Things are going really well for Arizona State baseball right now. It hasn't even been a full week since the season started, but the Sun Devils are 4-0 with a sweep over the Buckeyes and a solo victory against Austin Peay. On top of it all, the fans seem pretty excited too.
Record setting weekend😈
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 17, 2025
Thank you to all our fans for coming out to Muni this weekend!#ForksUp /// #Onward pic.twitter.com/ySx2Q7u4cN
Arizona State saw 10,570 fans show up for the opening weekend series against Ohio State, making it the largest opening weekend crowd in program history. That's pretty significant when you consider the rich history of Sun Devil baseball.
They have five national titles to their name, fourth most in NCAA history, and have more MLB alumni than any other program in baseball. They have a whopping 41 NCAA Tournament appearances, with 20 of those reaching regionals and 22 reaching the College World Series.
Of course, fan attendance is at least partially driven by venue, and the Sun Devils have had struggles with driving fan attendance ever since leaving historic Packard Stadium in 2015 for Phoenix Municipal Stadium, where they play now.
Going from an on-campus spot - right next to Mountain America Stadium and Desert Financial Arena - to a location in Phoenix that's nearly three miles away brought an adjustment period for fans. It didn't help that the team's success trailed off after that: the Sun Devils have just four tourney appearances since moving, and haven't advanced beyond the first round in that span.
That's what makes this new record such a big deal. Arizona State started the season with sky high expectations and a make-or-break setting for head coach Willie Bloomquist, one of those many Sun Devils to have made it to the MLB back in the day. The fact that the fans showed up in such big numbers for opening weekend - and were rewarded with a sweep - is a huge show of promise for the program's fan support moving forward.