Willie Bloomquist - among the legendary players in Sun Devil school history and a staple in the baseball world locally and nationally - was named the head coach for the Arizona State University baseball program on June 11, 2021.
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Success on the field
- Head Coach Willie Bloomquist has seen his program produce an All-American in each of his first four seasons with the program and six total in the process. From 2014-21, ASU had just eight total All-Americans.
- Thirteen Sun Devils have earned First Team All-Conference honors in four seasons under Bloomquist, with 20 others earning second team or honorable mention recognition.
- Sun Devil Baseball has increased/maintained overall win total each of the last four years (26, 32, 32, 36) under Bloomquist and has increased its conference win total in four consecutive years as well (13, 16, 17, 18) - including increasing its win total entering the Big 12 (18), which had a conference RPI four spots higher than the Pac-12.
- Arizona State is one of just four Power 5 programs in the country with 16 or more conference wins in each of the last three years (Arkansas, USC, Oregon).
- In the 2025 regular season, ASU won 23 games against Power Four teams, the fifth-highest tally in the country (UCLA 28, Texas 27, Clemson 24, Kansas 24). ASU went 5-3 in its 8 games against RPI Top-25 teams (2x TCU, 2x Kansas, 1x UCLA) and was one of just 12 teams in the country that have played at least 5 Top-25 RPI games with a winning record and one of just 6 outside of the SEC.
- The Sun Devils were the only team in the country not to lose a game by more than 5 runs in the regular season. This was a feat only two ASU teams have accomplished before - the 1973 team that lost just eight games total and the 1969 National Champions.
- In 2025, ASU batted .314 as a team and finished 2nd in the Big 12 conference. The team led the Big 12 in hits, doubles and slugging percentage.
- The 2025 team led the Big 12 as a pitching staff in strikeouts - good for sixth nationally – and was seventh in K/9 at 11.3.
- The team was also tied for 2nd in the Big 12 in fielding percentage
- Arizona State showed its prowess as an all-around team as the program was the ONLY team in the nation that finished the regular season in the Top-15 in batting average (9th, .318), K/9 (6th, 11.4) and fielding percentage (14th, .980). It was one of just four teams to rank in the Top-25 in each category (Georgia, DBU, Florida State).
- ASU posted the No. 14 team hitting score and No. 25 team pitching score according to 64Analytics’ wRC35 rankings. ASU was one of just 14 teams in the country to appear in the Top-25 on both lists.
- Four times his program has overcome seven-run deficits to win a game, something that hadn't been accomplished since the 2000 season prior. Eleven times ASU has overcome a five-run deficit under Bloomquist.
Success in the Draft
- ASU’s 27 total draft picks over the previous four seasons are the most since producing 29 from 2012-15. However, it is especially notable as it is the most selections in the first twenty rounds of the MLB Draft since producing 28 in a span from 1988-91.
- The Sun Devils’ nine selections in the first ten rounds of the 2025 MLB Draft were the most in the first ten rounds in program history.
- ASU’s 27 draft picks under Coach Bloomquist are tied for the sixth-most in the nation over the last four seasons, and the 15 Top-10 round picks are tied for 11th.
Success in the pros
- Luke Keaschall needed less than 24 months to make his MLB debut with the Twins after his time with the Sun Devils, among the quickest promotions in the major leagues over the last five seasons. In fact, his promotion was several days quicker than former MLB number 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson.
- In addition to Keaschall’s debut, the 2025 season saw three Bloomquist products advance as high as Triple A, with four others advancing to Double A.
- Brandon Compton and Isaiah Jackson, despite finishing their careers in June and being drafted in July, had already advanced to the High A level by the end of the 2025 minor league schedule.
Success in the classroom
- From 2021-25, the program has steadily maintained a team cumulative GPA of over 3.2 (currently 3.33)
- The 2024 program set an all-time record high team GPA of 3.49 and a cumulative GPA of 3.37.
- From 2021-25, ASU maintained an APR over 980, including a perfect 1000 in 2024 (currently 989)
- The team has produced three academic All-Americans and one in each of the last three seasons (Ryan Campos 2x (2023 & 2024), Matt King (2025)). The program had produced just three from 2010-2022 prior to its current stretch.
