There are three weeks left in the inaugural season of the Willie Bloomquist era of Arizona State baseball. Over the last few months, I’ve learned a lot about the staff and the general direction the program is heading in. To put it in short terms, better days are ahead. Despite the mounting frustration of a season filled with the most frustrating losses a team can endure, fans should be excited about the energy within the clubhouse and the foundations of the winning culture; this program is used to being laid by one of its most proud alumni.
With no midweek contest on deck this week, I have set out to answer every last one of your questions regarding the 2022 squad, recruiting outlook, and what this time of year might look like next year and beyond.
How would you rate Willie Bloomquist as a strategist?
Not only has Bloomquist never been a collegiate head coach, he’s never been a head coach at any level. This means growing pains, and there have been some instances of that this year. For the most part, I’ve been impressed with strategic maneuvering regarding lineup kinks and starting pitching decisions. I’ve also been confused by several bullpen decisions. He’s the first one to admit when he thinks he was out-coached or that something is a learning experience for him. Willie is as sharp of a baseball mind as there is, he’ll work out the rough edges in short order, and it will help to have players he recruited on the team.
How does the 2023 recruiting class look?
The 2023 signees on paper address all of Arizona State’s areas of need. Here they are as of now:
Isaiah Jackson OF
Jose Vargas OF
Luke Hill SS
Logan Salomon RHP
Dominic Chacon OF
Brandon Compton LHP
Nu’U Contrades SS
Ryan Hanks RHP
Stephen Hernandez LHP
Austin Humphries LHP
Connor Jenkins OF
Brandon Koble LHP
Dante Turgeon 1B
Kien Vu OF
Reese Beheler 1B
One thing that jumps out? PITCHING. Six pitchers in the class, usually schools bring in 3-4 pitcher primary players. It’s key to what Sam Peraza wants to focus on as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. There are zero freshman pitchers on the current roster, and with many guys who have accounted for the majority of innings likely on their way out, more freshmen will pitch next year than returners. Arizona State has historically been a place for hitters to flourish. Peraza told me he’s looking to make this program a pitcher’s destination just as much as a slugger’s. My favorite of the bunch is Logan Salomon. He’s local (Hamilton) and is already a really refined product. He sits at 89-90 and has been up to 93. With a full year of strength and conditioning at the college level, he has all the potential to become a first-round beast.
Isaiah Jackson and Dante Turgeon are the best pure hitters in this recruiting class. Bloomquist and his staff will be holding their breath come draft time in June when it comes to Jackson.
What core pieces will be on the team next year?
It’s hard to tell at this point. As far as position players go, Joe Lampe and Sean McLain are almost certainly gone to the draft. Conor Davis is, of course, out of eligibility and will be drafted late or sign as an undrafted player. Ethan Long is an interesting case. He’s a draft-eligible sophomore, and after last season’s power surge, it looked like he would for sure be on his way to an early round selection this year. Obviously, 2022 has not gone according to plan, as some early-season struggles and a couple of nagging injuries have kept him from reaching his full potential. I’m not the one looking at all those zeroes with a pen in my hand, but I would say if he came back and played like we know he can next year, he would be a consensus first-rounder in 2023.
Ryan Campos will be back, of course, along with fellow freshmen contributors Jacob Tobias, Will Rogers, and Cam Magee, and Alex Champagne. Hunter Haas will be back after an extremely tumultuous sophomore season, and I would wager that Nate Baez will be back as well. Kai Murphy is a question mark, as an outfield heavy recruiting class will make landfall in Tempe in August. Murphy is a leader though, and his bat has been much better in the second half of the season. I predict he’ll start somewhere in the outfield, perhaps filling the center field role.
Pitching could go a lot of different ways. All the starters are draft eligible. A number of key relievers as well. I’m sure Bloomquist would love his more established starters to stick around, but with a pitching heavy recruiting class on its way, some guys might want to test their luck in the draft. Christian Bodlovich will probably return along with Tyler Meyer. Chase Webster has a professional fastball but may choose to spend another year in the college ranks.
Will the non-conference schedule be upgraded to feature more premiere games and matchups?
Considering Arizona State went 8-10 in its non-conference games this year, the staff should focus on beating up those teams that are mostly inferior before making reservations with power five heavyweights. Besides three games (all losses) against Oklahoma State and Missouri, ASU played 15 games against teams they are better than on paper. Going 8-7 in those games put the team on its heels before beginning the conference slate. Until the Sun Devils dropped six of their last seven, the subpar non-league showing acted as ball and chain to the team’s hopes of securing a regional bid. So no, until Bloomquist shows his teams can take care of beating the “little guys” he shouldn’t worry about headlining big time early season tournaments.
What chances do you currently give ASU of making the Pac-12 tournament?
Following a sweep of USC two weeks ago, it looked like ASU was firmly on track to qualify for the inaugural Pac-12 baseball tournament in Scottsdale. After managing just one win in six games at Arizona and UCLA, it’s far from a sure thing. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the dance. ASU currently sits in eighth place with a conference record of 9-12, and boy, is it going to be close. Only USC is pretty much out of the running at 6-15.
Any feedback from the staff or players (or your own thoughts from observations) on why the last couple of weeks have been so rough? I know the pitching is not deep and not highly talented, so I chalk it up to that but are there other reasons or situations happening within the locker room?
While I can’t testify about what actually goes on in the locker room, I can say that these guys love each other. I’ve heard on multiple occasions that despite a worse record on the field, things have felt different this year in a good way. Regarding the last couple of weeks, it’s fatigue. For players and coaches. This point in the season is equivalent to the dog days of August in a big league season. They’ll be able to navigate it better in the future when the staff knows exactly what to expect.
