Sun Devils win Rollercoaster Rubber Match, defeating Kansas, 7-6

(Photo: Nickolas Montei/WCSN)

PHOENIX — Entering the 2025 season, the strength of Arizona State baseball was clearly in its veteran lineup. Up and down the starting nine are juniors and seniors that have consistently produced at the highest level of college baseball.

Over the last few weeks the lineup has struggled to match the expectations placed on them preseason. Sure, they exploded for 26 runs in Fort Worth against TCU, but in clutch situations the Sun Devils have struggled to shine.

On Sunday, in a pivotal rubber match against a talented No. 22 Kansas team, three separate key hits from veteran hitters were the difference in ASU going home happy with its second consecutive Big 12 series win or starting a road trip at .500 in the conference.

None were more important than junior third baseman Nu’u Contrades’ two-run walk-off home run to snag the win after the Sun Devils blew their second save of the season with two outs in the top of the ninth. As Contrades sent Phoenix Municipal Stadium into a frenzy, the Sun Devils (15-8, 4-2 Big 12) defeated Kansas (18-6, 3-3 Big 12), 7-6, clinching a crucial early-season series win.

“After giving up a lead in the ninth with two outs, which seemed like that game was just about over, to be able to bounce back and come away with the win is just a sign of a good team that’s resilient and not willing to give in,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said.

After playing in just five games last season before missing the rest of the year with a back injury, Contrades was one of the most crucial bats that Bloomquist was looking to get back in the lineup. The Sun Devils are still looking for Contrades to recapture the form he had in his freshman year when he hit .309 with eight homers, but in 2025, the Hawaii native has been a consistent presence in the lineup.

Slashing .284/.448/.469, he’s been productive, but his walk-off homer was his first home run in 17 games. If the Sun Devils are winning series when they aren’t hitting at their best, it’s a scary sign for the Big 12 when they do.

“It’s pretty gratifying as a coach to see a great kid come through in that situation,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said of Contrades’ homer. “He’s been through a lot with the injury last year and has been really working hard to find his swing this year and get it back right. He’s getting very, very close. Maybe he’s there now with that homer.”

While Contrades ended the game, Sunday was a back-and-forth battle from the jump. Sophomore righty Jaden Alba made his first start since March 2 against Minnesota when he began dealing with a nerve issue. Alba was on a hard pitch count at 60 and didn’t quite have his best stuff, allowing two earned runs on three hits and two walks.

The Sun Devils cut Kansas’s lead to 2-1 when junior outfielder Brandon Compton scored without needing a hit as he walked, stole second, moved over to third on a flyball, and scored on a passed ball.

In the bottom of the fourth, junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson tallied the first of three clutch hits from veteran bats. After spitting on four offspeed pitches designed to get him to chase out of the zone, Jackson was rewarded with the pitch he was looking for and took it for a ride, hitting a 3-1 fastball 105 mph directly off of the scoreboard in right-center.

ASU wouldn’t be able to hold on to that early 3-2 lead, allowing Kansas to jump ahead thanks to sloppy play in the sixth.

“By and large, a pretty sloppy game,” Bloomquist said. “We made a lot of mistakes defensively, behind the plate, base running, walked a lot of guys. It was uncharacteristic of how we’ve been playing.”

As the game entered its final third, the Sun Devils were down one run. Once again, they looked to one of their veteran leaders to help them erase the deficit. While Bloomquist has shuffled his top of the order around quite a few times due to some injuries and just overall season progression, there has been one player who hasn’t moved from his spot.

Jacob Tobias.

The senior first baseman is playing in his fourth season under Bloomquist and the two have developed a strong bond that is built on trust both ways.

“The last three years, like, a lot has happened, but knowing that he trusts me the way he does is awesome,” Tobias said. “I give that same trust back to him. Whatever he says goes for me. I trust him with everything he does on the field. I never doubt him.”

That trust paid off as, with two outs and two on in the bottom of the seventh, Tobias roped a 0-1 fastball into the left-center gap, clearing the bases and giving ASU the lead back and reenergizing a Phoenix Muni crowd that lost some of its juice.

“I’ve seen the kid struggle,” Bloomquist said of Tobias. “I’ve seen the kid go bananas and go crazy. I’ve seen the ups and downs of him. I trust him. He’s gonna hit. And the day I move him out of that four-hole is probably the day that I make a mistake … He’s my four-hole hitter. Go get them.”

The Sun Devils have now scratched and clawed their way to two series victories in the Big 12. They have both come with the Sun Devils not playing their best ball. The offense hasn’t met their expectations in the preseason up to this point, but the rotation and bullpen have surpassed the performance of previous seasons under Bloomquist.

Now, as ASU hits the road for a midweek against UNLV before a challenging road series in the mountains against Utah, it will be looking to put all the pieces together and play the game the Sun Devils know they can.

“We have work to do to get better, but the encouraging part is we took another series from a very good opponent,” Bloomquist said. “We move forward. We learn from our mistakes. We move forward again. We’re not playing our best baseball yet, and there is room to improve. But if you’re winning series’ with stuff to improve upon, then that’s a positive.”