Baseball

Nu’u Contrades shines in his NCAA Tournament debut

LINCOLN – In 2022, 18-year-old Nu’u Contrades decided to move from his home in Hawaii to play for Arizona State under then-new head coach Willie Bloomquist.

Little did that youngster know, he would eventually be an essential piece of a team vying to make a postseason run and even make an impact in his very first postseason appearance.

Four years later, as a redshirt junior, Contrades helped lead his team in a postseason game for the first time, as the Sun Devils fell to Ole Miss in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament Lincoln Regional.

“For me [the message] was, I just told them how proud I was of them,” Bloomquist said. “ This is the best game they played all year, in my opinion. And the big one on the biggest stage that we’ve had all year long, and they showed up, and they balled out. I was proud of them for that.”

Contrades was no exception for the Sun Devils, who Bloomquist said stepped up in the heightened stakes. The redshirt junior launched not one, but two home runs, including one to tie the game at six after trailing late in the game.

Not only was he making plays on offense, but the Sun Devil captain also prevented runs on the defensive side. With one out in the 12th inning, the Rebels had a runner on third base, 90 feet away from winning the game.

When the ball was grounded to second base, the hearts of Sun Devil faithful dropped.

Not to worry. Here was Captain Contrades.

He scooped up the sharp ground ball deftly before hurling a throw home as his momentum carried him in the opposite direction. Contrades’ effort was rewarded with a diving tag from catcher Brody Briggs, extending the game and keeping the Sun Devils alive.

“What a play by Nu’u there on the first one to gun that guy down at the plate,” Bloomquist said. “Phenomenal play. That’s why you practice those, because when your season is on the line, you have to make that play, and he made it. There is nothing for these guys to hang their heads about. They did everything I asked them to do.”

Contrades was on the Sun Devil team that made the NCAA Tournament last season, but did not appear after dealing with a late-season injury. When the Sun Devils’ draw was announced, Contrades expressed excitement to play in his first regional game.

It’s safe to say that he made the most of his debut in the postseason.

“The atmosphere is great,” Contrades said. “We came up a little short, but the guys played their asses off. The best part is that we have a game tomorrow. Let’s try to do our job.”

Injuries have been a common occurrence for Contrades, and this season was no exception. Early in the season, Contrades suffered a hamstring injury that left him out for the beginning of conference play, leaving Bloomquist without the player he called his “best overall player”.

Contrades did return after just two weeks, but were not 100% until quite late in the season. He was even playing to a point where Bloomquist said he would bench Contrades if he tried to run at more than 50%.

“To play through that,” Bloomquist said. “That toughness to play through that, and the mental toughness to play through that as well, and to still be as successful as he has been all season long. Heart and soul of our team, hands down.”

Before the season began, Bloomquist named Contrades, along with senior pitcher Sean Fitzpatrick, as his two captains. The pair became the first captains of the Bloomquist era. Contrades has taken that role to heart, mentoring players such as sophomore left-fielder Landon Hairston, who said it was “ an honor” to learn from the captain.

“There’s a reason he is our captain,” Bloomquist said. “Because he goes out there, and regardless of how he feels, he puts his body on the line every day. I would take 100 of these guys. It’s not surprising that he steps up in the big situations and has a game like he did today.”

With all the weight of the captaincy and injuries on his shoulders, Contrades has still been able to produce, batting .373 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs. The fan-favorite Sun Devil still has at least one game left as a college player, with ASU playing in an elimination game on Saturday against South Dakota State.

“He’s on my Mount Rushmore of favorites,” Bloomquist said. “Just a phenomenal kid, and I would take a team full of him. The way he plays and goes about it. The kid’s been essentially playing on one leg and putting up a heck of a year on one leg.”