Baseball looks for seventh series win of season vs. BYU

Sun Devil Baseball will look for another series win this weekend as it hosts the BYU Cougars in a three-game Big 12 Conference set beginning Thursday, April 24 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

April 23, 2025

ASU Game Notes /// BYU Notes /// 2025 Yearbook /// 2025 Fan Guide /// Tickets /// Parking Map /// Paul Ray Powell Number Ceremony

PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball will look for another series win this weekend as it hosts the BYU Cougars in a three-game Big 12 Conference set beginning Thursday, April 24 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. All three games in the series are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. AZT first pitch.

One of the greatest two-sport athletes in Sun Devil Athletics history will earn one of its rarest honors as Paul Ray Powell will have his number (#4) unveiled on Sun Devil Baseball's Wall of Honor on Saturday evening at Phoenix Municipal Stadium prior to the team's series finale against BYU, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. AZT.

This weekend, the Sun Devils will celebrate Valley Night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive an exclusive 2025 baseball card team set – a pack that will include a card to commemorate Powell's induction. Additionally, fans can enjoy $1 pretzels as the Sun Devils conclude their Big 12 series against the Cougars.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

All three games this weekend will be available to be streamed online on ESPN+ with Braiden Bell and Alex Coil on the call. 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.
All contests will be available over the local airwaves with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter providing the highlights throughout the weekend on KDUS 1060 AM. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
As always, fans are encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media for any programming or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. ASU has outscored teams 558-358 over its last 59 regular season games dating back to last season, posting a 40-19 record in the process.

2. ASU is batting an exceptional .389 (88-for-226) this season when the team has put the first ball of an at-bat into play.

3. On the flip side, ASU is also seeing 17.3 pitches per inning this season (152 per game), showing the team's ability to work counts as well.

4. Since moving to the leadoff spot on March 15th against TCU, Kyle Walker has recorded a hit to start the game in 12 of 23 games in that role.

5. Landon Hairston has seven extra-base hits in his last nine games (two homers, four doubles, one triple). He had one in his first 26 games as a Sun Devil.

6. Cole Carlon's is the only player in the country to record 60+ strikeouts (currently at 61) in fewer than 40.0 innings pitched (currently at 38.2).

7. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 54-24 in the first innings of games this year and are 17-6 when scoring in the first.

8. Arizona State pitchers have struck out double digit batters in 25 of the team's 41 games thus far this season.

9. The Sun Devils have put up 50 innings this season where the team has scored at least three runs, 22 with four or more and 13 with 5 or more.

10. The Sun Devils have scored in 145 halves of an inning on the year and have plated two or more runs in 94 of those (64.8 percent).

BY THE NUMBERS

80 - 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 80 stolen bases this season are good for 44th in the nation and notable as ASU has not ranked in the Top-120 in the category nationally since 2011 (18th, 99). The 82 stolen bases have easily surpassed the team's total for the SEASON a year ago (53). ASU has give players with double-digit stolen bases for the first time since the 2010 season. The Sun Devils have also quietly put up 22 games this season with no errors - notable as the team had just 21 such games TOTAL a year ago - and a .981 fielding percentage that is currently good for first in the Big 12 and 8th in the country. ASU has not ranked in the Top-100 in the category in the last three seasons.

61 - Cole Carlon has struck out 60 batters in just 38.2 innings of work this season, a total good for sixth in the Big 12 and 63rd nationally despite doing so as a bullpen pitcher. In fact, of the 88 players in D1 baseball to record 60 strikeouts this season, Carlon is the only one to do so in under 40 innings of work. He is one of just five pitchers in the Top-150 in strikeouts this season to accomplish the feat without starting a single game. Among D1 pitchers with at least 500+ pitches this season, Carlon's 41.9 whiff percentage ranks tied for second the country behind McNeese's Alexis Gravel (42.4) with Tennessee's Liam Doyle (41.9). His 58.1 whiff percentage on his slider ins also third in the country.Carlon has allowed just five hits in his last 22.1 innings of work and 36 of those 67 outs come via strikeout to just four walks.

