PHOENIX – A year ago, continuity was the story for Willie Bloomquist’s team, with six of the nine bats returning, as well as two of the three weekend starters. That brought a level of certainty to the team that was not replicated this year, as one weekend starter and three prominent bats returned to the team.
Those players have some volatility this season as well, since Bloomquist brought in competition to face the returners. The vast majority of players are competing for their positions heading into the season, as Arizona State was picked to finish fourth among Big 12 coaches.
“Nobody’s starting job is safe, it’s rented, not owned,” Arizona State head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “They understand that I’m renting my position today and I got to pay my rent, or otherwise someone’s going to take it from me.”
This is a deep team with depth that could see changes throughout the lineup regularly. Conversely, the top-end talent is not the most eye-popping, making a roster that has a lot of very good players on it.
Sophomore utilityman Landon Hairston should slot into the left fielder position, where he spent a chunk of time last season. He could also play right field and first base. Regardless of where he plays, he should be a staple of the Sun Devils' lineup, as he was selected to the 2026 Big 12 preseason team.
5th-year outfielder Dean Toigo comes in from UNLV and is a powerful bat for the Sun Devils. Toigo is the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year and was the 2025 Mountain West co-player of the year. He can play outfield as well as first base, but expect him to start the year in right.
The center field spot is uncertain. Graduate outfielder Matt Polk and junior infielder Dominic Longo, who come in from Vanderbilt and Utah Valley, respectively, seem to be the favorites for the position. Both are players who will see time to start the year.
Sophomore outfielder Ky McGary should often appear in pinch-running roles, as he has great speed. Junior outfielder Sam Myers, freshman Ryan Darrah and freshman Jaxsyn Durst are further down the depth chart. Defense will be needed to pair with Hairston and Toigo’s gloves.
Redshirt junior infielder Nu’u Contrades returns, but it is anticipated that he will move over to second base. He should be a staple in the lineup, but with the level of other middle infielders, he could get passed. Contrades is one of the two captains this year.
“It’s a great honor to know my teammates and coaches think of me in that way,” Contrades said.
One of the players with high expectations is redshirt sophomore infielder Austen Roellig, who received 2026 Big 12 preseason team honors. Roellig is expected to play third base, as he played the position at Utah, where he was a good contact hitter.
Sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek returns to the Sun Devils, where he played excellently in limited time. Zavorek is a Swiss Army Knife in the infield and can play second base, shortstop and third base.
Junior infielder PJ Moutzouridis is also competing for a position. The Cal transfer brings in a well-regarded glove by many at shortstop, but his bat is not at that level. It will be interesting to see if Bloomquist opts for offense or defense throughout the season.
Fellow former Golden Bear Dom Smaldino is competing for a position. The junior infielder will likely start at first base. He has a powerful bat that could fare well at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Redshirt junior transfer Garrett Michel is also battling for first base. The Virginia Tech transfer also boasts a power bat. He has battled injury over the past few seasons.
“It’s been a long road of recovery and different things like that,” Michel said. “I’ve never been more excited for an opening day.”
Freshman infielders Finn Leach and Brenden Lewis are expected to start the year at the bottom of the depth chart. The aforementioned Longo, Toigo and Hairston can all play infield if needed as well.
The catcher position is another position that is up in the air, as Bloomquist often mixed catchers throughout the years last year. Redshirt sophomore Brody Briggs should be in the mix as he shared responsibilities behind the dish with the graduated Josiah Cromwick. Sophomore Coen Niclai comes in from Oregon as well and should split with Briggs.
Freshman Cooper Clouser and Tommy Brown are further down the depth chart. They could get spot starts in the designated hitter role along with either of the top catchers, when they are not behind the dish.
On the mound, things are clearer. Bloomquist announced the entire rotation, including a midweek starter.
“There’s been six or seven guys that have been stretched out to be starters,” Bloomquist said. “The idea is that these guys are kind of built up for four, five innings.”
Junior lefty Cole Carlon will start on Friday nights. He was named to the Big 12 baseball preseason team, but as a reliever. The Arizona native is expected to be an early MLB draft pick in the summer.
Redshirt junior right-hander Colin Linder is the Saturday starter. Linder’s name is a surprise to the rotation, considering he missed all of last season with an injury.
“It’s an awesome opportunity,” Linder said. “This is what I’ve worked for my whole life, but also in the past year and a half, coming back from injury.”
Sophomore southpaw Easton Barrett picks up the position he had at the end of last season as the Sunday starter. Barrett showed potential in his freshman season, especially when he was the full-time Sunday starter.
