Kole Klecker dominates former program, leads Sun Devils to ranked series win

TEMPE, Ariz. — Maroon and Gold filled the Sunday as Arizona State rode the crowd’s energy to a 4-0 win, getting their first Big 12 series win of the season against No. 17 TCU.

Thorough game for Arizona State

The Sun Devils set the tone early, combining strong pitching with timely hitting to keep the pressure on the Horned Frogs throughout the game.

“TCU coming to town, obviously they’re favored to win our conference, and we knew this was going to be a test right out of the gates,” ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said, “But we lost a tough one, but the way our guys stayed resilient, and bounced back Saturday and Sunday was impressive.”

Sophomore catcher Brody Briggs started the scoring with a sac-fly in the second inning, scoring fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo. 

ASU extended the lead in the third inning. Junior infielder Dominic Smaldino recorded an RBI with a single to left field in the second inning, to give the Maroon and Gold a 2-0 lead.

Kole Klecker dominates his former program

Senior right-hander Kole Klecker, facing his former team, delivered a dominant outing on the mound. Klecker pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing no runs. Fans gave him a standing ovation as he left the mound, signaling forks up to the crowd.

“I still have a lot of love for the people over there,” Klecker said. “But at the end of the day, I got Maroon and Gold on my chest.”

Klecker was one of the first people Bloomquist recruited when he became the head coach of ASU Baseball, and Sunday’s game against TCU was a full-circle moment as he led his team to a series win.

“Seven shutout innings, two hits, kept them off balance all night or all day long and just really special,” Bloomquist said. “What a great kid and a great story for today. That was outstanding, a lot of fun.”

Senior left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick relieved Klecker on the mound. Fitzpatrick struck out two of the three batters he faced to keep the momentum towards the Sun Devils. Junior right-hander Derek Schaefer relieved Fitzpatrick to finish the game.

“If I had to use him earlier in the game for multiple innings, I would have, but everything was set up to go with him for one and right to Schaefer,” Bloomquist said. “He had a look in his eyes after the game last night, came into my office and said, I want the ball again tomorrow. He came in and had a very efficient, you know, one, two, three innings.”

Hairston continues dominance

Sophomore utility Landon Hairston continued to shine, homering for the eighth time this season. His batting average is sitting at a .417 and has driven in 29, both team-highs. 

Toigo also added fuel to the Sun Devils in the eighth inning with a solo home run. Both Hairston and Toigo have homered in five of their last six games.

Arizona State returns to Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Monday to host Grand Canyon on March 17 at 6:35 MST for a St. Patrick’s Day matchup.