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Baseball faces UCF for the first time in history

No. 19 Arizona State heads to Orlando for a matchup of two top teams in the Big 12

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Baseball faces UCF for the first time in historyBaseball faces UCF for the first time in history

ORLANDO — No. 19 Sun Devil Baseball is set to make its third-longest regular season road trip in program history, traveling coast-to-coast to take on UCF in a pivotal Big 12 series in Orlando this weekend with second place in the conference standings on the line.

The three-game series is scheduled to begin Friday, May 1, at 3 p.m. AZT (6 p.m. local time), with Saturday’s game getting underway at the same time. Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 10 a.m. MST first pitch (1 p.m. local).

Follow the action

  • Each game this weekend against UCF will be available to stream via 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 contest will be broadcast live on KAZG 1440 AM, while Saturday and Sunday can be tuned into on KDUS 1060 AM. Tim Healey and Max Rossiter will be on the call all weekend.
  • There is a chance of inclement weather in the Orlando area this weekend. Fans are encouraged to follow along with in-game content and schedule updates throughout the weekend on the Sun Devil Baseball X account (@ASU_Baseball).

#10Things (X-friendly notes)

1. Dominic Smaldino has a line drive percentage of 35.9, which is good for fifth in the country. It’s especially notable as it sat at just 14.8% as a freshman and 24.8 last year.

2. Opponents have swung and missed on 210 of Cole Carlon’s pitches this season, 15 more than any other player in the country.

3. Only 26.1 percent of Cole Carlon’s pitches have ended up in play this season, the lowest total nationally (min. 50 innings)

4. Of Landon Hairston’s 75 hits, 45 have gone for extra bases (18 doubles, 25 homers, 2 triples) - a total that is eight more than any other player in the country.

5. Only 32.9 percent of ASU pitches have been put into play this season, the sixth-lowest total in the country.

6. The Sun Devil pitchers have 68 strikeouts this season with runners in scoring position and two outs, a total good for 25th in the nation.

7. Arizona State’s aggressive nature on the basepaths has seen the team advance a runner from 1st to 3rd on a single 40 times, 11th-most in the country.

8. The Sun Devils have allowed just a .174 batting average against with two outs over their last seven games, the 12th-lowest tally in the nation over the stretch.

9. Opponents put Sean Fitzpatrick’s fastball into play just 10.2 percent of the time - the lowest percent in the country among pitchers with 100+ fastballs.

10. ASU has 29 two-out RBIs over its last four games, 12th in the country in the stretch and notable as it had just 11 in its nine games prior (253rd).

By the numbers

93
Sun Devil pitchers have posted an average fastball/sinker velocity of 93.1 this season, a total that currently sits good for ninth 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 88.2, good for 12th in the country. Among pitchers with at least 20.0 innings pitched this season, ASU has the No. 18 (Cole Carlon, 95.8), No. 26 (Alex Overbay, 95.5) and No. 30 (Derek Schaefer, 95.4) pitchers in the country in average fastball velo. For perspective, from 2019-2025, the Sun Devils had just two players TOTAL that averaged 95+ MPH fastballs for a season (Lucas Kelly and Will Koger, both last season).

91
Conversely, Arizona State’s average exit velocity at the plate this season is 90.9 MPH - good for the fifth-highest tally in Division I.

The Sun Devils currently have a hard-hit ball average (exit velo over 95 MPH) of 46.2 percent, which is 17th in Division I baseball, and the team’s 376 hard-hit balls (exit velo over 95 MPH) are 11th. ASU has put a barrel on 259 balls this season, good for 10th in the country, and the squad’s 21.0 overall barrel %is 31st. 19.3 percent of ASU’s balls put into play this season have qualified as line drives with an exit velocity over 95 MPH with a launch angle between 10-30 degrees, the 17th-highest percentage in the country. Four players rank in the Top-100 nationally in the category: Dominic Smaldino (25th, 94.7), Landon Hairston (44th, 94.0), Nu’u Contrades (82nd, 83.3), Dean Toigo (86th, 93.2).

72
Landon Hairston has 73 RBIs this season, good for second in the country and one off the national lead. However, all 73 RBIs have come while hitting as the leadoff batter in the Sun Devil lineup, which is easily the most of any Division I player - 28 more than Graham Grahovac at Texas A&M. 

