PHOENIX— Chandler-native Kole Klecker grew up in the shadow of the Arizona State baseball program, attending local Hamilton High School. However, under the lights of Phoenix Municipal Stadium, the senior right-handed pitcher reintroduced himself to the Valley. Only this time dressed in Maroon and Gold.
Klecker lit up the strike zone, recording seven strikeouts and surrendering no walks in a two-hit, one-run outing to lead ASU (4-0) to a 17-7 victory over UConn (0-4).
In his first inning as a Sun Devil, Klecker fanned a pair of Huskies, notching two strikeouts to start his ASU career on a high note. S
“I feel like my kind of process, one of those things in it is just really attacking the zone,” Klecker said. “I like to say I’m on the hunt. I try not to get behind in counts. That gives hitters leverage, so the more I can stay ahead, the more opportunities I have to get a quick out. “
The lone run came from sophomore first baseman Jackson Marshall. The 6-foot-8, 275-pound first baseman blasted a 429-foot homerun to left-center field.
ASU coach Willie Bloomquist relieved Klecker of his duties in the fifth frame, calling in sophomore right-handed pitcher Taylor Penn in relief.
The senior’s strong outing continued the dominance he displayed in Arizona as a high schooler. At Hamilton, he struck out 123 hitters in 120 innings, to pair with a 13-2 record and a 2.33 ERA. In his senior season, he earned First-Team All-District rights and won a state title.
With his resume filled to the brim, Klecker left Arizona to spend his first three years at Texas Christian University. After tallying up an 11-7 record and a 4.49 ERA in his three seasons in Fort Worth, Klecker transferred to Arizona State and provides depth in the ASU rotation.
“I mean he (Klecker) just as easily could be our Friday night guy,” Bloomquist said. “He had a little bit of a slow start in the fall, but he’s arguably been our best guy this spring. It’s nice to have that depth where you can have a bonified guy that’s pretty good going on the midweek game.”
It didn’t hurt that he received a heap of run support from ASU’s offense. The Sun Devils racked up 17 runs — The most runs scored by Arizona State since it defeated GCU 17-7 last season. Junior infielder Dominic Longo opened the floodgates in the second frame, when he demolished a 416-foot homerun to centerfield. The rest of the offense followed suit to give its pitching staff room for error.
Arizona State will look to carry its early-season momentum into a three-game series against St. John’s at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The first game begins on Friday, Feb. 20, at 6:35 p.m. MST.
Leave a Reply