Sun Devils Waste Stellar Bullpen Performance, fall 7-3 to Kansas

(Photo: Joshua Eaton/WCSN)

PHOENIX—If you go to Arizona State baseball’s stat page and sort the pitching tab by innings pitched one curious detail is revealed. Of course leading the team in innings pitched are the two consistent starters junior southpaw Ben Jacobs and senior righty Jack Martinez.

However, without a consistent Sunday starter yet asserting themselves, rounding out the top five are three relievers who head coach Willie Bloomquist has used in a unique way, covering the middle innings by using a de facto bridge reliever.

Over the opening two of three games against Kansas, Bloomquist has tabbed senior right handed pitcher Jonah Giblin and sophomore righty Josh Butler for multiple innings after Jacobs and Martinez couldn’t last more than 4.0 innings in each game. The results have been effective.

Giblin delivered 3.0 innings, allowing just one run on two hits and allowing the ASU offense to create separation in a 9-2 win. On Saturday, Martinez had nowhere near his best stuff, allowing seven runs on nine hits. But with Butler entering the fifth holding a four-run lead, the Phoenix native was lights out, allowing no hits across 4.0 scoreless innings.

Butler gave the offense a chance to come crawling back, but in the end, ASU’s (15-8, 3-2 Big 12) bats failed to capitalize on Butler’s hitless relief outing, falling 7-3 to Kansas (18-5, 3-2 Big 12).

“(Butler) is a kid that I can’t speak highly enough of what he’s been through his first year,” Bloomquist said. “That’s a kid that had an opportunity to go elsewhere and wanted to stick it out here. He believed in himself that he could do it here, and he’s made a believer out of me. He’s done an outstanding job for us.”

Over the three years of Bloomqiust’s campaign, pitching has been a large source of the issue. It was difficult for ASU to put together a full nine innings. Either the starter would struggle, or the bullpen would struggle and often it would be both. For arguably the first time, Bloomquist has two consistently good starters on Friday and Saturday, and he is supplementing them by throwing some of his best relievers multiple innings following the starters.

Giblin is a veteran at this role as he has filled in as a middle relief and starter hybrid role over the last three seasons. But Butler and sophomore righty Cole Carlon, who were both tabbed at different times by Bloomquist as potential closers, have grown into relievers are always willing to throw multiple innings.

Those three pitchers have combined to throw 54.0 innings through 23 games this season, none of which have come in a start.

“It’s just one of those things where I have to be prepared for whatever is asked of me that day,” Butler said. “I think I just try to approach every opportunity I have the same way and get the job done.”

The consistent bulk innings in the middle of games should theoretically give ASU’s high powered offense to come back if they are down or to extend leads that they already have. It didn’t happen on Saturday but having consistent relief innings will continue to be a key in any Sun Devil success this season.

For three years, Bloomquist and his staff have navigating rough waters when it came to their pitching staff. They struggled to find consistent arms that give them good innings on a weekend-to-weekend basis. Now as the team nears the midway point of the 2025 season, it seems as if an effective pitching plan has surfaced, at least on Friday and Saturday.

With sophomore right handed pitcher, and presumed Sunday starter, Jaden Alba out because of a hamstring injury, the Sunday role has shuffled around. Bloomquist said he and his staff are still discussing who will start the rubber match against Kansas, but regardless of who does, expect someone to enter the game and give bulk relief innings.

“(Giblin and Butler) have just been two guys that I can count on to come in after a starter and just continue to put up zeros and give our offense a chance to get going,” Bloomquist said. “They’ve done a great job at it.”