ASU baseball’s series win over Baylor last weekend felt like a season-high, elevating the Sun Devils to second place in the conference. With two remaining series against sub-.500 Big 12 opponents, optimism began to build that ASU could hold onto that spot—or climb even higher.

The last time ASU hit a 'season-high' was when they broke into the top 25 ahead of the Arizona series, but that was followed by two straight Big 12 series losses. However, the Sun Devils have now bounced back with three consecutive Big 12 series wins, putting them in a similar position of optimism and potential.

That brought ASU back home to face Houston—a team with a profile similar to Baylor's the previous weekend. The Cougars held a solid 27–20 overall record but had struggled in Big 12 play, having been swept by both Texas Tech and West Virginia and losing series to TCU and Kansas State. Despite facing one of the tougher Big 12 schedules recently, Houston has built some momentum, riding a four-game conference win streak and five straight victories overall as they headed into Phoenix on Friday with a bit of steam.

That wasn’t immediately apparent early on, as junior left-hander Ben Jacobs delivered his usual dominant start, helping ASU build a 4–1 lead by the sixth inning. The game began to unravel from there. Jacobs allowed the first three batters to reach to open the sixth, and he, along with junior right-hander Lucas Kelly, couldn’t stop the momentum shift. Two walks with the bases loaded and a pair of RBI singles flipped the game, giving Houston a two-run lead. The Cougars (28–20, 11–13 Big 12) rode that five-run sixth inning to the finish line, taking the opener of the three-game series with a 6–5 win over ASU (32–18, 16–9 Big 12) and spoiling Senior Night for the Sun Devils.

Jacobs’ final line showed four earned runs over 5.1 innings—an outcome that felt harsher than how he pitched for most of the game. He had been effective through five innings, but trouble in the sixth overshadowed his early success. It all began with a hit by pitch, followed by some words exchanged, and from there, everything snowballed. As has often been the case this season, walks and hit batters proved costly—not just for Jacobs but for ASU’s pitching staff as a whole.

“Benny was throwing the ball great, but I think the emotions got the best of him there,” Head Coach Willie Bloomquist said. “He hit a batter to lead off the inning, and that guy was definitely chirping. I mean, he’d been punched out twice before, and Benny wasn’t trying to hit him…That guy got Benny off his game, and Benny took the bait. Kudos to him for that, but Benny’s got to be better and control his emotions moving forward.”

Jacobs issued four walks and hit two batters, with three walks coming in the sixth inning before he was pulled. One walk was with the bases loaded. Lucas Kelly entered in relief, walked another batter with the bases loaded, and allowed two runs to score without the Cougars putting a ball in play.

Despite Houston having the lowest team batting average and slugging percentage in the Big 12, ASU's pitchers gave up seven free passes—more than the five hits they recorded. Every Houston run, except one, reached base via walk or hit by pitch, as the Cougars capitalized on ASU's pitching mistakes.

Typically, scoring six runs would be enough for ASU, given their top rankings in batting average, hits, doubles, and slugging percentage in the Big 12. However, that wasn’t the case against Antoine Jean. The graduate left-hander, who had already thrown two innings of shutout relief, shut down the ASU offense with a four-out save, keeping them scoreless in the late innings.

Jean has been one of the best relievers in the country, now with 102 strikeouts over 60 innings pitched. His performance resembled what ASU typically sees from sophomore left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon. After the game, head coach Willie Bloomquist praised Jean as a future big leaguer and applauded his team’s fight despite struggling against such a dominant pitcher.

"He's Big League ready, in my opinion. He's the most polished pitcher we've seen all year long,” Bloomquist asserted. “He's good, and we knew he was good. We’ve obviously seen the scouting reports and what he's done against other schools—nothing he did against us was any different. He knows what he's doing. But I’m proud of our guys for putting the winning run on second base against him in the ninth. We made some adjustments after seeing him once and were able to put better swings on him the second time around."

ASU still had a shot despite being shut out from innings five through eight. In the ninth, Kien Vu and Brandon Compton singled, putting runners on the corners, with Compton representing the tying run and Isaiah Jackson representing the winning run. Jackson then came through with a clutch single, cutting the Cougar lead to one. With two outs and the tying run still on base, Kyle Walker stepped up, but Jean remained poised, getting Walker to ground out and ending the game.

Although it ended in a loss, the game was a memorable one for the entire ASU roster, as it marked Senior Night. The seniors were honored before the game, presented with commemorative jerseys, and shared special moments with their families on the field. Senior catcher Josiah Cromwick made an impact early, driving in the first run with a home run in the second inning, his seventh RBI in the last three games.

Senior right-handed pitcher Jonah Giblin also had a strong performance, holding Houston to just one hit over three innings of relief, providing the team with a chance to rally late in the game.

Whether it's first-year seniors like infielder Matt King or fourth-year veterans like infielder Jacob Tobias, this senior class has grown into one of the team's most valuable. King's emergence has been one of the standout stories of the season, while Cromwick's breakout performance, stepping up to fill Ryan Campos's large shoes, has been a key factor in ASU's success so far.

"A neat moment for those guys, a neat moment for me... I love these guys, man,” Bloomquist reflected. “They give me their best every day, and I’ve got theirs... It’s a special bond, especially after four years... You see their adversity and resiliency... It goes by fast, and now they’ve got to go... I thank them for the memories, and hopefully, I’ve given them something to carry forward... It’s about the relationships and the tools to succeed... They’ll all be successful, and it’s tough to say goodbye, but we’re not done yet."

Cromwick is “hoping that wasn’t (his) last night at Muni,” as ASU’s final home series marks the end of the regular season. But with a strong year behind them, the Sun Devils have put themselves in a solid position for a postseason run.

Friday’s loss dropped them a spot in the Big 12 standings, and with the conference race as tight as it is, every game matters. Still, ASU has shown resilience—they were in this same position last weekend against Baylor, dropped the opener, and came back to win the series. With momentum on their side and everything still to play for, the Sun Devils are far from done.

“Roughly a month ago, we returned home from our tough road trip at Cincinnati—everyone said they stunk, but look at what they’re doing, they’re a pretty good team,” Bloomquist said. “We lost a couple of heartbreakers late in the game against them, and it felt like the world was ending when we came home, but that’s when these guys bonded together and really formed a personality… it wasn’t one individual; it was a collective decision to block out anything external and play for each other… we just gotta get a little bit better, and I’m confident that they will. Hopefully, we’ll come back and be ready to play tomorrow.”

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