With over 40 NCAA tournament appearances, 22 trips to the Men’s College World Series and five national championships, Arizona State stands as one of college baseball’s more historically prestigious programs. Earlier this week, it added to its illustrious history.
Despite some uncertainty following recent results, the Sun Devils clinched NCAA tournament berth No. 42 on Monday morning, making the postseason for the first time since 2021.
“I set out to do a job here to move this program forward,” ASU baseball coach Willie Bloomquist, who played for the team from 1998 to 2000, said. “Of course, I want to be a part of a postseason run as well. But I think at the end of the day, I try to do my best and never put myself in front of these kids.”
“Hopefully, it’s a sign that everything’s going in the right direction,” he added. “The last four years, we’ve continued to increase our win total every year.”
Shouts of joy and fist pumps filled the Maroon and Gold’s clubhouse after hearing their name on ESPN2’s NCAA tournament selection show. Many players, veterans and freshmen alike, will get their first experience in the tournament.
Not done yet 😈 pic.twitter.com/a8NLwHVsO1
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 26, 2025
“It was a little emotional, because we did it finally,” said senior infielder Jacob Tobias, who has spent his entire collegiate career at ASU. “Now, it’s finally time to show people what we can do on a bigger stage.”
The Sun Devils enter postseason play with a 35-22 record, reaching 30 wins before May. They had a chance to clinch a bye in the Big 12 tournament. But those plans derailed after Oklahoma State swept ASU in Stillwater on May 17.
A 2-0 loss to 12th-seeded BYU on May 21 in the first round of the conference tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, followed.
“It might have been a blessing in disguise,” senior infielder Matt King said about the recent losses. “The energy in the locker room is pretty high up there. I think we’ll be ready to go.”
Top-seeded UCLA, second-seeded UC Irvine and fourth-seeded Fresno State join ASU in the Los Angeles Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The winner will take on the winner of the Austin Regional, hosted by Texas, which also includes UTSA, Kansas State and Houston Christian.
A former Pac-12 rival, the Maroon and Gold played two games against UCLA this season. It lost 8-4 on Feb. 25 before winning the next day 2-0. They also swept the Bruins on the road in a three-game series last season, capped by a highlight-reel catch by now-junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson.
“I like the field, so it feels good going back to a familiar ballpark,” junior outfielder Kien Vu said. “It feels good that we’re going somewhere familiar in the next few days.”
The trip will be extra special for Vu, who grew up in the San Diego area. He walked on to the team in 2022 and earned his way into the starting lineup. In each of the past two seasons, he’s maintained an over .350 batting average and could soon be drafted by an MLB team.
For Vu, the trip back to his home state gives him a chance to make a statement against teams that overlooked him in high school.
“Out of high school, I was very under-recruited,” Vu said. “ASU was the only school that gave me a chance. So, every time I play at a school that I’m kind of familiar with or is from my home state, I guess, there is a sense of ‘I want to show them what I can do,’ and kind of proving myself that they messed up.”
Most of Bloomquist’s attention is on UC Irvine, which Arizona State will play on Friday at 6 p.m. It will be the two sides’ first meeting since the Anteaters picked up a three-game road sweep in March 2023. The victor faces the winner between Fresno State and UCLA. The loser looks to stave off elimination. Both games will be on Saturday.
It will also be a homecoming for junior left-handed pitcher Ben Jacobs, who started his collegiate career at UCLA. While Bloomquist has not named his pitching rotation, Jacobs could start against UC Irvine as the typical Friday starter. If he does, he could face his former high school teammate, senior catcher Blake Penso, who starts for the Anteaters.
“(Penso) caught for me every single time I pitched when he was on my high school team,” Jacobs said. “I think that’s another full circle moment going back. I was committed to UC Irvine out of high school before UCLA. It’s all coming together now. It’s really cool.”
“I think it’s going to be super meaningful,” he added. “A lot of my family’s going to be able to make it out that wouldn’t be able to if we were to go somewhere else. So, I’m super grateful for that always.”
While the Sun Devils enter uncharted territory this weekend, they have transfers who have experience in the NCAA tournament. This includes sophomore right-handed pitcher Derek Schaefer, who won a national championship with Tennessee last year, and redshirt junior infielder Kyle Walker. Given their experiences, they’ve lent some advice to their teammates in hopes of advancing to the super regionals.
“It’s going to be the biggest game of your life so far,” Walker told his teammates. “However you want to take that, go in there, have fun and most importantly, play your hardest.”
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