You would have thought he was pitching in Omaha. Perhaps in the midst of a perfect game. His chest-out screams, Tiger-esque fist pumps, and oddly purposeful trots around the mound sold it.

Because they needed to.

For his finale, Alec Marsh pointed up, making sure everyone else in the ASU infield saw Oregon State (23-8-1, 9-4 Pac-12) designated hitter Joe Casey’s skyscraper that wasn’t making to the grass.

He then backed up, tracking the ball as his feet came off the mound and closer to home plate. Gage Workman settled under Friday’s final out as Marsh slapped his mitt. When Workman’s glove shut, the Sun Devil pitcher, in one motion, twirled around and sprung his arm out like he was Kirk Gibson in 1988.

He skipped and hugged catcher Sam Ferri like the two hadn’t seen each other in years. Finally, he could settle down. After tossing his first complete game, a 121-pitch three-hit effort that produced just a single walk and an earned run, Marsh walked over the chalked first-base line free after No. 13 ASU’s 4-1 win over the 4th-ranked Beavers.

He looked up, his curly black hair peeking out of his dark ASU hat, into a congregation of support just over the Sun Devil dugout. After nine innings, the mild-mannered Wisconsin native allowed himself a smirk. That one was a week in the making.

The right-hander, who, this week, was named to the USA Baseball Midseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List, struggled against USC last Friday. He showed weakness for the first time all year, allowing 10 hits and eight earned runs in a contest fueled by sloppiness.

“It goes back to focus and being prepared,” Marsh said. “You’re going to have those days … and then it just collapsed from there. It all starts with me.”

ASU coach Tracy Smith and pitching coach Mike Cather haven’t been shy speaking out on the importance of Marsh’s starts. Sure, a poor start from their ace could hamper an already limited bullpen for the weekend, but everyone feeds off the 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior. More than most, his start sets the weekend’s tone.

Backed by a 7-0 record from Marsh prior to ASU trip to Southern California, the Sun Devils (27-5, 10-3 Pac-12) had lost just a single weekend game. Chalk up a load of credit to the righty.

But his rough outing tailspin the Sun Devils into their ways of old. Even Smith admitted it, ASU was messy. The head-scratching gaffes sent the Devils into a two-game losing streak that felt like 20.

Then came UNLV on Tuesday, what should have been a gimme mid-week game that ASU controlled from the start. Then it’s bullpen walked six batters in the ninth as Marsh and Smith sat sick in the bullpen, staring across the field to watch a five-run lead vanish.

“It was really hard to swallow,” Marsh said. “It was one of the toughest losses, I think, in my time being here. We just talked about it after that game. We just lost focus for the last week and a half, two weeks. All around, especially on the pitching side.”

The warning signs seemed impending. The cries that ASU’s 21-0 start was a fluke grew louder. Marsh had to right the ship headed for a hurricane. He upped his already-lauded preparation, dialing in on the focus piece.

If only he could translate that to the rest of his team. Ah-ha.

The Sun Devils had a conversation after practice Thursday. It was simple: “We have it, we just need to get back to it,” Marsh said. The ASU ace is talking about mojo. A long three weeks ago, Smith’s squad seemed destined to win every night. They carried themselves that way, at least.

After a long spurt of ugliness, ASU’s clubhouse these last few weeks have been cluttered with down heads, most amplifying the message that they weren’t ready to show up and win.

How to change that, Marsh wondered? The bulked-up righty with tattoos on the top of his right arm thought about what would keep his teammates focused, what wouldn’t let their eyes veer away from the action? The first was easy, don’t get drilled or hand out walks.

The second revolved around his energy. The yells that came after his sweeping curveball that caught the outside corner in the eighth. The exuberant hat-tip towards right field after Carter Aldrete laid out for a liner. All of it was different for Marsh. All of it was to swing ASU back to its groove.

“I’ve been kind of visualizing all week because it’s something we need, a little more energy, a little more focus,” Marsh said. “Our team kind of followed suit and no one lost focus for an inning or a single pitch.”

The Sun Devils failed to make an error. There were no bloopers. No blown leads. No reason for any more post-practice ‘conversations.’ On Friday, they rallied around their ace’s emotion, sticking in a game where their bats stranded 14 runners.

On another night, that may have been the headline. Another missed opportunity for the Devils, it would have read. Instead, Alec Marsh was the headline Friday night, he ensured that was the case.