Before the Sun Devils embarked on the 2025 season, they set a list of in-season goals to achieve to not only give them a more threatening style of play but a more substantial chance to compete in Omaha. With a 23-14 overall record and ranked sixth in the Big 12, this team still has a lot of climbing to do with 19 regular season games left.
Starting in the box, the Sun Devils have a team batting average of .311, with 19 games hitting .300 or higher and 145 extra-base hits on the season. They've also been struck out the third least in Big 12, with 240 strikeouts so far.
One of the team goals this season was to limit the strikeout count to six or fewer a game. This would put pressure on the opposing team’s defense to capitalize on scoring opportunities and pass the bat down the line.
"You have to put the ball in play no matter what with two strikes," head coach Willie Bloomquist said in a postgame press conference March 4. "Your first two are yours, the third one is for the boys in the dugout … Good things happen when you put the ball in play with two strikes."
Although the team has 275 RBIs at this point in the season, they need to be more aggressive when trying to hit with runners in scoring position.
"That’s something we’re always trying to work on," said freshman infielder Beckett Zavorek in a postgame press conference March 2. "Can’t leave those dudes out there if they’re working hard to get out there on base. You got to be able to bring them in."
The team has dropped five out of their last eight games. While they’ve hit below .300 with runners in scoring position in only two of those games, they still struggled to come up in big moments with 62 runners stranded. They’ve also hit below .300 with two outs in four of those games.
"Just one through nine, coming together and passing it on to each other," said redshirt sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton per Sun Devil Athletics. "I feel like we've here and there showed flashes of that. I feel like when we're able to put it all together, you'll see it, and we'll have really good games moving forward.”
Due to this continuous struggle, the Sun Devils also aim to achieve less reliance on their offensive power, counting 43 home runs up to this point. The goal is to cause more productive outs by bunting or producing more than their 29 sacrifice flies and hits.
"We focus on (bunting) ... but we don’t do it enough in game," Bloomquist said in a postgame press conference March 2. "(It's) something we need to be better at and do more in-game, and if guys are giving it to us, we got to take it. Especially when our offense isn’t clicking on all cylinders yet. That’s a way to jump-start an offense at times."
Despite their lack of small ball, this team is still scary at the plate in terms of strength, with 10 or more hits in 20 games this season. This includes their season-high 28 against Texas Christian University, which they won 26-9. That counts toward their eleven wins by five or more runs, their most recent being their 20-11 victory over California State University, Northridge.
The Sun Devils have already found success with their aggressive nature on the bags as they try to get in the minds of the pitcher/catcher duo. Last season, the University stole 53 bases in 74 attempts.
This year, the team already has more stolen bases, with 69 out of 88 attempts. This earns them a .784 average in stolen base attempts and three games with five or more stolen bases. Their highest was 10 against Oral Roberts.
"Speed’s huge," Zavorek said in a postgame press conference March 2. "We had a lot of bags going today and throughout the year. It puts a lot of pressure on the defense. More often than not, if you’re putting pressure on the defense, they’re going to have to make a play."
The Sun Devils still believe in their chances at the Big 12 title with a 9-6 conference record. A chance at winning the conference follows with the hope of competing in the NCAA Tournament as they progress forward and continue to fine-tune their gameplay.
"It gives us a little confidence that we can play with anybody in our conference," Bloomquist said. "We can do this thing if we play the way we’re capable of."
Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Ramirez and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at linunez@asu.edu and follow @laurentahuka on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Lauren is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in digital audiences. This is her third semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio Sports, WCSN and Sun Devil Athletics.
