PHOENIX – Two seasons ago, the Arizona State pitching had a 6.53 ERA. Pitching coach Jeremy Accardo was brought in last year, and the ERA fell to 5.38. The pitching still needs to take a step up, considering the Sun Devils lost Friday and Saturday starters Ben Jacobs and Jack Martinez to the MLB draft.
There are signs that pitching will make that step up. The Sun Devils brought in several transfers, and the staff posted a combined 3.55 ERA in summer ball. Granted, it will be hard to bring that ERA into the hitter’s park that is Phoenix Municipal Stadium, but the number still can easily improve.
“They're (the coaching staff) always there for us and they're always empowering us with the tools that we need to go do it anywhere,” junior right-hander Derek Schaefer said. “That's what happened this summer.”
Lucas Kelly and Jonah Giblin, who were Arizona State’s top right-handed relievers last year, also moved on from the program, leaving a lot of open spots and restructuring within the pitching staff.
Junior lefty Cole Carlon comes in after having a breakout sophomore season that saw his ERA get cut down by 4.19 points. Carlon could easily be the Friday starter for the Sun Devils in what will be his first year of eligibility for the MLB draft since high school.
Junior right-hander Josh Butler also saw a huge breakout season last year as he pitched nearly 30 more innings out of the bullpen compared to his freshman year. He saw similar success in the summer, where he threw in the Cape Cod all-star game.
“We keep using the word standard, and it's something that we really embraced as a staff last year and something that we're bringing in this year, too,” Butler said. “When you have that standard, everyone's bought into the same thing, you can go out individually and perform the way you want to.”
Sophomore southpaw Easton Barrett had a mixed-use role in the summer. Barrett played under former big leaguer Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the Falmouth Commodores.
“I remember watching him (Saltalamacchia) in the World Series,” Barrett said. “It was just really cool to see a big league mind and pick his brain and see what he had to say to pitchers and how he ran a team.”
Schaefer had a mixed-use role in the summer, which has prepared him for what the season could look like. He is in his second year at his local school, and he broke out as a solid reliever last season.
Halvorson looked elite in the summer as he had a season where he missed a chunk due to an illness. He could be a closer in what is a stacked bullpen.
“I went in the summer with an attitude of just going right after guys, knowing that I can compete with some of the best players in the country in that league,” Halvorson said. “It was big for my mental confidence, bringing that into the fall and hopefully into the spring.”
Senior southpaw Sean Fitzpatrick is back after not being selected in the MLB draft. Fitzpatrick will be a top lefty for the Sun Devils out of the bullpen.
Sophomore left-hander Max Arlich, junior right-hander Jaden Alba, redshirt junior right-hander Colin Linder and sophomore righty Eli Buxton all return, and all four have shown that they can be elite starters and solid relievers, making it challenging for head coach Willie Bloomquist and Accardo to set a rotation and a bullpen.
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Edwards in this year's MLB draft. The junior college transfer opted to transfer to Tempe instead of joining a farm system as an 18th-round pick.
“I knew right away that this is the direction that I want to go and take a little gamble on myself and come here and already know that it's going to pay off,” Edwards said. “He's (Accardo) the main reason I came here.”
Junior right-hander Alex Overbay comes from UNLV with 5th-year outfielder Dean Toigo. Overbay’s father, Lyle, played with Bloomquist in the big leagues on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The righty will likely be a top-used guy in the bullpen.
Senior righty Kole Klecker pitched in the College World Series in his freshman year. He has the experience that other guys can lean on for the team to make a run.
“It's about stacking days, getting 1% better every time,” Klecker said.
The Sun Devils bring in a handful of other pitchers from the portal. Junior southpaw Brady Louck, graduate right-hander Colby Guy, senior righty Nick Anello, redshirt sophomore righty Brandon Olivera and sophomore right-hander (and potential future reporter) Taylor Penn all will be pieces on the Sun Devil pitching staff in some way as well.
Accardo looks to have a second straight year of improving the pitching staff, and the pieces look to be there for him to do so.
“Bloom's (Bloomquist) talked to us a lot about how we made the postseason, but we shouldn't be celebrating that,” Halvorson said. “Obviously, we expect to go to much farther and higher places.”