SURPRISE, Ariz. – With no outs in the fourth inning and a runner on third base, Arizona State sophomore centerfielder Landon Hairston approached the plate with a chance at history. The Arizona native was one home run away from breaking ASU’s single-season home run record.
After taking the first pitch for a strike, Hairston looked up to the mound, taking a deep breath. He was waiting for his pitch.
Immediately, he got it.
The sophomore’s long ball propelled a dominant offensive showing, as the No. 21 Sun Devils(37-18, 19-11 Big 12) trounced No. 22 Cincinnati(37-20, 17-13 Big 12) 10-2 on Thursday night. The win advances ASU to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.
“Good team win by our guys,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Offensively took advantage of some miscues and obviously a couple of big hits. [Junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino], and then this guy, Landon Hairston, with a home run. Matt Polk added a home run. All around good effort, super proud of them.”
Smaldino had been one of, if not the Sun Devils’ hottest bats, hitting eight home runs in his previous 12 games coming into Thursday. “Biggie Smalls”, as his teammates nicknamed him, has shown his stature in the Sun Devil lineup, as he leveled his 16th home run of the season against the Bearcats.
“He’s been outstanding,” Bloomquist said. “Bumped him up to that four hole, and he’s produced like a cleanup hitter should. He’s on a bit of a heater right now, so we’ll keep riding him. The second half of the year, he’s been outstanding.”
Along with Smaldino and Hairston was graduate left-fielder Matt Polk, whose 3-for-4 performance, including a home run and two RBIs, helped carry ASU’s weight alongside Hairston and Smaldino.
Not only does Polk add consistent hitting to the ASU lineup, but he also has a level of postseason experience that no other Sun Devil hitter possesses. The graduate student played for an SEC school in Vanderbilt, allowing him to play in major conference tournament games along with three regional appearances.
“That’s important,” Bloomquist said. “Polk sat and waited for his turn a lot of this year. When he got his opportunity, he has not relinquished it. He’s been at a big-time program, and he’s experienced the postseason. That’s all of the things that are why he’s in there, and continues to come through in big moments.”
On the mound, the Sun Devils have another player who has postseason experience in senior pitcher Kole Klecker. Klecker, who started his career at TCU for three seasons, started two games in the College World Series as a freshman.
That level of familiarity with the postseason aided Klecker. Despite walking a career-high six batters, the Chandler native allowed just one run on three hits with five strikeouts through four innings.
“[Klecker] did a good job getting us out of some big jams early on,” Bloomquist said. “He got us through four. [Sophomore pitcher Taylor Penn] picked him up and threw the ball outstandingly for three innings. The rest of the bullpen did a great job in the back half.”
Penn came in and allowed just one hit to the Bearcats, backing up the Sun Devils’ offense, which was heating up. The sophomore has moved around this season, going from the bullpen to starter back to the bullpen, but has remained consistently able to provide multiple-inning outings.
“Just having a good routine,” Penn said. “Just knowing that whenever Willie puts me in the game, just to contribute, fill it up. Let the defense work. When the defense is in the game, it kind of affects the offense as well.”
Defense had an impact on the Bearcats’ performance on Thursday, as they made four errors, along with three balls off gloves that were ruled hits. The Sun Devils did take advantage of those, scoring multiple runs off the mistakes.
“We left seven outs out there,” Cincinnati head coach Jordan Bischel said.
The win marks the first time ASU has ever gone to a conference tournament semifinals, with the Pac-12 not having a tournament until 2022. Bloomquist said after the second loss to Oklahoma State that his team needed to start playing playoff baseball, with their potential NCAA Tournament hopes up in the air.
After Thursday’s win over Cincinnati, the Sun Devils spot in the NCAA Tournament is all but secured. However, a potential conference tournament win could secure a No. 2 seed for ASU in a far less dangerous regional than currently projected. .
“Just continue to keep our heads down and play the best baseball we can this time of year,” Bloomquist said. “Guys are going to step up and have big-time performances. The great thing about our team is that it’s not always the same guys every night. When you have an offense one through nine that everyone contributes, it makes us awfully dangerous.”
ASU’s journey to a Big 12 Tournament win will hit another obstacle on Friday, as the Sun Devils will take on No. 9 West Virginia in the tournament semifinals at 8 p.m. MST. The Mountaineers were one of two teams to win a series against the Sun Devils this season.
“We had a dog fight at our place earlier in the year,” Bloomquist said. “They’re an extremely talented, good team. There were two heavyweights going at it at our place earlier in the year. They got us in that series. I anticipate it being a tough one again.”
