Although the Sun Devils' baseball season ended over two months ago, several players have been competing in various summer leagues across the country. Now, with all of the leagues wrapping up their seasons (only the MLB Develops League is still going), we have a complete evaluation of how each of the Sun Devils summers went.
At the time of the previous version of this article, the biggest storyline at that point was that the pitching had been doing well. That was Arizona State’s biggest weakness last season, and the team lost four arms to the draft (Ben Jacobs, Lucas Kelly, Jack Martinez and Will Koger) and six more to the transfer portal; those arms threw 15 and a third innings combined last season.
Pitchers
Rising junior lefty Cole Carlon blossomed last season for the Sun Devils and continued to be electric in the Cape Cod Baseball League and for USA Baseball. Carlon threw six and a third innings for the Cotuit Kettleers with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.789 WHIP, striking out eight batters. He had two starts and one appearance from the bullpen.
Carlon only appeared in two games for USA Baseball, throwing an inning in relief and allowing a hit in both appearances. He recorded a strikeout in both of his appearances as well, which were both in inter-squad exhibitions. Carlon seems poised to land a starting rotation role.
Rising junior Wyatt Halvorson had a superb summer for the Kettleers as well. The righty had a 1.95 ERA in 27 and two-thirds innings with a 1.301 WHIP. Halvorson exclusively worked out of the bullpen, which could mean he could be a back-end reliever for the Sun Devils.
The only poor statistics from Halvorson’s summer were that his already high walk rate got higher at 6.8 per nine innings, and his strikeout rate was at its lowest point at 8.5 per nine innings.
Rising junior righty Josh Butler had a great summer. Butler posted a 1.03 ERA in 26 and a third innings of regular-season Cape Cod ball for the Wareham Gatemen. He started in four of his eight appearances, which could lead him to a midweek starter role for the Sun Devils.
The one negative to his summer was Butler’s walk rate, which was 4.1 per nine innings, up from 3.1 last season at Arizona State. That put his WHIP at 1.101.
Butler’s accomplishments allowed him to pitch in the league’s All-Star Game, where he retired the only two batters he faced. In his lone postseason appearance, he had a rough start, allowing three runs in five innings.
Like Butler, rising junior Derek Schaefer was one of Arizona State’s better relievers last year. Schaefer had a solid summer with a 3.86 ERA in 28 innings for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League. He made eight appearances, with half of them starting and half of them as a relief pitcher. He could contend to be the midweek starter.
Schaefer’s WHIP was a solid 1.464. However, his walk and home run rates were higher than last season, and his strikeout rate was down. His accomplishments were good enough for him to play in the postseason, where he started one game, in which he had five earned runs in three and a third innings.
UNLV Transfer Alex Overbay shared the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox mound with his new teammate Derek Schaefer. Overbay did not have his best stuff in his four appearances (all from the pen), with an 8.10 ERA in three and two-thirds innings. He allowed two home runs. The rising junior had a commendable 1.200 WHIP.
Rising sophomore lefty Max Arlich had a nice summer for the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods League, after a season where he was surprisingly elite in his freshman campaign. Arlich posted a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings and improved his WHIP to 1.267 with the Express. He lowered his home run rate and walk rate as well.
Arlich had five starts, one of which was a complete game shutout. In his lone appearance from the bullpen, he recorded a save. He could be a back-end starter or top reliever for the Sun Devils next season. The one drawback to Arlich’s summer was his strikeout rate falling from 8.2 to 6.9 per nine innings.
Rising sophomore Taylor Penn had a good summer with the Madison Mallards. The Western Kentucky transfer had a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings. The righty had an inflated WHIP of 1.750, mostly due to his high walk rate of 6.8. Penn started three of his four appearances, so he could be a candidate to start for the Sun Devils this season.
Rising sophomore right-hander Eli Buxton had an underwhelming freshman campaign, allowing eight earned runs in as many innings for the Sun Devils. Buxton has looked better for the Anchorage Bucs in the Alaska League, posting a 2.49 ERA. Buxton has started in five of his six appearances. He registered a 0.789 WHIP. Buxton will likely be a reliever who can eat innings for the Sun Devils in the 2026 season..
Joining Buxton on the Bucs was rising senior right-hander Colin Linder. He did not see the diamond last year in Tempe, which should get him an extra year of eligibility. Linder appeared in six games out of the bullpen in Anchorage, allowing no earned runs in eight and two-thirds innings. He struck out 13 batters and registered a WHIP of 0.692. The righty could emerge as a quality reliever for the Sun Devils.
Easton Barrett had an underwhelming summer as he had a 4.57 ERA for the Cape Cod League’s Falmouth Commodores. He posted an improved 1.246 WHIP, along with better homer, strikeout and walk rates compared to his freshman season. The rising sophomore lefty started in only three of his six appearances, and it looks like he might have a mixed-use role like last season.
UNC Asheville transfer Colby Guy only threw three and a third innings for the Orleans Firebirds. He posted a 5.40 ERA in four appearances, all from the bullpen. That is interesting, as he has almost exclusively worked as a starter the past three years. This could mean that the Sun Devils will probably use him in the bullpen, but he could work himself into a starting spot.
Junior college transfer Finn Edwards had a below-average summer for the Bend Elks in the West Coast League. He had an 8.38 ERA and a 1.448 WHIP in nine and two-thirds innings. Edwards was picked in the 18th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers but opted to transfer to the Sun Devils.