For perspective, that total is already the most of ANY leadoff hitter in Division I of RBIs for a season, surpassing Christian Moore’s 71 over 65 games in 2024. 25 of Hairston’s RBIs this season have come in pitcher’s counts (0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2) - eighth-most in the nation. His eight homers while trailing in the count are tied for fifth nationally. His 29 hits overall in pitcher’s counts are tied for seventh-best in the country, with his .392 average in that scenario good for 12th, and his .838 slugging percentage is first.

1
No team in the country has gotten more swing-and-miss from its pitchers than Arizona State’s 1,065 this season. Cole Carlon leads all individual pitchers with his 210 whiffs on the season.

The team is inducing a 23.4 whiff rate on pitches IN the zone that is third in the country, while the 33.6 OVERALL miss rate is second. 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 49.2 percent, the ninth-lowest total in the country. Only 32.9 percent of ASU pitches have been put into play this season, the sixth-lowest total in the country. Opponents are missing (swing and miss/total swings) offspeed/breaking pitches 42.6 percent of the time - the seventh-highest total in the country.

A look back at Baylor

  • The Sun Devils picked up a massive series sweep at home over Baylor last weekend, controlling things from the onset en route to wins of 11-2, 4-2, and 11-4.
  • The Sun Devils got quality starts from both Cole Carlon and Kole Klecker, the first time this season it has gotten two in the same weekend.
  • The last time Baylor was swept in a conference series was May 10-11, 2024, at Oklahoma. In the new 16-team Big 12 Conference, the Bears had not been swept. Baylor had won five straight series finales when faced with a 0-2 deficit in a Big 12 series heading into Sunday’s game.
  • It was the first time all season that Baylor had allowed ten or more runs in two games in the same weekend. In fact, the last time the Bears had let it happen was May 10-11, 2024, in that series with Oklahoma.
  • The eight runs allowed by ASU over the three-game series matched the lowest in any series this season (St. John’s). It was the fewest runs allowed in a conference series since ASU swept UCLA in a set from Apr. 19-21, 2024. The eight runs by Baylor were their fewest scored in a three-game series all season and least since a set with Oklahoma State last May.
  • The 14 hits allowed by ASU were the fewest during a three-game set since the Sun Devils allowed only 11 against Gonzaga March 7-9 in 2025. The 14 hits were the fewest allowed in a conference series since March 22-25, 2013, against Oregon State, when they allowed 13.
  • For the Sun Devils, it is their first Big 12 series sweep since defeating BYU in a three-game set in April 24-26, 2025.
  • The Sun Devils homered five times on Friday, the most allowed by Baylor in a single game this season. Baylor starter Lucas Davenport had allowed just four homers over 37.1 innings pitched entering the game before surrendering four to the first seven batters he faced. BU reliever Charlie Atkinson had allowed just two home runs in 27 innings pitched before surrendering one to Contrades on his first pitch of the game in the seventh inning.
  • Baylor struck out 17 times on Friday - its third-most in a game this season - while giving up 16 hits, the second-most allowed on the year.
  • Baylor leadoff hitter Travis Sanders erupted in game one, finishing 3-for-4 with a home run and in the 11-2 loss. The Sun Devils held him in check the rest of the weekend despite him hitting .363 on the year. Sanders went 1-for-7 with three strikeouts during the next two games.
  • At roughly 1,850 miles by air, this will mark ASU’s longest road trip in the continental United States for a regular season weekend series since traveling to Miami (Fla.) for a three-game set back in 1983 (~1,975 miles). The Sun Devils have numerous treks to play Hawai’i through the years, which is the longest trip the program has made.
  • Ethan Calder made the 69th appearance of his collegiate career on Sunday, having pitched for Baylor each of the last four seasons. He had previously never allowed more than nine hits in a single game until the 11 by ASU in his 4.2 innings of work.

On deck: UCF

  • The Sun Devils will be taking on the Knights for the first time in program history.
  • At roughly 1,850 miles by air, this will mark ASU’s longest road trip in the continental United States for a regular season weekend series since traveling to Miami (Fla.) for a three-game set back in 1983 (~1,975 miles). The Sun Devils have numerous treks to play Hawai’i through the years, which is the longest trip the program has made.
  • Arizona State and UCF enter the weekend tied for second in the Big 12, three games back from league leader Kansas and one game ahead of West Virginia and TCU.
  • The catcher Zak Skinner leads the Knights with a .368 batting average and a
    team-best 53 hits. He is third in both runs scored (30) and runs batted in (30).
    Outfielder John Smith III is next with a .353 average and leads the team with 40
    RBIs and is tied for the team lead with 10 home runs. Andrew Williamson follows with a .325 clip and team-leading tallies of 10 home runs, four triples and 44 runs scored. He is also second in doubles with 10 and RBIs with 33.
  • Right-hander Matt Sauser leads UCF’s starting rotation with a 3.06 ERA, while fellow right-hander Mateo Gray fronts in wins with a 5-0 clip, and RHP Camden Wicker is 4-2 with a 3.50 ERA and has team-leading tallies of 48 strikeouts in 54.0 innings pitched.

