ASU baseball stood on the edge of something special just four games ago—riding momentum, chasing a deep postseason run, and playing with the swagger of a team built for June.
Now, just four games later, they’re out of the Big 12 tournament—and possibly out of the NCAA tournament picture entirely.
An utter catastrophe.
The past weekend's sweep was surprising enough—dropping from the two spot to the five spot in the conference in the matter of a weekend, being swept by what was a relatively middling Big 12 team in Oklahoma State. ASU needed just one win over the weekend to secure a bye in the upcoming Big 12 tournament but lost all three games, which led to them facing a first-round matchup against the BYU Cougars—the very first game of the tournament at 7 AM Arizona time on Wednesday.
BYU entered Wednesday’s matchup as the tournament’s lowest seed—an opponent few expected ASU to fear, with some already looking ahead to Arizona’s game. Their last meeting was a blowout, with ASU sweeping the weekend series and setting two school records while scoring 36 runs. Wednesday’s game was a complete turnaround.
Coming into the game, BYU boasted one of the worst pitching staffs in the country, with a team ERA of 7.22—the worst in the Big 12. With both teams ranking among the conference’s top five offenses in runs scored, all signs pointed to a dominant ASU offensive performance. However, BYU had no plan to lie dead. They faced an ASU team lacking energy and seized the moment, stunning the Sun Devils by shutting them out for the first time all season—the first shutout BYU had ever recorded against any opponent all season. ASU’s bats never woke up, looking lifeless all game long, as the Cougars edged out a pitchers’ duel to win 2-0, knocking ASU out of the Big 12 tournament.
Whether it was the early start time, adjusting to the unusual dimensions of a major league ballpark, the momentum lost after a rough weekend, or the pressure of a tournament setting following a strong regular season, ASU fell flat in their most devastating loss of the year. Now, they face the very real possibility of their season-ending altogether if they don’t secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.
It’s hard to say a loss like this is entirely surprising. ASU has faltered multiple times this season just when it seemed they were ready to turn a corner. After a big win over UCLA, they dropped back-to-back games to Minnesota in February. In early April, they cracked the Top 25—only to immediately lose consecutive series to Arizona and Cincinnati. Even their frequent midweek stumbles managed to stall any building momentum.
ASU’s season was the definition of a roller coaster—unpredictable highs followed by sudden drops. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the Big 12 tournament was where the ride hit its steepest fall.
Early on, the game carried an unsettling tone. ASU’s offense, while explosive at times, has also developed a habit of going quiet for long stretches. The team often talks about hitting being contagious—something that applies just as much when they're cold as when they’re hot. On Wednesday, the bats continued that trend, recording just three base runners in the first six innings.
Meanwhile, junior left-hander Ben Jacobs endured a tense and challenging start to the game. From the very first pitch, it was clear his stuff wasn’t quite there. Command became a concern early, and after hitting a batter to lead off the second inning, he gave up an RBI double that put BYU on the board first. By the end of the second, Jacobs had already thrown 51 pitches, and by the close of the third, he was nearing 70—laboring just to hang on.
Despite early struggles, Jacobs settled in—throwing a clean third inning and striking out the side in the fourth. He pitched with intense focus, his emotions clear as he celebrated big outs, fully aware that elimination was at stake.
Meanwhile, the offense stood in stark contrast—struggling to even move a runner past first base, a milestone they wouldn’t reach until the eighth inning.
ASU’s top hitters this season went completely silent when it mattered most. Freshman outfielder Landon Hairston, recently named to the Big 12 First Team, went 0-for-4 and made a costly slip in left field that allowed a triple. Junior outfielder Kien Vu, who has had an outstanding Sun Devil career—batting .359 this season after hitting .400 last year—also went 0-for-4. Three other Sun Devils finished hitless as well, with the entire lineup failing to draw a walk or record an extra-base hit. With so little pressure from the offense, BYU’s pitchers were able to settle in and dominate throughout the game.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justis Reiser delivered a career-best performance. He threw just 48 pitches over four innings—a testament to his precise command and ability to induce soft contact from ASU’s hitters. Reiser exited in the fifth inning after allowing only three hits.
In the fifth, head coach Willie Bloomquist aimed to get one more inning from Jacobs. But after a leadoff single and hit-by-pitch, he turned to his ace reliever—sophomore lefty and First Team All-Big 12 selection Cole Carlon—to stop the bleeding and keep ASU within striking distance. Carlon, however, battled the same command issues—walking two and allowing BYU’s second and final run. ASU had hit two batters up to that point, and both came around to score.
After Reiser was pulled, the Cougars turned to their final arm of the day, junior left-hander Ashton Johnson. With a pitching staff that has struggled mightily all season, BYU likely hasn’t developed much trust in many pitchers, but both Johnson and Reiser earned it fully—combining for nine innings, allowing just six hits, zero earned runs, and no free passes.
Johnson didn’t allow a base runner until his third inning on the mound, and it wasn’t until his fourth inning that a runner advanced to second. He then closed out the game in the ninth.
Though it’s almost impossible to accept that the Big 12’s top offense was simply outmatched by two relievers throwing career-best games, ASU’s bats showed up empty—utterly powerless. Their approach was marked by impatience, with too many first-pitch outs and weak contact. Even the solid contact, like the hard flyouts from junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson—three times up—carried too far and died in the Texas air, where they might have flown further in Phoenix.
ASU’s season had been defined by its resilience—an offense that consistently rose to meet adversity. From junior infielder Nu’u Contrades’ walk-off homer against Kansas after a blown ninth-inning lead to the rebound series following the Cincinnati loss to the 26-run outburst after falling to TCU, the Sun Devils always found a way to punch back. Even head coach Willie Bloomquist noted after their GCU win, “They always do.” On Wednesday, they lost the identity that had powered their season, fading away when the stakes were highest.
The season may not be over yet—calling off ASU’s “comeback kid” status might be premature. Maybe this setback is just part of a bigger plan, setting the stage for an incredible NCAA tournament story—if they get the nod. ASU likely needed to win at least one of their last four games to lock in a spot. A strong showing against Oklahoma State could have earned them a two-seed; even a single win might have put them in the three-seed range. Now, after coming up short, they face the very real threat of elimination from postseason play altogether.
It’s tough to find any silver lining. After the win against GCU and heading into their final regular-season series, Bloomquist boldly aimed for a conference title, while the players reminded fans of last season’s bitter ending and their determination to never settle. Now, instead of building on that momentum, they face the exact opposite outcome—everything they fought to avoid.
ASU has now handed their fate to others—and must wait anxiously to see how it unfolds.
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