PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball will return to the friendly confines of Phoenix Municipal Stadium this week, looking to rebound from a gauntlet of five games against ranked SEC teams last weekend in Oklahoma and Texas. The Sun Devils (8-4) will kick off an eight-game homestand this weekend as they welcome the LMU Lions for the final non-conference weekend series of the season, beginning Friday, March 6. Friday and Saturday’s tilts are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. AZT first pitches with the finale on Sunday slated for 1 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
- All games this weekend will be streamed online through ESPN+. Braiden Bell and Kevin Kramer will provide the action throughout the weekend. 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.
- Sunday’s contest will be broadcast live over local airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM* with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter on the call. Please note, should the Sun Devil Women’s Basketball make it the Championship Game in the Big 12 Tournament, the Sun Devil Baseball game will instead be aired on KAZG 1440 AM.
- Fans are encouraged to follow along in-game content and schedule updates throughout the weekend on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account (@ASU_Baseball).
#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)
1. ASU has outscored its opponents 799-494 over its last 85 regular season games - going 59-26 in the process.
2. ASU has scored multiple runs in 22 of its 37 half-innings with runs with 13 innings with at least three runs, 10 with at least four and 8 with at least five.
3. With a 9-3 loss to Texas A&M Sunday, ASU had its nation-leading streak of 85-straight games without losing a regular season game by 5+ runs ended.
4. Arizona State has done its part to not let the bottom of the opponent order hurt them, holding teams to a .181 average from their 7-9 hitters - 20th-lowest in D1.
5. ASU’s homers haven’t been cheapies, with its average home run distance of 401.60 currently 10th in the nation among all teams with 10+ homers this year.
6. Nu’u Contrades is credited with saving 2.65 runs on infield ground balls this season, good for 33rd in the nation but fourth among all second basemen..
7. PJ Moutzouridis has seen 3.26 pitches per plate appearance AFTER reaching two strikes this season, the second-highest tally in the country.
8. Garrett Michel is 18th in D1 baseball with an average exit velo of 87.4 this season and his 88.3 FORWARD velocity is tied with Landon Hairston for 35th.
9. ASU has converted 69.4 percent of balls in play into outs this season, good for the 39th-best mark in the country.
10. Arizona State is inducing a 22.2 whiff rate on pitches IN the zone that is 29th in the country while the 29.9 OVERALL miss rate is 36th overall.
BY THE NUMBERS
93 - Sun Devil pitchers have posted an average fastball/sinker velocity of 93.0 this season, a total that currently sets good for 10th among all Division I programs through the first couple weeks. Among pitchers with at least 5.0 innings pitched this season, ASU has the No. 15 (Alex Overbay, 96.2), No. 27 (Derek Schaefer, 95.6), No. 29 (Cole Carlon, 95.6) pitchers in the country in average fastball velo. ASU is the only team in the country with three ranked in the Top-30 in the category. The team’s 83.9 MPH average on its sliders is fifth best in the country, as is its 88.3 MPH on cutters. Even the team’s 84.2 MPH velo on its changeups is 15th best. For perspective, ASU’s 2019 team’s average FASTBALL velocity was 89.4 miles per hour. ASU’s overall average pitch velocity on all pitches is 88.6, good for 8th in the country.
91 - Conversely, Arizona State’s average exit velocity at the plate is 91.2 MPH - good for the seventh-highest tally in Division I. Its 81.3 FORWARD average exit velo is 11th. The Sun Devils currently have a hard-hit ball average (95+ MPH exit velo) of 46.9 percent, which is 16th in Division I baseball and the team’s 101 hard-hit balls are 24th. Arizona State has put a barrel on 65 balls this season, ranking 36th in the country. The team has also faced its fair share of tough luck and solid opposing defense with 37 hard-hit balls resulting in outs - the 17th-highest total in the country. The team’s 19.7 line drive percentage (exit velo 95+ and launch angle between 10-30) is 32nd. Garrett Michel is 18th in D1 baseball with an average exit velo of 87.4 this season and his 88.3 MPH FORWARD velocity is tied with Landon Hairston for 35th.
