PHOENIX – When adding 27 new faces to a roster, a team may look to its returns to lead the way. In Arizona State baseball’s 11-5 victory against Omaha, Sparky turned to its captain to generate a spark in the third inning.
After Mavericks’ starting junior right-handed pitcher, Drew Iverson, exited after loading bases with no outs, Sun Devils’ junior second baseman, Nu’u Contrades, stepped into the right-handed batter’s box. Three pitches later, the Hawaiian hammered a ball into Omaha’s bullpen, extending the Maroon and Gold’s lead to 6-1.
“He’s (a) team captain for a reason,” ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said. “He’s that guy that is extremely valuable for us, (a) dynamic player. It looks like he has a lot of different ways he can beat you in his game.”
SEE. NUU. LATER.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 14, 2026
Grand slam for our fearless leader.
6-1, Devils. pic.twitter.com/VPXbqsLFbK
Contrades enters the spring as a key veteran in the Sun Devils’ lineup. With all the departures from ASU’s roster during the offseason, he remains one of the constants from a team that made the NCAA tournament last year.
“I think Nu’u is the engine that makes it all go,” ASU graduate student outfielder Matt Polk said. “He’s been here for four years. I think the fans gravitate towards him, so seeing him have success, considering everything he’s been through, I think him coming in and having success this year really makes us all excited and motivates us all.”
Arizona State collected 12 hits, resulting in 11 runs and went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. With a plethora of baserunners, the Maroon and Gold continued to cause havoc on the base paths, swiping five bases.
“The biggest thing that we’ve been trying to emphasize is just base runners,” Bloomquist said. “Base runners equal chaos.”
Sophomore third baseman Beckett Zavorek started that chaos. After an injury limited his freshman campaign, he kick-started the third-inning frenzy. Following a successful double-steal attempt, the two-hole hitter lined an RBI single into left field.
Even the team’s leadoff hitter, sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston, who finished top five in batting average and hits for the team last season, contributed another two-hit game. The Queen Creek, Arizona-native smacked a two-run double off the center-field wall, extending the Sun Devils’ lead to 10-2.
“He’s a very good pure hitter, puts together very good at-bats,” Bloomquist said about his comfort level with Hairston in the leadoff spot. “But I like him there, he’s a tough kid (to) get out to lead off the game. The more at-bats I can continue to get him up (at the) top the better.”
Although junior pitcher Colin Linder made his Sun Devil debut, an experienced group of veterans stunted the Mavericks’ success at the plate.
With two outs, runners on the corners and Omaha’s leader in hits from the season prior up to the plate, Bloomquist leaned on another of the team’s captains: senior left-handed pitcher Sean Fitzpatrick, a go-to piece for the ASU’s skipper. He delivered a three-pitch strikeout to escape the sixth-inning jam.
“It’s awesome. Fitzy knows his role, and there’s going to be a lot of times where he comes in there and gets a lot more than one hitter out,” Bloomquist said of Fitzpatrick. “But today, the role called for him to get one out right there, and against a tough lefty that had been swinging it good.”
An inning later, junior right-handed pitcher Wyatt Halvorson had three Mavericks on base. However, another three-year-plus Sun Devil collected himself and forced a flyout in foul territory down the right-field line. The three veterans, including junior right-handed pitcher Josh Butler, combined for three strikeouts across four frames.
“Our bullpen is unbelievable,” Linder said. “We’ve got so many guys who can just step in there and do a good job for us.”
While the few familiar faces shone on the big stages, new players donning the Maroon and Gold also chipped in. Polk, who medically redshirted his final season at Vanderbilt, homered off the second pitch he saw, igniting an offense that left the yard four times on Saturday.
“That was cool. In his first at-bat in over a year, and it’s a homer. He was pretty fired up,” Bloomquist said. “I think all the boys in the dugout were fired up for him, too. So big moment for him. I was happy for him, and I think the whole team was too.”
Arizona State junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino and senior outfielder Dean Toigo added solo shots of their own. A part of the team’s talent transfer class, Smaldino emphasized the untapped potential of Sparky’s offense.
“We have a super-talented group,” Polk said of this roster’s healthy competition. “Obviously, the goal is to get to Omaha, so you have to have depth, and all of us have to do our part and be ready to get in there when our name is called.”
Despite the win, Bloomquist thought his group’s overall effort was sloppy. The newly extended skipper put several freshmen into the game in the later stages. However, his squad allowed a three-run ninth inning, emphasizing ASU’s inability to play a complete ninth inning in the second set.
“I’m trying not to throw a big wet blanket on these guys after a win,” Bloomquist said. “Always celebrate a win, but on the same token, they got to understand that we got room to grow and get better, so not to get complacent.”
The Sun Devils eye a sweep of their season-opening series on Sunday, with the first pitch set for 1 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
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