No lump of Cole
Cole Carlon has shown no signs that moving to a starting role has fazed him this season, entering this weekend ranked 4th in the nation with his 97 strikeouts and second with his 15.05 strikeouts per nine innings.

  • Carlon’s 12.79 career K/9 is 11th among active Division I players.
  • Carlon picked up a winning decision in each of his first two appearances of the season, but didn’t pick up his third until April 17 at BYU, adding a second last weekend against Baylor.
  • Carlon has been at his best with traffic on the bases as he has allowed just a .119 batting average against (7-for-59) with runners in scoring position - the eighth-lowest tally in the nation (min. 50 innings). He has allowed just one extra-base hit with a runner in scoring position, tied for sixth-lowest.
  • With a runner in scoring position and two outs on the board, Carlon’s 16-inning ending strikeouts are second-most in the country (min. 50 innings).
  • Carlon’s 95.8 MPH fastball/sinker average velocity is seventh-best among
    pitchers with 50.0+ innings of action this season. His fastest velo of the season, 100.7, is second-best as an individual with at least 50.0 innings of work this
    season.
  • Only 26.1 percent of Carlon’s pitches have ended up in play this season, the lowest total nationally (min. 50 innings).
  • Opponents have swung and missed on 210 of Carlon’s pitches this season, the highest total in the country.
  • Carlon’s overall whiff rate on pitches in the zone of 34.8 percent is second among all pitchers with 50+ innings of work (427 total). His 45.3 overall miss percentage is tied for first in the nation.
  • 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 DI 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.
  • 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).

Sliding into the DMs

  • Among pitchers with at least 300 sliders thrown this season, Carlon’s .198 average against on the pitch is the 24th-lowest in the country.
  • He has induced an in-zone whiff percentage of 42.4 percent on the slider, which is the highest of any pitcher in the country that has thrown it at least 300 times this season and fifth-lowest among ALL pitchers with 50+ innings of work, regardless of total sliders thrown.
  • Batters are making contact in the zone on the slider just 59.6 percent of the time, which is the lowest total in the country (min. 300 sliders). 
  • Carlon is getting batters to swing on the slider 54.1 percent of the time, which is fifth-most in the country (min. 300 sliders).
  • His 56.7 overall slider whiff percentage (including sliders out of the zone) is the highest in the country among those with 300+ thrown. He has gotten batters to chase out of the zone 40.5 percent of the time, eighth-best in the country.
  • His 86.5 MPH average velo on the slider is third in the nation among pitchers with at least 300 sliders thrown.

Hairy Bonds

  • Landon Hairston has not experienced any sort of sophomore slump in Year Two with the program, quickly establishing himself as one of the elite pure AND power hitters in the country
  • Hairston is fourth in the nation with his .436 batting average and rides a 28-game hitting streak into the weekend - the longest active streak in the country. The streak is the fifth-longest in Sun Devil school history.
  • Hairston enters the weekend with 25 home runs, a total that is second nationally and is tied with Spencer Torkelson (2018) and Bob Horney (1978) for second-most in single-season history. ASU’s single school record of 27, set by Mitch Jones in 2000, is very much worth keeping an eye on in the coming week.
  • His 18 doubles this season are tied for 12th in the country and lead the Big 12.
  • Should he reach 20 in both doubles and homers, he would join Bob Horner’s 1978 season as the only other time a player reached the 20/20 club at ASU.
  • He enters the weekend as one of just five players in the nation with at least 15 homers AND 15 doubles.
  • Hairston leads the entire nation with his 1.512 OPS (min. 3 PA per game) - over .100 points higher than the next closest player. His .978 slugging percentage is also over .100 points higher than the next closest player.
  • Of his 78 hits this season, 45 have gone for extra bases (18 doubles, 25 homers, 2 triples) - a total that is eight more than any other player in the country.
  • Hairston had just one extra-base hit through his first 27 games as a Sun Devil. In his 72 games since, he has 61 extra-base hits.
  • He has had just 13 games this season WITHOUT an extra base hit. He had a streak of 13 consecutive games with an extra-base hit, which ended against Arizona on April 13.
  • Hairston is the national leader with his four grand slams this season - also tying the ASU school record in the process. The NCAA single-season record is six. 
  • His 407.95 average distance on his homers is 14th among D1 players with 12+ home runs this season (159 total). Hairston’s 94.0 average exit velocity is 44th in the nation.
  • Hairston’s WAR of 4.43 is tops in the country while his 59.93 total Offensive Runs over Replacement is also first, eight more than any other player.

