Arizona State Baseball: Swinging into A pitch-perfect season

TEMPE, Ariz. – Baseball season is in full swing, and the Arizona State Sun Devils are eager to get back on the field. This Friday, February 13, marks the season-opener against the Omaha University Mavericks.

“This is going to be my first time playing on opening night, so feeling the buzz of the crowd, all the attention, it’s going to be really fun,” sophomore infielder Landon Hairston said.

Last year, ASU ended the season with a 36-24 overall record. The 2026 roster is heading into the season hungry for stronger and better results.

“We had a great team last year, but we didn’t make it as far as we wanted to. I think we have the right guys to do it this year,” sophomore pitcher Easton Barrett said.

One notable offseason update was ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist receiving a contract extension through 2028. This decision signaled the department’s confidence in him, despite the Sun Devils rocky postseason appearance in 2025.

“It was disappointing the way we ended last year, and for the guys that are returning off that team. They know that those aren’t the standards,” Bloomquist said.

Key Pitching Duo

Looking at the field, the Sun Devils have lots of room for flexibility, but the pitchers have some competition.

Senior left-handed pitcher Kole Klecker shined at TCU. The Horned Frogs were 10-0 in the games he pitched, accumulating 20 strikeouts in 19.1 innings in the 2025 season. He started in over half of the TCU games during his career, totaling 31 out of 43 game appearances.

According to Bloomquist, Klecker will make his debut on Tuesday against UConn. 

Another elite pitcher to keep an eye on is junior right-handed pitcher Cole Carlon. He has proven his performance is key to ASU’s success.

Carlon earned the All-American Honors award, pitching in 29 games and achieving an impressive, 2nd best whiff percentage in the nation at 41.9%.

Carlon hit it off his sophomore year with 54.0 innings pitched, allowed 16 hits, and forced 86 strikeouts, good for 10th in the Big 12.

“I’ve always wanted to be a starter; it’s kind of been my goal to be a Friday night pitcher at Arizona State,” Carlon said.

Other Key Stars

From a team-wide perspective, the Sun Devils recruited seventeen new prospects over the summer of 2025, but they still have a solid group of experienced players.

Hairston built a standout freshman campaign, earning recognition as ASU’s 38th Freshman All-American. His persistent results make him a dependable player going into the 2026 season.

Moreover, Hairston was explosive off the jump, with a .333 batting AVG and .908 OPS as a freshman.

Junior California infield transfer Dominic Smaldino is strong in the infield and with the bat. In his 2025 season at California, he started 54 games, had 46 RBIs, and had a batting AVG of .277.

The players are confident, looking at their schedule, hoping for filled bleachers with fans.

“Find a way to win no matter how, whether it’s ugly or cleaner per-say, will draw people to want to come and watch us,” Smaldino said.