27 - The Sun Devilshave 27 games this season in which they have recorded multiple doubles. The team enters the week second in the nation with 103 doubles on the year - seven off Georgia Tech's D1 leading 110. The team is on an unreal tear at the moment in the category, having posted multiple doubles in 11 of its last 16 games and 48 total in that stretch. The total is 13 more than any other team in the Big 12. Jacob Tobias ranks 27th in the nation and first in the Big 12 with 16 doubles - which has already surpassed his previous single season high of 14 set a year ago. He now has 49 for his career - which is the seventh most for a Sun Devil since the 1998 season and 18th among active D1 players. Matt King is third in the league with his 14 while Brandon Compton (13) sits seventh.

5 - One of the most telling signs of ASU's improvement this year - though arguably also one of the most frustrating - is the fact the team has not lost a single game by more than five runs this season, which has happened just once - while having an average margin of defeat of just 2.3 runs per loss. For perspective, if that number holds, only ASU's 1969 National Championship winning team (5 runs several times) and the 1973 team that lost just eight games TOTAL can lay such a claim throughout ASU's illustrious history. While much has been made of ASU's late inning woes, it should also be noted the team has also recorded the game-winning RBI in the sixth inning or later of 10 of the team's 25 wins this season. The team is 9-9 in games decided by two runs or less.

LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS TECH/GCU

The Sun Devils just took two of three in a rather unprecedented series against Texas Tech. Game two of the series was paused late Friday night in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 7-7 tie as ASU had the bases loaded before the game was suspended to rain and field conditions.
The contest then resumed on Saturday afternoon as ASU worked two efficient at-bats to score the go-ahead runs in the seventh and take the second game and the series against Texas Tech after the 14-hour rain suspension.
Game two on Saturday and game three of the series saw the Sun Devils late game rally fall short as Texas Tech picked up the 12-8 win to avoid the sweep.
With the series victory, the Sun Devils moved to 7-3 in weekend series on the year.
After recording seven hits in the first three innings in a Tuesday midweek at GCU, ASU managed just two more down the stretch in a 7-6 loss the the Lopes.

ON DECK: BYU
The Sun Devils lead the all-time series against former WAC foe BYU, 46-13, though BYU has been winners of the last six contests.
First baseman Cooper Vest leads BYU in RBI (45), runs scored (44) and home runs (13) while also posting the team's second-best slugging percentage (.642). Vest's offensive numbers also put him second in the Big 12 in RBI and homers, tied for fifth in runs scored and ninth in slugging. Whether appearing at second base or in the outfield on defense, Luke Anderson's offense includes batting .325 with 42 RBI and a team-leading 51 hits. Anderson's RBI and total bases (97) are both tied for sixth in the Big 12. Shortstop Ryder Robinson earned Big 12 Co-Player of the Week honors after collecting five doubles and two homers on 10-of-19 at the plate over four games versus UVU and Arizona. Robinson's season total now includes batting .258 with 37 runs scored on 40 hits, 10 doubles, two triples seven homers, 27 RBI and a team-leading 28 walks.
The Cougars and Sun Devils met 27 times as members of the Western Athletic Conference from the 1967 to 1978 baseball seasons. With BYU in the WAC North Division and ASU the South, the two teams met 21 times in the WAC Tournament. Thirty-two meetings have come since the Cougars and Sun Devils were last conference foes, including a postseason matchup in the 1983 NCAA Tournament.
BYU head coach Trent Pratt played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Arizona State (1999-2000). As a freshman, Pratt started 30 of 49 games played, hitting .307 with 28 runs scored and 24 RBI.. Pratt was teammates at ASU in 1999 current Sun Devil head coach Willie Bloomquist with Mitch Jones, father of current BYU third baseman Easton Jones. The senior Jones played one season with the Sun Devils after transferring from Utah Valley Community College. Jones started 39 games in 1999, hitting .333 with 46 runs scored and 39 RBI prior to selection by the New York Yankees in the seventh round of the 2000 MLB Draft. Pratt, Bloomquist and Jones dealt three defeats to BYU during a three-game series February 18-20, 1999.

