On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
A lengthy week of waiting is finally over for the Arizona State baseball program.
Willie Bloomquist's program was selected to a first NCAA tournament appearance since 2021 on Monday morning - the Sun Devils are set to play in the Los Angeles region starting on Friday.
This is the first appearance in the tournament for the storied program under alum Willie Bloomquist - and a tepid finish nearly cost them a spot in the big dance.
DEVS ARE IN THE POSTSEASON
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) May 26, 2025
Congrats to @williebloom & @ASU_Baseball for making the NCAA Tournament! pic.twitter.com/b81xJk1nsZ
Arizona State was officially placed in 'last four in' territory after losing four straight contests to close the season - finishing 35-22. The program's RPI placed them firmly on the cut line, but a collection of high quality wins proved to be their saving grace.
Some may argue that this team underachieved, as the assortment of All-Big 12 talents and posing the best offense in the league should have resulted in more victories, but none of that matters now.
Now, Arizona State faces an uphill climb to advance to a potential super regional in the near future.
The three-seeded Sun Devils will be afforded two losses in this regional - the opening game against UC Irvine (41-15) for the right to play either the 15th national seed UCLA (42-16) or the Mountain West champions Fresno State (31-27) on Saturday.
A loss to the Anteaters will place ASU on the brink of elimination immediately - it is paramount that the potent offense headlined by Isaiah Jackson comes alive against a quality team in UC Irvine.
Details for the matchup with UC Irvine below:
Friday, May 30
Jackie Robinson stadium, Los Angeles, CA
6 P.M. AZ time
TV: ESPNU
The program - as mentioned previously - has gone through a rough patch, having not made an appearance in the super regionals since 2010.
The once proud program that are winners of five national titles haven't been able to secure another one since - although they have continued to produce quality MLB talent on a consistent basis, such as Boston Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia and current Arizona Diamondbacks ace Merrill Kelly.
Please take a minute to listen to our recent podcast where the current state of the program is discussed here , and the resurgent season that Sun Devil alum Spencer Torkelson has enoyed with the Detroit Tigers here.
Please let us know your thoughts on the upcoming tournament slate for the Sun Devil program when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.
More must-reads:
- Blue Jays make MLB history in win over Marlins
- Mets manager confirms veteran pitcher done for the season due to 'pretty significant' injury
- The 'Active 20-home run MLB seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Mets manager confirms veteran pitcher done for the season due to 'pretty significant' injury
The New York Mets announced that Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 22) due to a UCL-related injury in his right elbow. Right-hander Huascar Brazoban has been called up from Triple-A to take Montas’ spot on the active roster. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Montas’ UCL injury is “pretty significant,” via Mike Puma of the New York Post. Mendoza went on to confirm that Montas will not pitch again in 2025. It’s the latest setback in what was been a brutal inaugural season for Montas in Queens. The right-hander signed a $34M guarantee with the Mets during the winter but has produced just 38 2/3 innings of work for the team so far. A lat strain suffered at the outset of Spring Training left Montas to open the season on the injured list and he did not make his season debut until June 24. After throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the year, Montas pitched to a ghastly 7.85 ERA over his next six starts with an 18.2% strikeout rate and a whopping seven home runs allowed. Those brutal results led the Mets to move Montas to the bullpen earlier this month, where he’s surrendered four runs (two earned) on four walks and six hits (including a home run) while striking out just three. Altogether, Montas has posted a 6.28 ERA and a 5.31 FIP during his time with the Mets with an 18.0% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate. It’s a deeply disappointing outcome, and now it’s an open question when Montas will next be available to pitch. The Mets have made no announcements about the right-hander’s timeline for return, nor offered any indications about the severity of the injury. Of course, many fans will wonder about the possibility of Tommy John surgery, which is often required to repair a pitcher’s UCL once damaged. Such a procedure (or even a less invasive internal brace procedure) would likely cost Montas not only the remainder of this year but also the entire 2026 season. With that being said, some UCL injuries are possible to address via rehab. That’s a path that Braves hurler Grant Holmes opted to take earlier this month as he deals with a partial UCL tear, though even Holmes’s rehab process has brought his 2025 campaign to an abrupt end. While the details of Montas’ prognosis and timeline for return won’t be clear until the Mets make an announcement offering more information, the club will be without the right-hander for at least the immediate future. Given the fact that Montas’ performance was poor enough that he was bumped from the rotation earlier this month, perhaps that’s not too massive of a blow. Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Clay Holmes remain in the club’s rotation and have recently been joined by top prospect Nolan McLean. Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman remain in the minors already on the 40-man roster as potential depth options behind that group, and well-regarded prospect Brandon Sproat has a 4.24 ERA in 24 starts at Triple-A this year. Replacing Montas on the roster is Brazoban, who began his career in the majors with Miami back in 2022 but has served as an up-and-down relief arm for the Mets this year. It’s a role he’s performed quite well in, with a 3.83 ERA and 4.14 FIP across 51 2/3 innings of work spread between 3 starts and 41 relief outings. Brazoban figures to take up Montas' mantle as the club’s long reliever going forward.
