FORT WORTH -- Sun Devil Baseball continues its four-game road trip this weekend as it kicks off conference play in the program's first season in the Big 12 at TCU on Friday, March 14 in Fort Worth. The three-game series will get underway on Friday at 4 p.m. AZT (6 p.m. locally), continuing on Saturday at Noon AZT (2 p.m. local) and concluding Sunday at 11 a.m. AZT (1 p.m. local).
FOLLOW THE ACTION
- Tuesday's game will be available to stream through ESPN+. 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 game will air over the local airwaves on KAZG 1440 AM while Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast on KDUS 1060 AM with Jeff Munn and Max Rossiter providing the highlights throughout the weekend.. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
- Fans are always encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media for any program or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball
1. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 281-169 over its last 31 games, posting a 21-10 record in the process (21-8 in the regular season).
2. ASU have posted six straight games without an error and 12 this season, recording a .988 fielding percentage that is 3rd in the country.
3. The Sun Devils has 45 stolen bases this year, a total good for 10th in the nation - notable as ASU has not ranked in the Top-120 nationally since 2011 (18th/99).
4. At 4.38, the Sun Devils have their lowest team ERA for any week in a season since they had a 3.23 ERA after six games in the 2023 season.
5. The team's 9 runs allowed over the last 5 games is the lowest in a 5-game stretch since a 6-game stretch in 2021 where the team allowed just 6.
6. The Sun Devils have scored in 57 halves of an inning on the year and have plated two or more runs in 35 of those.
7. Among pitchers with 250+ pitches this season, Ben Jacobs 58.7 zone % is 11th nationally and Jack Martinez's 58.3 changeup whiff % is 16th.
8. Tuesday's contest against Arizona marks the first time the program's play where BOTH have a sub-4.50 ERA since March 13, 2018.
9. The Sun Devil bullpen has eight pitchers with 3+ innings pitched and a sub-3.50 ERA this season. At the 16-game mark a year ago, it had two.
10. Isaiah Jackson's defensive prowess remains untouched, as he ranks 27th nationally in defensive runs saved on fly balls this season at 2.88.
BY THE NUMBERS
45 - 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 45 stolen bases this season are good for 10th in the nation and notable as ASU has not ranked in the Top-120 in the category nationally since 2011 (18th, 99). Arizona State has been caught stealing just six times of 51 attempts so far this season. The Sun Devils have also quietly put up 12 games this season with no errors and a .988 fielding percentage that is currently good for first in the Big 12 and 3rd 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.
11 - The Sun Devils continue to excel in getting the swing and miss, ranking 20th nationally with an 11.0 K/9 tally that is good for second in the country. ASU has struck out double digit batters 11 times in 17 games this year. ASU's overall team WHIP sits 37th nationally at 1.27. 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 Sun Devils also rank 57th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.85), and while again not exceptional, notable as the team has not ranked in the Top-100 since that 2012 team was ninth in the country at 2.33. ASU has been outside the Top-150 in the category nine times since then.
9 - The Sun Devils nine runs allowed over its last five games is the lowest in a five-game stretch since a five-game stretch in 2021 where the team allowed just six total runs from March 6-March 14. At 4.38, the Sun Devils have their lowest team ERA for any week in a season since they had a 3.23 ERA after six games in the 2023 season.The Sun Devils have eight pitchers with over 3.0 innings pitched and a sub-3.50 ERA this season - notable as it had just three 17 games into the season a year ago. The Sun Devils are allowing just a .217 average against this season with runners in scoring position and have allowed only 9 of 25 inherited baserunners. to score. ASU currently has eight pitchers with 3.0+ innings pitched with a sub-3.50 ERA, notable as it has just two such players a year ago at the 17-game mark.
4 - The Sun Devils already have four games this season in which the team has struck out fewer than five times - notable as that already matches the team's total for the ENTIRE SEASON a year ago. Matt King has struck out once ever 14.0 at-bats this season, the third-best tally in the Big 12 and 46th best in the country. Kyle Walker has struck out just once ever 12.7 at-bats this season, marking him the 7th-toughest player in the Big 12 to strikeout. Punishing first pitches has been for for ASU in avoiding falling behind in counts, batting 35-86 (.406) on first pitch balls put into play. On average, opponents are seeing 16.9 pitches per inning this season compared to a similar 16.2 mark from the Sun Devil batters.
LAST TIME OUT: GONZAGA/ARIZONA
- The Sun Devils had a five-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday in a road non-conference game at Arizona in Tucson, falling 3-2.
- ASU allowed just 11 hits in the three-game series against Gonzaga. The 11 hits were the fewest given up in a three-game series since the Sun Devils allowed just 10 to open the season against Northwestern in 2017.
