(Photo: Connor Gleason/WCSN)
PHOENIX – Over the last three weeks, Arizona State senior pitcher Alex Overbay’s performances have been overshadowed by the Sun Devils’ hot March, with the team going 3-0 on Saturdays since he became the starter. While Overbay’s first start of his career against Loyola Marymount went according to plan, with the right-hander throwing four scoreless innings, his next two weren’t as inspiring.
Overbay threw just three innings against then-No. 17 TCU and 1.1 innings against Kansas State the following week, allowing 11 runs in those two starts. After the TCU game, head coach Willie Bloomquist said he felt Overbay would learn from the performance and would be better the next time out.
Yet, Overbay’s struggles continued into his next, building to a disastrous outing against No. 17 West Virginia on Saturday night, a 13-4 loss. Overbay made it through 2.1 innings but allowed nine hits and eight runs to give the Sun Devils an early deficit.
“It’s just a complete anomaly,” junior pitcher Jaden Alba said. “I’ve seen him throw multiple times. His stuff is really good. His stuff is really good. When he trusts and goes after hitters, he can beat any hitter in the country. He’s really good.”
Many of Overbay’s struggles have either come from walking batters or failing to get ahead of hitters in counts. Of the nine hits allowed on Saturday, five of them came with Overbay either behind or tied in the count.
“He’s working from behind,” Bloomquist said. “Instead of working ahead. He’s got really good stuff, but stuff doesn’t play when you are continuously 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, 2-1. He has to work ahead in counts, bottom line.”
While Overbay attempts to work through some of his woes, three straight poor outings have the possibility of leading to changes in the weekend rotation. Although Bloomquist did not express concern after Overbay’s previous two starts, he did say there was a possibility that a change could be made to the Saturday starting spot.
“We are going to get through tomorrow, and then we’ll reevaluate,” Bloomquist said. “I’m focused on tomorrow, on what we have to go attack those guys with, and trying to win a series tomorrow. After that, we’ll evaluate the rotation and see what’s best.”
Pitching woes, particularly from the Saturday and Sunday starter, have held Bloomquist’s squads back in the past. ASU’s dynamic offensive start has fans dreaming of a return to Omaha, but the Sun Devils’ ascent to college baseball’s mountaintop necessitates a climb from its pitching staff beyond the pitfalls of years prior.
A move would be the second time Bloomquist has changed the weekend starters this season. After the Sun Devils’ struggles in Texas, Bloomquist decided to bring Overbay, who had thrown nine innings and given up one run out of the bullpen, into the Saturday spot in place of Colin Linder.
“There’s been a lot of guys that have thrown the ball really well,” Bloomquist said. “Taylor Penn’s thrown it well. Colby Guy, as of late, has thrown it really well. Jaden [Alba] had a nice outing today, which is a step in the right direction. Easton Barrett has bounced back and thrown the ball decently in his last start.”
Penn has been a consistent reliever for the Sun Devils, conceding just five runs in 21 innings pitched. He has also shown he can throw with length, as he pitched four innings in relief of Overbay against TCU. Bloomquist even said he felt as if Penn could’ve gone to a fifth inning if he had chosen to keep him in the game.
Guy showed his ability to go multiple innings as a reliever against GCU and Kansas State, pitching 2.2 and 3.2 innings, respectively, and giving up just one run. However, while Bloomquist has said he wants to use Guy more, he may be hesitant, given the fact that Overbay struggled after moving from the bullpen to being a starter.
“I don’t think anything really changes,” Alba said. “The mindset stays the same. At the end of the day, pitching is pitching. It doesn’t matter whether you are starting or you’re relieving. You are doing the same thing.”
Barrett, on the other hand, has started four games this season, along with the ten starts he made last season. He opened the season as the Sunday starter, but couldn’t avoid walking batters, as he allowed 10 free bases in two outings.
However, since then, Barrett has found his form, throwing eight innings in two starts, walking just two batters, and allowing no runs to cross the plate. With his newfound success and starting experience, Barrett could find himself as a favorite to become a weekend starter should Bloomquist decide to make a change.
Last season, ASU had two consistent starters in southpaw Ben Jacobs, whose 4.95 ERA and consistent ability to pitch five-plus innings allowed Fridays to be steady for the Sun Devils. He was joined by Jack Martinez on Saturdays, who was 6-4 with a 5.47 ERA, including top performances against TCU and BYU.
The Sunday role was an inconsistent spot for the Sun Devils, as they relied on the bullpen, along with Barrett and Alba, to fill some of those roles. The uncertainty of the Sunday spot was a part of ASU’s regional exit last season. The Sun Devils are hoping to avoid the same difficulty as they did last year, as they make a push for their first trip to Omaha since 2010.
“In a perfect world, you’d like to have a set Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday starter,” Bloomquist said. “This is college baseball. Things change quickly. What appears one week might not be the same as the next week. I think the biggest thing from our staff looking at this thing is just get outs.”
With the Saturday starter role still up in the air, the Sun Devils will have a chance to avenge their Saturday night loss as they will take on No. 17 West Virginia in the rubber match, with first pitch being thrown at 5:05 p.m. MST at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“The biggest thing when we all don’t do very well is we all tend to get behind hitters,” Alba said. “Obviously, walking guys and getting behind the count isn’t a recipe for success. [Overbay] is good enough where he can bounce back from these past couple and just move on from it.”
