Down four runs in the fourth inning, No. 24 Arizona State seemed destined for the worst of outcomes on Sunday evening: a third straight loss at the hands of in-state rival Arizona, ensuring a season sweep for the Wildcats over the Devils.
A loud four-run frame for Arizona sent ASU starter, sophomore right-hander Jaden Alba, to the bench after 4.2 innings pitched.
But amid choppy waters, a calming presence emerged from the bullpen to steady the ship for the Sun Devils. Sophomore left-handed relief pitcher Cole Carlon helped the Devils evade any more trouble in the fourth and went on to toss 4.1 innings to secure an 8-4 win over Arizona on Sunday.
“That’s the best I’ve ever seen him,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “He faced 13 hitters and punched out 10, [so] that was impressive by him. [He] went a little bit longer than we wanted to. We stretched him out one more inning, but the kid was rolling man. I didn’t want to take him out.”
Cole Carlon.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) April 7, 2025
That's it. That's the tweet.
13 up, 13 down. pic.twitter.com/BK1ZLgDjWx
Strikeouts came early and often for Carlon, who punched out a career-high 10 hitters in a shutdown outing against the Wildcats. His double-digit punchout performance added to a weekend that saw ASU garner 45 strikeouts across the three-game series.
“Our guys just attack the zone and we have a lot of competitive guys on the staff,” ASU catcher Brody Briggs said. “With the combination of just attacking the zone and their confidence, there’s not a lot of guys that are going to hit them.”
Using a fastball that sat in the mid-90s for most of the night and a slider that kept hitters off balance, he quickly worked into a groove that proved difficult to slow down.
However, the stellar night wasn’t an anomaly for Carlon this season. Over the past few weeks, the sophomore has pitched lights out for the Devils, as he hasn’t conceded an earned run since facing TCU on March 16.
Yet, Carlon didn’t make any major mechanical changes to ignite his recent tear on the mound. Instead, his success has stemmed from improvements to his mental approach. It’s something he’s worked on with ASU pitching coach Jeremy Accardo.
“[My] mechanics have stayed the same. It’s pretty much all just been up here and trusting what I can do,” Carlon said as he motioned up to his head.
“He (Accardo) just instills a lot of confidence in me and just knowing that I’m able to go out there and keep getting outs for us,” Carlon said.
With an ERA of just 2.12 and a whopping 48 strikeouts, Carlon gives Bloomquist a reliable arm in the Sun Devils’ relatively inconsistent bullpen. And for Bloomquist, who’s watched Carlon blossom from a spry freshman into the player he is today, it’s been a rewarding experience.
“It’s been fun to watch that kid grow up over the past year and a half, [and] just evolve into who he is now,” Bloomquist said. “There’s been times where that kid cares, and he puts a lot of effort and a lot of work into it. Seeing him down after blowing a save last year, and thinking the sun wouldn’t come up again the next day. He takes it to heart and wants to be the guy, wants to be really good, and just to see him put not only the physical work in, but the mental work in to prepare himself. To see him having success, it makes me really happy.”
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