Contributing Writers: Adam Kunin, Tucker Sennett, Logan Brown
Sun Devil baseball’s Pac-12 farewell tour didn’t end ceremoniously in 2024. A 32-36 season marred by pitching difficulties and inconsistency sparked a series of changes in head coach Willie Bloomquist’s clubhouse, from coaching changes to personnel changes.
With the season starting Feb. 14 against Ohio State, Inferno Intel’s baseball coverage team has all the information you need about the upcoming campaign. Logan Brown, Tucker Sennett and Adam Kunin will take it from here…
Tucker: Having mentioned the pitching difficulties, Logan, what are your thoughts on the changes Bloomquist and the Sun Devil program have made this off-season?
Logan: Well, if the story of last season was the hills and valleys of ASU’s pitching department, then consistency is the key. Aided by a more seasoned staff, head coach Willie Bloomquist is trying to turn a corner in the 2025 season to end the program’s NCAA tournament drought.
The first step in overhauling the arm barn this offseason was bringing in a new voice. With former pitching coach Sam Peraza stepping back into a pure recruiting role, Bloomquist brought in Jeremy Accardo. Accardo previously served in various roles as a pitching coach for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers organizations following his eight-year career in the MLB.
Some might assume taking a collegiate job is a step down from working with a major or minor league team. But for Accardo, the Sun Devils are the exact opportunity he hoped to find.
“I’m happy to help these guys achieve their goals and get to where they want to go in this game,” Accardo said with an infectious smile. “That’s pretty much what I’ve done since I started coaching. Now, it’s just another level of player that is even more eager to learn and willing to listen.”
One of the first things Accardo did when he arrived in Tempe was finish and teach the ASU arms about the new pitching lab, which tracks advanced data to help pitchers improve their stuff and reduce injury risks.
“It’s something new to a lot of us,” junior lefty Ben Jacobs said of the pitching lab. “We didn’t really use any of it last year. But this year we dove into it a lot more with Coach Accardo. He’s got all the knowledge of it, so we’re kind of just using it, learning, and listening.”
“It eliminates a lot of the question marks and understanding,” Accardo said. “That was pretty good. I don’t need to let that pitch roll into the next one. I can throw that pitch, and now I can trust I’m gonna execute the next one.”
Jacobs was one of the few bright spots on the Sun Devils’ staff last season. The southpaw grew into a starter and eventually the staff ace by season’s end, posting a 4.75 ERA and leading the team with 102 strikeouts across 66.1 innings in 2024. Now, Jacobs is the headliner for the revamped pitching program and is set to be the Friday night starter, according to Bloomquist. He has garnered plenty of attention from scouts after a successful summer season in the Cape Cod League. Jacobs is currently ranked as one of the top lefty pitchers ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft in July.
Behind Jacobs in the rotation is still a bit of a mystery. Louisiana Lafayette transfer righty Jack Martinez earned the Saturday role, according to Bloomquist. The Sun Devils lost last season’s rotation leader, Thomas Burns, who made just six starts before being lost to injury and transferring to Texas. Redshirt junior right-hander Tyler Meyer started six games a year ago. Sophomore left-hander Cole Carlon is also battling for a rotation spot as he works on transitioning from relief pitching to starting.
Tucker: Carlon is a unique option because he brings some other things to the table as well. Logan, tell us a little more about the sophomore.
Logan: Carlon is also a two-way player on the mound and at first base. He didn’t have an at-bat in his freshman season, but he took home the Alaska Baseball League Most Outstanding Player award after hitting three home runs and posting a 3.07 ERA this summer.
The biggest change in this staff year-over-year is simply the experience. In 2024, ASU was forced to rely heavily on freshman arms, 10 of them to be precise. As most freshmen do, they all had their fair share of highs and lows.
This time around, those freshmen have a year of more experience than the average freshman gets under their belt. Accardo raved about the progress that the young arms have made.
“There are some kids here that were freshmen last year that took some big jumps,” Accardo said. “[Alec] Belardes, Alba, Carlon; Carlon’s got nasty stuff. To be honest with you, we have a ton of depth … We have a ton of guys that can fill a lot of different roles. So that’ll be the fun part of piecing it all together and make sure we have a fully functional puzzle.”
Since becoming the coach of his alma mater, Bloomquist failed to find reliable pitchers time and time again. His pitching staffs have combined to record a 6.43 team ERA over his three seasons in Tempe. Accardo’s goal is to flip the script as the Sun Devils head into their first season in the Big 12.
“We’re not a hitting school, not in this room,” Accardo declared. “We’re a pitching school. They’re starting to believe, and that’s a beautiful thing. They’re picking each other up, and everybody’s fighting and pulling in the same direction. Because the farther we go, the more opportunities everybody gets. I think they understand that.”
When you think about the legacy of Arizona State baseball, the guys at the plate are probably top of mind. Looking beyond the center field to see alumni and MLB greats, including home run king Barry Bonds, it’s clear that the Sun Devils have a historic track record at the dish. So much so, that claiming ASU can be a pitching school could seem equal parts daunting and silly.
But it’s a new year with new faces, a new leader, and a fresh slate in a new conference. With the help of the data from the new pitching lab, Accardo’s experience, and the stumbles last season, it could be a year of change for ASU’s reputation. There should still be plenty of bumps along the way, but the road to the NCAA Tournament is less foggy this year. The big reason why: Arizona State has more confidence on the mound this year than they ever have in the Bloomquist era.
But, everyone probably wants to know how the Sun Devils reloaded on offense. Adam, what can we expect from the bats?
Adam: Ever since Bloomquist took over the program three years ago, fans have come to expect explosive offenses that light the scoreboard at Phoenix Municipal Field.
