House of Sparky

Zac BonDurant Arizona State was not selected for an NCAA regional bid by the selection committee On Monday morning, nervous Sun Devil fans tuned in to ESPN 2 to watch the NCAA Men’s College World Series regional selection show with aspirations of a postseason brith. Sorrow began to settle in once other at-large bided teams began to fill spots. The Sun Devils missed a regional for the second straight year and were included at one of the selection show’s first four out. ASU narrowly missed a postseason birth in Bloomquist’s second year, and many believe it was a...

Zac BonDurant ASU’s rough stretch of games late in the season proved costly TEMPE, Ariz.— Doubt never crept into the mind of head coach Willie Bloomquist about his team’s ability to play with the best. The former Sun Devil star expected to be coaching ASU in the postseason in his second year as head coach with 28 new players on the team. Early on, Arizona State (32-23, 16-13 Pac-12) proved that it could compete with perennial powerhouses, take care of weaker opponents and possibly even host a regional for the first time since 2010. But on Monday, the NCAA...

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK ASU couldn’t hold its late-hole lead SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Arizona State’s Men’s Golf season ended in heartbreaking fashion after falling to the University of North Carolina, 3-1. The Devils led in three of their five matches for most of the round before the golf gods, as ASU coach Matt Thurmond said, decided today wasn’t the Devil’s day. “It was kind of shocking at the end,” Thurmond said. “It was a pretty crazy series of things that had to happen to flip it like that so quickly. They say golf is a game...

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK ASU will face North Carolina SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Seventy-two holes wasn’t enough for the Sun Devils and Stanford Cardinal to decide who would advance. Both teams were tied for the eighth spot at 12-over through 72, and it took a decisive 13-foot putt from Preston Summerhays to propel the Devils over the pesky Cardinal. Need a Clutch Putt? ️ has your Back #ForksUp /// ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/P3gwkOlH7H— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 30, 2023 The playoff was formatted as a five-player, five-hole...

Zac BonDurant ASU falls short in qualifying for an NCAA regional bid TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State (32-23, 16-13 Pac-12) failed to qualify for a NCAA Men’s College World Series regional position Monday. The Sun Devils did not hear their name called in the selection show on ESPN 2 Monday, which selected 64 division I program’s for a chance to play in Omaha, Neb. for the National Championship. The phenomenal first half of the Sun Devil season was not enough for the selection committee to justify a limping final stretch of regular season games for ASU. The Sun...

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Devils cards 1-under in round three SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Welcome to moving day, Sun Devils. Paced by freshman Michael Mjaaseth’s team-leading 4-under 66, No. 4 Arizona State has secured solo seventh after a posting a 1-under 279 on Sunday. ASU is 11-over through 54. Only the top 15 teams will advance to the final round of stroke play, and of those final 15 teams, only the top eight will move on to stroke play. While on the cusp of the top eight, coach Matt Thurmond said he likes ASU’s chances. “We’ve been on the edge...

Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Devils move up 12 sports after round two SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Maybe it took the opening round to shake off the nerves, but the first-year championship-scorers for ASU stepped up on day two of the NCAA Championships. No. 4 ASU improved 12 spots to T-9 after a team 1-over 281 in round two. The Sun Devils improved 10 strokes from round one (291-281/572) and are 12-over heading into the third round, tied with No. 15 Alabama. The important nugget of each of the last two years, a team has moved from outside the top-15 and improved...

Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via ASU cards 11-over in opening round SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Sun Devil Men’s Golf team raved about the difficulty of Grayhawk after their practice round on Thursday, knowing that sharp iron play and driving would be crucial. No. 4 Arizona State posted an 11-over 291 (T21) opening-round of the NCAA Championships with only one scorer carding under par. In fact, the 7,289-yard par-70 280 Raptor course reared its head on Friday, with no team posting an under-par score. Similar to how majors championship courses play at the pro...

Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Play begins Friday morning for the National Title SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — ASU men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond huddled his team up on the eighteenth after finishing their final round of practice, reminding them that they’re ready for what’s to come. Just one year ago ASU Men’s Golf marched into Grayhawk Golf Club looking to capture the NCAA Championship. That team, which included the then-freshman Preston Summerhays, ultimately fell to Texas and the Coody twins. However, this year’s team is back with confidence and...

Zac BonDurant

Zac BonDurant ASU knocked 20 hits in its 14-5 win SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Arizona State (32-23, 17-14 Pac-12) won a massive game at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday against No. 10 Oregon State (39-17, 18-13 Pac-12), exploding on the offensive end for 20 hits in a 14-10 finish of its final pool play matchup of the 2023 Pac-12 Baseball Tournament. Huge performances from Nu’u Contrades, Luke Keaschall, Ryan Campos, Nick McLain and, an unlikely hero, Bronson Balhom, have let Willie Bloomquist’s group live to fight another day after coming off a tough loss to Arizona on...

David Wallace/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK Breaking down ASU’s best on the gridiron With 100 days before Arizona State kicks off its 2023 season against Southern Utah, we’re breaking down the top-10 best Sun Devils to ever play in the maroon and gold. These players were compiled based on contributions to ASU while also taking statistics and success at the next level into account. One player will be released until the start of the season. It is also important to note that this list is completely subjective. No. 10: Brock Osweiler The 6-foot-8, 240-pound...

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK ASU’s pitching continues to struggle SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Arizona State (31-23, 16-13 Pac-12) could not match nor contain the high potent hitting of Arizona (31-23, 12-18 Pac-12), getting blown out in the opening matchup of the 2023 Pac-12 Baseball Tournament, 12-3 on Tuesday afternoon. The Devils’ pitching staff hadn’t allowed more than six runs in a game since May 7 against No. 7 Stanford while the offense has failed to capitalize on multiple scoring opportunities. Scottsdale Stadium, the Spring Training home of...

Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK ASU will look to capture title Arizona State men’s golf will look to avenge last year’s 3-2 championship loss to Texas as they prepare once again for the title in Scottsdale. This will be final year of the successful three-year stint that the national championship will be hosted at Grayhawk Golf Club. Preston Summerhays, Ryggs Johnston and Josele Ballester are the only three Devils that remain from last years squad. While it was Mason Andersen, David Puig and Cameron Sisk who led ASU a season ago, Preston Summerhays...

David Venezia/ASU Athletics Nick McLain’s eighth-inning home run enough to top Bruins TEMPE, Ariz. — A go-ahead eighth-inning blast from Nick McLain lifted the Sun Devils to a 2-1 win and a series victory over the UCLA Bruins. The win secured the number five seed in the Pac-12 tournament and keeps ASU in the mix for an NCAA tournament berth. UCLA struck first in the second inning on a solo home run from JonJon Vaughns. Ryan Campos tied it with a solo shot of his own in the fourth. It was a bullpen day for both teams on the bump, and neither pen disappointed. Both...