Arizona State is rested and ready to get back on the diamond. They've had three days off following four games in a row, in which they went 4-0, and are now preparing for a three game home stretch against the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts.
Oral Roberts comes into this one also undefeated, sitting at 3-0. However, they've had a longer break, playing their last game on Saturday thanks to a double header on opening night.
The Golden Eagles present a really tough matchup for Arizona State, though, and this series should offer a lot of insight into what exactly this year's Sun Devil squad is made of. Here are three reasons why this series is so important.
A formidable test of the bullpen
In case you missed it, the bullpen is a major talking point for Arizona State this year. They brought in six transfer pitchers in the offseason to fix what was one of the very worst bullpens in America last year.
Early on, the results have been mixed. They took a step forward in performance from opening night to Satruday's game, and were looking good for a long stretch on Sunday before falling apart late. Then they had their best game, by far, against Austin Peay, though competition level is a legitimate question mark there.
In total, Arizona State has had 10 relief pitchers work through at least one full inning, while four others came in for less than one inning at various points. They've had four relievers come out with a perfect 0.00 ERA with at least one full inning to their name, but three have an ERA over 5.00; as a team, Arizona State's ERA sits at 6.50, which currently ranks 171st in the nation.
Meanwhile, Oral Roberts has been a run machine so far. Their team batting average of .371 ranks 14th in the nation, while both their on base percentage and slugging percentage are inside the top 50. Their OPS of .965 is 42nd right now, only slightly behind TCU, who was picked to finish third in the Big 12 prior to the season.
It should be noted that the majority of Oral Roberts' run production, though, came in just one game. They beat Arkansas Pine-Bluff 19-0 in the final game of their season opening series, but had notched just three runs in each of the first two games. Their batting average is impressive, but the Golden Eagles still rank just 125th in total runs.
The caveat, though, is that those first two games were played back-to-back, while the offensive explosion was a more standard game setting. There's a huge issue in sample size when looking at the Golden Eagles so far this year, but one thing is clear: they have the potential to score in bunches.
Given the struggles Arizona State has already had on the mound, this series should be a really good test of their resolve.
Recent dominance for the Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles are led by head coach Ryan Folmar. The former Oklahoma State catcher has only ever coached with Oral Roberts, starting out as an infielders coach in 2004 before moving to hitting coach. He was promoted to the big chair ahead of the 2013 season and has completely turned the program around since.
In 12 seasons, Folmar has taken the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament seven times, advancing to regionals each time. In 2023, they went all the way to the College World Series, the first such appearance for the program since 1978.
Folmar ascended to head coach while the Golden Eagles were still in the Southland Conference, and he guided them through the transition to the Summit League after two years. Oral Roberts won their new conference the first four years in a row, twice posting 40+ wins. His only losing seasons are his first year on the job and the 2020 season, which was canceled due to the pandemic after just 16 games.
Oral Roberts has turned into a premier baseball program under Folmar's watch, providing something of a blueprint for what Willie Bloomquist wants his Sun Devils to become. Squaring up with a program that's seen as much success as Oral Roberts has in recent years can only be good for Arizona State.
Great offense vs great defense
While much of the concern for this team exists on the mound, the offense has remained stellar in Bloomquist's fourth season on the job. Arizona State has averaged 9.5 runs per game and their team batting average of .264 remains one of the best in the nation despite being a bit underwhelming given all of the Sun Devils' firepower.
Compare that to Oral Roberts, who leads the country with a perfect 0.00 ERA. They've pitched back-to-back shutouts, and gave up two unearned runs in their first game of the year. Of course, nobody is going to crown the Golden Eagles for blanking Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but that feat is still impressive.
The Golden Eagles come into this series with one of the best pitching rotations and defenses in the entire nation, but they're going on the road to face a Sun Devil squad that can - and often does - rack up runs like nobody's business.
This series is an early test of Arizona State's resolve, going up against a team that's used to winning and used to not giving up runs. If the Sun Devils can win this series, let alone sweep the Golden Eagles, it will speak volumes about how talented this team can be in 2025.