Coming into the 2025 season, Arizona State (8-4) had a few holes to fill with some key contributors leaving to depart to the portal or the MLB draft. Among other needs, head coach Willie Bloomquist and his staff honed in finding replacements for one position group in particular last offseason: the middle infield.
Sparky’s new-look group shined in an 8-7 win over Minnesota (4-5) on Sunday.
In his third appearance this season, freshman second baseman Beckett Zavorek stepped into the designated hitter spot and made his presence known.
Zavorek injected energy into the Sun Devils in the fifth inning when he bunted for a leadoff single and then danced around the bases. He stole second and reached home safely by virtue of an error on a pickoff attempt to ignite his dugout.
Beckett out here cookin' up runs.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 2, 2025
Leadoff bunt single, stolen base, two bags on a wild throw after numerous pickoff attempts.
3-1, Devils, B5.
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/D0V8H2ay1n
“We’ve been screaming for someone to lay a bunt down … I didn’t even give it to him (Zavorek), he just did it on his own and gets it down and steals a bag,” Bloomquist said of his freshman. “It creates havoc so that was an outstanding job by him.”
Zavorek finished with a 2-3 mark at the dish and walked once to add to his 2-RBI day. It helped stamp him as yet another player Bloomquist must try to incorporate into a crowded infield rotation.
“We talked about it as a team just on having that baseball player instinct and being baseball players and that kid has it,” Bloomquist said. “The hard part is we have some talented infielders that we’re trying to mix in there and get going.”
Have a day, @beckettzavorek!
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 2, 2025
Two-RBI single to push the lead to 4!
6-2, Devils, B6.
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But he wasn’t the lone producer at the plate between the group of middle infielders.
This past offseason, ASU hit the portal to pick up two high-profile transfers: junior second baseman Kyle Walker and senior shortstop Matt King.
As a crafty base runner and maestro on the defensive end, Walker has earned playing time with his scrappy play rather than his production in the batter’s box.
But after going hitless for two weeks, Walker manufactured a two-hit day, including an RBI infield single in the sixth to bring home senior catcher Josiah Cromwick.
Still, the Grambling State transfer has struggled offensively through the first few weeks. Following a 2024 season in which he slashed .381 for the Tigers, he entered Sunday with only a .083 batting average.
For Walker, whose impact hasn’t shown up through glaring numbers on the stat sheet, the 2-3 outing helped demonstrate why he was tabbed as one of the players on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watchlist coming into the spring.
“He’s a dynamic player and if we’re going to get to where we want to go we need him to be what he’s capable of,” Bloomquist said of Walker. “Because when he’s on he has a dynamic of offense that we need.”
Meanwhile, his running mate up the middle in King added to his monstrous weekend by scoring twice and adding another knock to his 6-hit and series against the Golden Gophers.
After hitting a combined 5-8 in the first two nights against Minnesota, Bloomquist infused a boost of confidence into King by inserting him in the second spot of the lineup. Junior outfielder Kien Vu, who normally hits second, received the day off.
“There was a small little mechanical thing that he adjusted, and it’s cleaned him up pretty good,” Bloomquist said of his transfer from UTSA. “He’s starting to get good solid contact like he’s capable of … His progression is better, and he’s starting to come into the Matt King that we were expecting.”
Having experienced veterans such as King and Walker brings poise to the infield and helps with the maturation process of young players like Zavorek.
“They (King and Walker) help me out with a bunch of stuff, slowing things down [and] showing me the ropes of everything,” Zavorek said. “I’m new to college baseball, but they’re awesome. I love having them out there.”
With profound depth, the Sun Devils will look to lean on their middle infielders on a nightly basis, as the players and staff remain confident in the entire group’s ability.
“I think we got a really talented group of guys in the middle and all around the infield,” Zavorek said. “I think you could plug anyone in anywhere, and everyone would produce, which is a luxury to have.”
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