Jets coaches try to calm situation in wake of Justin Fields' comments
According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, New York Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields did not throw a pass that traveled 10 yards in the air during his two preseason appearances. Some have voiced concerns about the Jets' passing attack with Fields in the lineup, but he insisted while speaking with reporters on Tuesday that he's "fine with taking eight-yard completions every play." On Wednesday, Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand addressed Fields' comment. "He's going to play the play the way the defense allows him to play it," Engstrand said about Fields, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. "So if they're going to allow him to take a shot down the field, he's going to take it. If they don't allow him, he's going to check the ball down, and we'll move on to the next play. We're all good with that." Fields completed just one of five passes for four yards in the Jets' 31-12 loss to the New York Giants on Saturday. According to Fox Sports, he connected on four of nine pass attempts for 46 yards across his first two preseason appearances of the summer. Despite such lackluster numbers, first-year Jets head coach Aaron Glenn suggested on Tuesday that he is ignoring "the noise that happens on the outside" regarding the team's passing offense. On Wednesday, Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner praised Fields for knowing when to take a checkdown and when to challenge an opposing defense. "I think you've seen a lot of quarterbacks in this league, Josh Allen pops into mind, who really cut down his turnovers last year and won MVP by not always trying to make the big huge play, but make the right play. Justin has done a nice job with that," Turner said. ESPN stats show that Fields averaged 6.9 yards per pass attempt over six starts and 10 appearances with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Per Pro Football Reference, 22 qualified quarterbacks had a better yards per pass attempt average for the 2024 campaign. Dan Graziano of ESPN noted Wednesday that the $10M guaranteed that the Jets owe Fields for 2026 "won't prevent them from" looking for an upgrade at the position next year if he doesn't make "a major leap as a passer." It's still early into this experiment, but there's no sign that such a leap is coming anytime soon.
CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
Winners and losers from Packers' dominant preseason win over Seahawks
The Green Bay Packers have completed their last preseason game before the start of the NFL regular season, doing so in dominant fashion against the Seattle Seahawks. With a final score of 20-7, the Packers got the final word after the two teams had several brutal fisticuffs on Thursday’s joint practice. The team had several players star in their roles during their final auditions before roster cuts on Tuesday, but while Saturday’s game was all Green Bay, several players also missed their chance to leave a lasting impression. Winner: Ty’Ron Hopper impresses with several splash Plays Any Green Bay Packers fans who watched Saturday afternoon’s preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks are now familiar with the name Ty’Ron Hopper. The second-year linebacker out of Missouri was all over the field, making several impressive plays. He finished with three tackles, a sack, and some good plays in coverage as well. Additionally, he had a forced fumble on a fourth-down play where Seahawks QB Jalen Milroe had achieved enough yardage to move the chains, but found himself unable to hold onto the ball. Hopper was not a name getting a lot of attention entering camp, but there’s no chance of him not making the roster following an excellent preseason. With starters Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, and Isaiah McDuffie cemented as the top three ‘backers for the team, Hopper appears to firmly have his hands on the reins for the fourth spot. Winner: Kalen King makes his presence felt Kalen King may have been an outside shot to make the roster a few weeks ago, but it seems like many think the former Penn State star has done enough. King ran with some of the Green Bay starters on defense during the opening periods of the game and had several important contributions. None stands out more than his fumble recovery, which was one of four turnovers forced by the team on the afternoon. In addition to the fumble recovery, he had a strong tackle on Jalen Milroe as the Seattle quarterback