2025 season
Bloomquist led the Sun Devils to his first appearance in the NCAA Postseason in 2025, tying for fourth in the Big 12 with an 18-12 record and finishing the season 36-24 overall. The Sun Devils advanced to the NCAA Los Angeles Regional and picked up their first postseason win under Bloomquist over UC Irvine in the opening contest.
Cole Carlon earned All-American honors from the NCBWA and a spot on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Nine Sun Devils were drafted in the first ten rounds of the 2025 MLB Draft, a program record for the first ten rounds.
In the regular season, ASU won 23 games against Power Four teams, the fifth-highest tally in the country (UCLA 28, Texas 27, Clemson 24, Kansas 24).
ASU went 5-3 in its 8 games against RPI Top-25 teams (2x TCU, 2x Kansas, 1x UCLA). ASU was one of just 12 teams in the country that have played at least 5 Top-25 RPI games with a winning record and one of just 6 outside of the SEC. The average RPI of ASU’s wins was 102 - the 15th-BEST total of any team in the country. The average RPI of the losses was 62 - the 38th-lowest in the country.
ASU was one of just 16 Power Four conference teams to win 18 conference games in the regular season. At No. 49 in the RPI, ASU won more conference games than 21 of the teams ranked ahead of them.
The Sun Devils won seven of 10 Big 12 series and two of the series losses came on the road. ASU had won four straight conference series prior to the final weekend of the season (against the preseason Big 12 favorite Oklahoma State). The Sun Devils were the ONLY team in the Big 12 outside West Virginia to have a chance to win the conference in the final weekend of action.
The Sun Devils’ resilience showed in winning four weekend series last season, where they lost the series opener - the most since the 2014 season and notable as ASU had managed it just once in the three previous seasons (vs. Oregon State, 2023).
Among ASU’s non-conference games were several teams that performed exceptionally in their own conferences in the regular season: UCLA (Co-Big Ten Champions), Austin Peay (ASUN Division Champion), Oral Roberts (Summit League Champions), Gonzaga (second in WCC), Fullerton (third in Big West), GCU (third in WAC) and USC (fourth in Big Ten),
While weather and other events are always unpredictable, credit should be given for actually playing and scheduling a full season, and the Sun Devils are one of just eight Division I teams to play a full 56-game schedule in EACH of the last two seasons. They are one of just three Power Four schools with such a claim (Tennessee/Maryland). ASU and Kansas were the only two Big 12 teams to play all 56 games last season. UCF played 5,5 and no other team played more than 54.
The Sun Devils were the only team in the country to have not lost a game by more than 5 runs this season (6-11 in a neutral game vs. UNLV). This is a feat only two ASU teams have accomplished before - the 1973 team that lost just eight games total and the 1969 National Champions. ASU recorded the game-winning RBI in the sixth inning or later in 12 games this season. Out of ASU’s 22 losses, the team was able to bring the game-winning or tying run to the plate in the ninth inning or later in 13 of those games.
Arizona State showed how good it was as an all-around team as the program is the ONLY team in the nation that finished the regular season in the Top-15 in batting average (9th, .318), K/9 (6th, 11.4) and fielding percentage (14th, .980). It is one of just four teams to rank in the Top-25 in each category (Georgia, DBU, Florida State).
Arizona State drew a record attendance of 119,956 and 3,427 people per home game last season.
Among Big 12 sporting events on linear television, the ASU/Arizona game was the most-viewed baseball game on television last year and the seventh-most-viewed non-football/basketball event of the year.
2024 season
The 2024 campaign saw the Sun Devils post one of the most prolific offenses in the country. 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 and finished with 102 - 30th nationally and second in the Pac-12.
ASU had five players reach double digits in homers, 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.
ASU was sixth in the country with 143 doubles and fourth at 2.47 doubles per game.
The team's .541 slugging percentage was 15th nationally while finishing second in the Pac-12 with a .403 team OBP.