All eyes on three

  • Landon Hairston (who wears #3) has 73 RBIs this season, good for second in the country and five off the national lead. HOWEVER, all 73 RBIs have come while hitting as the leadoff batter in the Sun Devil lineup, which is easily the most of any Division I player - 28 more than Graham Grahovac at Texas A&M.
  • For perspective, that total is already for most for ANY leadoff hitter in Division I for RBIs for a season, surpassing Christian Moore’s 71 over 65 games in 2024.
  • 25 of Hairston’s RBIs this season have come in pitcher’s counts (0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2) - eighth-most in the nation. His eight homers while trailing in the count are tied for eighth nationally.
  • His 29 hits overall in pitcher’s counts are tied for 22nd-best in the country, with his .392 average in that scenario good for 12th, and his .838 slugging percentage is first.
  • Hairston is batting .359 overall with two strikes this season, good for 13th in the nation.
  • Other teams have continuously tried to keep Landon Hairston off guard, as 54 times this season, an opponent has made a pitching change either directly before facing the lefty or within two batters of facing him - among the Top-50 most in the country. And continuously, Hairston has shown that it doesn’t make a difference.
  • His 11 home runs as one of the first three batters an opponent reliever has faced are 1st in the country and three more than any other player. He has 24 hits and 32 RBIs in that scenario, ranking first in both categories. He is batting .558 off new pitchers that face him within their first three batters faced - third-best in the country. His 1.512 slugging percentage off those new pitchers is near .400 points higher than any other player.
  • Hairston has been equally a pest as the very first batter of a game, having recorded a hit to lead off a game 20 times (in 45 games) - the second-highest total in the country (UT Martin’s TJ Grimes, 21).
  • His .476 average to lead off games is fourth among all players with at least 30 games led off. He has a hit on the FIRST PITCH of a game nine times - three more than anyone else in the nation.
  • Opponents have intentionally walked Hairston ten times this season, the third-highest total in the country.
  • 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 moved from D1Baseball’s No. 101 outfield in its preseason rankings to its No. 2 outfielder in its Week 6 update.

Not so Nu’u anymore

  • Nu'u Contrades is 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’ 12 homers are eighth in the conference despite missing a decent chunk of time this season and batting off one leg for the majority of the season.
  • Contrades’ 408.19 average distance on his homers is 12th in the nation among players with at least 12 homers this season.
  • Contrades has homered four times off relievers entering the game as the first batter they have faced, tied for second-most in the country. His 10 RBIs in that scenario are tied for 10th in the country.
  • He enters the weekend on an 11-game hitting streak and has recorded an extra-base hit in 10 of those.
  • Contrades is one of 21 players with at least 13 doubles and 13 homers this season.
  • Contrades has struck out just 19 times this season (13.7 percent on 138 ABs). 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).
  • Unfortunately, the veteran was down a couple of games while dealing with a hamstring injury sustained in the finale against LMU, missing nearly three weeks and the first two weekends of Big 12 action.
  • Prior to his injury, Contrades was credited with saving 3.09 runs on infield ground balls this season, good for 34th in the nation but third among all second basemen.
  • Contrades made his long-awaited return to the diamond last season after missing the majority of the 2024 season with a back injury. He entered 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 baseman 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 basemen.
  • 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. 