scampered towards the end zone, which resulted in no gain. While the secondary remains an area of concern for the Pack, King looks like he may have done enough to ensure he is a part of it entering the season. Loser: Rookie Anthony Belton still has a lot to learn Rookie offensive tackle Anthony Belton has certainly had his struggles this preseason. Just a week after being called for five first-half penalties against the Indianapolis Colts, Belton continued to show up with some poor moments against Seattle. Although he was only called for one false start on Saturday afternoon, head coach Matt LaFleur was seen ripping into Belton during the late first half. Later, it was revealed that LaFleur was upset with Belton’s stance on a third–down play where the team was hoping to secure field goal position. Belton will likely not be counted on for many snaps on offense this upcoming season. He clearly has a way to go before he can develop into a reliable player. Loser: Sean Clifford fails to impress in third-string QB battle King certainly had a strong day, but for another Penn State alum, it was more of a struggle. Reserve quarterback Sean Clifford did not have his best outing in limited action. Clifford finished 6-9 passing, but managed only 19 yards. He had multiple inaccurate balls on some shorter throws that many would expect him to convert. Competing with Clifford for the last quarterback spot is Taylor Elgersma, who had a better day. He went 6-8 for 33 yards. Even though both QBs did not do much of note against Seattle, Elgersma has had a much better preseason overall. In fact, his QB rating was over double of that of Clifford’s entering the final preseason game. Saturday’s contest was a chance for Clifford to rebound, and he failed to take advantage of the opportunity. One other advantage that Elgersma has is that he is four years younger than Clifford. Despite Clifford being just a second-year pro, he is already 27 years old. Theoretically, Elgersma has more room to grow if he was kept around.
Matthew Knies Speaks On 'Weird' Maple Leafs’ Locker Room Change
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies acknowledged that Mitch Marner’s departure will leave a noticeable void inside the team’s locker room, even if the two only shared two seasons together. Speaking at a promotional event on Saturday, via the Toronto Sun, Knies admitted that the absence of the long-standing member of the Leafs' now-former "Core Four" will be felt when the group reconvenes for training camp ahead of the 2025-26 season. "I’m looking forward to camp and thus get to enjoy these last two weeks off because we want to go as far as possible," Knies said. "Without Mitch, it’s going to obviously be different. Definitely weird in the locker room not seeing him at first. There’ll be a new (locker room) deejay." Core Four Era Ends With Mitch Marner’s Exit The Leafs dealt Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade in parallel with the star winger signing an eight-year, $96 million deal with his new franchise, closing the book on his nine-year tenure in Toronto. Marner's exit officially ended the "Core Four" era that defined the franchise for nearly a decade alongside current captain Auston Matthews, fellow winger William Nylander, and former captain John Tavares. During their time together in Toronto, those four didn't amount to much success outside of the regular season. Although the team hasn't missed the playoffs since they returned in 2017, the Leafs will enter their post-Marner era having won just two playoff series since then, never advancing past the second round. Matthew Knies' Take on How to Replace Mitch Marner's Production Knies, who broke out with 29 goals and 58 points last season before signing a six-year, $46.5 million extension, said he expects the Leafs to adjust quickly with the offseason additions of Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua. “It’ll be a bit different without Mitch, but the acquisitions we’ve made have been looking good,” Knies said. “I don’t know what we’ll put together at the start of the season, but we have a lot of great players on our team.” Asked who might take over Marner’s right-wing role to make up for his voided production, Knies pointed to Nylander, saying, “Willy is pretty dynamic. (Moving Nylander to the first-line gap) wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.” The Leafs and Golden Knights are scheduled to meet on January 15 in Las Vegas, with Marner returning to Scotiabank Arena on January 23.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