Rising junior transfer Brady Louck had an underwhelming summer in the Cape Cod League. He posted a 10.13 ERA in 10 and two-thirds innings for the Brewster Whitecaps. In his seven appearances, he had a 1.594 WHIP. The southpaw posted his career best walk rate of 3.4 per nine innings and a high strikeout rate of 10.1 per nine innings.
The Sun Devil pitchers combined for a strong summer, boasting a collective ERA of 3.55 in 223 innings. If they can replicate that number, the team will be in a good position to have a deep run in the postseason. This is a vast improvement from last year, when they had a 5.38 ERA in 520 and two-thirds innings.
Outfield
Rising sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston is Arizona State’s highest returning bat. He went 5-15 for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League. All of his hits went for extra bases with four doubles and a homer. He scored five times and recorded a walk.
Graduate transfer Matthew Polk has not played since the first update. The Vanderbilt transfer batted .263/.462/.368 in 26 plate appearances for the State College Spikes in the MLB Develops League. The league does not end until September, but considering that Polk has not played since June and he is not on the team roster on its website, he is likely done for the season. Polk did not play in 2025 for the Commodores, but in 2024, he batted .316/.372/.492.
Rising sophomore outfielder Ky McGary, like Buxton and Linder, was on the Anchorage Bucs. McGary went .274/.425/.415 in 134 appearances (highest by any Sun Devil) in Alaska. He was effective on the bases, scoring 29 times and stealing 13 bases, while only getting caught twice.
Hairston and Polk should be major contributors alongside UNLV transfer Dean Toigo. McGary will be the fourth outfielder at this point, barring any transfers coming in.
Infield
Rising sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek built on his impressive freshman campaign with a solid .360/.442/.432 summer for the Lakeshore Chinooks in the Northwoods League. Zavorek was active on the basepaths, stealing 28/35 bags. He only had 11 RBI across 130 plate appearances. The California native will likely be the Sun Devils second baseman this season.
Rising junior transfer Dominic Smaldino had a great summer, batting .303/.390/.618 for the Saint Cloud Rox in the Northwoods League. Smaldino slugged eight home runs in his 105 plate appearances; that rate would have been among Arizona State’s best last season.
Smaldino is one of two transfers who are in the hunt to play first base for the Sun Devils in 2026. He is coming off a .277/.357/.505 at Cal, which is a step up from his freshman season. The other transfer is rising senior Garrett Michel. Michel spent three years that were riddled with injury at Virginia Tech. Throughout his time there, he went .326/.446/.607, but had his worst season in 2025, going .272/.398/.467. The first base competition should be one to keep an eye on in the offseason and throughout the season.
Cal transfer shortstop PJ Moutzouridis did not play much for the Cotuit Kettleers. Moutzouridis batted a .167/.211/.222 slash line in 19 plate appearances in the Cape Cod League. The rising junior had a sophomore regression last season with the Golden Bears dropping .149 points in OPS from his freshman year. He has a solid glove and is the only shortstop on Arizona State’s roster with NCAA experience.
The majority of the Sun Devil infielders did not play summer ball. The Sun Devil trio of experienced third basemen of Austen Roellig, Dominic Longo and Nu’u Contrades are all solid options for the team, and Roellig and Longo have both spent time at shortstop. The infield is the deepest unit on Arizona State’s roster and could see many different combinations throughout the season.
Catchers
Rising junior Brody Briggs had an underwhelming summer. In the Cape Cod League, he went .143/.355/.250 for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in 77 plate appearances. Briggs had a breakout season in the spring, going .275/.301/.459 and becoming a part of the catching rotation. Although his numbers were not the best, playing summer ball is better than not, especially up in the Cape, which is considered the best summer league by many.
Rising sophomore Coen Niclai is transferring in from Oregon. The former Duck went .269/.390/.433 for the Ocean State Waves in the New England Collegiate Baseball League in 82 plate appearances. He registered 13 RBI and scored 12 runs.
Rising senior Jonny Garber was the Sun Devils' lone representative in the California Collegiate League, batting .274/.425/.415 for the Arroyo Seco Saints. Garber logged 87 plate appearances and had 10 runs scored and 10 RBI.
Briggs will likely be a part of the catching rotation, but that second spot is up in the air. Freshman Cooper Clouser and Tommy Brown are slated to join the team as well. The four behind Briggs' pecking order will likely be established in the fall. The Sun Devils had four catchers on the roster last year, so one will likely be cut.
Outlook for fall
There is a bit that could change going into fall ball, such as new players coming in and others leaving the program. After the fall season, Willie Bloomquist and the Arizona State staff will have to have the roster at 34, which is the new rule following the House settlement.
This is my current prediction for Arizona State’s opening day lineup:
- Beckett Zavorek 2B
- Landon Hairston LF
- Dean Toigo RF
- Garret Michel DH
- Nu’u Contrades 3B
- Dominic Smaldino 1B
- Brody Briggs C
- PJ Moutzouridis SS
- Matthew Polk CF
Cole Carlon LHP
Players will likely emerge in the fall exhibitions, and we will have a clear picture of the lineup. 14 bats have a good chance of being in the opening day lineup, and four pitchers who could be the opening day starter.