(Photo: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)
PHOENIX — Arizona State baseball head coach Willie Bloomquist talked all season about the hypothetical of the offense and pitching putting it all together for complete victories, and now, the team is doing that consistently.
There were times this year when the offense would catch fire and the pitching would go cold, or vice versa. That narrative has changed recently though as the Sun Devils are on a five-game winning streak with both sides of the ball playing well simultaneously.
It started against UCLA when ASU (22-21, 12-11 Pac-12) had its weekend starting pitchers allow a combined four earned runs while the offense scored 26 runs — including 13 runs on Sunday — in the three-game series sweep. The offense continues to mash as it now has three straight games with double-digit runs after a 17-2 victory over USC (20-23, 10-9 Pac-12).
The results have not always been there as ASU has a winning record for the first time since early April, but Bloomquist knows that the work is finally paying dividends.
“I said it from day one, work ethic has never been a problem with these guys,” Bloomquist said. “They continue to grind and work. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the fact is these guys continue to grind and continue to work and know that it’s possible to get it right… They’re doing what they’re capable of doing, which is nice to see. Hopefully they can keep it going.”
ASU jumped out to a five-run lead after the first inning thanks to a pair two-run homers from sophomore outfielder Kien Vu and graduate designated hitter Eamonn Lance, which gave senior left-handed pitcher Connor Markl all the run support he needed. The southpaw notched his third quality start of the season with one run allowed in six innings.
Bloomquist can rely on Markl as a consistent pitcher, but his outing against the Trojans was especially notable considering that it was the first time the senior completed the sixth inning since March 23. The lefty only had two strikeouts in the game, but that’s because he could pitch to contact with how big of a cushion he had.
“When we score a bunch of runs, the game plan changes a little bit,” Markl said. “I don’t have to rely on throwing as many off-speed (pitches) as I typically do. Trying to punch guys out or whatever it is. When we get all these runs, it’s just get contact now. I like it because it helps me get through the innings quicker. It changes a little bit when we score as many runs as we have.”
Vu was one of the reasons for that scoring outburst as he had that two-run homer in the first inning, but he also had another two-run shot in the fourth, which gave him his seventh and eight home runs of the season. It appears that the sophomore has really developed his power lately as he has six home runs in his last ten games.
The outfielder finished with six RBI off of three hits as he also had a triple to go with his two home runs. Vu has multiple hits in five of his last six games, including three hits in three of thos games. He credits a 30-minute conversation he had with mental skills coach Marc Strickland at the beginning of the season as a factor for his production during this recent stretch.
“He just said finding a consistent mental space before every game,” Vu said. “I think that was my issue and I still believe that hitting is so mental, so if I can just find a consistent spot where my head is at and what I’m thinking up there, it’ll show on the field.”
What Vu is doing seems to be working, creating a dynamic duo at the top of the lineup on Saturday. Vu hit in the second spot behind junior catcher Ryan Campos, who did his job as the leadoff hitter with a career-high five hits in the same amount of at-bats.
Campos struggled early in the season as his batting average was as low as .220 on March 8, but he elevated that number gradually over the last seven weeks as he is now hitting .331 after his career night. The first month of the season was rough, but there was never a doubt in the clubhouse that he would turn it around.
“He’s a baseball rat that just cannot get enough of it and he learned that from Joe Lampe,” Bloomquist said. “I don’t know if he’s paying rent or what to (Phoenix Municipal Stadium) but the kid is always here and always doing something. Taking care of his body or getting some extra swings. He is always around and he loves being here, so to see the results starting to pan out the way we all expect Ryan Campos results to be, it’s not surprising. I knew it was just a matter of time before the sweet swing would start coming back and the results would start piling up and when you have five hits tonight, the kid is incredible.”
Not only did the catcher have five hits on Saturday, but he also had three hits on Friday, so he has been a thorn in the side of Trojans this series. Bloomquist said all season that Campos is one of the leaders of the team and he did it by example against USC.
Campos is also a leader in the clubhouse as there has been criticism toward the team for how underwhelming it has been compared to the lofty standards of the historic program. The Sun Devils had some low points during the year, but with the hitting and pitching potentially playing well simultaneously down the stretch, the outside noise is just white noise for the team.
“One thing I will say is baseball is an up-and-down sport,” Campos said. “A lot of people were pointing fingers and stuff. Social media wasn’t really great towards us when we were having our skid and stuff. We stick to our guns and now we’re winning and everyone’s acting like we change everything. We respect ourselves, so I think (it’s) a testament to the coaching.”
“Yeah, we don’t care about (social media criticism).”
