Baseball welcomes Oral Roberts for three at Muni

Sun Devil Baseball puts its 4-0 record on the line this weekend at home against 2023 College World Series participant Oral Roberts in a three-game series at Phoenix Municipal Stadium beginning Friday, Feb. 21.

February 20, 2025

ASU GAME NOTES /// ORU GAME NOTES /// 2025 YEARBOOK /// 2025 FAN GUIDE /// TICKETS /// 2025 PARKING MAP

PHOENIX -- Sun Devil Baseball puts its 4-0 record on the line this weekend at home against 2023 College World Series participant Oral Roberts in a three-game series at Phoenix Municipal Stadium beginning Friday, Feb. 21. The series will get underway at 6:30 p.m. AZT on Friday followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch Saturday and a Noon first pitch on Sunday.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

All four games during opening weekend will be available to stream through ESPN+. Fans can check with their local cable or internet providers to see if they are on an ESPN+ plan or visit https://plus.espn.com/to sign up.
Aiden Blanc will be on the call for all three games alongside Nate Mills on Friday and Saturday and Jaden Taylor on Sunday.
Friday's game will air over the local airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter providing the highlights. All the radio calls from games can also be streamed online at: kdus1060.com/sundevils
Fans are always encouraged to follow the Sun Devil Baseball team on social media for any program or schedule updates throughout the week on the Sun Devil Baseball Twitter account: @ASU_Baseball

#10THINGS (Twitter-Friendly Notes)

1. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 220-124 over its last 20 games, posting a 16-5 record in the process (16-3 in the regular season).

2. Jacob Tobias has reached base in 28 consecutive games dating back to last season and has 24 RBIs in his last 10 games, alone.

3. The Sun Devils turned five double plays in the first four games, a total good for ninth in the country entering the weekend.

4. Jack Martinez is one of just 30 players in D1Baseball this season to have at least 8 strikeouts with no walks.

5. The 2024 Sun Devils became just the eighth team in program history to reach 100 home runs and was the fastest ASU team to do so ever.

6. The Sun Devils have scored in 14 halves of an inning through four games this season, recording multiple runs in 12 of those.

7. Nu'u Contrades and Kyle Walker did not strike out once on 26 combined at-bats through the team's first four games.

8. Brandon Compton was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after his 9 RBI, 8 run, 2 homer, 2 double and two-go-ahead hit weekend last week.

9. ASU had 10 different players with 20 or more RBIs last season, second-most in the Pac-12 and the most for an ASU team since 2013.

10. ASU's 13,232 total fans through the team's first four home games were a new program record for the first four games of a season.

BY THE NUMBERS
102 - 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. It was the first season that even four had reached the tally since 1994.

11 - The Sun Devils averaged 11.0 runs per game over the team's final 20 games dating back to last year, scoring 220 runs in the process.The Sun Devils' offensive surge at the end of last year boosted its team slugging percentage to .541 on the year, good for tops in the Pac-12 and 15th nationally. The batting average was .313 for the year, tops in the Pac-12 and 12th nationally. The Sun Devils were second in the Pac-12 in averaging 8.3 runs per game and, 29th nationally. The Sun Devils were tops in the Pac-12 and sixth in the country with 143 doubles this 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. The team's 102 home runs on the season were 30th in the country and second in the Pac-12.

10 - The 2024 Sun Devils excelled in a pair of categories last season - recording double digit hits and striking out double digit batters. The team recorded 10 or more hits in 39 of 58 games last season - and 16 of last 19 - and was tops in the Pac-12 with 652 total hits on the year (14th nationally). Eight different players recorded at least 50 hits on the season. The pitching staff struck out double-digit batters in 29 of 58 games, posting 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings on the season - a total good for 18th in the country and tops in the Pac-12.. It was also notable as the team struck out 10 or more batters in just 21 total games a season ago. Southpaw Ben Jacobs paced the group with 102 strikeouts in just 66.1 innings - a 13.84 K/9 that was good for 11th in the country and first in the Pac-12.

