The Sun Devil baseball team will kick off their 2025 season in exactly one week, and the hype is already starting to build. Yesterday brought news of a major investment in the future of the program, and Friday saw three different players named to the Golden Spikes preseason watchlist.
Golden Boys
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 7, 2025
Tied at the top with 3️⃣ Devils on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List 😈#ForksUp /// #Onward pic.twitter.com/MEzV6537m8
The Golden Spikes award is given annually to the best college baseball player of the year. Think of it like baseball's Heisman. Arizona State has a history with the award, as Bob Horner won the very first Golden Spikes trophy back in 1978. They've since seen two other players go on to win the honor.
One player on the list is infielder Kyle Walker, who joined the Sun Devils this offseason via the transfer portal. Walker starred for two years at Grambling State, impressing with a .379 batting average and a .502 on base percentage. He also recorded 114 defensive assists and turned 26 double plays last year.
Outfielder Brandon Compton is also on the watchlist, no surprise given his stellar freshman season last year. Compton became the 37th Sun Devil to be named a Freshman All-American after finishing with a .354 batting average, a .661 slugging percentage, and hitting the eighth most home runs of all freshmen last year. Compton was also named the Pac 12 Freshman of the Year and is expected to be a major figure for this year's team.
Finally, pitcher Ben Jacobs saw his name included as well. The southpaw, originally a transfer from UCLA, grew into the Sun Devils' top starter over the course of the season. He finished with the team lead in wins and averaged 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings, 11th best in the nation. Arizona State will need him to remain in control of his stuff heading into a pivotal season.
No other team in college baseball had more players make the Golden Spikes preseason watchlist, a good indicator of just how talented this team is heading into their fourth year under head coach Willie Bloomquist. They're also the only Big 12 program to have more than one player on the list, which certainly bodes well for their chances within the conference.
Arizona State kicks off its season next Friday, February 14, with a home series against Ohio State.