Series finales have been troublesome for Arizona State baseball senior right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker. Despite a late comeback by the Maroon and Gold, he conceded eight runs against BYU last week. He also conceded six at Arizona.
While he faced some pressure on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Klecker returned to consistency, helping the Sun Devils (31-14, 14-7 Big 12) beat the Bears (33-23, 13-18 Big 12) 11-4, sweeping the weekend series.
“We were expecting a sweep this weekend, and we executed on it,” Klecker said. “So, that’s big for momentum. (It) kind of proves to ourselves that ‘hey, we are as good as we can be.’ So, we just have to play like it.”
Klecker allowed four hits and two earned runs while notching a season-high eight strikeouts in six innings pitched. The conceded runs came from senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong’s solo home run in the second and junior catcher JJ Kennett’s RBI double in the fourth.
What a bounceback.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) April 26, 2026
Kleck shakes off his last start with a season-high eight punchouts through six – one off his career best.
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While he’s struggled recently, Klecker has excelled at home with wins against LMU and a career day against TCU in March, while only allowing two runs against Utah. So, the return to Phoenix Municipal Stadium provided comfort for the senior.
“The season’s just been a little frustrating with some consistencies between starts,” Klecker said of his performance. “Just putting together a good one, especially on a Sunday where we’re going for a sweep, it felt pretty good. It feels like I’m getting back on the right track.”
ASU’s pitching stayed on the right track after junior right-handed pitcher Jaden Alba replaced Klecker in the seventh. Despite allowing a two-run homer from Armstrong in the ninth, he finished the game, striking out five.
“(Klecker’s) been able to just go right after guys, and just be able to get quick outs and get out of innings,” Alba said, who followed Klecker in ASU’s Apr. 12 win over Utah. “So, it just gives you a lot of confidence to come into the game and do the same thing: attack the hitter, first pitch strikes. After that, go in (and) go punch.”
Klecker’s showing on Sunday also put him back on a consistent schedule. His series finale starts against Arizona and BYU happened on Saturday, and his first starts of the season happened in midweek games against UConn and Oklahoma.
ASU coach Willie Bloomquist believes that Klecker’s ability to manage the shakeups is a sign of his veteran experience.
“He’s been a champ all year long, just on dealing with mixing around in different roles,” Bloomquist said. “That’s not easy for a guy to do…The guy has just been all we could ask for, really.”
The Sun Devils will look for similar results next weekend against UCF (25-15, 14-7 Big 12). Both teams are tied for second in the conference. So, Bloomquist hopes that the series will strengthen his team’s bond with postseason play starting in a few weeks.
“We got our work cut out for us,” Bloomquist said. “But this is the right time to come together and hopefully show that mentality and let our talent level shine through.”
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