3 - The Sun Devils are tied for the nation's lead with three players named to the 2025 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List in the form of LHP Ben Jacobs, OF Brandon Compton and 2B Kyle Walker. Four Sun Devils garnered at least one Preseason All-America honor. Ben Jacobs led the way in the category with the All-America nod from the NCBWA, D1Baseball and Perfect Game. Brandon Compton, Kien Vu and Jacob Tobias also earned Preseason All-America nods from the NCBWA. Jacobs (13), Compton (13), Vu (14), Tobias (6), Walker (12) and Nu'u Contrades (8) were all ranked in the Top-15 at their position in college baseball by D1Baseball earlier this preseason.

LAST TIME OUT: OHIO STATE/AUSTIN PEAY

Sun Devil Baseball came out swinging to start the season, racing to a perfect 4-0 record to get things started in front of a program record 13,232 fans over the four games. A weekend sweep of Ohio State followed by a Monday matinee win over Austin Peay has set the tone for an exciting year ahead on the diamond.
The Sun Devil bats left their mark on the opening matchups, scoring 38 runs over the four-game stretch. The 38 runs are the third-most in program history to start a season since moving to Phoenix Municipal Stadium in 2015.
Outfielder Brandon Compton led the charge offensively, clipping a .462 average to go along with two home runs, nine RBIs and eight runs scored and was named the Big 12 Player of the Week in the process.
The Sun Devils trailed at some point in each of the four games, coming from behind to win each game and trailing by multiple runs in three of those games.
Four different pitchers combined to hold a Govs' offense that ranked No. 1 nationally averaging 10.8 runs per game last year to only three runs on seven hits. Austin Peay only had four games during the regular season last year in which they were held to three runs or less.
Austin Peay also led the nation last year in batting average, hitting at a .359 clip. ASU pitching held them to just 7-for-31 (.226) from the plate.
After giving up 14 runs in the previous three games, the Arizona State bullpen threw 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball against APSU.

ON DECK: ORAL ROBERTS
This will mark the 14th all-time matchup between the two programs with ASU owning a 10-3 record in the series, last squarting off against the Golden Eagles in the 2016 Fort Worth Regional, a 4-1 ASU victory
Oral Roberts is one of the most accomplished mid-major programs in the nation, having appeared in 31 NCAA Tournaments, winning 22 Summit League titles and qualifying for two College World Series - most recently in 2023.
ORU head coach Ryan Folmar has a 402-256-1 record as head coach at Oral Roberts in his 13 seasons at the helm. He, coincidentally, will mark the second-straight Oklahoma State coaching tree product ASU will face in a row after Austin Peay's Roland Fanning.
Oral Roberts will enter the weekend as the only team in the country that hasn't allowed an earned run in the first week of action, outscoring Arkansas Pine-Bluff, 24-2 (two unearned runs), in its opening series a weekend ago. Saturday starter Nathan Love earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors after going 7.0 innings with six strikeouts and no runs allowed.
ORU bat .371 as a team during the opening weekend with a .449 OBP.

