ASU flashes potential in dominant Mexican Baseball Fiesta victory

Arizona State brought the party to the Mexican Baseball Fiesta. Matched up against the Mexican Pacific League’s Naranjeros de Hermosillo — one of the most historically successful organizations in Mexican professional baseball — who brought a hodgepodge roster of college players, current and former American minor leaguers, and veterans of Mexican professional baseball, the Sun Devils didn’t just hold their own; they overpowered their opponent. ASU limited Hermosillo to just six base runners — three hits, two walks and one hit batter — over the course of nine innings while recording 14 hits of its own, paving the way for a lopsided 10-0 Sunday afternoon victory at the American Family Fields of Phoenix, the spring training home of the Milwaukee Brewers. A lot can change before the Sun Devils open the gates at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in the spring, but the early signs for the 2027 iteration of head coach Willie Bloomquist’s squad are promising. “Great to get out and play another uniform,” Bloomquist expressed. “Our guys have been working, working hard against each other, and it’s nice to come out here and play against a different team. A professional team at that. … The atmosphere that our guys got to play in was something different than the stale, mundane atmosphere of fall ball with nobody in the stands.” One unique wrinkle of the Mexican Baseball Fiesta was its lively atmosphere, with music playing nearly constantly throughout the Brewers complex. The noise posed a unique challenge for the Sun Devils’ arms, telling Bloomquist that they couldn’t “hear anything” on the mound. Regardless of whether their ears worked or not, their stuff certainly did. Bloomquist sent 10 different pitchers out to the mound over the course of the nine-inning affair, and all of them produced. No pitcher allowed more than two baserunners; only one Naranjero reached third base, and the 10 ASU arms combined for 11 strikeouts, with a three-headed monster of fourth-year left-hander Alex Valentin, third-year right-hander Joey McMannis, and fellow third-year righty Eli Buxton leading the way with two each. “Those (are) guys that hopefully we can shape and polish and get them better and get them to the point where they can be very effective, because they got electric arms and we just got to continue fine-tuning things,” Bloomquist explained. “Very proud of the job they did. Albeit fall, they came in and threw strikes.” ASU’s fall will operate as something of a tryout for an ASU pitching staff that lost seven arms to the MLB draft, including staff ace Cole Carlon, who was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 39th overall pick. No jobs were won Sunday, but everyone who threw, including the seven newcomers who saw the mound, earned themselves another look. “We’re going to need guys to step up and continue to sharpen up and get better throughout the fall and into the spring when the real lights come on,” Bloomquist said. As dominant as the Sun Devils’ pitching was, the bats made sure to carve out some time under the spotlight. The offense made its mark early, starting the game with two runners in scoring position after second-year shortstop Davis Perkins was hit by a pitch and third-year center fielder Landon Hairston doubled into left-center field. With an opportunity to open the scoring, first baseman Dominic Smaldino singled into left field for his first of two base knocks that brought home Perkins. “I had a clear head,” Smaldino explained. “I knew what I was looking for, and was picking up offspeed or whatever pitch it was early and just had a clear head and clear focus.” ASU added on in a major way in the fifth inning with a seemingly never-ending conga line of Sun Devils circling the bases. In total, five singles and three walks led to five runs. Three more runs crossed the plate across the sixth and seventh innings, putting the team at 10 runs on the afternoon. “People were sticking to their approaches today,” first-year center fielder Jet Berry said. “We just kept stringing along hits.” Despite the offensive explosion, Bloomquist, himself one of the best offensive players in ASU baseball’s storied history, wasn’t satisfied with what he saw. “There were some guys that clammed up with guys in scoring position,” Bloomquist sounded. “We like to see guys be a little more aggressive, especially with fastballs. That’s something that we have to clean up and be ready to put bat on ball there and drive runs in.” Even with Bloomquist’s report card, the scoreboard read 10 runs at the end of the day, with a combination of veterans and first-year players working together to reach the mark. Among the young players, Berry had arguably the biggest impact. The Perfect Game 10-grade player arrived on campus after going undrafted out of high school despite being Baseball America’s No. 332 MLB Draft prospect and gave a sneak peek at the type of steal he could be for the Sun Devils. The youngster got the fifth-inning rally started with an infield single and showed off his wheels again in the seventh, punching an RBI hustle double into the left-center gap. “Probably the biggest part of my game is my speed,” Berry revealed. The Valley native and Queen Creek High School graduate is just one of 26 newcomers fighting for playing time on Bloomquist’s roster. While his performance on Sunday was something to build upon, the youngster needs to do just that to earn his skipper’s trust — build upon it. There’s a long way to go before ASU begins playing meaningful games in the spring, but for individual players, there are roles to win and lose — and Sunday was just the start. Only time will tell how the Sun Devils shape up and what their season will look like. Questions such as whether the team will be able to make it past the regional round of the NCAA tournament can’t even begin to be answered. Still, there can be some takeaways from the early fall. “This new group, a lot of guys work hard, and they’re good people,” Smaldino said. “It’s been easy getting to know these guys. We have a good clubhouse.”