(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
Nearly a month into his tenure at the helm of Arizona State Baseball, head coach Willie Bloomquist was tasked with filling gaping holes within the Sun Devils’ starting rotation – one that lost Cooper Benson, Tyler Thornton, Justin Fall and Erik Tolman to the 2021 MLB Draft. He took a trip to Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Massachusetts – the home of the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League – in hopes of finding a solution, or at least one-third of it.
At the time he didn’t know it, but eight months later, it seems quite clear: Bloomquist found an answer all right.
On a gloomy July evening on the Cape, Bloomquist watched former West Virginia left-hander Adam Tulloch strike out seven Mariner batters across four innings for the Chatham Anglers.
“When I saw him for the first time up on Cape Cod this summer, I was like ‘Yeah, this kid’s got good stuff,’” Bloomquist said on Tuesday. “Location was a little erratic at that time but he’s pounding the strike zone and working ahead and attacking hitters. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Fast forward to the 2022 season, where the Sun Devils are about to begin Pac-12 Conference play amidst a 8-10 start to the year, and Tulloch is quietly pitching among the best in college baseball, sporting a 2.88 earned run average across his first five appearances. The southpaw has walked just one batter over his last 14 innings, and his 13-strikeout performance last Friday against San Francisco – where he didn’t walk anyone – earned him Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
The cherry on top is that Tulloch and Bloomquist both felt that he didn’t even have his best stuff that night, which leaves room to wonder what that start would’ve looked like had he brought his A-game. Tulloch feels the glaring issue was the three runs he gave up to the Dons, something he believes shouldn’t have happened.
“I gave up three runs, and in my opinion, yeah, the 13 strikeouts are pretty cool, but [three runs is] not acceptable for me,” Tulloch said. “You go out there and you feel what you have during that day and you just have to compete with what you got.”
Regardless, as the Sun Devils head into Corvallis, Oregon for a three-game bout with the No. 5-ranked Beavers, Tulloch is undoubtedly carrying the ace title with him – and he’s earned it. His ability to pitch deeper into – and more effectively during – games has progressed with every outing.
His efficiency has paired well with his knack to work at a quick pace on the mound, where Tulloch has seen quite a few one-sided at-bats play in his favor. He’s dominated in counts, establishing an at times heavy mid-90s fastball with a swing-and-miss slider and nasty changeup.
“Our pitchers do a really good job, I think their pace can influence the offense as well,” redshirt sophomore center fielder Joe Lampe said. “I think it helps Adam steal certain pitches early in the count because hitters are getting into the box slow. If he’s always moving fast, there’s no way the other team can pick up on whether he’s throwing a changeup or a [slider].
“That’s one of the biggest things – he doesn’t slow down his arm at all.”
Despite all of that, Tulloch feels he can do better.
He felt he could do better when Bloomquist first saw him over the summer, and he felt he could do better even after his masterclass against San Francisco. The truth is, Tulloch hasn’t done anything but “get better,” from his time at Wingate in 2019, to his JUCO days with Central Florida, to West Virginia in 2021 and now in Tempe.
“You don’t remember the big things, you remember the small stuff,” Tulloch said. “I think that’s what I’ll be taking from here. The guys I’ve met and the relationships I’ve developed and just becoming a better person. There’s still memories to be made, but as of now I’m focused on the present and just enjoying the ride.”
Tulloch’s conversation with Bloomquist following his start in Harwich had him sold, leading him to transfer into the program after being selected in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the draft, an offer he inevitably turned down for another season of college ball. His decision thus far has been a fruitful one.
“I saw [Bloomquist] at that game and a few days later he went out and met with me,” Tulloch said. “I really liked his vision for the program and the opportunity that was there and the situation – it was perfect for me. I believed every word he said. He’s one of those guys where as soon as I met him, I wanted to be behind him and fight for him.”
His stock for this year’s draft has only risen, and with a multitude of top arms in the class ravaged by injury, Tulloch is turning even more heads. What remains to be seen is how he handles a loaded Pac-12 field that features some of the best lineups in the country, starting this weekend against the Beavers.
Perhaps it’s another reason why he’s only improved with every start, because while accolades and attention have rolled in over the last week in praise of the left-hander’s success so far, Tulloch isn’t batting an eye. He’s concerned with one thing only: giving the Sun Devils a chance to win every Friday night.
“I’m honed in on what’s next,” Tulloch said. “It’s not over with. I have at least anywhere from 10-12 more starts, that’s the way I look at it. I have 10-12 more times that I’m going to give it all I have.”
It takes a simplified outlook for Tulloch to find success in this young season – he hasn’t made any major tweaks since the start of the campaign. Instead, Tulloch focuses on throwing strikes with the intent of letting his defense work behind him, a mindset that both pitching coach Sam Peraza and Bloomquist instilled within the pitching staff on day one.
But Tulloch has certainly gotten his fair share of whiffs, falling within the top 25 in the nation in strikeouts with 36. His innings count is tied for third in the Pac-12 with fellow redshirt junior left-hander Kyle Luckham – who has been every bit as effective as Tulloch so far – and in that span Tulloch has posted a whopping 12.96 K/9, good for fifth in the conference.
Paired with just nine walks, Tulloch seemingly checks every box a starter should check – and then some – to this point in a given season.
In 2021, ASU saw its weekend rotation torn apart by injuries. In 2020, the Sun Devils were just hitting their stride on the mound before COVID-19 shutdown the season. And in 2019, they relied on perhaps their most prolific offensive lineup yet while the staff aimed to limit damage as much as possible. But this season – even while the bullpen has struggled – Tulloch is anchoring an experienced group that has been just as good as any ASU rotation in recent memory.
“[Tulloch] has been great since day one,” Bloomquist said. “For me, it’s encouraging when he can go out there and not have his best stuff and still be effective. Moving into conference play, we’d like him to be on point and so far he’s been on point.”
At 8-10, the Sun Devils will embark on the toughest stretch of their season starting on Friday. Bloomquist and the coaching staff feel as ready as they’ll ever be to head into those woods with what they have accomplished in just over three weeks to this point.
No shortage of confidence is instilled in Tulloch though, which was already at an all-time high for the lefty to this point.
“I think a lot of it comes back to confidence, and not just from myself but my team having confidence in me,” Tulloch said. “Being able to go in the fourth or fifth inning and have runners on base and to have them still have the belief and trust in me that I’m going to execute – that’s huge. I want the game in my hands.”
What Bloomquist saw in Harwich that day was just the beginning.
Tulloch feels primed and ready to face the coming storm. His matchup on Friday night will almost certainly be against fellow southpaw Cooper Hjerpe, a draft-eligible sophomore who has also seen his draft stock soar recently as well. He has heard enough about the Beavers’ lineup to know what he’s up against, but really, Tulloch is focused on just one thing.
Getting better.
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