(Photo: Rebecca Striffler/WCSN)
Arizona State Baseball’s schedule for the upcoming 2022 season was released last week by head coach Willie Bloomquist and the Pac-12 Conference.
The Sun Devils – with injuries and youth being major factors – finished 2021 with a 33-22 record and did not advance past the Austin Regional of the NCAA Tournament. They now transition into a new regime under Bloomquist with much more experience at the helm.
The new season begins with a home series against Dixie State on Feb. 18 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. This marks the start of a nine-game homestand that includes matchups against Nevada, BYU and 2021 NCAA Regional participant Oklahoma State.
After a couple of road tilts, the Sun Devils end their non-conference schedule with a four-game home series against San Francisco, who finished third in the West Coast Conference last year.
Pac-12 play opens on March 18 in Corvallis against 2021 Regional finalist Oregon State. One of the highlights from last season was ASU’s series opener against the Beavers in May, when then-freshman infielder Ethan Long delivered a three-run walk-off home run to win 9-6.
ASU will then travel back to Phoenix Municipal Stadium for a mid-week game against Grand Canyon. The Antelopes finished second in the Western Athletic Conference in 2021 and have made the crosstown matchup a friendly rivalry across several sports in recent years.
The Sun Devils start a serious uphill battle after two home series with a midweek non-conference home matchup against 2021 Pac-12 Champion Arizona, who reached the College World Series last season. Another College World Series participant awaits ASU in the Bay Area from April 8-10 in Stanford.
The Sun Devils will continue their rivalry against Arizona in Tucson from April 22-24 before traveling to face 2021 Regional finalist UCLA.
Following a home series against Oregon – who hosted a regional back in June – ASU will close out its 55-game season with an away bout against Washington State. The Sun Devils played these two teams in the same order last year, losing their series in Eugene before outscoring the Cougars 24-4 in a series sweep in Phoenix.
The wrinkle in the Pac-12 Conference’s 2022 season will be the first Pac-12 Baseball Tournament, hosted in late May at Scottsdale Stadium preceding the end of the regular season. The top eight teams in the conference will earn spots in the tournament, with the eventual champion receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
ASU is scheduled to play 32 games at Phoenix Municipal Stadium this upcoming season.