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 is tied for eighth in ASU history with his 40 home runs and ranks 34th among all activie D1 playrs with that tally.
Among active career D1 players, Tobias is 16th in games played (206), 18th in ABs (762), 15th in hits (234), 16th in total bases (413) and 9th in RBIs (184)
He is third on the team with 38 RBIs this seasonand is reaching base at a .386 clip with a .306 average.
He has a team-best 24 hits with runners in scoring position this season. Nine times this season, Tobias has been responsible for the first RBI of the game. Seven times this season, he has recorded the game-winning RBI. The next closest Sun Devil has four game-winning RBIs TOTAL.
His 16 doubles are first in the Big 12 and 16th in the nation and already surpasses his previous season best of 14 from a year ago. His 49 career doubles rank 19th among active D1 players.
He has been among ASU's best hitters with two outs, posting a .316 average on 18-of-57 hitting and his 15 two-out RBIs are second the team. He has also been ASU's most productive out, advancing runners with an out 26 times - 10 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 had his best week of the season against UNLV and Gonzaga, where he posted 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.
Though he missed the majority of March and early April with an ankle injury, Vu maintains a .333 average on the season with six homers and seven doubles and a .559 slugging percentage.
He has also done a ton of damage on the basepaths, where he has 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 .436 clip on the year and is second on the team in advancing runners at a .608 clip (31-of-51).
Last season, 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 year, 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 ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 29 walks this season, which has contributed to his .379 OBP over his .274 average.
Compton has 13 doubles this season, a total good for seventh in the Big 12, while also adding six homers. His 40 RBIs this season lead the team and are 10th in the Big 12 and his 16 two-out RBIs this year lead 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 10 of Arizona State's 41 games this season.
He has a .297 average with 19 extra-base hits (11 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers) - tied for second on the team.
Jackson has been among ASU's best hitters with a runner in scoring position, posting a 22-for-54 (.407) mark in the category.
He has 39 overall RBIs this season, good for second on the team already surpassing his previous career high of 31. His 14 two-out RBIs are third on the team.
Jackson leads the Big 12 with his 24 RBIs in conference-only games this season.
Jackson has reached on 17 of his 36 leadoff opportunities (.472) on the season, good for second on the team.
Jackson has no errors on 104 opportunities in the field this season - one of only three Big 12 players with 100+ defensive chances and no errors.
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 3rd in the Big 12 with his 11.96 K/9 percentage while his 70 total strikeouts are 4th in the league and 31st in the country. His career 12.92 K/9 is 9th among active D1 pitchers.
Jacobs has a 4.78 ERA overall but his 2.86 SIERA - which takes into consideration factors outside the pitcher's control, such as field dimensions, etc. - is 4th-best in the Big 12.
Jacobs won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after he threw a perfect game thorugh 17 batters in his Friday 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 made his long awaited return to the hot corner this season after missing the majority of last year with a back injury. He entered 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 .403 clip this season over his .287 average while posting 12 doubles, a triple and four homers. Eight of his doubles have come in Big 12 games, the second-best total in the conference while he bats .342 in league games.
He has notably struck out just 25 times - compared to 27 walks - on 157 ABs year (15.9 percent) after striking out 51 times with just 9 walks his freshman season on 217 ABs (23.5 percent).
Contrades has played exceptionally well at the hot corner, second on the team in defensive assists with 69 - the most among Big 12 third baseman.
Contrades is 13-for-14 on stolen bases this year, bringing his career tally to 22-of-25. The 13 stolen bases are tied for 7th in the Big 12.
Contrades has bat out of the leadoff position often this year and reached on 19-of-48 (.396) leadoff opportunities.
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 had his team-best 19-game hitting streak snapped in the finale against Arizona.. He had multiples hits in 11 games during that streak. He has, however, reached base in an active team best 30-straight games entering the weekend.
Walker remains second on the team in average at .358 - a notable achievement as he was batting .083 on Feb. 28 and still below the Mendoza line as of March 7.
Since moving into the leadoff spot in the second game against TCU (where he has played every game since), Walker is batting .406 on 39-of-96 hitting with a .508 OBP and team-leading 34 runs scored.
Since moving to the leadoff spot on March 15th against TCU, Kyle Walker has recorded a hit to start the game in 12 of 23 games in that role.
To take that a step further, there have been six times he has recorded a hit on the very FIRST PITCH of the game.
Walker's .493 career OBP is second among active D1 players that have played their whole careers at the D1 level and his .373 career average is 9th among those active players. He also ranks 21st among active D1 players in runs scored (169).
Walker has struck out just once ever 9.6 at-bats this season, marking him the fifth-toughest player in the Big 12 to strike out.
Walker leads the team with 86 defensive assists this year while fielding an exceptional .981. The 86 assists are good for 12th in the Big 12 despite not starting five games for ASU this year.
Among Big 12 players with at least 75 defensive assists this season, Walker's .981 fielding percentage ranks second. Walker's 6.60 defensive runs saved this season rank 151st among all D1 players.
Walker is tied for first in the Big 12 and 28th in the country with five sac flies this year. He has successfully advanced runners at a .573 clip (43-of-75).
Walker participated 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 56.0 innings.
While Martinez has a 4.82 ERA, his 2.12 SIERA - which accounts for runs not in the pitcher's control - is second-lowest in the Big 12 and 15th-lowest in the nation.
He is leading the Big 12 with 82 strikeouts - good for 9th in the nation - and his 13.18 K/9 is second in the league and 15th in the country. Four times this season has Martinez recorded double-digit strikeouts, including both of his last two starts.
His 4.32 strikeout to walk ratio is fifth in the Big 12 and 66th nationally and his 1.16 WHIP 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 with 250+ changeups thrown this year, His 48.3 whiff percentage is fourth in the country and his 69.8 strike percentage on the pitch is sixth.
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
Matt King might be a new face to Sun Devil fans but he entered the season as one of the most veteran shortstops in the country.
No player on the team - and maybe in the country - has swung a hotter bat in the last couple weeks than King, who now leads the team with a .401 on the year, good for first in the Big 12 and 34th in the country - an average that has risen from .286 in the last month weeks.
King leads the Big 12 in conference-only average at .434 and his 20 RBIs are 8th.
King ranks third in the Big 12 and 66th nationally with his 14 doubles this season.
The surge has elevated King to 148th in the country among all D1 players in offensive runs above replacement at 30.53 while his 2.57 overall WAR is 130th.
When King does get a hit this season, he gets them in droves. He has hits in 26 games and has recorded multiple hits in 18 of those. He has 11 games with 3 or more hits this season. The next closest Sun Devil had four.
King had a hit in eight-straight at-bats over three games ended with a suspect called strike three in the ninth inning against CSUN. The eight-straight hits were tied for the third-most in school history and just one off the school record of 9, which hadn't been reached since 1982.
King is also a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases this year
He was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following the UNLV/Utah week and was named the College Baseball Hall of Fame's Brooks Wallace National Shortstop of the Week following this weekend.
King has struck out once ever 11.5 at-bats this season, the second-best tally in the Big 12 and 52nd in the country.
King's 196 career games are 29th among active D1 players that have played their entire careers at the D1 level and his 160 total runs scored are 27th. His 231 hits are 15th, his 51 doubles are 10th, his 154 RBIs are 37th, 43 HBPs are 26th and 17 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.

