ASU’s high-powered offense shut down in opening round of Big 12 Tournament

(Photo: Austin Hurst/WCSN)

ARLINGTON, Texas — Arizona State put up an atrocious performance offensively only putting up 6 hits. The showing was especially bad considering that the Sun Devils lead the Big 12 in many offensive statistics, including runs scored.

Arizona State baseball (35-22, 18-12 Big 12) shockingly lost 2-0 to BYU (28-26, 11-20 Big 12) in the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship, marking its fourth consecutive loss. This was the first time since April 12, 2024 against Utah that ASU did not score two or more runs.

“I thought we swung the bats really dang well,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Hit a lot of balls hard to the gaps that hung up there.”

Hitting in Globe Life Field proved to be a challenge as the Sun Devils only had two strikeouts. ASU could not find the gaps in the field nor the extra power for the long ball or an extra-base hit. No ASU batter walked or was hit.

Usual suspects redshirt junior second baseman Kyle Walker and senior shortstop Matt King combined for four of the six hits. Walker, who was selected to the Big 12 Second Team on Monday, notched two hits from the leadoff spot. He has a .364 average on the season and has provided a lot of energy to the team.

King, who was selected to the Big 12 Second Team on Monday and named Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Year, also had a pair of singles. He has had a career year after transferring from UTSA that saw him set his career high in average at .405.

Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Brandon Compton and sophomore third baseman Jax Ryan each had a single. Compton was named a Big 12 Honorable Mention on Monday. Ryan did a serviceable job in place of injured junior third baseman Nu’u Contrades.

“The ball doesn’t fly as well here as it does at our place and you have to make adjustments,” Bloomquist said.

Five ASU batters failed to reach base. The most surprising was junior right fielder Kien Vu who had his seven game hit streak and 20 game on base streak get snapped. Vu was named a Big 12 Honorable Mention on Monday and might have earned higher honor if he did not get injured in March.

Freshman left fielder Landon Hairston saw a six game hit streak end. Hairston was selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and Big 12 First Team on Monday.

Junior center fielder Isaiah Jackson saw his eight game hit streak and 13 game on base streak get broken. Jackson launched 10 homers in the stretch with two grand slams. Like Hairston, Jackson was selected to the Big 12 First Team on Monday.

Senior first baseman Jacob Tobias could not find a hit in what could be his last game as a Sun Devil. Graduate catcher Josiah Cromwick has gone hitless in his last three games. Both players were named as a Big 12 Honorable Mention on Monday.

BYU lefties sophomore Justis Reiser and junior Ashton Johnson pitched well. Reiser allowed a run in two innings across two games in the series in late April where the two teams faced off. Johnson pitched one and a third scoreless innings against ASU in that series.

“They made some really good pitches and held us at bay,” Walker said.

ASU pitching had a solid game only allowing two runs, which in any other game ASU had played this year would have been enough to go to extra innings at the minimum. The ASU arms struck out 18 BYU batters setting a new Big 12 Championship record.

Junior lefty Ben Jacobs struggled somewhat as he threw only four and a third innings. He allowed two runs on only three hits but two walks, two hit batters and a balk proved costly. The southpaw could only muster six strikeouts.

These struggles are nothing new for Jacobs as his nine hit batters on the season have come in his last nine games. He has also struggled with walks with 4.58 per nine innings on the year.

Sophomore southpaw Cole Carlon threw an adequate outing as he threw one and two thirds hitless and scoreless innings. He allowed one of his two inherited runners from Jacobs to score. Carlon did not pitch to contact as he only got one out that way as the other four BYU hitters he retired were strikeouts and he walked five.

This is the most walks Carlon has allowed in a game ever. Carlon had a walk rate of 3.67 per nine innings on the season and his ERA moved down to 2.82. Carlon was selected to the Big 12 first team on Monday.

Junior southpaw Sean Fitzpatrick struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh. His ERA moves down to 12.15 on the season.

Redshirt senior righty Jonah Giblin threw a clean two and two-third innings to complete the game. Giblin struck out seven as he allowed two hits, a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch. He is on a hot streak as he has not allowed a run in his last four appearances going 9.2 frames with his ERA deflating 1.41 points in that time to 4.35.

“I trusted the guys behind me to fill up the zone and get ahead,” Giblin said. “With those guys behind me it helps me be confident in my stuff.”

Entering last weekend, ASU was on a roll with a three-game win streak. The Sun Devils rolled into Oklahoma State with the possibility to win the Big 12 regular season title and was swept by the Cowboys, and if they could have won one game they would have avoided BYU and had a first-round bye. If they swept OSU, ASU would have won the conference regular season title.

The Sun Devils will find out if they make the NCAA tournament on Monday at 9 a.m. MST. In an ever-changing landscape, ASU sits at no. 48 in the RPI, placing them right on the bubble.

“A week ago we were fighting for first place in the Big 12 with 18 conference wins,” King said. “I don’t think it’s the end of the road for us.”