Senior right-handed pitcher Kole Klecker starts as the midweek starter as the Sun Devils face tougher opponents in midweek games against UConn (No. 41 in 2025 NPI) and Oklahoma (No. 22 in 2025 NPI) in the first few weeks, compared to weekend series against Omaha (No. 197 in 2025 NPI) and St John’s (No. 107 in 2025 NPI). Klecker has Men’s College World Series experience and could move to a weekend rotation spot when the opponents get tougher.
“I’m excited we got some good games to start the year,” Klecker said. “A lot of times in midweek, you won't face a tough opponent.”
The rotation could be jumbled in the final week of non-conference action as the Sun Devils do not have a midweek before playing LMU.
Two of Arizona State’s four lefties are starting, which leaves only two lefties in the pen. The Sun Devils had six lefties on the roster, which does not have much wiggle room in how Bloomquist uses lefties.
Senior Sean Fitzpatrick is one of those southpaw pitchers. He was named a team captain alongside Contrades. Fitzpatrick struggled last season with a double-digit ERA. The other lefty is Brady Louck, who transferred from Florida State.
“Fitzpatrick’s a kid that’s got a rubber arm that can throw every day,” Bloomquist said. “I anticipate using him an awful lot.”
The Sun Devils return a quartet of junior right-handers in Jaden Alba, Josh Butler, Wyatt Halvorson and Derek Schaefer. Sophomore Eli Buxton is the only other righty returnee. All are quality pitchers who have shown that they can eat innings.
Junior righty Alex Overbay will start the season as a long reliever, to come in on Friday nights after Carlon is done. Overbay comes from UNLV, where he was used as a back-end bullpen reliever.
“Between those two guys stacked up on each day, it should, if things go well, eat up most of the game,” Bloomquist said. “Then we have guys in position to close it down late.”
Senior Nick Anello and graduate Colby Guy are a pair of righties who bring experience from smaller programs. Anello was a closer at Jacksonville last season. Guy had high expectations as a starter at UNC Asheville, being named the 2025 Big South preseason pitcher of the year before being sidelined with injury.
A pair of young, exciting right-handers are sophomores Finn Edwards and Taylor Penn. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Edwards in the 2025 MLB draft, but Edwards elected to transfer to Arizona State from Iowa Western CC. Penn was effective at Western Kentucky last season.
Redshirt junior Brandon Olivera transferred from Miami Dade College as a reliever. Arizona State brought in four freshmen pitchers, in Ryan Caruso, Ashton Higgins, Austin Musso and Marcelo Rodriguez. Lewis is a two-way player who can pitch if needed.
Predictions
With nothing besides the pitching rotation officially named, it is hard to have a full picture of the opening day lineup. Here is my prediction:
LF Landon Hairston
3B Austen Roellig
RF Dean Toigo
1B Dom Smaldino
2B Nu’u Contrades
DH Garrett Michel
C Coen Niclai
CF Dominic Longo
SS Beckett Zavorek
LHP Cole Carlon
The big questions are center field, shortstop and catcher, with Polk, Moutzouridis and Briggs in contention to play. Regardless of who starts on Friday, I expect those 12 players to make starts throughout the weekend, if not more.
Breakouts
Darrah is the bat who could emerge as a freshman like Hairston did last year. His versatility is what is needed in a team that has a lot of depth, and that could allow him to get spot starts that could turn into owning a position. I liked what I saw from his scrimmage performances.
Musso is a pitcher who impressed me in the fall. I expect him not to make appearances off the bat, but eventually come in as a bullpen piece.
As for bigger breakouts, Smaldino is primed for a national-level breakout. The Cal transfer is coming off a season where he broke out as a solid, everyday player, but this year, he will take it to the next level. He has good power and contact with his bat as well as a decent glove. Dom Smaldino will be in the All-American conversation at the end of this season.
On the mound, Buxton is poised for a smaller breakout of his own, as he pitched well for a freshman in Phoenix Municipal Stadium, a known hitters' park. His numbers were in the same ballpark as Cole Carlon and Wyatt Halvorson’s freshman-year numbers. Like Buxton, Carlon and Halvorson went to pitch in Alaska in the summer after their freshman year, and Buxton’s numbers in The Last Frontier were better than theirs.
This roster is an interesting one to predict, with its volatility in who could play regularly. The ceiling is an early exit in the Men’s College World Series in Omaha if everyone reaches near what their potential could be, and I do not think that the high-end talent is enough to win it all. The floor is a 30-win season that misses the NCAA tournament, which features an early exit in the Big 12 conference tournament.
At the end of the season, my best guess is that the Sun Devils will be eliminated in an NCAA regional final, a game further than the result from last season.
“It’s a good opportunity for us if we play good baseball, put together a lot of wins this season, we’re going to be in a great spot going into the postseason,” Klecker said. “If we get the opportunity to host a regional here at (Phoenix) Muni, that’s really exciting."