PHOENIX – Amidst all of the changes on Arizona State baseball’s roster, one consistent presence looks to shoulder the weight of being Arizona State’s ace in 2026.
Junior left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon headlines ASU’s pitching staff this spring and transitions into a new role as the Friday night starter in the pitching rotation.
On Opening Day for the Sun Devils, he looked the part of an ace, leading ASU to a 7-2 victory over Omaha, pitching a full five innings, only to surrender two hits and one run.
Although Friday night officially marked the beginning of Carlon’s transition toward becoming a starter, the contest marked his third career start, and first since the 2024 season.
“(I) couldn’t have scripted any better, it was a lot of fun,” Carlon said about his outing.
Although he usually illuminates the scoreboard with Ks to record his strikeouts, the lefty struggled to generate many punch outs in his season debut, finishing the night with only three strikeouts, two of them coming from the second inning. Still, he managed to generate weak contact, allowing him to stay on schedule throughout the night.
“They had a good approach, they weren’t really swinging much early on,” Carlon said. “(The) biggest thing was staying in the zone and getting weak contact.”
As a reliever last season, the Sun Devils’ southpaw made 29 appearances on the mound, finishing with a 3.33 ERA to pair with 86 strikeouts and a team-leading four saves.
He kept his ERA to just 1.80 to start his 2026 campaign, as the only run he allowed came via the long ball — a solo home run down the left field line by Omaha’s senior catcher Brody Sexton in the top of the fifth.
Carlon finished the remainder of the frame before being called to the bench in favor of junior right-hander Alex Overbay.
The junior lefty said he felt that he could’ve pitched longer despite Friday’s tenure being the longest of his collegiate career.
ASU coach Willie Bloomquist remains pleased by the progress and endurance Carlon has displayed since transitioning to a starting role.
“We’ll probably stretch him out a little bit more in his next outing,” Bloomquist said. “75, maybe 80 pitches. So long as he continues to be sharp.
“It (his fastball) was still 94, 96 mph in the fifth, and he still had a good breaking ball,”
Despite Phoenix Municipal Stadium being enveloped by windy weather for the majority of the contest, Carlon said it didn’t change much about his game plan.
One aspect of Carlon’s pitch mix that was missing from his Friday night outing was his changeup.
Bloomquist described Carlon’s relatively unseen changeup as “another arrow in the quiver,” expressing his excitement to see Carlon’s arsenal open up as he continues to grow into his starting role.
“That’s a pitch he’s excited about,” Bloomquist said. “I’m glad he didn’t necessarily need it tonight, but it’ll give him a whole other layer.”
Junior pitcher Colin Linder will look to follow up Carlon’s stellar performance when he takes the bump in Saturday’s matchup against Omaha at 1 p.m. MST.
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