Early Monday morning, big news broke out of Phoenix: ASU baseball would be ranked by D1Baseball No. 24, its first ranking since 2023. This announcement came following a series sweep of Utah and a series win against Kansas the previous weekend, and what has been an impressive win after impressive win has now earned ASU national recognition in the top 25.

A ranking is great, but it's only April 1st, and a barely top 25 position does not guarantee a spot in the postseason. ASU's first game as a ranked club team will be against Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, before facing their in-state rivals on Friday. The goal is to demonstrate why they have earned their new shiny ranking.

Head coach Willie Bloomquist stated after the game that he informed his team before the game about his battles with CSUF throughout his playing career and in recent years and that the Titans are a good program that should not be underestimated despite their record. Despite any lingering concerns, ASU cruised past CSUF, scoring 12 runs in the opening four innings and capitalizing on every Titans error. ASU (20-9) ended up scoring 14 runs in a mercy rule victory over CSUF (13-15), winning 14-4 in seven innings.

The Sun Devils started the game with sophomore right-handed reliever Wyatt Halvorson. Bloomquist's bullpen threw 12 ⅔ innings throughout the weekend series, allowing only three earned runs. His approach of having relief pitchers go for long innings has been common recently.

Last year vs. CSUF, Halvorson also began a game against the Titans, throwing five innings, allowing three hits, and striking out a career-high 13 batters. Bloomquist wasted no time tossing Halvorson back on the bump for Tuesday night's game, and he impressed for the second year in a row.

“There was definitely thoughts and some chatter within the team of that outing last year,” Halvorson said. “I just tried to go out there, fill the zone, just give my team the best chance to win. These guys are pretty good, freaking good at what they do. It worked out, worked out pretty good.”

Halvorson pitched two innings, giving up only two hits and striking out three. He missed a couple of weeks earlier this season due to sickness, but he has clearly regained his strength and has been a vital component of the ASU bullpen.

Despite Halvorson's good outing and the pitching in general, ASU's offense once again shone tonight. Landon Martin, a freshman right-handed pitcher, only got one out before sophomore Brandon Compton hit a three-run bomb 465 feet over the right field fence to make it 4-0.

Bloomquist stated last week that Compton hadn't yet found his swing, but the swing he took on the moonshot he launched over the scoreboard certainly appeared to be a step in the right direction.

The ASU offense responded with a two-run second inning in which senior first baseman Jacob Tobias doubled down the left field line, scoring runs. It was Tobias's 11th double of the season, tying him for second in the conference.

A two-run third inning and a four-run fourth inning followed, giving ASU an 11-run lead with multiple runs in each inning. Every Sun Devil who had an at-bat today collected a hit; one of the highlights of ASU's offense thus far has been its anti-top heaviness, which means that on any given night, any Sun Devil can be the top performer. Four batters had multiple hits tonight, while five different players earned multiple RBIs.

Landon Hairston, a freshman outfielder, has been a surprise bat for ASU, but perhaps just to those who were unfamiliar with him prior to this season. Willie Bloomquist described his plate professionalism as "very similar to Ryan Campos," which is strong praise for the first-year player given what Campos accomplished at ASU, but Hairston's consistency has immediately made him an every-day player.

Hairston reached base four times tonight, plating two runs and walking twice. His two hits increase his season average to .343, third on the team.

It's becoming a habit to highlight sophomore infielder Kyle Walker following strong offensive performances like this, but the second baseman added two more hits to improve his season average to .379, which is first on the team. His rise from the bottom of the order, rotating in and out of the infield at the end of February, to his current position, stepping in for junior outfielder Kien Vu in the leadoff spot, has been spectacular.

“You guys didn't believe me early on when he's hitting .083, and I said he's having great at-bats,” Bloomquist said. “He's just not finding holes. He's continuing to put together solid bats, and that's all we asked for; he's the table setter, the tone setter for this lineup. He's just done an outstanding job since he's moved into the leadoff spot and key and Vu’s absence, and just really carried us offensively from that leadoff position.”

Tuesday's blowout victory was just another example of the ASU offense erupting and the ASU pitching staff demonstrating their ability to compete in every game, hold any lead, and constantly be a very undervalued component of the Sun Devils' new rankings.

The pitching staff threw seven good innings, allowing four earned runs, with Bloomquist going to six different pitchers in the win, three of whom pitched more than an inning each. Senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez and junior left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs have been outstanding as usual, but last season's rotation performance may not have mattered if the ASU offense did not score enough runs. ASU now has the best of both worlds on its pitching staff.

Cole Carlon, a sophomore left-handed pitcher, has been an especially effective go-to arm for Bloomquist out of the bullpen. Carlo pitched an inning and a third of shutout ball today, and he has allowed only one hit in his last five outings, totaling 12 innings.

Carlon, who had a 7.52 ERA across 40 ⅔ IP as a freshman last year, reduced his season ERA to 2.49 across 25 ⅓ IP in the win, revitalizing a bullpen in need of a couple of year-to-year climbers.

“Just wanted to come in and fill up the zone,” Carlon said. “What you got to do right there, is pick up my guys. We've been absolutely nails all year. So I just wanted to come in and just keep going, fill up the zone.

After escaping a midweek game with a win, which they had struggled with in the previous three games dating back to their game against Arizona. ASU will now have an opportunity at payback, as they face the Wildcats on Friday.

When the Sun Devils were recently ranked in the top 25, Arizona actually dropped out after losing a series against Baylor. The Wildcats have been outstanding this season, with three of their eight losses occurring in the first three games. They've gone 20-5 since.

Ranked or not, it makes little difference in a clash between ASU's in-state rivals; they’ve already demonstrated their ability to handle them earlier this season. So, does the Sun Devils' recent notoriety mean they're the better club this season?

“If you think you've arrived because you're ranked, you haven't,” Bloomquist said. “We're not where we want to be. Nice that people are maybe starting to recognize what we're capable of. But I told (the team), we haven't played our best baseball yet, not even close. So our aspirations are not to crack the top 25 and be content with it, so nice to be there, but we have higher aspirations of continuing to climb the ladder.”

Join your fellow Sun Devil fans on our premium message board, the Devils’ Huddle, run by the longest-tenured Sun Devil sports beat writer, to discuss this article and other ASU football, basketball, and recruiting topics. Not a member yet? Sign up today and get your daily fix of Sun Devil news!