Arizona State Brings on a Premium Left-Handed Bat

The desert just got hotter.

After capturing every Mountain West accolade under the sun, outfielder Dean Toigo is heading to Tempe.

The now-former UNLV Rebel has become one of the most decorated mid-major players in the NCAA, bringing his desperately needed power from the left side of the plate to Arizona State.

Toigo seemingly came out of nowhere. At first, he started at Bethesda of the Cal Ripken Collegiate League. Then went to Hope International at the NAIA level. Eventually, Toigo brought his all-around skill to UNLV, and the Rebels were blown away by the results.

It’s a long list of accolades, but let’s get the important ones out of the way:

- Mountain West Co-Player of the Year

- All-Mountain West First Team

- ABCA First Team All-Region

- Batted .377, hit 18 home runs, and posted a .682 SLG% in his first NCAA season

Where has this kid been all along?

Sun Devils skipper Willie Bloomquist got a good, hard look at him this past season. Arizona State and the Rebels squared off twice this season, and Toigo didn’t look out of place — going 4-for-8 with three RBIs. Doing so against a Big 12 team proved that he could handle Power Five-level arms.

It was clear after this season that ASU needed reinforcements. It was a remarkable season, and then it fell off quickly in the end. A 35-22 record isn’t bad by any means, but the Devils lost four games in a row, including getting shut out by BYU in the Big 12 Tournament.

By the stroke of luck, Arizona State made the NCAA Tournament, but were among the last four teams in. Nothing significant occurred, though, while they watched rival school Arizona head to the College World Series.

Arizona has now reached back-to-back College World Series, while ASU hasn’t made a Super Regional since 2011, or a CWS since 2010.