Bullpen anchors Sun Devils in midweek win, clinching 20 wins

(Photo: Hailey Rogalski/WCSN)

PHOENIX — Following an offseason that saw Arizona State baseball (20-9, 7-2 Pac-12) almost completely restructure its roster, the expectation was that it would improve from a 26-32 mark during head coach Willie Bloomquist’s first year at the helm. One of the biggest problems for the Sun Devils in 2022 was depth, an area their skipper felt was vastly improved this season.

Bloomquist’s gut feeling has proven correct thus far — the Sun Devils reached 20 wins 3 weeks sooner than they did a year ago with an 11-6 victory over Seattle (7-18, 5-7 WAC) on Tuesday. And just as the bats showed they’re still scorching hot, the continued improvement of ASU’s bullpen was on full display.

Last season, the Sun Devils’ relievers struggled to hold leads and close out games. At the end of the 2022 campaign, ASU had an overall ERA of 6.76, which put them at 233rd out of 293 Division I programs. It didn’t get much better in league play, as the Sun Devils posted a conference-worst 8.26 ERA during that stretch. Simply put, relying on his relievers to pitch an entire game wasn’t a luxury Bloomquist had at his disposal during his first season coaching at his alma mater.

Fast-forward a year, and ASU’s head coach has shown his increased trust in his relievers by continuing to throw complete games with his bullpen alone. With a greater selection of serviceable arms to work with this season, Bloomquist has now exclusively used his bullpen in five-midweek contests, which all resulted in Sun Devil victories.

Despite conceding eight hits and being inefficient at times, ASU’s pitching staff did enough to keep Seattle’s offense at bay, posting seven strikeouts and four scoreless innings.

But after eight walks, Bloomquist was left unsatisfied.

“Usually, [having more arms] is a good thing,” Bloomquist said. “Today, we had way too many guys come out of the pen and walk guys, and that’s got to be better. But to have a repertoire of arms down there that are capable of getting outs is nice to have. But we need them to throw more strikes than they did today.”

Tuesday’s win wasn’t the first time ASU’s staff experienced hiccups during a bullpen game this year. Look no further than the Sun Devils’ 10-9 walk-off victory over North Dakota State just two weeks into the season. ASU only issued one walk throughout the entire game, but it conceded 11 hits and ultimately struggled to put away the Bison. While there have been some bumps in the road, the impact the Sun Devils’ bullpen has had on the season cannot be discounted.

Two weeks ago, ASU made a decision that would seem unfathomable only a year ago. With a marquee series against rival Arizona on the horizon, Bloomquist opted to only use his bullpen in ASU’s midweek game against then-No. 25 GCU, doing so in an attempt to preserve arms for the weekend — a lofty gamble that could quickly backfire.

This gamble ended up paying dividends. The relievers put together arguably the most complete performance of the season from ASU’s staff in an 11-1 win, stymieing a Lopes’ offense averaging over seven runs a game. A lopsided victory over a ranked foe undoubtedly gave the Sun Devils’ a boost of confidence heading into what was the biggest series of the year up to that point.

Even when a big-time weekend matchup isn’t looming, the bullpen’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. Sophomore catcher Ryan Campos, who witnessed ASU’s pitching woes in 2022, acknowledged there’s still room to grow.

“The pitchers work really hard,” Campos said. “Obviously, 10 walks are not ideal tonight, but they all work really hard. It’s really nice to have guys you can trust back there, close game or not, it helps you sleep at night a little better.”

Turning around a bullpen that struggled mightly just a year prior is a process that will take time. Growing pains along the way are inevitable – as the Sun Devils have already experienced this season. But through it all, ASU’s Bloomquist has ultimately gained a better understanding of how

“I think that’s part of the learning process, with who we can use and how many days they need in between their appearances based on how much they threw that day,” Bloomquist said. “That’s something Sam [Peraza] and I, we’re going to continue to learn throughout the year. But I think we have a little bit of a better feel of it than we did early on.”