29 - The Sun Devils rank 31st in the country with 29 stolen bases this season. The Sun Devils started a perfect 16-for-16 to open the season before having their first runner thrown out. Ten different players have recorded a stolen base for the Sun Devils thus far on the year. Nu’u Contrades is 8-for-8 on stolen bases to start the year, bringing his total to 31-for-34 in his career. Among ASU players since 1998 with 20+ stolen base attempts, his .912 stolen base percentage is best among all Sun Devils. His eight stolen bases are 36th nationally. On the flip side, ASU has allowed just seven stolen bases on the season, which is tied for the 15th-lowest tally in the country. ASU has largely controlled the run game with opponents attempting to steal just nie times this season - the 15th-lowest total in the country.
0 - Cole Carlon has yet to give up a hit off his slider this season, and his 81 sliders thrown without a hit allowed are the most in the country and eight more than any other pitcher without allowing a hit off the pitch. His is one of just two pitchers overall with 70+ sliders thrown without a hit allowed. He has induced an in-zone whiff percentage of 61.9 percent on the slider that is the highest of any pitcher in the country that has thrown it at least 50 times this season (Miami’s Robert Evans at 61.1 on 66 sliders is next). His 75.8 overall slider whiff percentage (including sliders out of the zone) also leads the country among those with 50+ thrown - five percentage points higher than anyone else in the category. His 85.8 MPH average velo on the slider is 17th in the nation among pitchers with at least 30 sliders thrown.
A LOOK BACK - AMEGY BANK COLLEGE BASEBALL SERIES at GLOBE LIFE
- It was a tale of close but no cigar for the Sun Devils at the Amegy Bank College as the Sun Devils struggled to find timely hits while not being helped by a slew of bad luck, hard outs and just plain bizzare plays happening around Globe Life Field.
- Of the 306 Division I teams that played games this past weekend, ASU’s average forward velocity (balls launched TOWARD the field of play) of 84.8 MPH was third among all teams and the team’s overall 92.6 exit velocity was ninth in the country.
- Despite having an expected hit average .348 on balls put in play, ASU managed only a .301 average on those plays. The net -.047 average was 45th-worst in the country for the weekend. Overall ASU ranked in the bottom 50 in the country in net expected slugging, net isolated power (slugging-average), and net weighted on-base average. Tennessee and Texas A&M both finished net positive in those categories in the games played against ASU.
- The Sun Devils, were, however, successful in shutting down Mississippi State’s Ace Reese, who had entered the weekend leading the nation in batting average at .514. ASU held the All-Amerian and likely Top-10 pick to an 0-for-5 outing - the only 0-for-5+ outing of Reese’s career.
- The Sun Devils also seemed to come out on the wrong side of every close call with ASU pitchers finishing with a -16.74 strikes looking above average mark that 289th-WORST of the 306 teams that played last weekend.
- The Sun Devils struggled most in areas they had otherwise been very successful at this season - hitting with runners in scoring position and hitting with two outs. The Sun Devils entered the weekend 18th in the country in batting average with RISP (.375) and 25th with two outs (.333). In Arlington, ASU bat just .125 with runners in scoring position (23rd-WORST in the country for the weekend) and .167 with two outs (50th-worst). Combining the two, ASU bat just .125 with runners in scoring position AND two outs compared to a .268 average on the season in that scenario prior to the weekend.
- The Sun Devils were batting .252 on the season with two strikes entering Globe Life (16th-best in the country) but managed just a .174 average this last weekend with 22 strikeouts
ON DECK - LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
- The Sun Devils lead the all-time series against Loyola Marymount, 30-8. The team’s last squared off in a 2017 non-conference series in which the Lions took two out of three against the Sun Devils at home.
- There will be a familiar face on the mound for the Lions this weekend as former Sun Devil Adam Behrens will get the start on Saturday. Behrens started as a true freshman in 2024 for the Sun Devils and pitching in 28.0 innings. Behrens is currently sixth in the WCC with his 2.20 ERA.
