Baseball Secures Sweep as Bullpen Shines in Season Opener

Arizona State leaned on disciplined pitching and timely hitting to open the season with a commanding sweep, signaling early strength under Willie Bloomquists continued leadership.

Arizona State baseball opened its 2026 campaign with a statement - and a sweep.

For the second straight year under head coach Willie Bloomquist, the Sun Devils began the season by taking all three games of their opening series, this time against Omaha. It marks their third season-opening sweep in the Bloomquist era, joining last year’s sweep of Ohio State and their 2023 clean slate against San Diego State.

And this one was built on the back of dominant pitching.

Pitching Sets the Tone

Arizona State’s staff came out sharp and stayed sharp all weekend. The Sun Devils held Omaha to just 11 runs over three games, limiting the Mavericks to a .240 team batting average and a .300 slugging percentage - a far cry from the .432 slugging ASU allowed last season, which ranked 140th nationally.

For context, the lowest slugging percentage allowed by any Division I staff last season was .310. So yes, this weekend was a massive step forward.

The numbers back it up: ASU pitchers stranded 28 runners across the series, posting a 76.9% left-on-base rate. That’s well above the NCAA average of 61.8% and even better than last year’s national leader, Coastal Carolina, who finished at 75.5% en route to a runner-up finish. That’s elite territory.

Omaha’s lineup never really got going. Their designated hitter, Tyler Bishop - who hit .299 and started all 50 games last season - was held to just 1-for-11 at the plate with three strikeouts. The bottom half of the Mavericks’ order was nearly invisible, combining to go 1-for-20 over the weekend.

Timely Offense, Veteran Production

While the pitching staff was locking things down, the Sun Devils’ offense came through when it mattered most. Beckett Zavorek delivered his second multi-RBI game of the season with a clutch two-run single in the eighth inning. He’s now tied for the team lead in RBIs with Brody Briggs, who also drove in two runs for the second time this weekend.

Briggs, who got his second start of the series, continues to prove he can deliver in big spots. He now has nine career multi-hit games and is quickly becoming a reliable bat in the middle of the order.

Another standout was Dominic Smaldino. The transfer has hit safely in all three games to start his Sun Devil career, including back-to-back multi-hit efforts. That brings his career total to 21 games with two or more hits - and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Dean Toigo also had a breakout moment, notching his first multi-hit game in maroon and gold after collecting 25 last season at UNLV.

Then there’s Landon Hairston, who’s quietly putting together one of the most impressive starts on the team. He’s doubled in each of the first three games and is hitting .385 with a 1.044 OPS.

That’s a huge leap from his early days at ASU - he had just one extra-base hit in his first 27 games. Since then?

Seventeen extra-base knocks in his last 36 appearances. That’s growth you can measure.

Alba Shines in Relief

On the mound, Jaden Alba turned in a career-best performance, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. It’s the longest outing of his career without allowing a run and just the second time he’s gone 4.0+ scoreless in relief, the first coming last season at Baylor. His ability to eat innings and keep the scoreboard clean was a major reason ASU was able to come from behind and seal the sweep.

Winning Ugly Still Counts

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The Sun Devils issued nine walks in the series finale - not exactly a recipe for success - but still managed to hold Omaha to just four runs.

That’s the first time ASU has won a game while walking nine batters since a wild 21-18 shootout against Washington back in May 2024. It’s also the first time they’ve held an opponent to four runs or fewer since a 5-4 win over Oregon last March.

What that tells us: this team can win in different ways. They can slug, they can pitch, and they can grind out wins even when the control isn’t perfect.

A Culture of Comebacks

Here’s something that’s becoming a hallmark of the Bloomquist era - resilience. ASU has now trailed at some point in 57 of its last 88 wins. And in 22 of those, they were down by at least three runs, including today’s game, where they fell behind 4-0.

That’s not just a stat - it’s an identity. This team doesn’t flinch when it falls behind. It just keeps coming.

Big Picture

Over their last 77 regular-season games, Arizona State has outscored opponents 722-442 and posted a 53-24 record. That kind of sustained success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a team that’s bought in - from the top of the rotation to the bottom of the lineup.

If this opening weekend is any indication, the Sun Devils have the tools to make noise in 2026. The pitching looks sharper, the bats are timely, and the culture of comeback wins is alive and well.

The road is long, but Arizona State just put the rest of the college baseball world on notice: they’re not just opening the season - they’re opening eyes.