- The team's nine runs allowed over its last five games is the lowest in a five-game stretch since a five-game stretch in 2021 where the team allowed just six total runs from March 6-March 14.
- In five midweek games this season, the Sun Devils have a 2.09 ERA, holding opponents to a .194 average against with 51 strikeouts in 43.0 innings. For perspective, the Sun Devils had a 6.21 ERA in midweeks last season with a .282 average against.
- ASU held Arizona to 1-for-13 hitting with runners in scoring position (.077) and 3-for-17 with an runners (.176). That is an area ASU has been electric in this season, holding all opponents to just .217 hitting with runners in scoring position.
- ASU psted its sixth straight game without an error on Tuesday - the first time accomplishing the feat since a nine-game stretch to conclude the 2015 season.
ON DECK: TCU
- The Sun Devils and Horned Frogs have played 12 times in history, entering the weekend with the series square at six wins each - though TCU has been the victors in the last three.
- This series will mark the first for the Sun Devils as a member of the Big 12. ASU played TCU a year ago at the Globe Life Tournament in Arlington with the last series against the Horned Frogs taking place in 2017 when #1 TCU took two out of three against ASU. ASU was in the Fort Worth Regional a season prior to that in 2016.
- TCU ran its winning streak to six straight with a sweep of Fresno State and a midweek win at Texas State. TCU has outscored its opponents 59-24 during the streak. The Frogs are hitting .356 with a 3.24 ERA.On the season, TCU is hitting .282 on the season with a 3.84 ERA and a .968 fielding percentage.
- TCU ranks 18th nationally in K:BB ratio at 3.37 and 11th nationally in BB/9 at 2.94. The Sun Devils sit 32nd in the nation in K:BB and 57th in BB/9.
- In the Fresno State series, TCU registered 39 hits, 14 of which went for extra bases.
- Sawyer Strosnider led the Frogs with a .619 (13-for-21) average over the last six games while driving in eight. Strosnider has a six game hitting streak, all of which have been of the multi-hit variety. Anthony Silva has raised his average to .320 after hitting .450 during the winning streak.
- Chase Brunson has a 11-game hitting streak. He leads the team with 21 hits and 19 RBIs. Braeden Sloan lowered his ERA to 0.56 with five shutout innings on Saturday. Jack Bell homered Tuesday, his third of the season.
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 recorded his 39th career homer against Minnesota, moving him into sole possession of 10th place all-time in Sun Devil history. He ranks tied for 25th among active D1 players who have played their whole career at the the D1 level.
- Among active career D1 players, Tobias is 20th in games played (182), 24th in ABs (666), 22nd in hits (204), 15th in total bases (369) and ninth in RBIs (166)
- He leads the team with 20 RBIs this season - 7th in the Big 12 - and is reaching base at a .377 clip over his .299 average. He has 42 RBIs in his last 23 games dating back to last season.
- He has a team-best 10 hits with runners in scoring position this season - four more than any other player. He has recorded the first ASU RBI of the game seven times on the season and lead's the the team with four game-winning RBIs.
- He has been among ASU's best hitters with two outs, posting a .346 average on 9-of-26 hitting. He has also been ASU's most productive out, advancing runners with an out 12 times - four 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 began is coming off his best week of the season that saw him post 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.
- Vu leads the Sun Devils with a .349 average on the season with six homers and six doubles. His six homers are third in the Big 12 and 53rd nationally. He is 13th in the league with six doubles and his .730 slugging percentage is 12th in the Big 12 and Top-100 nationally. His career .638 slugging percentage is 34th among active D1 players.
- He has also done a ton of damage on the basepaths, where he is currently 37th in the nation with 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 .447 clip on the year and he leads the team in advancing runners at a .679 clip (19-of-28).
- Vu is fifth in the Big 12 with 20 runs scored this year and he ranks 93rd in the country in Offensive Runs Over Replacement at 16.31.
- 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 hasn't gotten many pitches to hit after an exception first week of the year, currently 17th in the nation with 19 walks on the season. That has contributed to his team leading .468 OBP.
- Compton has an active six-game hitting streak, matching the longest for a Sun Devil this season and the longest active streak heading to the weekend.
- Compton has seven doubles this season, a total good for fourth in the Big 12 and 56th in the country.
- Compton ranks 114th among all Division I baseball players (~12,000) with a Offensive Runs Above Replacement Value of 14.44. He career .644 slugging percentage is 31st among active D1 players.
- Compton is second on the team in successfully advancing runners at a .595 clip (23-of-37) and his .350 average with two outs (7-of-20) in second on 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 two of Arizona State's games this season and has a .299 average with 10 extra-base hits. His 7 doubles are fourth in the Big 12 and 56th in the country.