- The Lions have won just five games this season, but three of those have come on Saturday’s with Behrens toeing the rubber. A big reason for that comes the fact that Behrens has not issues a single walk this season in 16.2 innings of work - one of just six pitchers in the country with at least 15 innings pitched with no walks allowed.
- LMU is paced offensively by utility player Jaxson Wall, who is ranked 23rd nationally with his .475 average.
NO LUMP OF COLE
- Cole Carlon has shown no signs that moving to a starting role has fazed him this season, picking up a winning decision in each of his first two starts and entering the weekend with 2-1 mark with a 2.87 ERA over 15.2 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts to five walks and just a .132 average against.
- Carlon has yet to give up a hit off his slider this season, and his 81 sliders thrown without a hit allowed are the most in the country and eight more than any other pitcher without allowing a hit off the pitch. His is one of just two pitchers overall with 70+ sliders thrown without a hit allowed.
- He has induced an in-zone whiff percentage of 61.9 percent on the slider that is the highest of any pitcher in the country that has thrown it at least 50 times this season (Miami’s Robert Evans at 61.1 on 66 sliders is next).
- His 75.8 overall slider whiff percentage (including sliders out of the zone) also leads the country among those with 50+ thrown - five percentage points higher than anyone else in the category.
- His 85.8 MPH average velo on the slider is 17th in the nation among pitchers with at least 30 sliders thrown.
- Additionally, his 95.6 MPH fastball/sinker average velocity is 10th-best among pitchers with 10.0+ innings of action this season. His fastest velo of the season of 98.4 is the 13th-fastest pitch thrown by a pitcher with at least 10.0 innings of work this season.
- Carlon’s overall whiff rate on pitches in the zone of 31.9 percent is 45th among all pitchers with 10+ innings of work.
- Carlon became one of the top relievers in college baseball last year, earning All-America honors from the NCBWA to become ASU’s 135th all-time All-American. He also earned All-Big 12 first team recognition and was named the Collegiate National Team for USA Baseball.
- Carlon received a slew of preseason recognition coming into 2026 with a trophy case that includes being D1 Baseball’s #9 Big 12 2026 Draft Prospect, D1 Baseball’s #68 of Top 200 starting pitchers , a 3rd Team NCBWA Division 1 Preseason All-American, Baseball America’s #8 Big 12 2026 Draft Prospect , Baseball America’ 3rd Team Preseason All-American (Relief Pitcher) and on the Big 12 Preseason Team (Relief Pitcher).
- Last season, Among D1 pitchers with at least 500+ pitches in the regular season, Carlon’s 41.9 whiff percentage was 2nd in the nation. His 55.3 whiff percentage on his slider was fifth among pitchers who threw it at least 150 times.
- Carlon allowed just 16 hits in his last 33.2 innings of work in the regular season, and 68 of those 102 outs came via strikeout. Carlon had a 2.82 ERA in the regular season with a 3-1 record and three saves, and only a paltry .147 batting average against over 51.0 innings.
- He had 82 strikeouts in the regular season, third on the Sun Devils, 10th in the Big 12 and 105th in the nation - but notable as all came out of the bullpen. Of the 117 players in D1 baseball to record 80 strikeouts in the regular season, Carlon accomplished the feat in the second fewest innings of work (Vanderbilt’s Connor Fennell, 82 in 50.1 innings).
THINGS ARE GETTING A BIT HAIR-Y
- Landon Hairston has been one of the best pure hitters in the country in the early going of the 2026 campaign.
- Hairston had just one extra-base hit through his first 27 games as a Sun Devil. In his 45 games since, he has 24 extra-base hits.
- Hairston is currently 14th in the country with his seven doubles this season and sits seventh in the Big 12 with a .391 average.
- His 1.212 OPS is ninth in the Big 12 while his .739 slugging percentage is sixth.
- His 410.41 average distance on his homers is 31th among D1 players with multiple home runs this season.
- Hairston’s 95.2 average exit velocity is currently 63rd among all players with at least 30 at-bats in Division 1 this season (1,865 total).