JACOB'S LADDER
Jacob Tobias was named an NCBWA Preseason All-American (2nd Team First Baseman) and D1Baseball's #6 First Baseman in the country.
Tobias recorded his 36th career homer in ASU's opener and had four RBIs in ASU's first four games.
Tobias is riding a 28-game active reached base streak into the weekend dating back to last year.
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 21 RBIs in his final six games of the season last year (six, eight, four, one, two, one). He has four through the first four games this season for 25 over a 10-game stretch.
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 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).
Vu began this season batting at a .308 clip with two RBIs and a team-best four stolen bases.
In the month of Apri last yearl, Vu posted a .439 average to lead the Sun Devils, boasting a gaudy .848 slugging percentage that was 100 points higher than any of his teammates. He had seven homers, four doubles and a triple while driving in 26 runs - 12 more than any other Sun Devil for the month. His efforts garnered him finalist consideration for the NCBWA Hitter of the Month
His .793 slugging percentage (14 homers, 11 doubles, two triples) was easily tops on the team while he also led the squad with 12 stolen bases on 13 chances. He reached base at a .497 clip on the year
The .793 slugging percentage was 18th nationally and second in the Pac-12 and his .497 OBP was second in the league and 29th in the country... The .793 slugging percentage was the highest at ASU since the 1998 season
His 56 RBIs were second on the squad and eighth in the Pac-12 despite having over 20 fewer at-bats than the team's eight AB leaders and nearly 64 fewer AB's than the next closest player in front of him in the conference
He led the Pac-12 in league-only games with a .418 average and .916 slugging percentage and his 31 RBIs in Pac-12 games were fifth in the league.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Brandon Compton 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 on Monday.
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 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.
The junior bat .250 during the opening weekend of action, include his first homer of the year on Monday to spark a five-run fifth inning en route to the victory
The sophomore was exceptional in the last 13 games game 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 evolved into ASU's ace as last season progressed, earning Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors.
Jacobs struck out five in 4.0 innings in his debut against Ohio State last weekend.
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.
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 will make his long awaited return to the hot corner after missing the majority of last year with a back injury. He enters the season on D1Baseball's sixth-ranked third baseman in the country and the No. 22 MLB Draft prospect in the Big 12.
Contrades, while not hitting at an eye-opening clip, still reached base at a .421 rate above his .154 average in ASU's opening weekend behind four walks and two HBPs. Notably, Contrades did not strikeout once in his 13 ABs - notable as he struck out 23.5 percent of the time (51 of 217) as a freshman two years ago.
In limited action last year, Contradesreaching 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 will assume the duties at second base this season after a very productive undergraduate campaign at Grambling.
Walker did not strike out once in his 13 ABs in the first four games while he was 17-for-17 on his defensive chances.
Walker articipated in the 2024 MLB Draft Combine and represented the U.S. Collegiate National Team during the summer, competing in the International Friendship Series against Chinese Taipei in Cary, N.C.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2024, led Grambling State with a career-best .381 batting average, 11 home runs, 77 hits, and 71 runs scored.He recorded 114 defensive assists and turned 26 double plays in 2024
Walker concluded his two-year career at Grambling State with a .376 batting average, .500 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, 135 hits, 70 RBIs, and 121 runs scored
Walker began his Grambling State career in 2023 after redshirting his freshman year at Louisiana Tech, starting at second base and batted .372 with 2 home runs, 58 hits, and 50 runs scored in his debut season at Grambling.

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
Senior Jack Martinez pounded the strike zone in his Sun Devil debut on Saturday, striking out eight and walking none in 5.1 innings of work.
Martinez was one of just 30 pitchers in the country with at least eight strikeouts and no walks during the opening week of action.
Martinez posted a 4.40 ERA for Louisiana in 2024 as helped the Ragin' Cajuns to the Sun Belt Conference regular season title and a spot in the NCAA Baseball Tournament where it advanced to the Regional Final against eventual College World Series runner-up Texas A&M
He went a combined 10-1 on the mound in 38 career appearances at Division III Trinity University (Texas) and was named first-team All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, first-team D3baseball.com All-Region and second-team ABCA Second Team All-Region
He led a stellar pitching staff with a 2.12 earned run average in 2023, finishing the year with a 6-0 record and six saves as he recorded a team-best 81 strikeouts in 51.0 innings of work, holding opponents to a .163 batting average. He finished third among DIII players in strikeouts per nine innings (14.29).

SHORT KING
A new face will be manning the pivotal shortstop position, but he isn't a new face at the position as Matt King will assume the duties this season.
King, 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 enters the seasons with 163 games played in his career.

GRABBING THE BULL-PEN BY THE HORNS
The Sun Devil bullpen has made a habit of escaping jams underWillie Bloomquist, stranding 1,446 baserunners over 175 games, an average of 8.3 stranded opponent runners per game. ASU stranded 453 in 55 games last season and 32 in the first four games this season.
Last sason, ASU relief pitchers inherited 154 baserunners, of which only 57 scored (37.1 percent).
Sean Fitzpatrick was among the best in show in the category, stranding 19 of his 22 inherited runners on the year.
Recording the first out when coming into the game out of the pen has been a highlight for several bullpen members, with Fitzpatrick leading the way in retiring 19 of the 26 first batters he faced.
ASU's bullpen retired 12-of-20 first batters faced in the team's first four games.
Jonah Giblin was elite out of the pen in two appearances for the Sun Devils in the opening weekend, posting a 1.80 ERA in 5.0 innings with six strikeouts and just a .125 average against.
Will Koger needed just two appearances to earn the first two saves of the season for the Sun Devils in the opening weekend - becoming the first Sun Devil to pick up two saves through four games since RJ Dabovich in 2020.