- The junior had a hit in each of the first six games of this season - the longest hitting streak for a Sun Devil this year. His five game hitting streak that began after the first ended is the second-best this season.
- Jackson has been among ASU's best hitters with a runner in scoring position, posting a 6-for-17 (.353) mark in the category. His eight two-out RBIs are also the most on the team and two more than any other player and 75 percent of his 12 total RBIs
- Jackson's defensive prowess remains untouched, as he ranks 27th nationally in defensive runs saved on fly balls this season at 2.88.
- 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 9th in the Big 12 with his 11.14 K/9 percentage while his 26 total strikeouts are sixth in the league and 80th in the country.
- Jacobs' 5.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season is fifth in the Big 12 while his 0.95 WHIP is seventh in the league.
- Among D1 pitchers with at least 250 pitches this season, Ben Jacobs' 58.7 zone percentage is 11th in the nation.
- Jacobs is the reining Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after he threw a perfect game thorugh 17 batters in Friday's nights victory 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 makeshis long awaited return to the hot corner after missing the majority of last year with a back injury. He enters 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 .416 clip this season over his .237 average. His 16 walks this season are 4th in the Big 12 and 58th nationally.
- He is the only Sun Devil to reach base in each game this season, extending his streak to 25 consectuve games after reaching in the five games he played last season and the final three of 2023.
- Contrades is a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases, bringing his career tally to 15-of-18.
- Contrades has bat out of the leadoff position often this year and reached on 11-of-27 (..407) leadoff opportunities.
- Contrades has played exceptionally well at the hot corner, leading the team in defensive assists with 30 and having just one error on 41 chances for a .976 fielding percentage.
- Contrades ranks 20th in the national in runs saved on infield ground balls this season at 3.42. He is 56th in the country with a defensive WAR of 0.28 and defensive runs saved at 3.77.
- 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's .489 career OBP is fourth among active D1 players that have played their whole careers at the D1 level and his .365 career average is 16th among those active players. He also ranks 43rd among active D1 players in runs scored (135).
- Walker has struck out just once ever 12.7 at-bats this season, marking him the 7th-toughest player in the Big 12 to strikeout. He is second on the team with 26 defensive assists.
- Walker enters the weekend with an active 5-game hitting streak and he is third in the Big 12 with six HBPs this season.
- Walker is tied for first in the Big 12 and 24th in the countrywith three sac flies this year. He has successfully advanced runners at a .571 clip (16-of-28) good for third on the team.
- Walker articipated 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 24.0 innings.
- He leads in the Big 12 with 35 strikeouts this season and his 13.13 K/9 is seoncd in the league and 48th in the country. His 5.00 strikeout to walk ratio 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 his 58.3 whiff percentage on his changeup is 16th in the country.
- His 0.96 WHIP is eighth in the Big 12 and 93rd in the country and his 6.00 hits allowed per nine innings are 10th in the league.
- 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
- A new face will be manning the pivotal shortstop position, but he isn't a new face at the position as Matt King will assume the duties this season.
- King has struck out once ever 14.0 at-bats this season, the third-best tally in the Big 12 and 46th best in the country.
- The bat finally came alive for King against Minnesota as he recorded four doubles against Minnesota and now has a a .286 average on the season while reaching base at a .449 clip.
- King's 176 career games are 38th among active D1 players that have played their entire careers at the D1 level and his 135 total runs scored are 43rd. His 192 hits are 36th and his 16 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.
GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS
- The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under Willie Bloomquist, stranding 1,532 baserunners over 188 games, an average of 8.1 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU stranded 453 in 55 games last season and 118 in 17 games this season.
- The Sun Devil bullpen has limited opponents to just a .228 batting average this season over 78.2 innings with 96 strikeouts.
- Derek Schaefer (9.1 IP) and Lucas Kelly (8.0 IP) have still yet to allow a run this season. ASU has not had two pitchers with 5.0+ innings of work 17 games into the season with a 0.00 ERA since 2012 Matthew Dunbar (11.0) and Adam McCreery (8.0).
- In five midweek games this season, the Sun Devils have a 2.09 ERA, holding opponents to a .194 average against with 51 strikeouts in 43.0 innings. For perspective, the Sun Devils had a 6.21 ERA in midweeks last season with a .282 average against.
- 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).
- Last sason, ASU relief pitchers inherited 154 baserunners, of which only 57 scored (37.1 percent). That numbers sits at 9 of 25 this year (36.0).
- Sean Fitzpatrick was among the best in show in the category, stranding 19 of his 22 inherited runners on the year. He also leads the way in stranding four of five this season.