- He has recorded 15 hard-hit balls on the year (balls with an exit velocity over 95 MPH), tied for 75th among all Division I players (min. 30 at-bats).
- Landon Hairston became ASU’s 38th Freshman All-American last season, as selected by the NCBWA and was named to the All-Big 12 first team as a utility player and to the Big 12 All-Freshman team.
- Hairston’s preseason recognition includes being ranked D1 Baseball’s #101 of theTop 150 outfielders, D1 Baseball’s #4 Big 12 2027 Draft Prospect and also to the Big 12 Preseason Team.
- Last season, Hairston finished the regular season last year eighth in the Big 12 with his .362 average - also good for eighth among all freshmen nationally and 2nd among freshmen in a Power Four conference. His .485 OBP was fourth in the league and 13th among all freshmen in the nation during the regular season and fourth among Power Four freshmen.
- Hairston was easily ASU’s best player in advancing runners, doing so at a .638 clip - 34 points higher than anyone else on the team during the regular season. He was second on the team with his .441 average with runners in scoring position (26-for-59) in the regular season.
- Hairston became an everyday fixture in the outfield for ASU despite coming to the program as a corner infielder and is 70-for-72 on defensive chances with two errors and a team-leading three outfield assists.
NOT SO NU’U ANYMORE
- Nu’u Contrades represents ASU’s most veteran presence as he enters his fourth year with the program - a rarity in the modern age of college baseball. Contrades was selected by his teammates as a Co-Captain of the 2026 squad entering the year.
- Contrades is currently 10th in the Big 12 with 15 RBIs while ranking 15th in the league with a .659 slugging percentage.
- With only four strikeouts this season, Contrades is striking out just once ever 11.0 ABs on the season, the fourth best mark in the Big 12. Last season, he notably struck out just 30 times - compared to 28 walks - on 181 ABs on the year (16.6 percent) after striking out 51 times with just 9 walks his freshman season on 217 ABs (23.5 percent).
- On the flip slide of the ball, Contrades is credited with saving 2.65 runs on infield ground balls this season, good for 33rd in the nation but fourth among all second basemen..
- Contrades made his long awaited return to the diamond last season after missing the majority of 2024 season with a back injury. He enteredl last season on D1Baseball’s sixth-ranked third baseman in the country and the No. 22 MLB Draft prospect in the Big 12. Contrades has shifted over to second base this season. He was ranked by D1Baseball as the #21 second basemen in the country entering the year.
- Unfortunately, after a strong season for the majority of last year, Contrades missed ASU’s final month of the season with a hand injury. Prior to the injury, Contrades was reaching base at a .416 clip over his .309 average while posting 15 doubles, three triples and six homers. His 24 extra-base hits were tied for second on the team at the time
- He ranked third in the Big 12 at the time with those 15 doubles and tied for second in the Big 12 with nine doubles in conference-only games.
- Contrades played exceptionally well at the hot corner, and was second on the team in defensive assists prior to the injury with 75 - the most among Big 12 third baseman
- Contrades was 14-for-15 on stolen bases last year, bringing his career tally to 23-of-26. The 14 stolen bases were tied for 9th in the Big 12 at the time of the injury
- Contrades batted out of the leadoff position often last year and reached on 21-of-51 (.412) leadoff opportunities
- He was named the Big 12 Co-Player of the Week for his efforts against Oral Roberts, where he homered three times and batted at a .385 average with five RBIs and six runs scored.
DOM.COM
- Among the hottest players in the Sun Devil order last week was Dominic Longo, who homered three times over ASU’s five games and added two doubles for good measure.
- Of Longo’s 10 hits on the season, seven have been for extra bases (four homers, three doubles). His 1.268 OPS on the season is third in the Big 12 and among the Top-75 players in the country.
- Longo is tied for fifth in the Big 12 with his four homers on the season.
BIGGIE SMALS
- New Sun Devil infielder Dominic Smaldino is anything but small, giving his teammates a 6-6, 230-pound target over at first base.
- Of the D1 baseball players with over 30 at-bats this season (1,865 total), Smaldino’s 94.8 average exit velocity is 75th in the country and his 63.6 hard-hit ball average (exit velo 95+) is 78th.
