(Photo: Hailey Rogalski/WCSN)
PHOENIX — After weather conditions moved Arizona State baseball’s game against No. 25 GCU (14-6) from Tuesday to Wednesday, it almost seemed like destiny. Wednesday’s date, March 22, 2023, marks exactly one year since the ASU’s (13-8, Pac-12 2-1) heartbreaking home loss to the Antelopes that left many players emotional.
The post-game press conference was filled with Sun Devils with red, teary eyes and looks of shame as their head tilted down in disappointment. Head coach Willie Bloomquist powerfully stated then that if losing became the norm, he’ll “walk away” from the program. ASU was left emotionally drained from that loss last season and came into Wednesday’s game motivated.
“Anytime we play in front of fans, you want to win,” sophomore catcher Ryan Campos said. “Last year left a bad taste in people’s mouths, and it was good to get this one.”
The Sun Devils blew the door open quickly against the Antelopes in its blowout win 11-1. After becoming nationally ranked for the first time in program history, GCU came into this crosstown showdown with confidence, boasting one of the best offenses in the country to start the year. However, ASU gave its city rival a taste of its own medicine by putting on an offensive clinic for its seventh win in its past eight games.
“It’s certainly close,” Bloomquist said on whether Wednesday’s game was the club’s best outing. “It’s a good team over there. Grand Canyon is a top-25 team. The way we bounced back after Sunday’s disappointing ending, we were proud of the way they bounced back today.”
Similar to last year, the action started immediately, as GCU was on base at the first pitch. Junior right-hander Owen Stevenson got the start on the bump and had an unlucky first few at-bats. A blooper single to right field to open the game and then a passed-by put a runner on second for junior infielder Jacob Wilson. The WAC first-team member put the Antelopes on the board with an RBI single that just bounced past the glove of junior Luke Keaschall.
In eight of his last nine games, Wilson has had multi-hit days at the plate and looked primed to continue that stretch even further. During last year’s contest, the junior infielder played dream crusher as he knocked a two-run homer that iced the game in GCU’s favor, and tonight Wilson hoped for a repeat performance.
However, Stevenson soon after caught Wilson stealing second and then, on the next pitch, forced the flyout to end the inning. Coming into Wednesday, the junior righty was coming off back-to-back clean outings and had shown massive improvement on the mound after a few rough appearances.
“They knew these guys were going to come out swinging at us, and we responded well,” Bloomquist said. “I was very pleased with it [and] very happy the way our guys threw the ball tonight.”
Stevenson would escape the first, only allowing one run, and ASU would immediately eradicate that blemish in the bottom half of the frame. Copying the Antelopes, the Sun Devils would get an early runner on with a single and quickly advance to second on a passed ball. Before GCU could realize it, ASU had runners on the corner when sophomore infielder Jacob Tobias slapped an RBI single to tie the game up early.
The Sun Devils were able to keep the rhythm going tacking on another two runs, one thanks to a fielding error by junior infielder Dustin Crenshaw that gifted the club a free run with two outs. ASU would leave two runners on but didn’t let that discourage them by keeping the pressure on GCU, which had to use three different in the first three frames.
“We’re doing a much better job of staying in the zone and making things happen,” Bloomquist said. “You’re seeing guys that are contributing from top to bottom. You’re finding news guys every day that are stepping up, and it doesn’t have to be the same guy every night.
Bloomquist highlights how the new guys have stepped up, and in the past month, Keaschall has made the most noise at the plate. The former Don showcased his abilities with the bat in his hands, smashing his first of two doubles on the night in the third. However, that was only the beginning of Keaschall’s time on the base path, by quickly stealing third, barely beating the throw.
Then, after a dropped strike three, Keaschall sprinted right on the throw to first. GCU reacted quickly, but the first-year Sun Devil was quicker, avoiding the throw to put ASU up 4-1.
Keaschall started his career rocking the maroon and gold on a rocky start, hitting only .205 after UC Irvine swept ASU at home on March 6. Since, the Watsonville, Calif. native is riding a nine-game hitting streak where he has raised his batting average to .342 and, in the last six games, has tallied 15 RBIs.
“[He’s] letting the ball travel a little bit more. Early on, he was really trying to hit it way out front,” Bloomquist said. “That was a result of him trying to do too much a little bit and felt the emphasis of wanting to carry the whole team like ‘Dude, you don’t have to carry. You just have to do your part, and if you do, that’s enough.’ Just trying to get him to let the ball travel a little bit and trust his hands, trust his God-given ability that he’s been given, and he’s starting to do that.”
Keaschall has recorded five straight games with an RBI and extended that streak to six in the fifth. In almost identical fashion in the third, the former Don sliced a double to the left field corner, only this time he brought Campos home.
Campos had himself a night swinging the bat with three hits against GCU. The All-American was a homerun short of the cycle, a feat he had no idea of at the time. His awareness of accomplishments might need some improvement, but Campos’ awareness at the plate needs no notes as he has recorded a hit in 13 of the past 14 games and has made it safely on base every game except for one this season.
“I take a lot of pride in getting on base. [It’s] just getting it to the next guy and just working hard and being locked in, simple as that,” Campos said. “As you mature, I feel like I’m just starting to get to know my body, my swing, and what I can do at the plate a little more.”
After driving Campos home, Keaschall wouldn’t have to work as hard to cross home plate as last time as Contrades brought him in with an RBI single, his second of the game, adding to ASU’s lead 6-1.
“[Keaschall and Contrades] work their tail off,” Campos said. “I have so much trust in everyone in that lineup, getting it to the next guy to protect other guys in the lineup. I’m really happy that they’re starting to kind of come into their own here.”
During this time, GCU committed many unforced errors that would erase any momentum. Whether it was the error by Crenshaw in the infield or just non-competitive at-bats, the Antelopes struggled to find consistent success.
The seventh frame summed up GCU’s dysfunction on Wednesday. After a Campos double and a Tobias walk, the Antelopes allowed a fielding error by junior infielder Elijah Buries that loaded the bases, an infield single by freshman outfielder Isaiah Jackson, who outran the pitcher to the bag, and then on an attempted double play to end the inning, freshman infielder Emilio Barreras threw the ball nearly into the ASU dugout.
“Seventh inning kind of got a little sloppy there,” Bloomquist said. “But we were able to take advantage of some things and put up a big number there to make it a little more lopsided.”
After that trainwreck of a defensive performance, the Sun Devils walked away with five runs to bloat their lead 11-1, where it would remain in the final score.
Winners of seven of its last eight games, ASU keeps the ball rolling before welcoming another in-state rival, Arizona, to Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Bloomquist still remembers the verbal abuse by the Wildcats’ fans after the Sun Devils got walked off on the in Tucson. This weekend, he’s looking for revenge.
“I’ll say from a baseball fan, [Arizona] had a good environment down there last year. I wouldn’t say it was welcoming,” Bloomquist said. “We haven’t forgotten that. Hopefully, our fans come with it. I anticipated an intense atmosphere, so we’re excited about it.”
