A 44-run differential. Nineteen home runs. Three mercy rules. Five straight wins. Three school records were broken. After head coach Willie Bloomquist said “pretty much everything” needed to change following a loss to GCU, ASU baseball delivered over the homestand.
After a rough stretch in early April, momentum started to swing ASU’s way during a dominant weekend against BYU—capped by a record-setting series finale with eight home runs, including six in a single inning. The Sun Devils carried that energy into Tuesday, overpowering Long Beach State on both sides of the ball for their second straight mercy-rule win to open the midweek series.
If Tuesday’s rout didn’t make it clear, Long Beach State may have caught ASU at the wrong time. Consecutive series against struggling teams like BYU and Long Beach were just what the Sun Devils needed to snap out of their recent slump—especially in midweek play. A win Wednesday would not only secure the series but also complete a sweep, giving ASU five straight victories heading into the weekend against Baylor.
For the second straight day, Long Beach State jumped out to an early lead with a three-run homer in the first inning—but it didn’t last long. ASU (30-16) immediately responded with an eight-run first and never let up, scoring in every inning and never allowing the Dirtbags (16-26) to get within three runs again. Leading the offensive outburst was junior outfielder Kien Vu, who set a single-game school record with six stolen bases. ASU wrapped up the midweek series with a commanding 17-6 victory—their third consecutive win by mercy rule.
It’s been that kind of stretch for ASU—a run that restores every ounce of confidence and reminds opponents they’re not a team you want to face come postseason. Today’s performance was the icing on the cake, a clear sign of just how locked in this group is right now.
“When things are working like that, it becomes an extremely fun offense,” said Bloomquist. “This is kind of what we've been hoping for, urging our guys that we know we're capable of doing this more frequently. I'm not suggesting we need to put up 17 runs a night. That’d be nice if we did, but this is one of those things that we just need to continue to strive to do because we're capable of doing it. We need to come up with a disciplined approach night in and night out and let the results happen. When we do that, we've got a chance to be pretty good.”
The actual historical standout to this game, and why it won’t just go down as another ASU offensive blowout, was Vu’s fifth and sixth stolen bases in the fifth inning, both of which set the individual single-game ASU record for stolen bases in a game.
One of the players who helped keep Vu's record of four, which he had by the third inning, intact was Bloomquist, a former ASU player himself. After the game, Bloomquist jokingly remarked that he "gave him the red light" to prevent Vu from breaking his record, not wanting Vu to take away what remained of his personal legacy from his playing days.
Bloomquist evidently expressed his happiness for him thereafter, complimenting him on his ability to use his legs to influence the game in various ways. ASU's season high for stolen bases in a single game was four last year, and talents like Walker and Vu enable the squad to double or even triple that total on any given night.
“It’s a dynamic we’ve been trying to get here for a couple of years,” Bloomquist said. “I’ve always aspired to have a good mix of speed and power because they complement each other. The speed forces pitchers to throw fastballs, and that lets us steal bases. ... Having guys who can run and hit for power gives us different ways to beat teams. ... It’s a dynamic we’re starting to grasp and get better at.”
It wasn’t always a blowout, as Long Beach State came out strong, taking a 3-0 lead in the opening inning. But that early momentum was short-lived. By the end of the first, ASU had seized control, exploding for eight runs on five hits, along with five more baserunners from walks and hit-by-pitches. What began as a three-run deficit quickly turned into a commanding five-run lead for the Sun Devils.
Long Beach State’s freshman right-hander, Alex Ramos, couldn’t make it through the first inning, pulled after back-to-back hits and five runs scored. He became one of seven pitchers the Dirtbags used, despite the game ending early due to the mercy rule after just six innings.
ASU has exploded for 64 runs over its five-game homestand, averaging 12.8 per game, with a wave of new contributors leading the charge. Freshman catcher Brody Briggs has powered up with three home runs in his last three games, while freshman outfielder Landon Hairston has emerged as a steady force in the two-hole, combining maturity with consistent production.
Junior Kyle Walker has quietly stayed hot, raising his average to .368 with a four-hit night on Wednesday, but it’s the rise of freshmen like Hairston and Briggs that signals something even bigger. With both making major impacts during this stretch, Bloomquist may already have the foundation of ASU’s future taking shape.
“Landon, I’ve said it time and time again; he just continues to be well beyond his years,” said Bloomquist. “From a maturity standpoint in the batter's box, he puts together great at-bats and doesn't panic with two strikes. Every pitch is more information for him, and he uses that to his advantage. He's pretty special.”
“Briggs, on the other hand, is a grinder. He’s not overly toolsy offensively, but his compete factor is off the charts. He battles every at-bat and provides a nice spark with his energy and mentality. Both of them have done a great job.”
Another new offensive contributor, yet no stranger to the team, is junior infielder Isaiah Jackson, a veteran in his third season with the program. Jackson has made a significant contribution to the three-game offensive surge, totaling 11 RBIs and blasting his fourth home run in that stretch, with Wednesday's long ball marking his tenth home run and first collegiate double-digit season total.
With career highs in every key offensive statistic, Jackson's recent performances and full-season performance are a clear indication of his breakout and offensive maturity.
“Just another kid who's put time and dedication and work into it, and no other explanation than that, and understood that he had to get better,” said Bloomquist. “There's another gear in Isaiah. We all know that, and I think he's starting to take off and get to that point to where we all aspired him to be as a freshman, and it hasn't been easy… He's progressively getting better and better, but I still think his best baseball is in front.”
A big part of ASU’s offensive rise has been key returners taking the next step: Jackson’s offensive jump, Josiah Cromwick’s breakout season, and Contrades stepping confidently into a starting role. Add in the immediate impact of veteran transfers, and it’s all come together with the offense firing on all cylinders at just the right time.
After a dominant stretch of games, ASU now sets its sights on conference play. With just ten games remaining, nine of them against Big 12 opponents, there's no better time than now to head into Baylor and make a push to gain ground on the powerhouses at the top of the conference.
“I'm confident right now, and that's a big thing,” Bloomquist said. "I think these guys are starting to see the light as to what we're capable of doing and why, at times, I've been frustrated throughout the year, because this is the offense I anticipated us having. ... This isn’t a 162-game major league season—it’s a short 56-game schedule, and if you don’t get it going early, people assume the offense just isn’t there. That’s not the case. ... I know what these guys can do, and while there are still a few players we need to get going, I’m confident they will… This is going to be a fun offense when we start rolling, and we're starting to show signs of that.”
