Arizona State Baseball Mentioned as Potential Tournament Sleeper

The Arizona State Sun Devil baseball program - coached by alum Willie Bloomquist - are set to embark on their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since the 2021 season over the course of this weekend.

The Sun Devils were selected to play in the Los Angeles regional - with UCLA serving as the host - despite losing four consecutive contests to close out the season.

Despite the sour end to the season, some still believe in the talented team - particularly Mike Rooney and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, who answered pressing tournament questions via roundtable on Friday morning.

Rooney believes the Sun Devils' best baseball could be ahead of them, while McDaniel believes the program secured a relatively favorable draw.

From Rooney when asked about potential Cinderella squads:

"Historic brands Arizona State and Oklahoma State are No. 3 seeds with talent and pedigree, and both clubs' best baseball may be ahead of them."

It's difficult to label the Sun Devils as a potential 'Cinderella' squad due to the program's past history, the numerous All-Big 12 selections on the squad, among other factors - but they certainly will not be the squad that gets picked to move on to the Super Regional round.

From McDaniel:

"Fellow No. 3 seed Arizona State has a slightly easier path (in the Los Angeles Regional) with UCLA, UC Irvine and Fresno State as an unlikely but possible mountain to climb."

UCLA is the number 15 national seed - or the second lowest seed out of the 16 regional host programs. UC Irvine has been battle tested across the 2025 season, but have largely played mid-major competition over the last month and could struggle facing power four competition once again.

One thing is for sure - Arizona State must start the run with a victory. The program being forced into an elimination game right away will likely seal their fate, especially with a collective 5.27 ERA from the pitching staff this season.

The Sun Devils are set to embark on the NCAA tournament tonight from Jackie Robinson Stadium against UC Irvine - first pitch is set for 6 P.M. Arizona time. The game will be broadcast on both ESPNU and ESPN+.

Read more about takeaways from the draw the program received this weekend here, and the potential best case scenario for the team here.

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