Baseball

Preview: ASU selected as No. 3 seed in Lincoln Regional

After a stressful Selection Monday in 2025, Arizona State found its way back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time under head coach Willie Bloomquist–this time without as much tension.

The Sun Devils’ name was called towards the end of the selection show, as they were drawn into the Lincoln Regional as the No. 3 seed. There, ASU joined hosts Nebraska, No. 2 seed Ole Miss and No. 4 seed South Dakota State. Being selected as the third seed came as a shock to many, given that projections from D1Baseball and Baseball America not only had ASU as a No. 2 seed, but a sure one at that.

“I was a little surprised,” sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston said. “I’ll say I was a little surprised. But, regardless, where we play doesn’t really matter. We are going to have to get through those teams anyway.”

ASU’s selection as a No. 3 all but proves the selection committee’s use of the Rating Percentage Index as its main metric of placement. The Sun Devils were ranked 44th in the RPI, just two spots above conference foe TCU, which missed the NCAA Tournament this season.

With its placement as the third seed, ASU will be forced to play an SEC opponent and No. 2 seed Ole Miss. The Rebels finished ninth in the SEC regular season, but lost three of their last four, including a first-round loss to No. 16 seed Missouri in the SEC Tournament.

Ole Miss’s high-powered offense hit 100 home runs this season, ranking 17th in the nation. Comparatively, the Sun Devils, playing in an offense-friendly ballpark, finished 10th nationally with 108 home runs.

While the Sun Devils’ offense has been led by Hairston, who hit a program record 28 long balls, the Rebels have looked to two power hitters to spark their offense. Senior outfielder Tristan Bissetta and senior infielder Judd Utermark have both hit 20 home runs, making Ole Miss one of three schools to have multiple players with 20+ home runs.

ASU experienced SEC baseball early this season, traveling travelled to Globe Life Field to play three games against Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Tennessee, all of whom made the NCAA Tournament.

The Sun Devils struggled during the weekend, dropping all three contests.

However, three months later, after playing through a Big 12 conference that saw six teams qualify for the tournament, Bloomquist is hoping his squad can utilize those experiences to be ready for a postseason run.

“There are a couple of teams in our conference that are hosting and several two-seeds,” Bloomquist said. “Won a lot of series against really good teams. I think we’re battle tested and played against some of the best teams in the country, and certainly going down to Globe Life earlier this year and playing against those teams that will hopefully help with the experience part of it.”

Junior Cole Carlon was a bright spot for ASU during its tough weekend in Texas, hurling 4.2 strong innings against the Bulldogs before exiting with cramps. While Bloomquist has yet to name the starter for game one, the southpaw ace wants to go out on the mound to set the tone for the tournament.

“I want the ball,” Carlon said. “I want to go out, and it’s important to win the first game. Ole Miss is a really good team, so I want to go out and compete.”

After the opening game against Ole Miss, the Sun Devils will face either the hosts, Nebraska or fourth-seeded South Dakota State. The Cornhuskers finished the season as the No. 2 seed in the Big 10, behind the top-ranked national team in UCLA, before falling in the conference tournament semifinals to Oregon.

Nebraska lost one series in Lincoln all season long to Big 12 opponent Kansas, which is also hosting a regional. While the opener against the Rebels could be a high-scoring affair, a possible run-in with the Cornhuskers could bring a need for well-placed hitting, as Nebraska has the third-best fielding percentage in the country, with a .985.

The last potential opponent in the Lincoln Regional is South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits actually finished the season with a losing record of 24-31, but a Summit League Tournament win sees them as a No. 4 seed in Nebraska.

“I think [we match up] good,” Hairston said. “I think our offense stacks up well. We have all the talent in the world to show for it. We’re looking forward to it.”

Last season, the Sun Devils won their first game as a No. 3 seed in the LA Regional before dropping the next two, ending their season. Both Carlon and Hairston played in that regional and are hoping to use the experience to inform this season’s approach.

“Obviously, last year wasn’t the result we wanted,” Hairston said. “We didn’t play our best. I think that did nothing but motivate us, especially all of the guys coming back. We all know that feeling, losing a regional, so we are going to do our best not to make that happen again.”

One of the ASU captains, who was on the team last season, will be playing in his first regional this season. Redshirt-junior Nu’u Contrades missed last postseason with an injury. Now healthy, Contrades will hope to be one of the pieces that gets ASU over the top.

“I’m excited,” Contrades said. “I didn’t get to play last year, but I’m looking forward to this year. The boys are ready. Just going to try to go out there and play hard.”

While their captain hasn’t had the postseason experience, Bloomquist brought in two guys who have been to the postseason on multiple occasions in senior pitcher Kole Klekcker and graduate outfielder Matt Polk.

Polk was a part of four different Vanderbilt teams that played in regionals. Moreover, Klecker pitched in the College World Series his freshman year as a member of TCU.

“The experience is great,” Bloomquist said. “Having those older guys that have been there, done that, played in some tough environments and experienced those things will certainly be helpful. I look for their leadership to help out some of these guys that haven’t been there yet.”

Now, with the schedule set, ASU will get set to open the Lincoln Regional with hopes of returning to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2010. The Sun Devils’ journey will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. MST in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“We’re super excited to go to Lincoln,” Bloomquist said. “I think the atmosphere there is going to be incredible. Their fans show out, and that’s going to be a fun game. Our first game is going to be an early challenge there. We are going to look forward to playing our best baseball.”