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By Nicholas Furman
Cronkite News
TEMPE – The Arizona State baseball team is off to an impressive start, and the Sun Devils are showing signs that they can contend for a Big 12 title in their debut season in the conference.
Coach Willie Bloomquist has his players operating like a well-tuned machine. The Sun Devil bats are producing with consistency, putting the ball in play to all fields and driving in runs with regularity. And Arizona State’s defense has been solid.
“It is always a good feeling knowing that your teammates are going to pick you up no matter what,” said ASU starting pitcher Jaden Alba. “With our offense being able to score runs any time at any point, it just makes you feel like you just gotta go out there and attack the other lineup.”
As a result, the Sun Devils are 6-1 going into Tuesday’s road game against UCLA.
Opening the 2024 regular season at home against Ohio State University, the Sun Devils swept the Buckeyes and carried that momentum into a win against Austin Peay.
Their success continued with two more victories in a three-game series against Oral Roberts as the Sun Devils’ efficient offense gave the bullpen a break following a loss in the first game of the series.
In Sunday’s series finale against Oral Roberts, ASU racked up nine hits, including five multi-run homers for a 9-2 win. It was a stark contrast to Friday’s opener, when the Sun Devils led 7-5 at the top of the ninth inning and gave up three runs in an 8-7 loss.
“Happy, not satisfied,” Bloomquist said. “I think it’s great to get wins, but we have room to improve. There are areas we have to get better, and … it doesn’t get any easier as we move forward, the schedule only gets tougher … It’s good to be where we are at, but that (loss) stung a little bit on Friday.
“We bounced back from that, and it’s in the rearview.”
After a two-game set with the Bruins, the Sun Devils return to host Minnesota, UNLV, Gonzaga and Arizona (in a single, non-conference game) during a seven-game homestand. ASU opens Big 12 play March 14 at Texas Christian.
Bloomquist pointed to the competitive nature of the season’s start as evidence that the Sun Devils are on the right track.
“It’s a tribute to where we are at and I think where we can go,” Bloomquist said. “Confidence wise, you look at Ohio State lost a couple of games today and yesterday that they were way ahead of really good teams, they beat N.C. State earlier in the week and when you start looking like man those games were dog fights with Ohio State…”
The Sun Devils offense is hitting .278 with 14 home runs, tied for second in homers in the Big 12. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Compton is a focal point of the offense hitting .421 with two home runs. In Sunday’s game, Compton was walked four times until the bottom of the eighth when he hit a double to the outfield.
It’s not just the offense from the Sun Devils that is making people talk – it’s the defense that has this team off to a scorching start. Third baseman Nu’u Contrades, who hit two homers Sunday and is batting .269, explained where the defense has grown this season.
“I think we have done a pretty good job,” Contrades said. “(Just) Make the routine plays, and we have a mantra that we live by: make every routine play and turn every double play. And the coaches harp on us to do that.”
The corners of the field are solid with experience, but the middle of the field for the Sun Devils has been a problem, not with a lack of talent but with too much talent. Of course, it’s a good problem, but coaches have had to make tough decisions about who to play and who not to play.
The Devils are sitting at third in the Big 12 in fielding with only four errors through seven games, supporting a pitching staff with the third-worst ERA in the conference.
“They are all super talented,” ASU starting first baseman Jacob Tobias said. “That is what makes it hard on the coaching staff is that you can plug any four of those guys in the middle, and you are going to see a super talented middle infielder every single time that puts up good at-bats and makes awesome plays.”
Arizona State brought out the broom against the Bruins last season for a clean sweep in Los Angeles, and the Sun Devils look to do the same this week.
“I think it will be good for us to get away from home,” Bloomquist said. “UCLA has been playing well. They are a year older and a year better. I’m sure they haven’t forgotten last year, and I’m sure they will be reminded of that.”
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