing off plenty of grit in erasing multi-run deficits. ASU has nine wins in each of the last two seasons when trailing by at least three runs at some point in the game. It added its first of the 2025 season against Austin Peay.
  • In 2022, the seven-run deficit overcome by the Sun Devils to defeat and take the series from Cal was the most since March 3, 2000 against Arizona. ASU doubled down at that in 2023  with the victories over North Dakota State and GCU, overcoming a 7-0 deficit in both (and 9-2 in entering the eighth against GCU) for victories in both.
  • ASU came from behind 13-6 in the regular season finale against UNLV to walk it off in the ninth - the fourth seven-run comeback in the Bloomquist era.
  • ASU has won 11 games in which it has trailed by at least five runs at some point in the game under Willie Bloomquist.

DO I KNOW YOU?

  • The Sun Devils welcome an incredible 22 new faces to the roster in 2025. The class features Perfect Game's No. 17 freshman group in the country - its second-straight Top-25 class.
  • The roster will feature 6 freshman arms, a notable tally considering the 2022 team didn't have a single freshman arm on the roster. Additionally, ASU added six transfer arms, including expected Saturday starter Jack Martinez (Louisiana) and potential closer Will Koger (Louisville)
  • The team will feature two new middle infielders for the third consecutive season after having at least one returner up the middle from 2018-22, this year in the form of Matt King (UTSA) at short and Kyle Walker (Grambling) at second.
  • In addition to the guys playing on the field, the team also welcomed a slew of new faces on the coaching and support staff, highlighted by new pitching coach Jeremy Accardo, new hitting coach Jason Ellison and new pitching analytics coordinator Jared Matheson.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES

  • Sun Devil Baseball was no stranger to collegiate baseball's preseason awards season with numerous members of the roster earning Preseason All-America, All-Conference and Top Prospect recognition.
  • The Sun Devils were tied for the nation's lead with three players named to the 2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List while four Sun Devils garnered at least one All-America honor.
  • The pitching staff's ace, southpaw Ben Jacobs, headlines the preseason awards haul, garnering three All-America nods in addition to a spot on the Golden Spikes Watch List.

Ben Jacobs – Left-Handed Pitcher

D1Baseball Preseason All-American (3rd Team Starting Pitcher)

Perfect Game Preseason All-American (2nd Team Starting Pitcher)

NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team Starting Pitcher)

2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

D1Baseball #13 Starting Pitcher

D1Baseball #28 2025 MLB Draft Prospect/#4 Big 12

All-Big 12 Preseason Team (Starting Pitcher)

Brandon Compton - Outfielder

NCBWA Preseason All-American (1st Team Designated Hitter)

2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

D1Baseball #13 Outfielder

D1Baseball #29 2025 MLB Draft Prospect/#5 Big 12

Kien Vu - Outfielder

NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team Outfielder)

D1Baseball #14 Outfielder

D1Baseball #21 Big 12 2025 MLB Draft Prospect

All-Big 12 Preseason Team (Outfielder) 

Jacob Tobias – First Base

NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team First Baseman)

D1Baseball #6 First Baseman

Kyle Walker – Second Base

2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List

D1Baseball #12 Second Baseman

 OTHER D1Baseball Honors

Nu'u Contrades – D1Baseball #8 Third Baseman/#22 Big 12 2025 MLB Draft Prospect

Matt King – D1Baseball #34 Shortstop

Jack Martinez  - D1Baseball #92 Starting Pitcher

Isaiah Jackson - #19 Big 12 2025 MLB Draft Prospect

Lucas Kelly - #31 Big 12 2025 MLB Draft Prospect

Derek Schaefer - #6 Big 12 2026 MLB Draft Prospect

Cole Carlon - #8 Big 12 2026 MLB Draft Prospect

Wyatt Halvorson - #16 Big 12 2026 MLB Draft Prospect

Landon Hairston - #4 Big 12 Impact Freshman

Ky McGary - #23 Big 12 Impact Freshman