NO LUMP OF COLE
Cole Carlon is riding one heck of a heater into the weekend as one of ASU's most reliable options out of its bullpen.
Among D1 pitchers with at least 500+ pitches this season, Carlon's 41.9 whiff percentage ranks tied for second the country behind McNeese's Alexis Gravel (42.4) with Tennessee's Liam Doyle (41.9). His 58.1 whiff percentage on his slider ins also third in the country.
Carlon has allowed just five hits in his last 22.1 innings of work and 36 of those 67 outs come via strikeout to just four walks.
With his recent efforts, Carlon is now down to a 2.09 ERA this season with a 2-0 record and with three saves - recording them in each of ASU's last three wins - and only a paltry .116 batting average against over 38.2 innings.
He has 61 strikeouts on the season, third on the Sun Devils, sixth in the Big 12 and 63rd in the nation.
Off the 88 players in D1 baseball to record 60 strikeouts this season, Carlon is the only one to do so in under 40 innings of work. He is one of just five pitchers in the Top-150 in strikeouts this season to accomplish the feat without starting a single game.
Carlon is 2.1 innings away from qualifying for the national statistics, but his .118 average against would be No. 1 in the nation if he were counted at this moment and the 2.09 ERA would be 16th.
Carlon had a streak of consecutive batters retired ended at 28 after his two-out walk in the sixth in the Saturday game against Cincinnati. UC's leadoff double in the ninth ended Carlon's streak of 13.0 straight innings with no hits dating back to March 21 vs. #22 Kansas over six appearances.
He recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over 4.1 innings of work in the Sunday victory over Arizona. That number marked the second most for a Sun Devil reliever since 2021 (Tie: Tyler Thornton- 11 vs. Rhode Island 4/30/21; Hunter Omlid- 11 vs. Utah Valley 3/19/24). At one point, Carlon retired seven straight batters on strikeouts, which is tied for the fourth-most consecutive strikeouts by a Sun Devil in program history.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS
The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams under Willie Bloomquist, stranding 1,721 baserunners over 211 games, an average of 8.2 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU stranded 453 in 55 games last season and 307 in 41 games this season.
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).
Lucas Kelly has allowed just four runs in 15.1 innings over 13 appearances with 18 strikeouts and just a .250 average against to go with his 2.35 ERA
Derek Schaefer has a 3.80 ERA on the season with two saves and 24 strikeouts over 21.1 innings with just a .222 average against.