- Jonah Giblin has been exception in long relief for the Sun Devils this season, currently third on the team with 16.0 innings pitched and posting a 2.25 ERA with a 2-1 record and 19 strikeouts to four walks while opponents are hitting just .161 off of him.
- Lucas Kelly has not allowed a run in his first seven appearances out of the bullpen this season, giving up just six hits in 8.0 innings with nine strikeouts and a .207 average against.
- Cole Carlon has also been electric in long relief out of the pen, posting a 3.14 ERA over eight appearances with 21 strikeouts in 1241 innings.
- Derek Schaefer has yet to give up an earned run in six relief appearances this season, allowing just two hits in 4.2 innings with a save and five strikeouts for a .111 average against with two saves.
- Will Koger needed just two appearances to earn the first two saves of the season for the Sun Devils in the opening weekend - becoming the first Sun Devil to pick up two saves through four games since RJ Dabovich in 2020.
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.
- At 4.38, the Sun Devils have their lowest team ERA for any week in a season since they had a 3.23 ERA after six games in the 2023 season.
- The Sun Devils have eight pitchers with over 3.0 innings pitched and a sub-3.50 ERA this season - notable as it had just three 17 games into the season a year ago.
- ASU's overall team WHIP sits 37th nationally at 1.27. 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 Sun Devils also rank 57th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.85), notable as the team has not ranked in the Top-100 since that 2012 team was ninth uin the country at 2.33. ASU has been outside the Top-150 in the category nine times since then.
- ASU is second in the Big 12 with a 11.0 K/9 average this season, good for 20th nationally. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 11 of 17 games on the season.
- The Sun Devils have posted 12 games this season without an error and have quietly put up a .988 fielding percentage on the year - good for 3rd in the country entering the week. ASU ranked outside the Top-100 in each of the last three seasons in the category.
- ASU's six-game streak without an error is 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 no errors credited against them this season - notable as ASU pitchers were responsible for 12 of ASU's 60 errors last season (20.0 percent).
- Brody Briggs ranks 17th among D1 catchers with 2.47 runs saved this season on framing pitches.
JO-SEE-YAH
- 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 five home runs this season, leading the Big 12 and 35th in the country in the category.
- Cromwick has 10 total hits on the season and nine of those have gone for extra bases, recording five homers and four doubles.
- ASU went with Josiah Cromwick as the backstop to get the opening night start. Granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Cromwick was arguable the team's best play erthrough Fall and Preseason camp this year, recording 20 home runs in live AB scrimmages.
- 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 Cromwick has answered the call.
- 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.
HEADED TO THE GAP
- ASU has recorded 42 doubles this year and multiple doubles in 13 games, ranking 15th in the country (and 24th at 2.47 per game).
- Eleven players have recorded a double already this season and eight have multiples, led by Brandon Compton and Isaiah Jackson lead the way with seven this season, fourth in the Big 12 and 56th in the country.
- 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 23 home runs this season, a total that is fourth in the Big 12 and 35th nationally. Six players have homered and all six have multiple homers. Kien Vu is third in the Big 12 and 53rd nationally with 6 homers.
- ASU has only had runners on base on 9 of those 23 homers though, looking to get the game-breaking big fly with runners on base.
- 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 continue looking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU has 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 21 innings this season scoring at least three runs, five with 4+ and three with 5+.
- Big innings have been the theme of ASU's season as the team has now scored in 57 halves of an inning on the year and have plated two or more runs in 35 of those.
- 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.
- 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 . The team has 10 or more hits in eight games so far this season.
- ASU's 652 total hits last season were tops in the Pac-12 and 14th nationally.
- 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.
- The Sun Devils were second in the Pac-12 in averaging 8.3 runs per game and, 29th nationally.
- After giving up 7 first inning runs over the first five games of the season (and at least one run in each), the Sun Devils flipped that trend and posted 11 consecutive games without allowing a first inning run before the Arizona game on Tuesday - outscoring teams 14-0 in the process.
- The second time through the lineup has been big for the Sun Devils, with ASU outscoring the opposition 14-4 in the third inning of games. ASU's most prolific innings have come in the fifth, outscoring teams 18-6.
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 3-3 in one-run games this season and is 6-4 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 seventh inning or later in three of the team's wins so far.
- The walk-off win against UNLV in the regular season finale 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 added its first of the 2025 season with its Saturday walk-off against Ohio State.
- 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 one such game this year.
- ASU has trailed at one point in 42 of its last 67 victories dating back to to 2023 - including four 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
- The loss of a ninth-inning lead against Oral Roberts and Minnesota marked just the third and fourth times ASU has lost a game where it led after eight innings under Willie Bloomquist. ASU is 84-4 under Bloomquist when leading after eight innings.
- 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