The team posted a .313 batting average for the year, good for 12th in the nation.
Kien Vu (NCBWA) and Ryan Campos (ABCA) each earned third-team All-America honors for the season, while Brandon Compton was named the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year and Freshman All-American.
The Sun Devils had nine players recognized on the All-Pac-12 teams for the second-straight season. Vu finished sixth in the country and tops in the Pac-12 with his .413 average.
Campos was eighth in the country with 25 doubles and was a finalist for the Dick Howser trophy for the nation’s top player. In his career - all three years coming under Bloomquist - he reached base in 137-of-147 career games (.932), posting a career. 369 average - good for 16th in ASU history. He would go on to become the 109th overall selection and a 4th-round pick by the Cardinals in the 2024 MLB Draft.
Nick McLain finished his two years at ASU with a .327 average (92-of-281), with a .658 slugging percentage - a tally good for sixth in ASU school history (min. 250 at-bats) - en route to a third-round selection in the 2024 MLB draft by the White Sox. He logged 20 homers and 23 doubles in his career, in addition to five triples, with over half of his career hits going for extra bases.
2023 season
In his second year at the helm, Bloomquist oversaw a marked improvement of the Sun Devil program, leading the team to a 32-23 record and a Top-Five finish in the Pac-12. The Sun Devil Baseball team was highly represented in the 2023 MLB Draft with eight overall selections – the fourth-highest tally in the nation and the most for the program since 2015. The eight picks all went in the MLB Draft's most recent format of twenty rounds, after previous renditions typically included 40 or more rounds. ASU’s eight selections are tied for the fourth-most in the first twenty rounds of an MLB Draft in program history and the most since also having eight in the 2008 MLB Draft. Only LSU (13), Wake Forest (10) and Stanford (9) had more overall selections than the Sun Devils this season.
All-American second baseman Luke Keaschall highlighted the draft with his second-round selection by the Minnesota Twins – 90th overall. It was the highest selection for a Sun Devil since Spencer Torkelson (1st overall) and Alika Williams (37th) in the 2020 Draft. He is ASU's 27th player to go in the first three rounds since 2000. Keaschall finished the season with 18 homers and 22 doubles, becoming just the fourth Sun Devil in school history to have at least 18 homers and 20 doubles in a season (Bob Horner '78, Chris Johnston '81, Dan Rumsey '88). He became the 132nd All-American in program history, recognized by both Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game.
Nine Sun Devils were recognized on All-Pac-12 teams in 2023, as voted upon by the league's coaches. Sun Devil Baseball placed Keaschall and Ryan Campos on the All-Pac-12 Team, while landing Isaiah Jackson on the All-Defensive Team in addition to six honorable mentions. Campos was also named a Buster Posey Award semifinalist, awarded to the top collegiate catcher in the nation.
Infielder Nate Baez (Collegiate Baseball, third team) and outfielder Joe Lampe (Perfect Game, third team) became the 130th and 131st All-Americans in Sun Devil program history with their selections in 2022. Baez was additionally named an ABCA West Region second team selection.
Designated hitter Jacob Tobias (Collegiate Baseball) and catcher Ryan Campos (NCBWA) were named the 35th and 36th Freshman All-Americans in program history in 2022 as well.
Six members of the Sun Devil Baseball program heard their names called as part of the 2022 MLB Draft. Joe Lampe (Cleveland Guardians/3rd round/92nd overall) and Sean McLain (Los Angeles Dodgers/5th Round/165th overall) became the 460th and 461st all-time selections for the Sun Devils in the Major League Draft with their Day Two Selections. The six total selections were the most for the Sun Devils since 2015 (9), though that came over the course of a 40-round draft compared to the 20-round edition this year.
Bloomquist
A 14-year Major League Baseball veteran and with over 20 years of experience in professional baseball, Bloomquist returned to the Sun Devils as one of the most accomplished alumni in program history and has remained deeply entrenched in all levels of baseball.
Bloomquist spent five years as a Special Assistant to Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall after joining the front office in May 2016. In this role, Bloomquist assisted Hall and other departments throughout the baseball and business side of the organization, including working on-field with players at all levels of the organization, attending community events, meeting with corporate partners, interacting with season ticket holders and visiting D-backs Minor League affiliates.