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.
ASU has six pitchers with 15.0+ innings pitched and a sub-5.00 ERA. Last year at this time, the team had four.
ASU's overall team WHIP sits 79th nationally at 1.49. While not eye popping, 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 team's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.51 ranks 34th in the nation as well. The Sun Devils have 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 is first in the Big 12 with a 10.9 K/9 average this season, good for 10th nationally. The Sun Devils have struck out double digit batters in 25 of 41 games on the season.
The Sun Devils have posted 22 games this season without an error and have quietly put up a .981 fielding percentage on the year - good for first in the Big 12 and 8th in the country. ASU ranked outside the Top-100 in each of the last three seasons in the category.
The 22 games without an error surpass ASU's total for the season a year ago of 21.
ASU had a seven-game streak without an error at one point this year - which was its longest since a nine-game stretch in the 2015 season.
The Sun Devil pitchers have been amongst the most improved in the area, with just three errors credited against them this season - notable as ASU pitchers were responsible for 12 of ASU's 60 errors last season (20.0 percent).

WHAT'S THE CATCH?
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 Josiah Cromwick and Brody Briggs have answered the call.
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 11 home runs this season, good for 5th in the Big 12 despite not seeing every day action in the lineup.
Cromwick has 24 total hits on the season and 17 of those have gone for extra bases, recording 11 homers and 6 doubles.
ASU went with Cromwick as the backstop to get the opening night start. Granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Cromwick was arguable t he team's best player through Fall and Preseason camp this year, recording 20 home runs in live AB scrimmages. 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.
Brody Briggs has posted a .275 average on the year. His seven RBIs on the first two home runs of his career in the rubber match victory over TCU are the most for a Sun Devil this season.
Briggs has shown defensively as well, with 19 defensive assists on the year and leading the team in throwing out six batters this season - tied for fourth in the Big 12 despite seeingle significantly fewer chances than the players ahead of him.

