(Photo: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)
PHOENIX — When Kien Vu stepped into the batters’ box with no outs in the bottom of the first inning against USC, fans at Phoenix Municipal Stadium eagerly waited for the first pitch of the at-bat to be thrown, expecting the sophomore outfielder to do something big.
Such expectations are somewhat new. Vu is currently in the midst of the hottest stretch of his young collegiate career, riding an eight-game hitting streak and posting a .500 average with six home runs and 20 RBI across his last 11 contests. Vu had already made a dazzling play in the field during the top of the first on Saturday, diving to snag a fly ball from sophomore outfielder Austin Overn to lead off the game.
As it turns out, one pitch was all Vu needed to bring the crowd to its feet. After junior catcher Ryan Campos kicked off the frame with a single, the San Diego native deposited a 430-foot, 104 mph home run into dead center field, setting the tone for another big offensive night in ASU’s (22-21, 12-11 Pac-12) 17-2 series-clinching win, it’s sixth straight, over USC (20-22, 10-9 Pac-12).
Vu was far from content with just one knock on the night, as he finished with two more hits — another two-run shot, this one 441 feet into left-center, along with a two-run triple — and six RBI on the night, solidifying what was easily the best performance of his career.
“I don’t know, I’m just trying to get my timing early, I guess,” Vu said of his approach recently. “Get ready for it and then whatever he throws over the plate, I’m trying to hit it as hard as I can.”
During his freshman campaign in 2023, Vu played in 39 games but hit just .255 with one homer in 102 at-bats. He had trouble finding a consistent role in a star-studded lineup that finished in the top half of the Pac-12 in several offensive categories. Even at the beginning of this season, with an outfield that features redshirt senior Harris Williams, redshirt sophomore Nick McLain and sophomore Isaiah Jackson when healthy, finding consistent at-bats for Vu was a challenge.
But after starting against California on March 30, in a game where he went 1-for-3 with a home run, the outfielder began to assume more of a regular role, an opportunity he’s run with. There have been multiple instances of players on this year’s team staying ready for whenever their name is called, such as senior third baseman Mario Demera and graduate first baseman Eamonn Lance, but none exemplify this more than Vu.
“He’s staying within himself, doing what he’s capable of doing and swinging at good pitches,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “At the end of the day, when you don’t chase out of the zone and get pitches you can hit, it’s amazing what you can do. He’s been pretty locked in all year long. When he’s gotten his opportunities — and shame on me for not playing him more early in the year — but he’s just a special player doing a lot of special things right now.”
However, it turns out a bit more went into the sophomore’s improved approach than simply fine-tuning his timing. At the beginning of the season, Marc Strickland, a sports psychologist at ASU, approached the team, inviting players to chat with him if they wanted. Vu, who wanted to improve his results at the plate, took Strickland up on the opportunity, and one 30-minute conversation was all that was needed for him to get on the right track.
Vu was simply too uptight heading into games, as he was hyper-focused on batting practice and getting into the right headspace. Naturally, he’s still locked in leading up to the first pitch, but now remembers to stay loose. After all, focus doesn’t necessarily need to come at the expense of having fun and enjoying the game he loves.
“(Strickland) said finding a consistent mental space (was key),” Vu said. “Before every game, I think that was my issue. I still believe that hitting is so mental, so if I can just find that consistent spot where my head’s kind of at and what I’m thinking up there, it’ll show on the field. That’s what we talked about for 30 minutes and (I’m) sticking with it, it’s been working.”
At its core, baseball is a game of ups and downs, and right now, Vu is experiencing the highest of highs. In his words, he’s never enjoyed a hot stretch like the one he’s currently riding in his entire life. But multiple teammates have praised the sophomore’s work ethic and knew he possessed the tools to be successful, but thanks to an improved mental approach, everything is now coming together.
“Mental skills coaches are phenomenal,” Bloomquist, who had similar coaches while playing in MLB, said. “I think they get, I don’t want to say a bad rap, (but) it’s like,‘Oh, I’m seeing a sports psychologist.’ No, they’re a mental skills coach to help you get better with your skills on the field, it’s just like you go work with your hitting coach.
“We’ve all said that baseball is 80% mental most of the time, so why are we not practicing the mental ways to prepare properly? We practice the physical stuff all day long, but the mental part of it is just as important if not more important. For guys to utilize the resources that we have here at ASU with great mental skills coaches, (Vu) has taken advantage, you can see where the results take off if done properly.”
