When it walked off on crosstown rival Grand Canyon at the start of the month, Arizona State (22-21, 12-11 Pac-12) poked its head above .500 with a feeling of relief rather than accomplishment due to having hovered at the line for much of the young season. Its dramatic victory over the Lopes faded quickly with a five-game skid, sending the team back underwater with more than half the season played. Multiple team meetings hadn’t turned the tide, and the Sun Devil ship looked to be sinking for good in the 2024 season.

Just as the campaign was in danger of drowning, head coach Willie Bloomquist turned to a little-used fourth outfielder as a life preserver. Plugged into the starting lineup during the slide, sophomore Kien Vu immediately grabbed an oar and did much of the rowing in ASU’s three-game sweep at UCLA. Back to familiar waters at Phoenix Municipal Stadium this weekend, the entire team has now joined in the effort.

Following a 12-1 shellacking to open a conference set with USC (20-23, 10-9) on Friday, the Devils did even more destruction at the dish on Saturday. Scoring a season-best 17 runs, ASU was victorious in a 17-2 rout of the Trojans to clinch the series with a chance to sweep on Sunday.

“Great win tonight,” Bloomquuist said postgame. “Everyone’s contributing top to bottom. But these guys understand that’s one game, and although it's nice to win in dominating fashion like that, we have to show up and be ready to go again tomorrow.”

From the first out, Vu made his mark on the ballgame. With a breathtaking diving grab in left field, he saved extra bases in the top half of the first. And just as the Sun Devil faithful on hand for Andre Eithier bobblehead night were catching their breath from the web gem, Vu delivered a powerful two-run blast in the bottom half, opening the scoring. This dead-center shot marked Vu’s seventh home run in his last 19 games, a testament to his scorching hot streak since he became a regular in the lineup.

With the aim of getting starter Connor Markl an early advantage, Eamonn Lance added a two-run longball of his own three batters later, muscling a Michael Ebner heater over the wall for his fifth clout of the spring. Isaiah Jackson then joined the scoring spree, smashing a dead-red changeup 455 feet over the Whiteman Family Performance Center in right field. This was Jackson’s second home run in as many nights, and it gave ASU a sizable five-run lead early on. Such an approach provided comfort for Markl on the mound, and a gut punch to the opponent's spirits just 24 hours after a Friday night blowout.

“When we score a bunch of runs, the gameplan changes a little bit,” Markl mentioned. “I don’t have to rely on throwing as many offspeeds as I typically do. When we get all these runs, it’s just get contact now.”

Whether the Trojans would admit demoralization or not, Connor Markl’s performance on the mound didn’t allow for much of a positive mood shift in the third base dugout. Riding his trademark two-seamer, Markl cruised through the first three innings unscathed. Despite not recording a single punchout in the early goings, the ASU defense made fine plays to keep the Trojans from finding success, with Vu’s aforementioned diving catch and a running snag to take away extra bases by Jackson in the second.

The gloves provided even more backup when it looked like the floodgates might open on Markl. Losing his command with two hits and two free passes allowed to bring in USC’s first run of the game in the 4th, Markl induced an inning-ending double play from Carson Wells with the bases loaded to escape a jam.

After SC raised one on the board, Vu pushed two to the center of the table, clubbing his second two-run home run of the night to increase ASU’s lead to seven in the fourth. Vu’s insertion into the everyday lineup weeks ago has continued to pay dividends for ASU, and the Sun Devil lineup is at last consistently raking, as many expected them to preseason.

“I said from the beginning that this lineup just needs to get hot, and it’ll be super fun to watch,” Vu said. “I think these last five games have kind of shown what we can do.”

Others in the home dugout have breathed easier with the breakout star in the lineup, who now sports a ridiculous slash line of .500/.666/.976 in his last 11 games.

“Shame on me for not playing him (Vu) more early in the year,” Bloomquist said. “He’s staying within himself and doing what he’s capable of doing. He’s doing a lot of special things right now.”

“It’s easy to hit when you got guys like Vu behind you,” Ryan Campos said.

Vu’s second longball of the night somehow was just another appetizer on a full-course feast at the plate for the Devils. After Markl breezed through the fifth and sixth, ASU mounted nine more runs in the two frames, highlighted by a two-run double from Ryan Campos in the fifth (his fourth of a career-high five hits on Saturday) and a trio of singles in the sixth, before Vu cleared the bases with a two-run triple for his fifth and sixth RBIs of the night. Down two touchdowns, USC packed it in for the night as Sean Fitzpatrick and Jaden Alba closed the door in the final three innings.

When the bats returned to the rack on Saturday night, the Devils had socked four home runs, part of their 14 during their current five-game winning streak. In the same stretch, ASU is outscoring opponents 55-9. All nine starters on Saturday recorded hits, with six of them batting runs in on a seven-extra-base hit effort.

Not to be forgotten in its turnaround, Sun Devil pitching has done its part. ASU arms have allowed just eight runs over the last five contests, including just three in two meetings with USC this series. The breakout on the mound has the Sun Devils operating as a well-oiled machine, much to Markl and Bloomquist’s pleasure.

“We’re just getting going (as pitchers),” Markl said. “Pitching’s contagious. Ben (Jacobs) gave us a good start yesterday. I was trying to do what I could today, and we’re putting together some really good games.”

“Things are clicking on all fronts right now,” Bloomquist added. “Top to bottom, they’re doing what they’re capable of doing.”

Just nine days ago, five convincing wins didn’t seem in order for a team that had so rarely put it all together over nine innings. After an embarrassing 10-0 defeat the last time one of its own, Bobby Winkles, was honored in the Utah series, ASU reassured its fans of its work ethic to reach its sky-high expectations and potential in front of another Sun Devil legend in Andre Eithier on Saturday.

“Some days it’s not going to be pretty, and some days it is,” Bloomquist said. “I see what goes on here every day. These kids bust their ass every day. The result on the field doesn’t always give you warm and fuzzies…A couple of weeks ago, we were having different conversations right now. These kids are continuing to put their head down and grind, and that I’m very proud of.

With five straight wins in tow and a return above .500 in both conference and overall records for the first time since March 8, optimism for a charge to the postseason has reared its head on Phoenix Muni, despite the tumultuous three months ASU has been through this spring.

“I think every team goes through struggles,” Markl noted. “Ours was unique in our hitters being hot at the beginning of the year, kind of cooled off, now hot. The pitching was kind of different in struggling, then kind of heated up. Now we’re gelling. This is what we can do. Really good timing right now getting towards the end of the season.”

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