THINGS ARE GETTING A BIT HAIR-Y
Freshman Landon Hairston has shown a mature approach at the plate despite the freshman tag and has quickly become a staple in the Sun Devil lineup.
Hairston is batting .345 on the year, good for third on the team and up from his .222 entering the month of March.
Hairston has seven extra base hits in the last nine games (two homers, a triple and four doubles). The total is extremely noteworthy as he had just one in his first 26 games of the season.
His .473 OBP leads the team and is sixth among all Big 12 players.
Hairston has shown his ability to make in-game late inning adjustments as he is batting .351 (19-54) in innings 6-9 this season.
Hairston has spent much of his time in the last month in right field in place of the injured Kien Vu, and he has been a perfect 50-for-50 on defensive chances with no errors.

HEADED TO THE GAP
ASU has recorded 103 doubles this year and multiple doubles in 27 games, ranking 3rd in the country (and 9th at 2.51 per game) and first in the Big 12. ASU has racked up 48 doubles in its last 16 games, alone.
Twelve players have recorded a double this season and six have alread reached double digits in the category.
Jacob Tobias ranks 27th in the country with his 16 doubles and tops in the Big 12.
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 49 home runs this season, a total that is fifth in the Big 12. All 10 players that have recorded a home run for ASU have multiple homers on the year.
ASU only had runners on base on 9 of its first 23 homers of the season but has had runners on 19 of its last 24 homers with the only five exceptions being leadoff home runs.
Notable though, ASU swept the road series against Utah WITHOUT hitting a home run - the first time the team had accomplished that feat in a road series sweep since the start of the 1999 season (3-0 at Hawai'i, 4-0 at Hawai'i-Hilo) and the first time overall in a series sweep since 2017 against Northwestern in Week One.
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 continued looking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU had 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 50 innings this season scoring at least three runs, 22 with 4+ and 13 with 5+.
ASU has outscored teams 558-358 over its last 59 regular season games dating back to last season, posting a 40-19 record in the process.
Big innings have been the theme of ASU's season as the team has now scored in 145 halves of an inning on the year and have plated two or more runs in 94 of those.
ASU has scored 158 runs in its 18 conference games this season (8.8 per game) - tops in the league.
The team is batting .335 in Big 12 games - tops in the league.
Seven time in the Willie Bloomquist tenure - and twice this season - the Sun Devils have 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 this season have come on the road and three of the seven total under Bloomquist. Of the team's 36 games with 20+ hits from 2000-2021, only eight came on the road.
The Sun Devils have scored 20 or more runs five times in 3+ seasons under head coach Willie Bloomquist. That total is notable as the team had just five such games TOTAL from 2009-2021.
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.
The team has 10 or more hits in 20 games so far this season. 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 . ASU's 652 total hits last season were tops in the Pac-12 and 14th nationally.
ASU ranks 30th nationally and 3rd in the Big 12 with a .311 batting average this season and is 45th in the country and third in the league with a .494 slugging percentage. 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.
ASU is third in the Big 12 and 46th nationally with 8.2 runs per game. Last season, the Sun Devils were second in the Pac-12 in averaging 8.3 runs per game and 29th nationally.
ASU has outscored opponents 54-24 in the first innings of games this season and are 17-6 when scoring in the first inning.
ASU has also been very good in the sixth inning of games, outscoring teams 42-22.

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 6-6 in one-run games this season and is 9-9 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 sixth inning or later in 11 of the team's wins so far.
The walk-off win against UNLV in the regular season finale a year ago 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 has two walk-offs this season.
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 trailed at one point in 47 of its last 75 victories dating back to to 2023 - including nine 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
ASU is 98-5 when leading after eight innings under Willie Bloomquist.
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

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