After a very forgettable week of baseball, the answer of if the Sun Devils would make the tournament has been answered.
Arizona State is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021 after being selected to the Los Angeles Regional, hosted by former Pac-12 rival UCLA and also featuring UC Irvine and Mountain West Conference champion Fresno State.
The lone school in the region that doesn't hail from the state of California, the Sun Devils made it in to the tournament as one of the last four teams in. Extra motivation for the Devils to overcome the recent skid and make it to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2011.
UCLA Bruins
Record: 42-16 (22-8 Big 10)
Big 10 Tournament: Runner-up (0-5 L vs. Nebraska)
UCLA entered the Big 10 tournament as the #2 seed in the conference, defeating Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa before falling to the Cornhuskers in the conference championship game. The Bruins have been tough at their home park, posting a 26-7 home record this season.
The Devils did split a two game series at Jackie Robinson Stadium in late February, losing Game 1 by an 8-4 score but taking Game 2 with a 2-0 shutout win.
UC Irvine Anteaters
Record: 41-15 (24-6 Big West)
Big West Tournament: Runner-up (4-6 L vs. Cal Poly)
The Anteaters were in conversation to be regional hosts, winning the Big West Conference regular season title and winning their first two games of the postseason tournament against Hawaii and Cal Poly. The Mustangs got the better of Irvine in the double elimination tournament to take the autobid from the Anteaters and bump Irvine down to the #2 seed in the regionals. The Devils will take on the Anteaters to start tournament play with Irvine holding an 11-9 all-time advantage, including six straight wins dating back to 2014.
Fresno State Bulldogs
Record: 31-27 (18-12 Mountain West)
Mountain West Conference: Champions (9-1 W vs. San Jose State)
After an up and down season, the Bulldogs finished in 2nd place in the Mountain West, clinching a bye in the first round of the tournament. A 7-3 win against #6 seeded San Jose State and a 12-7 win over top seeded Nevada set up a rematch with the Spartans for the championship, where they clinched their second straight Mountain West tournament title.
The Devils and Bulldogs have only faced off six times all-time, most recently coming in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season that saw the Devils sweep the series at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Schedule
Regional play is double-elimination format beginning on Friday, May 30th.
UCLA and Fresno State will play in Game 1 at 1pm MST on ESPN+ (subscription required), with Arizona State and Irvine playing Game 2 at 6pm MST on ESPNU. The two winners will play in Game 3 in the early game on Saturday, May 31st, and the two losers will play the first elimination game in Saturday's late game.
Sunday will open with the second elimination game to set up the championship game Sunday afternoon, with a winner take all elimination if necessary on Monday, June 2nd. Times and networks to be determined for all games after Friday night.