Toig-a party

  • Dean Toigo was voted by the Big 12 coaches as the conference’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year and has been one of the most prolific offensive threats in the conference this season.
  • Toigo’s 16 homers this year are 27th in the country and sixth in the Big 12. His 405.91 average distance on his homers is 21st among those with at least 12 homers.
  • Toigo is one of 37 players with at least 11 homers and 11 doubles this season.
  • Toigo has at least one RBI in 22 of his last 31 games. He had nine RBIs through his first 13 games this season and has 36 since then. The 45 total RBIs are just outside the Top-100 in the country and 15th in the Big 12. 
  • After having just eight hits in the first 10 games of the season, Toigo has 48 in the last 35 to bring his season average up to .326.
  • Toigo’s OBP is over 100 points higher than his average at .430, due in large part to being a magnet for the baseball as his 13 HBPs this season are fourth in the Big 12.
  • The transfer from UNLV was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on March 16 for his efforts against TCU and was named to Baseball America’s National Team of the Week as well.

Biggie Smalls

  • 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 averaging 3+ plate appearances per game this season (2,131 total), Smaldino’s 94.7 average exit velocity is 25th in the country, and his 57.7 hard-hit ball average (exit velo 95+) is 64th.
  • Smaldino’s 425.66 average home run distance is second in the country among players with at least eight homers this year.
  • Smaldino’s mammoth blast against Mississippi State at Globe Life Field was
    officially logged at 480.74 feet RECORDED homer by any Division I player this
    season and the longest recorded by a Sun Devil since 2019. 
  • Smaldino has seen his line drive percentage jump to 35.9 percent this season, which is the fifth-highest rate in the nation. That total is especially notable as it sat at just 14.8 percent as a freshman and 24.8 percent last season. His 46 total line drives are 14th in the nation.
  • Conversely, he has watched his groundball rate drop from nearly 45 percent in 2024 to 31.3 percent this season.

Moutz-see TV

  • PJ Moutzouridis (pronounced MOOT-zerr-EE-diss) is another Sun Devil quietly putting up a solid start to the season.
  • Moutzouridis leads the team in seeing 191 pitches with two strikes this season. His 51 balls fouled off also paced the team with two strikes, ten more than his teammates.
  • 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’ 2.46 pitches seen per plate appearance is the 43rd-highest total in the country (among batters with 3+ PA per game).
  • That said, Moutzouridis is arguably ASU’s best hitter while being aggressive in the count as well. His 18 hits this season on the first pitch of an at-bat are tied for 42nd-most in the country, and he has a .439 average when putting the first pitch he sees into play.

Laser show

  • Arizona State’s average exit velocity at the plate this season is 90.9 MPH - good for the fifth-highest tally in Division I. 
  • The Sun Devils currently have a hard-hit ball average (exit velo over 95 MPH) of 46.2 percent, which is 17th in Division I baseball, and the team’s 376 hard-hit balls (exit velo over 95 MPH) are 11th.
  • ASU has put a barrel on 259 balls this season, good for 10th in the country, and the squad’s 21.0 overall barrel percentage is 31st.
  • 19.3 percent of ASU’s balls put into play this season have qualified as line drives with an exit velocity over 95 MPH with a launch angle between 10-30 degrees, the 17th-highest percentage in the country.

A disciplined approach

  • The Sun Devils have recorded a 53.3 quality at-bat percentage this season (plate appearance ending in a hit, walk, sac bunt, sac fly or HBP, is eight pitches or longer, moves the runner, or has an exit velo over 95 MPH). That total is currently tied for 18th nationally.
  • ASU has done a good job of not simply watching pitches taken for strikes, with an in-zone swing percentage of 70.1 percent, which is 20th in the country.
  • The team makes contact on 87.5 percent of the pitches in the zone, the 22nd-highest total in the nation.
  • When sticking to the team’s approach of hunting pitches up in the zone, few teams are better than the Sun Devils and their .383 team average that is seventh nationally. 
  • The Sun Devils are batting .269 as a team when trailing in the count this season, which is the sixth-highest in the country. The team’s .467 slugging percentage in pitcher’s counts is second in the country behind Georgia Tech (.470).
  • The Sun Devils have recorded 70 of their RBIs this season by way of hits to the opposite field, the 28th-most in the nation, while ranking 38th as a team with a .380 average to opposite field.
  • Arizona State is 18-4 in games in which it has at least three hits to the opposite field this season, compared to a 13-10 record when it doesn’t.
  • Among D1 teams with at least 40 games played this season, ASU’s 294 strikeouts offensively are the 34th-fewest in the country.
  • The team has just 70 strikeouts looking on the season, which is the ninth-lowest among teams with 40+ games.
  • The Sun Devils are producing quality at-bats even while being aggressive at the plate. The team’s .411 average on first pitches put into play this season is 32nd nationally. The squad’s 113 hits on first pitches are the 19th in the country and the 20 first pitch homers are fourth.
  • Arizona State has advanced a runner from first to third base on a single 40 times this season, 11th-most in the country.