- Smaldino’s 433.58 average home run distance is fifth in the country among players with at least three homers this year.
- Smaldino’s 112.4 exit velo on his homer Saturday against Omaha was 26th-highest on D1 base hits during Opening Weekend.
COME AT ME, BRO
- Catcher Brody Briggs is quietly putting up quite the start to the campaign with exceptional efforts both at and behind the plate.
- Briggs leads the team with his .421 average this season.
- He has yet to strikeout while drawing four walks, putting together a .500 OBP that is also tops on the team.
- Briggs is batting a team-best .667 on the season when he puts the first pitch of an at-bat into play.
- As a catcher, Briggs is credited with saving 1.98 runs on blocked balls is sixth best in the nation.
MOUTZ SEE TV
- PJ Moutzouridis (pronounced MOOT-zerr-EE-diss) is another Sun Devil quiet putting up a solid start to the season.
- Moutzouridis has seen a team-best 62 pitches with two strikes this season and despite that, has struck out just six times. His 4.06 pitches faces per AB are tops on the team as well.
- HOWEVER, it’s his ability to battle back from early holes in the count that has stood out. With two strikes on the board, Moutzouridis’ 3.26 pitches per plate appearance is the second-HIGHEST total in the country (among batters with 40+ plate appearances)
- His 17 balls fouled off with two strikes also easily pace the team ad are just outside the Top-50 nationally.
- Faced with two strikes AND two outs in a plate appearance, Moutzouridis is batting .400 on the season.
- His .462 overall average with two outs is also first on the Sun Devils.
LASER SHOW
- Arizona State’s average exit velocity at the plate this season is 91.2 MPH - good for the seventh-highest tally in Division I.
- The Sun Devils currently have a hard-hit ball average (exit velo over 95 MPH) of 46.9 percent, which is 16th in Division I baseball and the team’s 101 hard-hit balls (exit velo over 95 MPH) are 24th.
- The Sun Devils have hit into a ton of tough luck this season (and great defensive plays) with 37 hard-hit outs - the 17th-most in D1 baseball.
- ASU has put a barrel on 65 balls this season, good for 36th in the country.
- 19.7percent of ASU’s balls put into play this season have had an exit velocity over 95 MPH with a launch angle between 10-30 degrees, the 32nd-highest percentage in the country.
- The team’s 76 balls with an exit velo over 90 MPH with a launch angle between 10-30 degrees, which is 19th-most in the country.
A DISCIPLINED APPROACH
- The Sun Devils have recorded a 52.8 quality at-bat percentage this season (plate appearance with an exit velo over 95 MPH, ending in a hit, walk, sac bunt, sac fly or HBP, is eight pitches or longer, or moves the runner). That total is currently tied for 46th nationally.
- ASU has done a good job of not taking pitches for strikes in the zone, with an in-zone swing percentage of 71.9 percent that is eighth in the country.
- The team has taken just 102 fastball for looking strikes, the 46th-lowest total in the country.
- Among D1 teams with at least 10 games played this season, ASU’s 72 strikeouts offensively are the 16th-fewest in the country.
- The team has just 19 strikeouts looking on the season, which is also the 16th-lowest total in the nation.
THE HEAT SHEETS
- Sun Devil pitchers have posted an average fastball/sinker velocity of 93.0 this season, a total that currently sets good for 10th among all Division I programs.
- Arizona State also ranked ninth last season at 92.5. ASU ranked no higher than 28th in the category from 2019-2024 (28th in 2019 at 89.5 MPH).
- ASU’s overall average pitch velocity on all pitches is 88.6, good for eighth in the country.
- Among pitchers with at least 5.0 innings pitched this season, ASU has the No. 15 (Alex Overbay, 96.2), No. 27 (Derek Schaefer, 95.6), No. 29 (Cole Carlon, 95.6) pitchers in the country in average fastball velo. ASU is the only team in the country with three ranked in the Top-30 in the category.
