(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
With a whopping 27 new faces on the roster, the 2024 season for Arizona State baseball will begin with a considerable amount of uncertainty.
Much of this uncertainty lies on the pitching staff. Only three pitchers from last year’s roster are returning and 11 freshmen are expected to see action this season. The rotation for the season-opening Santa Clara series wasn’t announced until last Thursday when head coach Willie Bloomquist and pitching coach Sam Peraza announced that freshman right-hander Thomas Burns would get the nod to start the season opener.
“He’s a strong-minded kid, he likes getting after hitters so I’m excited to see what he looks like,” said Pereza.
Burns is in line to be the first true freshman pitcher to start on opening night since Ike Davis in 2006, suggesting that the coaching staff has a sizable amount of confidence in the right-handed pitcher.
“It might be rushing him a little bit but at the end of the day, he can handle it,” Bloomquist said. “He’s got the mound presence and the mindset that if he does give up a run or two, he’s not going to get overly rattled.”
With how Bloomquist and Peraza described Burns’ attitude, it’s safe to say that the confidence in Burns can be attributed to Burns’ confidence in himself.
“His attitude and demeanor is the reason why he’s going on Friday,” Peraza said. “As far as fearing the moment, Thomas is not going to be scared. He’s ready to go and he’s going to be aggressive.”
On Saturday, the Sun Devils will be starting senior Connor Markl. The Grand Canyon University transfer appeared in 45 games and made 25 starts at GCU, notching a 5.90 ERA over 145.0 innings. This move suggests that Bloomquist and Peraza valued Markl’s experience to bridge the gap in experience between Burns and whoever won the competition to start on Sunday.
The competition to start on Sunday was a heated one between redshirt sophomore Tyler Meyer and freshman right-hander Adam Behrens. However, ASU eventually decided to give the nod to Meyer. This decision was a remarkable development for Meyer, who has come a long way since missing the entirety of last season with a shoulder injury that required right labrum surgery.
“Really this has just come on the past three and a half weeks really where he’s started to throw the ball the way we’ve all seen Tyler throw it in the past,” Bloomquist said. “I think this just makes sense to put him on Sunday with everything he’s been through and the way he’s been throwing the ball lately.”
In addition to the story of his recovery, both Bloomquist and Peraza have expressed how impressed they are with Meyer’s talents.
“Tyler is really good, man. The reason why he’s going is because he proved that he’s really good,” Peraza said. “He’s back so I could see him making a push for some of the other positions. For right now it’s just better for him to go on Sunday because that’s where we have him health-wise.”
In addition to Behrens, Bloomquist highlighted the sophomore transfer from UCLA Ben Jacobs as someone the staff looked at for Sunday’s spot. Ultimately, Bloomquist decided it was best for them to come out of the bullpen but possibly starting the mid-week games against Kansas State and Ohio State.
“Both of those two guys I think will probably come out of the pen this weekend at some point,” Bloomquist stated. “Look for them to maybe start the mid-weeks next week.”
The Sun Devils’ weekend series against Santa Clara will be streamed live through the ASU live streams throughout the weekend. Friday’s first pitch will be at 6:30 MST followed by both Saturday and Sunday being at 1:00 MST. All three games will be played at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