The heat sheets

  • Sun Devil pitchers have posted an average fastball/sinker velocity of 93.1 this season, a total that currently sets good for ninth 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).
  • The only non-SEC team ranked ahead of ASU in the category is Wake Forest, which leads the country at a 94.4 MPH rate.
  • ASU’s overall average pitch velocity on all pitches is 88.2, good for 12th in the country.
  • Among pitchers with at least 20.0 innings pitched this season, ASU has the No. 18 (Cole Carlon, 95.8), No. 26 (Alex Overbay, 95.5) and No. 30 (Derek Schaefer, 95.4) pitchers in the country in average fastball velo. 
  • For perspective, from 2019-2025, the Sun Devils had just two players TOTAL
    that averaged 95+ MPH fastballs for a season (Lucas Kelly and Will Koger, both last season).
  • Colin Linder has a swinging strike rate (misses/pitches) of 14.3 percent on his fastball this year, which is 27th-best among all pitchers with at least 300 fastballs thrown.
  • Opponents are putting Linder’s fastball into play just 25.7 percent of the time - the 12th-lowest total in the country among pitchers with 300+ fastballs.
  • Opponents are making contact with the pitch just 69.7 percent of the time, which is 24th-lowest among the 300+ crew.

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 bulked up over the offseason, and it has resulted in a noticeable uptick in velocity.
  • Fitzpatrick has appeared in 78 games over his career in relief (75 at ASU), which currently ranks 11th among active Division I players.
  • Fitzpatrick has recorded 63 outs this season, and 39 of those have come by way of strikeout. Among pitchers with 20.0+ innings of work, his 16.71 K/9 is second- best in the country.
  • He has inherited a team-high 24 baserunners this season, and just 11 have scored.
  • Out of all DI pitchers with at least 15 appearances this season (1,041 total),
    Fitzpatrick has given up just one base hit to the first batter he has seen in an
    appearance, tied for the 19th-lowest total in the country.
  • He has struck out the first batter he has seen 12 times, which is tied for the most in the country (min. 15 appearances).
  • Fitzpatrick is getting called strikes 48.2 percent of the time he throws his slider, the 16th-best percentage in the country among pitchers with at least 100 sliders thrown. 
  • Conversely, Fitzpatrick gets a swinging strike on 19.0 percent of his fastballs
    thrown, the third-highest percent in the country among pitchers with at least 20 innings of work. Opponents put Fitzpatrick’s fastball into play just 10.2 percent of the time - the lowest percentage in the country among those with at least 20 innings.
  • The 54.2 contact rate on Fitzpatrick’s fastball is also the lowest among all pitchers with at least 20 innings of work.

Your best sales pitch

  • Sun Devil pitching coach Jeremy Accardo’s addition to the staff paid immediate dividends last season and continues to excel this season.
  • The team has a K/9 ratio of 11.5, which is eighth in the country and tops in the Big 12. ASU has struck out double-digit batters in 30 games this season.
  • The team is inducing a 23.4 whiff rate on pitches IN the zone that is third in the country, while the 33.6 overall miss rate is second.
  • 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 49.2 percent, the ninth-lowest total in the country.
  • The team’s 1,065 overall swings-and-misses induced are the most in the country.
  • Only 32.9 percent of ASU pitches have been put into play this season, the sixth-lowest total in the country.
  • Opponents are missing (swing and miss/total swings) offspeed/breaking pitches 42.6 percent of the time - the seventh-highest total in the country.
  • Kole Klecker has had plenty of success getting batters to chase his slider OUT of the zone, with a 41.5 percent chase rate that is 12th in the nation among pitchers with at least 200 sliders thrown. His 54.8 percent swing rate induced on the slider in general is the 10th-highest in the nation (min. 200 sliders thrown).
  • Taylor Penn is getting a swing and miss rate (misses/swings) of 40.5 on his changeup - 43rd among pitchers that have thrown at least 100 changeups this year. His swinging strike rate (misses/pitches) on the pitch of 20.5 percent is 42nd among those pitchers.
  • 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 who met that criteria.
  • ASU’s overall team WHIP was 78th nationally at 1.48 last year. 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 had 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 an 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.

