ASU baseball’s season came to an end Sunday after UC Irvine won in a rematch 11-6 with a trip to the Los Angeles Regional final on the line.
It was the Sun Devils’ first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2021, as coach Willie Bloomquist ended the longest drought in program history by making the field for the first time in his fourth season.
Trailing 7-2 in the sixth, ASU had Irvine starter Ryder Brooks on the ropes with two on and no outs as he approached 90 pitches. Brandon Compton threw a haymaker with a double into deep left to score the two runners. Freshman Beckett Zavorek then doubled to score Compton.
Landon Hairston crushed a ball deep right that, had it stayed fair, would’ve tied the game. Instead, the Sun Devils entered the final three innings searching for at least two more runs. By the time they were back up to bat in the seventh, however, that number to reach became six more runs.
RELATED STORIES
Home run, pair of doubles by Jacob Tobias fuel ASU baseball by UC Irvine in regional opener
ASU was the third seed in L.A., and it earned an opening victory over second-seed Irvine on Friday. The Anteaters, by getting the better of the Sun Devils the second time around, move on to face undefeated host UCLA at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
UCLA needs just one win to advance to the super regionals while Irvine would need two, with the if-necessary game coming Monday.
ASU baseball quickly behind the 8-ball
Getting just his third start of the season, ASU’s Derek Schaefer got jumped on for two singles, a hit-by-pitch and a walk coming from the first five batters he faced. The Anteaters only managed one run out of it, but they put the Sun Devils behind in the game early.
Jacob Tobias made up the gap in the bottom of the frame, working a sac fly in his first at-bat Sunday after homering the first Irvine pitch he saw on Friday.
After the Anteaters tacked one more run on in the third, ASU missed a chance at a huge answer after an overturned call left runners on the corner with Tobias threatening at the plate. However, he couldn’t pay if off, grounding into a double play.
Leaving Schaefer in as deep as the fourth inning — and beyond his previous career high of 64 pitches — proved costly when Alonso Reyes took him yard for a two-run shot on his 68th pitch. Schaefer exited after the ensuing single.
Lucas Kelly seemed to have things under control in relief and was one strike away from getting out of the fourth when Chase Call smashed Irvine’s second two-run homer of the inning. Call hit another homer in the sixth inning.
Isaiah Jackson’s scorching end to season
In the bottom of the fourth, Isaiah Jackson responded to Call’s first shot with a home run of his own, his 18th on the year and 12th in the last 17 games.
BELL HASN'T RUNG ?@Jackson_Isaiah6 gets us a run with a solo shot!
? ESPN+#NCAABaseball /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/j2llSNHLai
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) June 1, 2025
Bloomquist said the Vail native’s recent success can be attributed to buying in to what hitting coach Jason Ellison and the program are selling.
“He’s made an extremely impressive transformation offensively this year in trusting what he’s doing and sticking with it,” Bloomquist told the ESPN+ broadcast. “In the past, he does something for a week and then tries something else, and then tries something else.
“This is just, he’s bought in … stuck with the plan of attack all year long and he’s having a great year,” Bloomquist added of the former Houston Astros draftee (18th round in 2022).
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( UC Irvine unloads 5 HRs, keeps ASU from reaching 1st regional final since 2016 )
Also on site :
- Yelich homers as Brewers edge Reds 3-2 despite sore hand
- Brooks Raley takes key step toward Mets return with timeline taking shape
- MLB roundup: Brewers nip Reds, run win streak to 8