WHAT'S THE CATCH?
The Sun Devils will be 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.
ASU will look toward three options in 2025 with Josiah Cromwick getting the opening night start. Granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, Cromwick was arguable the team's best play through Fall and Preseason camp this year, recording 20 home runs in live AB scrimmages.
Cromwick and Briggs showed there wasn't too much cause for concern offensively as the duo combined to go .364 (8-of-22) at the plate in ASU's first four games with Cromwick homering twice and recording eight RBIs in the process.
Cromwick was a Top-25 catcher in the nation out of high school and started 67 games for the Oregon Ducks prior to transferrinfg to ASU last year.
The Sun Devils also went out and got a seasoned vet in the form of RIce transfer Manny Garza, who was a Buster Posey Watch List member in 2024 after a solid career at Rice where he posted a .291 average over 130 games with starts in 123 of those. He recorded 61 RBIs, nine homers, two triples and 25 doubles over three seasons.
Garza led the AAC in back-to-back seasons, throwing out 22 and 19 runners in the last two seasons, respectively.
Additionally, redshirt freshman Brody Briggs will garner a look after being named the Top Catcher in the Alaska League this past season while also earning the team's leadership award as a true freshman despite redshirting the season a year ago.

HEADED TO THE GAP
ASU recorded seven doubles in its first four games and multiple doubles in all three games against Ohio State.
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 six homers through its first four games - a total good for 30th in the country.
The Sun Devils had 102 homers last year, good for 30th nationally and surpassing the program's BBCOR record of 94 from the 2019 season. ASU became just the eighth Sun Devil team in the program's illustrious history to reach 100 home runs and the first to do it since having 101 in 1990. The 2024 Sun Devils were the fastest to reach triple digits in the category in program history, doing so in 56 games.
ASU had five Sun Devils reach doublle digit homers (Ryan Campos, Kien Vu, Brandon Compton, Jacob Tobias and Nick McLain), marking the first time at ASU since 1993 that five players accomplished the feat (Todd Cady, Doug Newstrom, Antone Williamson, Paul Lo Duca, Jacob Cruz). It was the first season that even four had reached the tally since 1994.
11 different Sun Devils had multiple homers - second-best in the Pac-12 - and 13 homered overall, which was also the second-most in the league.
The 2024 Sun Devils were the first ASU team to have 13 players homer since the 2008 squad also had 13.
ASU homered once in each of the three games against Oregon State, notable as the Beavers had allowed just 10 homers all season entering the weekend and just five total at Goss Stadium.
ASU had six homers in its road series against UCLA, the most allowed by UCLA in a three-game series this year. ASU had four in each of its first two games against USC, the most the Trojans had allowed in a game all year. ASU had five in a game against UC San Diego, the most it had allowed and had four in two of its games against UW, also the most the Huskies had allowed. With the team's five-homer game against Stanford - the most the Cardinal had allowed at the Sunken Diamond since 2000 - ASU had five-straight series in which it has recorded at least one game with the most home runs allowed by that opponent last season.
The Sun Devils had eight homers in the Oregon series. Unfortunately, all came of the solo variety.
The Sun Devils continue looking for the big hit with runners on base as ASU has 49 solo homers on its 102 last season. Of the team's 49 solo homers, however, 23 were of the leadoff variety and didn't give anyone a chance to be on base while five others came as part of back-to-back homers and thus, the same principle.
The big homers with men on base, however, increased in the last month. Five of ASU's six homers against UCLA were two-run shots and 5 of 10 against USC were multi-run bombs, as were five of its seven against UC San Diego. Seven of the ten homers against Washington were multi-run shots. Four of the 11 homers against Stanford were three-run bombs while another was a two-run shot.
The Sun Devils hit 19 more homers during the 2023 season (83) than it did the prior year. 12 different players logged a home run last season for ASU and 10 had multiple home runs. In 2023, ASU had eight different players with at least six homers - more than any other team in the Pac-12.
The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers that year - at the time two more than any other team at ASU had had since at least the 1998 season. ASU had five players with at least seven homers in 2022, tied for the second-most at ASU since 1998. The Sun Devils had seven players with at least seven homers last season as well.
ASU's 83 homers in 2023 were 56th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament.
The better news was ASU finally started the get pumps with runners on base. 37 of the team's last 66 Sun Devil home runs that year came with runners on base after 14 of the first 17 that season were solo shots. Of the 26 solo shots, 17 were leadoff homers and thus not given the opportunity to happen with runners on base.
The timing of the home runs improved immensely over the second half of the 2022 season as well. On 24 of the final 37 homers on the year, ASU had at least one runner on base. That was notable as ASU had runners on base just eight times on the teams first 27 homers.
Of the nine position players with at least 30 starts in 2022, all nine had multiple home runs. ASU had ten total players with multiple homers.