- For perspective, from 2019-2025 the Sun Devils had just two players TOTAL that averaged 95+ MPH fast balls for a season (Lucas Kelly and Will Koger, both last season).
- The team’s 83.9 MPH average on its sliders is fifth best in the country, as is its 88.3 MPH on cutters. Heck, even the team’s 84.2 MPH velo on its changeups is 15th best. For perspective, ASU’s 2019 team’s average FASTBALL velocity was 89.4 miles per hour.
FITZ-MAGIC
- Sean Fitzpatrick enters his fourth season of college baseball and third season with the Sun Devils and was elected a team captain by his teammates entering this season. The southpaw - whose numbers don’t necessarily reflect his impact on the mound - has bulked up over the offseason and it has resulted in a noticeable uptick in velocity.
- Fitzpatrick has faced 14 batters this season and struck out eight of them. In fact, his first eight outs recorded this season were all by strikeout.
- Fitzgerald is 11th in nation among pitchers with at least 3.0 innings pitched with his 19.64 K/9.
- His one hit allowed is tied for 27th-lowest in the country among players with 3.0+ innings of work (3,454 total).
- He has inherited a team-high seven baserunners this season and has yet to allow any to score.
GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS
- As many fresh faces as there are in the starting rotation and in the field, the most veteran force on the roster likely comes from the team’s bullpen.
- The bullpen has a solid 4.28 ERA this season witha 4-1 record and a 67-31 strikeout rate over 48.1. Seven bullpen pitchers have a sub-3.00 ERA with five of those having a 0.00 ERA.
- Derek Schaefer was ASU’s fireman when its needed it last season, allowing just three of his 15 inherited runners on the season to score. Thus far this season, he has two saves.
- Alex Overbay has been exceptional out of the pen for the Sun Devils, posting a 1.00 ERA over 9.0 innings out of the pen with 13 strikeouts to just 4 walks.
- Arizona State pitching has posted a 71.4 LOB percentage this season (best at preventing runners on base from scoring) that is 47th nationally . Entering the weekend, the NCAA average is only 62.1 percent. Last year, the nation’s best LOB percentage was Coastal Carolina at 75.5, a team that would go on the be the CWS runner-up.
- The team has stranded 88 baserunners this season and has averaged over 8.0 opponents left on base per game since 2022.
- Last regular season, ASU had three players with a bullpen ERA of 3.00 or less with 10.0+ innings pitched (Cole Carlon, Easton Barrett, Jaden Alba) - a feat that hadn’t been achieved through the regular season at ASU since the 2013 team (Ryan Burr, Matt Dunbar, Josh McAlister).
YOUR BEST SALES PITCH
- Sun Devil pitching coach Jeremy Accardo’s addition to the staff paid immediate dividends last seasonand continues to excel this season.
- The team is in the top-50 in lowest batting average allowed (43rd, .225), runners left on base percentage (50th, 71.4),
- The Sun Devils have been barreled up on the mound just 14.9 percent of the time, well under the Division I average of 17.1 percent.
- The team is inducing a 22.2 whiff rate on pitches IN the zone that is 29th in the country while the 29.9 OVERALL miss rate is 36th overall.
- The team is allowing a Z-Contact rate (pitches in the zone where contact was made divided by total pitches in the zone) of just 47.3 percent, the 10th-lowest total in the country.
- Last season, ASU had seven pitchers with 10.0+ innings pitched and a sub-4.55 ERA in the regular season. In 2024, the team had just a single player that met that criteria.
- ASU’s overall team WHIP was 78th nationally at 1.48. While not eye popping, It was notable as the team had 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 2.44 ranked 36th in the nation. The Sun Devils had 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 was first in the Big 12 with a 11.3 K/9 average last season, good for third nationally. The Sun Devils struck out double digit batters in 37 of 60 games.
- ASU was one of just three schools in the nation with three different pitchers with 80+ strikeouts (Vanderbilt, Florida State) in the regular season.
- ASU struck out 653 batters last season, the seventh-most in the country. The tally was the second-most in school history in the aluminum bat era, just behind the school record 675 set by the 1975 team.
