After salvaging the series finale against the Minnesota Golden Gophers Sunday, Arizona State baseball welcomed the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a Tuesday night game. Both teams entered the mid-week matchup with 8-4 records. However, the Sun Devils dominated all facets of the contest, winning 7-0.
After the series loss to Minnesota, Arizona State head coach Willie Bloomquist said his staff needed to continue to evaluate the pitching staff. In the team’s ninth win of the season, five different Sun Devil arms combined in the shutout victory.
“Step in the right direction. we still walked a few guys today. But all in all, they attacked the zone,” Bloomquist said of pitching performance on the mound. “And then Derek Shaffer, the way he’s been throwing the ball as of late, I’m kind of torn on whether or not to keep him at that back end or start him, because he can do either… but he’s been very impressive the past few outings.”
Bloomquist went with freshman left-handed pitcher Max Arlich to start against the Rebels. In the top of the second inning, UNLV had the bases loaded in a 3-2 count with two outs. Alrich caught Rebel senior outfielder Elijah Rodriguez looking to end the inning.
“Great to see Max. He’s such a great kid. He works extremely hard,” Bloomquist freshman’s first collegiate pitching outing. “He’s just kind of been eager and waiting for his opportunity. I thought it was the right time to start him and … he was smiling. His face was priceless. So I was really excited for him.”
“It felt good, the first few weeks I didn’t get to pitch. So I was just kind of staying ready and just cheering on my guys,” Alrich said. “And then when it’s my time, I was ready to go and just wanted to put zeros up and hopefully get a win.”
ASU’s offense scored in five of its eight innings at bat. Junior outfielder Kien Vu led the way for the Sun Devils, leading the team with three runs, three hits, three RBIs and two home runs.
“He’s a dynamic, and obviously had a great year last year, but he’s not satisfied,” Bloomquist said. “He wants to keep getting better and do more. He hasn’t gotten off to the hot start that he’s wanted to, but today was a great step in the right direction for him.”
To lead off the third inning in a 3-2 count, Vu hit a solo homer to right-center field to put Arizona State up 2-0.
SEE. VU. LATER.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 5, 2025
Over the scoreboard for @kienvu03.
2-0, Devils. pic.twitter.com/wiZDhh4CHM
After not starting in the Game Three against the Golden Gophers, Vu was slotted in the leadoff spot in the lineup. The “mental reset” coined by Bloomquist seemed to benefit the 5-foot-11, 185-pound lefty bat.
Two innings later, Vu went deep again. This time, the San Diego native displayed some opposite-field power. His home run to left-center field extended ASU’s lead to three.
Vu 🤝 Compton ➡️Getting two home runs in one inning against a 5th-year pitcher with just two long balls allowed in 58-game career.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 5, 2025
4-0, Devils, after 5.
📺ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/l7L1otFWcl
The Rebels had no answer for the Sun Devils’ bullpen. After putting up 14 runs in its previous game before heading to Phoenix, UNLV mustered just five hits over nine innings.
“It’s huge,” Vu said about the level of comfort it adds at the plate. “It feels great. Alrich kind of set the tone … it was unbelievable. It’s so much easier to hit when you have that backup kind of defense.”
The first four hitters in ASU’s lineup delivered at least one RBI each. After Vu came senior infielder Matt King, redshirt sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton and then senior first baseman Jacob Tobias.
Despite the complete game performance, Arizona State will likely be without freshman infielder Beckett Zavorek, who landed awkwardly on his left ankle at first base.
“Yeah, that’s a tough blow. That’s a kid that’s got a bright future and has been playing sparingly,” Bloomquist said. “The initial indication that we’ve gotten was there was no breaks, which is positive. I think we’re going to look at possibly an MRI tomorrow though, to see if there’s any soft tissue or ligament damage on that. It may be one of those high ankle sprain type things that are almost worse than a break, because they take forever to heal up and get back to normal.”
The Sun Devils host the Gonzaga Bulldogs for a three-game home series later in the week. First pitch for Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
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