The Port Orchard, Wash., native joined USA Baseball's Board of Directors in 2016, a post he has retained since then. Bloomquist is a two-time alum of Team USA, having played for the Collegiate National Team in 1998 and for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Bloomquist became the first Arizona State Sun Devil to play for the Diamondbacks and spent three seasons with the franchise from 2011-13, serving a key role on the 2011 National League West Championship team. In 225 games for the D-backs, he hit .289 with 36 doubles, 8 triples, 4 homers, 63 RBI, 43 walks and 27 stolen bases. In the 2011 NL Division Series vs. the Brewers, he hit .318 (7-for-22) with an RBI and three stolen bases in five games. In 2012, he set career highs with a .302 average and 21 doubles.
During his 14-year Major League career, which included time with the Mariners (2002-08, ’14-15), Royals (2009-10) and Reds (2010), Bloomquist hit .269 with 778 hits, 110 doubles, 23 triples, 18 home runs, 225 RBI and 133 stolen bases in 1,055 career games. He compiled a .977 fielding percentage playing outfield (339 games), shortstop (305 games), third base (142), second base (141) and first base (47). Of the 111 Sun Devils to play in MLB, only seven earned more service time than Bloomquist.
Bloomquist played three seasons at ASU (1997-99) and earned 1999 Pac-10 Player of the Year honors as a junior. In 1998, he tied a College World Series single-game record with 5 hits in a game while leading a team that competed for the National Championship. Bloomquist was an All-American in both the 1998 and 1999 campaigns. He finished his college career with a .394 average before being drafted by the Mariners in the third round of the 1999 draft.
To this day, Bloomquist still holds the fourth-highest career batting average in school history (.394) while he remains fifth in ASU history in runs (216), fourth in triples (22) and fourth in stolen bases (72) and was named to the All-Packard Team in 2014. The definitive student-athlete, he graduated from ASU in December 2001 with a degree in management from the W.P. Carey School of Business and in 2013, he was inducted into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. He was a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1999 and a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selection.
Bloomquist has long been involved in the communities in which he played and was the D-backs’ 2012 Roberto Clemente nominee for his efforts with Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where he and his wife, Lisa, founded the Abe and Mac Fund to supply electronics and entertainment for patients who have extended stays at the hospital.
In 2018, the D-backs dedicated Willie Bloomquist Field in Tempe as part of the Diamondbacks Field Building program.
He and his wife have four daughters, Natalie, Ava, Layla and Sydney.
What they are saying about Willie
"Coach Bloomquist’s teams will never be outworked, and I know he’ll pass along the tremendous determination that I witnessed first-hand as his Manager. The young men at Sun Devil Baseball should be excited to have him leading their program!” -Kirk Gibson, Two-time World Series Champion, 1988 NL MVP, 2011 NL Manager of the Year
"Willie is going to have a great impact on the young men he will coach. He’s uncommonly competitive. If anyone can walk straight from the field to the coaching ranks, it’s Willie. I believe he will do an incredible job leading the program at ASU.” -Pat Murphy, 1998 Baseball America Coach of the Year, ASU Head Coach 1995-2009, Milwaukee Brewers Current Bench Coach
“Willie is one of my all-time favorite teammates. As a young player, he mentored me and helped me adjust to life as a Major League Baseball player. Our conversations were invaluable to my success as a baseball player. He taught me many lessons on and off the baseball field that I try to live out daily, and I’ve shared his wisdom with many teammates throughout my career. He set the example of the ultimate professional, leader, and friend that I am trying to emulate in my life today.” -Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals First Baseman, 6-time MLB All-Star
“I had the privilege of playing with Willie Bloomquist for two seasons. Willie was not only one of the hardest workers I have ever witnessed, but he was also one of the most natural leaders I have ever been around. His dedication to his family and baseball was truly inspirational to me. I learned a ton from him and am very appreciative to have learned from his veteran leadership.” -Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners Third Baseman, MLB All-Star