- ASU had given up the 81st-most home runs (64) in the regular season which, while not outstanding, was still a marked improvement from the previous year’s squad, which ranked 23rd with 88 allowed.
PLAYING THE FIELD
The Sun Devils currently sit 17th in the country with a .986 fielding percentage, also good for first in the Big 12.
The team has just six errors on the season and has an error in only three of 12 games and has been largely under by its uncharacteristic four-error effort in the Sunday matinee against St. John’s.
ASU has converted 69.4 percent of balls in play into outs this season, good for the 39th-best mark in the country.
The Sun Devils posted 31 games last season without an error and quietly put up a .980 fielding percentage in the regular season - good for first in the Big 12 and 14th in the country. ASU ranked outside the Top-100 in each of the last three seasons in the category.
The 31 games without an error easily surpassed ASU’s total for the the 2024 seasonof 21. ASU had a seven-game streak without an error at one point last year - which was its longest since a nine-game stretch in the 2015 season.
The Sun Devil pitchers were amongst the most improved in the area, with just four errors credited against them in the regular season (10.2 percent) - notable as ASU pitchers were responsible for 12 of ASU’s 60 errors in 2024 (20.0 percent).
- HEADED TO THE GAP
- The Sun Devils currently rank 33rd in the country with 28 doubles this season, paced by Landon Hairston’s seven - 14th in the country.
- ASU SU led the nation with its 149 doubles last season and recorded multiple doubles in 42 of 60 games. The team was seventh in country at 2.48 per game.
- ASU has had a player reach 20 doubles five times under Willie Bloomquist and at least one player do so in each season (2022-p). ASU had just two players, total, reach 20 doubles from 2011-21.
- 11 players recorded at least four doubles last season and eight reached double digits in the category.
- The Sun Devils were tops in the Pac-12 and sixth in the country with 143 doubles in 2024 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 that season - the most of any school in the Pac-12.
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL
- Arizona State is currently 18th in the nation with 21 home runs. .Already, nine different players have homered for the Sun Devils.
- The team hasn’t had many cheapies either, with its average home run distance of 401.60 currently 10th in the nation among all teams with 10+ homers this year.
- The team has a home run rate of 4.4 percent that is tied for 12th in the country.
- The squad’s three opposite field homers are tied for 29th in the nation.
- Arizona State had 87 home runs last season, a total that was fourth in the Big 12 and 38th in the country. ASU was 19-3 when hitting two or more homers in a game.
- Five times last season, ASU recorded five or more homers. That included a school record eight homers against BYU and 6 in two other games that were tied for third in school history.
- The Sun Devils set a school record with eight home runs in the finale of the BYU series, surpassing its previous record of seven against Arizona on March 4, 2000. ASU got that in the first two innings of the game alone as eight of the team’s first 10 hits all left the ballpark. ASU’s 15 home runs in the BYU series (8 Saturday, 6 Friday and 1 Thursday) were a school record for a three-game series.
- The Sun Devils had 102 homers in 2024, 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 in 2024 (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. The 2024 Sun Devils were the first ASU team to have 13 players homer since the 2008 squad also had 13.
COMING IN HOT
- ASU has outscored its opponents 799-494 over its last 85 regular season games - going 59-26 in the process.
- Last season, the Sun Devils put up 69 innings last season where the team has scored at least three runs, 32 with four or more and 21 with 5 or more.
- ASU has scored multiple runs in 22 of its 37 half-innings with runs this season. ASU has 13 innings with at least three runs scored this season, 10 with at least four and 8 with at least five.
- There were 34 times last season that ASU reached double digit hits in a game. The team has reached double digit hits in seven of ASU’s games this season.
- ASU’s 127 total hits this season are second in the Big 12 and 44th in the country.
- ASU scored 253 runs in its 30 conference games last season (8.4 per game) - tops in the league. The team bat .328 in Big 12 games - tops in the league by 11 points.
- Last season, ASU ranked 9th nationally and 2nd in the Big 12 with a .318 batting average in the regular eason and was 19th in the country and first in the league with a .527 slugging percentage. ASU was first in the Big 12 and 27th nationally with 8.4 runs per game in the regular season.