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 4.94 ERA this season with a 21-5 record and a 286-104 strikeout to walk rate over 217.0 innings. The 286 strikeouts are the third-most of any bullpen in the nation.
  • The ASU bullpen has been responsible for just 18 homers allowed this season, tied for 87th-lowest nationally, but notable as the team ranked 255th of 307 teams last season with 38 homers allowed.
  • Derek Schaefer has taken hold of the back end of the bullpen, settling in as the team’s closer with a mid-90s fastball and electric secondary pitches. Schaefer’s 95.4 average fastball velo is 30th in the country among pitchers with at least 20.0 innings of work.
  • Schaefer's seven saves are 30th in the nation this season and first in the Big 12. He was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List.
  • Schaefer's 4.88 ERA is heavily skewed by his uncharacteristic outing against Utah, where he was put back into the game in the ninth despite ASU having an
    eight-run lead and credited with six earned runs allowed. Removing that from the equation, he has allowed just seven earned runs in his other 23.1 innings for a 2.70 ERA.
  • Schaefer was ASU’s fireman when it needed him last season, allowing just three of his 15 inherited runners on the season to score.
  • Taylor Penn has eaten up valuable middle relief innings, posting a 4-0 record over his 20.1 innings out of the pen, striking out 20 and posting a 1.77 ERA. That ERA ranks 36th in the nation among all players with atl least 20.0 innings of work in relief this season.
  • Alex Overbay has not given up a home run out of the bullpen this season.
  • 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). 

Headed to the gap

  • The Sun Devils currently rank 17th in the country and third in the Big 12 with 98 doubles this season, paced by Landon Hairston’s 18 - 13th in the country.
  • The team has recorded at least one double in all but six games this season and has multiple doubles in 27 games.
  • ASU led the nation with its 149 doubles last season and recorded multiple doubles in 42 of 60 games. The team was seventh in the 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 sixth in the nation with 90 home runs. Twelve different players have homered for the Sun Devils as the team has already surpassed its total of 87 from last year.
  • The 1981 program record of 110 homers is very much at risk of falling with the Sun Devils having at least 16 games left this season.
  • The team hasn’t had many cheapies either, with its average home run distance of 403.57 ranking ninth in the country.
  • The team has a home run rate per fly ball rate of 14.2 percent on the season, a tally that sits fifth in the country and the squad’s 330.8 average fly ball distance is sixth.
  • The squad’s 15 opposite field homers are tied for 14th in the nation and its 26 homers to center are fifth.
  • The Sun Devils are third in the nation when behind in the count with 32 homers.
  • ASU’s nine grand slams this season are tops in the country.
  • 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 their 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 double-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 and 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 opponents 1101-702 over its last 118 regular-season games, going 82-36 in the process.
  • ASU has scored multiple runs in 87 of its 156 half-innings with runs this season. ASU has 51 innings with at least three runs scored, 30 with at least four and 23 with at least five.
  • Last season, the Sun Devils put up 69 innings where the team had scored at least three runs, 32 with four or more and 21 with 5 or more.
  • The team has reached double-digit hits in 31 games this season.
  • ASU’s 514 total hits this season are fourth in the country, while the team’s .327 average is fifth nationally. The team’s .574 slugging percentage is fifth in the nation.
  • ASU is averaging 8.9 runs per game, good for 11th nationally.
  • ASU scored 253 runs in its 30 conference games last season (8.4 per game) - tops in the league. The team bats .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 season 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.
  • Eight times in Willie Bloomquist's tenure have 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 eight 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 six times in 4+ 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

  • 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 done so nine times this season.
  • The Sun Devils have walked off ten games over the last two-plus seasons (not including run-rule games).
  • On the season, when ASU has a potential go-ahead or game-tying plate appearance (7th inn. or later), the team’s .368 average (93-for-106) in the 14 games the scenario has occurred is ninth in the country.
  • ASU has trailed at one point in 70 of its last 108 victories dating back to 2023 - including 20 of its wins last season and 14 times this season.
  • 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 its nation-leading streak of 85-straight regular-season games.
  • In four seasons under Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils have shown that no opponent lead is safe, with plenty of grit in erasing multi-run deficits. ASU has 25 wins over the last three+ seasons when trailing by at least three runs at some point in the game.
  • 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.
  • It added its fifth and six such comebacks this season after rallying from a 7-0 deficit at Grand Canyon to win 12-8 and also from 7-0 against BYU to win 12-8 as well.
  • ASU has won 13 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 and 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 who 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 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 previously 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 an 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 this 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.