COMING IN HOT
Last, 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 already have nine innings this season scoring at least three runs, two with 4+ and one with 5+
In fact, ASU has scored in 14 halves of an inning this season and 12 of those featured two or more runs.
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 - both tallies in danger of being surpassed by this year's squad
ASU recorded 10 or more hits in 39 of 58 games last season and in nine-straight games to conclude the regular season and 16 of the last 17 in the regular season . The team has 10 or more hits in two games so far this season.
ASU's 652 total hits last season are tops in the Pac-12 and 14th nationally.
ASU has reached double digit scoring in 14 of the last 20 regular season games dating back to last year
The Sun Devils' offensive surge at the end of last year boosted its team slugging percentage to .541 on the year, good for tops in the Pac-12 and 15th nationally. The batting average was .313 for the year, tops in the Pac-12 and 12th nationally.
The Sun Devils were second in the Pac-12 in averaging 8.3 runs per game and, 29th nationally. The team is 46th nationally this year withy 9.5 runs per game.
ASU scored 137 runs in the 7-10th innings last season, and has scored 48 runs in the seventh inning of games alone.
The big change for ASU in its last month of the year was scoring early, as ASU had 72 first-inning runs and 67 third innings runs, outscoring opponents 67-44 in the latter.
The team posted 52 runs in the eighth inning of games in 2023, just under a run per game. The team bat .326 in the eighth inning of games with a .526 slugging percentage. The squad had 25 home runs total in innings 7-9 - easily surpassing its total of 17 from the previous season.

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 already 2-0 in one-run games this season and is 3-0 in games decided by two runs or less after going 11-13 in such games last year.
The walk-off win against UNLV in the regular season finale was ASU's sixth last season as a result of a ninth or extra-inning lead change, with walk-offs against Oregon, GCU and UW (10th inning) and UNLV and ninth-inning go-ahead runs on the road against Arizona and UNLV. ASU added its first of the 2025 season with it's Saturday walk-off against Ohio State.
ASU won four games last year when trailing after eight innings and five games when trailing OR tied after 8. The team had five wins when trailing or tied after eight in 2016 and nine in 2015. ASU's four games in which it trailed after eight innings are the most since the team had five such victories in 2006. ASU has one such game this year.
ASU has trailed at one point in 42 of its last 57 victories dating back to to 2023 - inlluding all of its games this season.
In 2023, ASU was incredibly efficient at closing games out, going 24-4 when leading after six, 27-1 when leading after seven and 29-0 when leading after eight. Last season ASU was 27-2 when leading after six, 25-2 after seven and 23-1 after eight
The loss of a ninth-inning lead in the second game against Oregon last season marked the first time ASU had lost a game when leading after eight innings since Feb. 25, 2022 against BYU (led 4-2, lost 6-5). The Sun Devils had won 56 consecutive games when leading after eight innings prior to that.
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 on Monday.
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 under 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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