With a roster marked by increased depth and a plethora of impact returners, it seems that once again Bloomquist has a dynamic lineup that shapes up to rival some of the top offenses in the Big 12.
In 2025, former major leaguer Jason Ellison joins the staff as the team’s new hitting coach. He will oversee a lineup that welcomes back five returning starters and numerous transfers that look to battle for spots across the infield.
In only one offseason, Ellison built a strong rapport with many of the players on the team, allowing for honest conversations to take place.
“I think I’ve built a really good relationship with these guys,” Ellison told reporters before opening day. “The trust is there and they know I’m in it for them for the right reasons. You never want to get too intrusive with hitters, so it’s more about subtly getting them to buy into certain things that expand their game.”
Tucker: Adam, have you heard about any key players for Ellison to work with to improve for the 2025 campaign?
Adam: Ellison worked relentlessly with junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson to fine-tune his swing in hopes of creating more consistency.
“As soon as I came in I sat him down, we talked through it and I studied over his film quite a bit,” Ellison said. “We made pretty drastic adjustments, which he needed to make … the consistency just wasn’t there he showed flashes, but now I think it’s a lower maintenance swing, he’s able to get to balls a little easier and maintain positions.”
Jackson boasts an impressive highlight tape filled with jaw-dropping diving catches in the outfield and moonshot home runs. Yet, he’s failed to string together successful performances in a season-long stretch. Nonetheless, he believes he can take the next step in 2025.
“Somebody said it in a good way that I’ve kind of just been a prospect since I’ve been here,” Jackson said. “I haven’t really been a player. I’m ready to turn that page and be a player and put it all together.”
Tucker: The ASU outfield is littered with talent. What can we expect from Jackson’s running mate, junior outfielder Kien Vu?
Adam: Vu comes off a stellar sophomore campaign, in which he slashed an impressive .413 batting average – ranking sixth-best in Division One.
Last season, Vu remained open about his growth in the mental aspect of the game, crediting his work with the team’s psychiatrist. Now, he maintains a less result-driven mindset that allows him to place less pressure on himself.
“I think the best thing that I can try to do for myself is win every day,” Vu said. “The way to success is not overcomplicating and winning every pitch and every at-bat. My season goal isn’t necessarily to hit .400 it’s just to win baseball games.”
While it’s possible that a newcomer could take over the final outfield spot, there’s also a chance that sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton could stake a claim next to Jackson and Vu, despite him primarily occupying the designated hitter spot last season.
Bloomquist remained impressed with Compton’s growth in the field but understands that the team will primarily rely on his performance at the plate.
“Every level he goes to he just keeps refining and getting better and better,” Bloomquist said. “He’s going to have to take on a bigger role with some departures of key pieces in our lineup that we’ve had that have moved on to pro ball. They’re going to pitch to him a little different this year because of who he is and the year he had.”
At the corners, the Sun Devils return two heavy hitters in junior third baseman Nu’u Contrades and senior first baseman Jacob Tobias.
After a freshman campaign in which he totaled a .309 batting average, a back injury forced Contrades to miss most of the 2024 season.
Meanwhile, Tobias terrorized opposing pitchers last spring with a team-leading 18 homers to pair with a 1.039 on-base plus slugging percentage.
While first and third seem secured, it’s still unclear who Bloomquist will choose to man the middle of the infield with fierce position battles ensuing throughout the fall.
Transfer junior infielder Kyle Walker seems to have an upper hand on snatching the second base spot after managing a .381 batting average at Grambling State last season. Recently, Walker was named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason watch list, as many expect him to be a premier infielder this season.
Additionally, infield transfers senior Matt King and sophomore Camden Bates join a crowded infield with sophomore Jax Ryan returning from injury.
However, the biggest question mark for ASU in 2025 remains behind the dish.
Replacing catcher Ryan Campos is a nearly impossible task, but one that Bloomquist and his staff are tasked with facing. Will it be senior Manny Garza, graduate senior Josiah Cromwick or someone else to take the reigns of the catcher position? Cromwick will be the first to get the chance after a monster summer and fall in which he mashed 20 home runs.
The answer remains unclear.
But the change behind the plate won’t be the only major adjustment that ASU will have to undergo this season. Tucker, what should we expect to change with ASU moving to the Big 12?
Tucker: Besides all the changes in Tempe for the program, the biggest change remains the move to the Big 12. With Texas and Oklahoma exiting, the conference lost some power, but it remains a challenging conference to win.
Back in January, the media tabbed Oklahoma State as the preseason favorite to win the conference while Arizona State was tabbed at No. 6.
Unfortunately for ASU, the nature of a 16-team conference means some seasons will feature more demanding schedules. 2025 is one of those seasons. The Sun Devils will open conference play in March with a series against TCU, the preseason third-place selection, in Fort Worth. Throughout the season, the Sun Devils will face four of the five teams selected to finish higher than them, including a challenging season finale against Oklahoma State in Stillwater in May.
The top 12 teams in the conference play in the conference tournament held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, in May. If the Sun Devils want to compete in that event, they’ll have to take advantage of weaker Big 12 competition like BYU, Baylor and Utah. Those three teams pegged to finish in the bottom three spots of the conference each have three-game sets against the Sun Devils, with BYU being the lone series in Tempe.
The Sun Devils haven’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2021 and haven’t appeared in Omaha in over a decade. The dedicated fan base is clamoring for a winner that Bloomquist has yet to provide. The move to the Big 12 presents an opportunity to clean the slate. If the Sun Devils truly want to be the “Greatest Tradition in College Baseball,” 2025 needs to be a step up.
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