After all the buildup—the tournament bid despite a late-season slide, the underdog energy that seemed to light a spark, and the opening win over UC Irvine that hinted at something special—ASU’s hopes for a meaningful postseason run unraveled in less than 24 hours. A blowout loss to UCLA set the tone, and a rematch with UC Irvine sealed the fate.

Just like that, the Sun Devils’ season is over.

Heading into Sunday’s elimination game, ASU’s path to a potential Super Regional was steep. Saturday’s blowout loss to UCLA meant the Sun Devils would need to win three straight—two back-to-back on Sunday and another on Monday—to advance. And while this team has pulled off the improbable before, they’d have to do it from arguably their lowest point of the season, both in momentum and performance.

ASU didn’t even get the chance to fight for a rematch with UCLA. Instead, their second showdown with UC Irvine flipped the script from Friday’s tight pitchers’ duel into a full-blown slugfest—one that the Anteaters dominated. UC Irvine launched five home runs, racked up 16 hits, and poured on 11 runs, handing ASU its second straight game allowing double digits. It was more than enough to send the Sun Devils packing, as their season ends with an 11-5 loss.

It’s an unfortunate ending to what was otherwise a strong season for the Sun Devils—a clear step forward for a program that hadn’t reached the postseason since 2021. While there’s no doubt ASU was capable of more, as shown in their opening win over UC Irvine, the back-to-back losses that followed—both lopsided and deflating—suggest this just wasn’t their time.

“In my heart, I think it’s a little too early for us to be done,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Bottom line, we just didn’t execute how we needed to today, and we came up short. But at the end of the day, I’m extremely proud of our guys for the effort and everything they gave to this program.”

In what was ASU’s third game in as many days—and with injuries to key arms like sophomore right-hander Jaden Alba—the Sun Devils were left with no choice but to piece together a bullpen game. With limited starting depth beyond freshman lefty Easton Barrett, Bloomquist was forced to manage with one eye on UC Irvine and the other on a possible two-game gauntlet against UCLA. That split focus proved costly, as the pitching strategy unraveled and played a major role in ASU’s season-ending loss.

Sophomore right-hander Derek Schaefer got the start for ASU, and while he’s typically used in shorter stints, it quickly became clear that head coach Willie Bloomquist was hoping for much more. Rather than a quick bridge to the bullpen, Schaefer was stretched like a true starter—an approach that came with risk and, ultimately, consequences.

Schaefer navigated three solid innings, surrendering five hits and two runs—including a no-doubt blast by sophomore outfielder Jacob McCombs in the third. That home run seemed to be the cue for Bloomquist to pull the plug. While preserving arms for a potential doubleheader against UCLA was crucial, Schaefer had already surpassed his career-high pitch count and appeared to have given everything he could for ASU.

Instead, Schaefer took the mound for the fourth inning — and within just two batters, UC Irvine struck hard, doubling their lead and sending a blow to ASU’s hopes.

The inning started with a hit batter and on a full count to sophomore infielder Alonso Reyes, the Anteater slugger crushed a pitch into right field, extending UC Irvine’s lead to three runs. Suddenly, the momentum swung heavily in favor of UC Irvine, and a single followed.

At that point, Bloomquist pulled Schaefer after a career-high 71 pitches and turned to junior right-hander Lucas Kelly — but Kelly couldn’t stop the damage. With two outs, he surrendered a towering home run to senior outfielder Chase Call, and just like that, the inning fell apart for ASU. The Anteaters now held a commanding five-run lead.

All season, six runs rarely stood a chance against a Sun Devil team that, as recently as mid-May after a 17-7 win over GCU, ranked seventh in the nation in runs scored. But lately, six runs have been more than enough to hand ASU a loss, as a large part of their lineup has gone ice cold at the worst possible moment.

Freshman outfielder Landon Hairston, ASU’s reliable two-hole hitter, managed just one hit today, snapping a streak of three hitless games and extending his slump to one hit in 18 at-bats over four games. Meanwhile, senior catcher Josiah Cromwick, second on the team in home runs, went hitless today as well, continuing a tough stretch where he’s also gone 1-for-18 over five games.

The Sun Devils did mount a rally in this game, pulling within two runs in the sixth inning. After junior outfielders Kien Vu and Isaiah Jackson reached base—Jackson having already homered earlier for his 12th homer in the last 17 games—sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton doubled into the gap for two runs, marking his first hit of the tournament. Freshman infielder Beckett Zavorek followed with an RBI double of his own, and suddenly, it felt like ASU’s offense had finally found some momentum.

That spark proved brutally short-lived. Sophomore lefty Cole Carlon—the team’s trusted workhorse all night, the pitcher who closed out the opener and recorded that big double play—struggled mightily in his second regional outing.

Carlon looked uncharacteristically vulnerable, surrendering the most home runs and hits he’d allowed in an outing all season. A crushing homer in the sixth was followed by an even bigger blast in the seventh, plus two more runs that inning. Right after ASU’s three-run surge, UC Irvine slammed the door, answering with four runs of their own.

At that moment, as ASU’s ace unraveled, it felt like if Carlon couldn’t stop the Anteaters, no one could. They lost the game and, consequently, their season. This wasn’t their night—it wasn’t the underdog story they hoped for.

ASU managed just a single run in the eighth, but it wasn’t enough. UC Irvine’s offense was relentless—ASU slowed them on Friday but couldn’t do it again.

In a fiercely competitive region, every mistake was punished. Over a long season, ASU had often escaped the consequences of errors, slow bats, and wild pitching, but against elite teams like UCLA and UC Irvine, those flaws proved costly.

The final scoreboards told the story unmistakably.

It’s never easy to immediately focus on the positives after a season ends in disappointment and a quick tournament exit. But for ASU, making the tournament is a crucial step forward for a program that hadn’t seen postseason play in years.

ASU baseball is clearly on the rise, and thanks to athletic director Graham Rossini, the program is getting the attention—and resources—it deserves. Rossini’s bold move to offer the full 34 scholarships, which surely will involve higher NIL funds allowed under the new NCAA settlement, signals that ASU is all in on baseball.

Supporters will watch the offseason eagerly, knowing Bloomquist, who has one year left on his contract, will need to make significant offseason moves, with the vast majority coming from the transfer portal. Losing longtime senior infielder Jacob Tobias, along with talented players like Jackson and Vu—who are likely headed for the MLB draft creates significant gaps. Yet ASU has proven it can reload before; last offseason, they replaced key players like Nick McClain and Ryan Campos and emerged as a stronger, more complete team. With more resources this time around, there’s every reason to believe Bloomquist will do it again.

“The program’s not where we want it to be, but it’s trending in the right direction,” Bloomquist said. “We’ve continued to make progress each of the last four years, and hopefully, we’re on the right pathway to getting this thing right.”

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