Sun Devils add four more in the transfer portal

Heading into the offseason, Arizona State baseball head coach Willie Bloomquist knew he had some work to do in the transfer portal. Bloomquist could be losing as many as nine of the 11 offensive players who saw significant playing time for the Sun Devils. 

As mentioned in the last update Bloomquist had already brought in three transfers consisting of outfielders Dean Toigo, Matthew Polk and infielder Dominic Longo. The Sun Devils had two other transfers committed but not signed. One of those, rising senior outfielder George Bilecki, has signed.

Bilecki, a division two transfer from Lewis University, spent three seasons with the Flyers, posting a slash line of .317/.400/.654. The Illinois product posted a powerful season in 2024, with over half of his hits going for extra bases, along with driving in and scoring over 60 runs. He is a threat on the basepaths as well, as he swiped 37 bags in the past two seasons.

Bilecki is playing summer ball for the Eau Claire Express in the Northwoods League along with rising sophomore left-handed pitcher Max Arlich. The Sun Devil duo is posting solid numbers, with Bilecki’s slash line being .265/.366/.412 in 41 plate appearances and Arlich’s ERA being 3.38 in 8 innings.

Bilecki spent most of his time in center field and played some corner outfield as well. He will likely join Polk and Toigo in the outfield with rising sophomore Landon Hairston getting the designated hitter role.   

Toigo and Hairston looked to be candidates for the first base role, but rising senior first baseman Garrett Michel looks to be the favorite to start at the first base spot. The Virginia Tech transfer posted a slash line of .326/.446/.607 in three seasons with the Hokies.

Michel only played first for the Hokies, making him the likely replacement for the graduating Jacob Tobias, who has been a fixture of Willie Bloomquist-led teams. There is a chance he gets the designated hitter role with Hairston or Toigo playing first, but those players will likely see the outfield rather than first base.

Joining Michel in the infield is rising redshirt sophomore third baseman Austen Roellig. Roellig spent his redshirt freshman year at Utah after spending his freshman year at LSU, not seeing any action. His slash line was .341/.391/.441 for the Utes. 

Roellig might be a familiar name for Sun Devil fans. He went 7-12 with 3 RBIs against the Sun Devils when they traveled to Salt Lake City last March.

Roellig played third base with a pair of games at second base and shortstop. Roellig and Dominic Longo will likely play third and short, respectively, but that could be flipped as their primary position in the 2025 season was third base.

The Sun Devils latest addition is rising sophomore catcher Coen Niclai. The Alaska native was the top recruit in his class in the state known as “The Last Frontier” according to perfect game. Niclai posted a slash line of .242/.324/.455 in 37 plate appearances. 

Niclai is the second catcher to transfer from Oregon to Arizona State during Bloomquist’s tenure. The first was Josiah Cromwick, who spent two years as a Sun Devil and three as a Duck.

Niclai comes into a deep catching room that features three guys who could assume the role of the top catcher by the end of the year. Returning is rising junior Brody Briggs, who slashed .275/.301/.459 as the “1B catcher” behind Cromwick. ASU also has incoming freshman Cooper Clouser, who is highly touted, who won all-state honors playing for Corona Del Sol, just 10 miles from Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Offensively, Bloomquist might be done getting transfers as the Sun Devils have rebuilt the firepower of last season’s squad. At this point, I project the lineup to be as follows come February:

Beckett Zavorek 2B
Austen Roellig 3B
Landon Hairston DH
Dean Toigo RF
George Bilecki LF
Garrett Michel 1B
Dominic Longo SS
Brody Briggs C
Matthew Polk CF

This will likely change during fall ball, when we see the first exhibitions, and it could change if the Sun Devils add anyone to the portal. We will go deeper later when we know what the full roster is.

In terms of pitching, the Sun Devils have not signed anyone but do have a commit from rising redshirt senior right-hander Colby Guy. Bloomquist will now have to attack that area of the portal as the Sun Devils are losing nine pitchers and have signed nine freshmen, but will want to get a few quality arms in the portal, and their top two starters are expected to be drafted.