- Seven times in the Willie Bloomquist tenure - and twice last season - the Sun Devils 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 last season came on the road and three of the seven total under Bloomquist have met that criteria. 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.
HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS
- With the team’s 9-3 loss in the finale of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life, the Sun Devils lost their first regular season game by more than five runs since a 17-7 run-rule loss at Cal State Fullerton on April 17, 2024 - ending a streak of 85-straight regular season games.
- The team posted the game-winning RBI/run in the sixth inning or later in 12 of the team’s wins last year. It has one such game this season.
- The Sun Devils have walked off eight games over the previous two seasons.
- ASU has trailed at one point in 57 of its last 89 victories dating back to to 2023 - including 20 of its wins last season and once this season.
- In four 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 22 wins over the last three seasons when trailing by at least three runs at some point in the game (one this season).
- 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 in 2024 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.
A FRESH LOOK
- The Sun Devil roster will look quite a bit different in 2026, especially in the field. Arizona State welcomes a whopping 27 new faces (12 on the mound anf 15 position players) as ASU was aggressive in both the transfer portal and the high school ranks.
- The Sun Devils brought in the nation’s No. 11 portal class according to 64Analytics. It was the highest-ranked class west of the Mississippi and the highest ranked class NOT in the SEC (8 teams) or ACC (2 teams).
- ASU brought in six portal players rated in the Top-250 in the nation while not losing any players to the portal that were ranked in that Top-250.
- Right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker was the highest-rated of the group, checking in at No. 54 after returning back home to the Valley after his time at TCU. Klecker was a Freshman All-American in 2023 and started a game for the Horned Frogs in Omaha at the College World Series. The Chandler native previous starred at Hamilton High School, winning a State Title as the starting pitcher his senior year in the championship game.
- A pair of Cal transfers in PJ Moutzouridis (No. 98) and Dominic Smaldino (No. 155) will look to serve a prominent role in ASU’s infield. Moutzouridis was a Freshman All-American himself in 2024. Smaldino is anything BUT small, standing at 6-6 and offering a big target over at first base. The junior launched 11 homers for Cal last season and figures to greatly enjoy the lefty-friendly hitting confines of Phoenix Muni this season.
- Dean Toigo has already been asterisked by the Big 12 coaches, who voted him the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year entering 2026. Toigo was the Mountain West Co-Player of the Year for UNLV last season and was also named a NCBWA Preseason All-American heading into this year as 64Analytics’ No. 187 transfer.
- A pair of ACC transfers in Florida State’s Brady Louck and Virginia Tech’s Garrett Michel checked in at No. 242 and No. 243 in the transfer rankings. Louck was the top-rated southpaw out of Illinois out of high school while Michel is a light tower power-wielding bat that has battled through injuries in the last two seasons after a freshman campaign that saw him log 11 homers and 16 doubles.
- Austin Roellig looks to man the hot corner for ASU this season and just missed being a Top-250 transfer prospect, checking in at No. 255. Roellig earned Big 12 All-Freshman honors and was a All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after his redshirt freshman campaign at Utah last year.
- Junior College transfer RHP Finn Edwards was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2025 MLB Draft before electing to continue his collegiate career with the Sun Devils thus year.
- Alex Overbay (UNLV), Nick Annello (Jacksonville), Colby Guy (UNC Asheville) and Taylor Penn (Western Kentucky) bring a glutton of experience to the mound while Coen Niclai (Oregon), Dominic Longo (Utah Valley), Matt Polk (Vanderbilt) and Sam Myers (TCU) all figure to contribute in the field over the course of the season.
- ASU signed the nation’s No. 22 freshman class in 2025 and while the veteran-heavy lineup will allow the group to mature, there is plenty of talent in the form of INF Finn Leach (No. 141 prospect nationally by Perfect Game), Marcelo Rodriguez (No. 244), Austin Musso (No. 331), Cooper Clouser (No. 416), Brenden Lewis (No. 433) all flashing throughout Fall and Spring practices.