It would have been understandable for Conor Davis to have a slow start to the 2022 season. After all, When the sixth-year senior stepped into the box to lead off the bottom of the second inning Friday, it was to take his first at-bat in nearly two years.
He made the most of it.
Davis jumped all over a 1-2 hanging curveball and belted it into the night, clearing the visitors’ bullpen in left and sending the home dugout and fans into a frenzy. The blast accounted for Arizona State’s first run of the season, giving the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish. ASU rode dominant pitching and just enough offense to a 3-1 season-opening win to kickoff the Willie Bloomquist era on a festive and hopeful evening at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“It’s been an emotional day, an emotional week, it’s been so much about getting my knee right for so long, and now it’s about us,” Davis said. “I saw it well all night, I said to myself, if I see the slider down, I won’t swing, but if he lets it hang, I’ll let it rip, thankfully he let it hang.”
Davis may have been the offensive star of the night, but the most impressive performance came from the often maligned pitching staff. Adam Tulloch, Christian Bodlovich, Brock Peery, and Will Levine combined to throw a four-hit, one-run performance.
It wasn’t as easy as the box score made it look, though. In the ninth, Dixie State put together a two-out rally while Levine struggled to shut the door. A trio of singles plated the Trailblazers first and only run, keeping Arizona State from recording the shutout and putting the tying run at first base. The stadium let out a collective sigh of relief two pitches later when a ground ball to Ethan Long at third ended the game.
“I learned why all my managers turn gray really fast,” Bloomquist joked. “Will was throwing the ball really well, and Nate actually talked me out of (making a move), so sometimes you gotta trust your guys. It’s certainly exciting being on this side of the coin.”
The tone was set early by starter Adam Tulloch, who tossed 4.1 scoreless and hitless innings in his Arizona State debut. The West Virginia transfer was dominant, striking out seven of the 13 batters he retired, including punching out the side in order in the top of the first inning. Bloomquist went to the pen after a one-pitch out in the fifth, and Tulloch left to a standing ovation from the Sun Devil faithful.
“This place got pretty packed tonight, and it was a pretty cool experience,” Tulloch said. “There’s always pressure, but that’s what we live for, and that’s what we train for. Our bullpen came in and shut them down; it was fun.”
The decision to go with Tulloch as opening day starter was far from easy, but Bloomquist felt validated by his guy’s performance.
“Tulloch came in and set the tone,” he said. “He pounded the strike zone and threw the ball outstanding.”
ASU added a run in the same frame following Davis’s second-inning blast. Freshman Jacob Tobias singled in his first collegiate at-bat, was pushed around the bases by a series of walks, and ultimately scored on a fielder’s choice. Like they would do many times later in the game, the Sun Devils stranded two runners to end the second inning.
“I’m confident in our offense,” Bloomquist said. “We’re gonna score runs and get things right. We did square some balls up, but we did strike out a little too much for what we expect. We’ll get better.”
ASU added its third and final run in the sixth when Joe Lampe scampered home on a two-out dropped the third strike as Tobias raced to first to extend the inning.
It’s hard to pinpoint one thing that will define a team just one game into a season, but it’s clear that whatever success Arizona State has, freshmen and newcomers will be a big part of it. With Tobias and Will Rogers both in the starting lineup as true freshmen, Bloomquist’s intention to put his best nine bats in the lineup regardless of age and experience is evident. Were the young guys nervous? Perhaps a little, but they’ve got a wealth of knowledge from which to draw, not only from their coaches but their older peers.
“Going into the week definitely was a little scary, I will admit,” Tobias said. “I’ll mention Ethan Long; he said something really inspiring. He just said that we all know the amount of work we’ve been putting in, and if we’re nervous, that just means we’re not trusting it.”
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