Willie Bloomquist Discusses ASU Baseball's Undefeated Start

ASU baseball head coach, Willie Bloomquist, talks about Thaddeus Earle and his contributions to the team on Nov. 13, 2023. Sam Ballesteros/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Willie Bloomquist Discusses ASU Baseball's Undefeated Start

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Feb 17, 2026 8:00 AM ET

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TEMPE -- Arizona State baseball is officially off to a 3-0 start to the season after taking down the Omaha Mavericks on Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

The 6-4 win certainly did not constitute the general smooth sailing that the team saw the previous two days, although they did come out with a victory.

Head coach Willie Bloomquist made some strong statements following the victory on Sunday - read more on the words below.

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Bloomquist Not Thrilled With Pitching

Arizona State sophomore Easton Barrett gave up four runs and put together an overall shaky showing in an abbreviated outing - this put the Sun Devils in the hole that they had to overcome.

It's safe to say that the head coach wasn't exactly pleased with how the early stages of the game transpired.

Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We put way too many free base runners on this weekend for for my liking, and we can't keep doing that. We're going to get burned if we if we do that, it make a habit of it. So that's one of the things that we have to clean up. But I'm confident Easton will bounce back from that and do much better as next outing."

This came in the face of the first two starters (Cole Carlon, Colin Linder) putting together exceptional outings just a year after the pitching staff put together a combined ERA north of 5.00. There remains confidence that Barrett will bounce back, but there hasn't been any firm commitment to what the starting rotation will be long term.

Star Catcher Receives Praise

Arizona State catcher Brody Briggs is one of a few Sun Devils that returned from the 2025 team - the regular starter responded to the Sun Devils going down 4-0 by hitting a two-run home run that put the team in a position to complete the comeback.

"I mean, Briggs, he's just overall energy. Kick started us. So the Homer, Homer was icing on the cake. He just, I mean, from an offensive standpoint, yeah, it got us rolling a little bit. But I just looked what he did behind the plate. You know, we were, you know, guys were flat and again, not to dwell on the on the walks, but when you when you walk that many guys early, you got a defense standing around like, Okay, let's go. He never once wavered on his energy behind the dish. Did a great job blocking balls in the dirt."

The value that Briggs brings extends beyond the plate, as his glove has been frequently praised - with numbers to back up the elevated efforts. Briggs will continue to be a key cog in Arizona State's lineup, with the next opportunity to make an impact coming on Tuesday night against the UConn Huskies.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..